Producing, storing and sharing the Organization’s most essential resource

KNOWLEDGE

# 160 VOL. XXXIX may/junE 2012 EnGLISH EDITIOn

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Online edition Online archive

>Braskem’s physical libraries house integrated systems that enable them to lend reference materials to partners and members wherever they may be

>The Odebrecht Sustainable Development Award encourages young college students to develop innovative projects

>When refurbishing Maracanã stadium, some of the waste materials from the old stadium are reused to make bricks and reforest urban areas

>Construction of a solar power plant will enable the Pernambuco Arena to consume renewable, eco-friendly energy

> Access all back issues of Odebrecht Informa since no. 1, and download full issues in PDF

>Odebrecht Annual Reports since 2002

>Special publications (Special Issue on Social Programs, 60 years of the Odebrecht Group, 40 Years of the Odebrecht Foundation and 10 Years of Odeprev)

www.odebrechtonline.com.br

>You can view this entire issue in HTML and PDF

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> Follow Odebrecht Informa on Twitter and get news in real time @odbinforma

> Comment on blog posts and participate by sending your suggestions to the editors

>Odebrecht Realizações Imobiliárias (OR) sponsors the creation of the Pelé Museum in Santos, São Paulo

>Visit Mussolo Island, one of Angola’s loveliest tourist destinations

>Sports are the theme of Odebrecht Informa’s new photo contest

www.odebrechtonline.com.br >Read Odebrecht Informa on your tablet and smartphone>Reports, features, videos, photos, animations and infographics

>The Odebrecht Culture Center (NCO) is a tool for preserving and sharing the experiences of Odebrecht teams in Brazil and worldwide

>Julio Lopes Ramos, the officer Responsible for the Curundú Project in Panama, is the fifth member interviewed for the Savvy Project

>The Program for Developing Entrepreneurs (PDE) enables members to hone their knowledge and understand the values of the Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology (TEO)

>LOGISTICS OF EFFICIENCY

From the cane fields to the industrial unit: see how ETH Bioenergy guarantees fast, reliable delivery of sugarcane

informa4

#160

The PDE enables different generations of entrepreneurs to engage in motivating and productive interaction

Professor Moises Swirski addresses (and celebrates) the first 10 years of the Program for Developing Entrepreneurs

Highlight Awards: an instrument at the service of valuing collective intelligence

Knowledge Communities provide a forum for sharing experiences and finding support

Olindina Dominguez discusses the challenges of the Organization’s growth and the importance of the knowledge network for meeting them

A journey through the Organization’s past, present and future in the Odebrecht Culture Center

The Child Cancer Treatment Institute (Itaci) expands its service capacity

Braskem finds innovative solutions to consolidate, centralize and store information

At Odebrecht Engenharia Industrial, advanced technology projects confirm its talent for innovation

Passionate about sharing knowledge during day-to-day operations at the jobsites, Zé Bodinho marks 50 years of work at Odebrecht

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knowledge52

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In Angola, an initiative is marked by a combination of technology transfer and streamlined public services

The ongoing exchange of information and experiences involving all members of ETH Bioenergy

Workers in Panama bolster health and safety training with the support of Odebrecht’s teams in that country

Yuri Tomina: the story of a young man who personifies Braskem’s confidence and dynamism

OOG: lessons that inspire diligence and appreciation for knowledge and prevention

OR’s communication system encourages discipline, reflection and transversality

The Program for Developing Young Entrepreneurs gives the Southern Bahia Lowlands a new reason to believe in the future

Savvy: Julio Lopes Ramos helps rehabilitate citizens in Panama City

The map shows the countries and Brazilian states (in white) where the projects and programs featured in this issue of Odebrecht Informa are located. These wide-ranging initiatives are linked to all the countries where the Organization’s companies are active.

COVER: Participants in the first module of the 2012 edition of the Program for Developing Entrepreneurs (PDE) meet in Atibaia, São Paulo. Photo by Bruna Romaro

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EDITORIAL

Intangible achievements

nowledge is always the result of a collective process.

Even when it apparently springs from the efforts of a

lone individual, what actually happened was that that

person, at any given time, arrived at a discovery, confir-

mation or extension of an achievement by using a storehouse of data

that was initially generated long before they (or their parents and

grandparents) came into the world. Knowledge is a magnificent opus

to which all of us, like those who came before us, contribute every

day of our lives.

Today – and this is increasingly evident in the business world, but

not just there – creating the conditions for the no less crucial shar-

ing of accumulated knowledge is just as essential as stimulating the

generation of knowledge in the first place. After all, what good is

knowledge if it cannot be used by everyone for the common good? It

would be like writing and publishing wonderful books that can’t be

read, or building beautiful homes that stand unoccupied.

In this issue of Odebrecht Informa, you will find features that also

contain stories about the love of knowledge – and sharing. You will

see how initiatives like the Highlight Awards, the Program for De-

veloping Entrepreneurs (PDE), Knowledge Communities and the

Odebrecht Culture Center have contributed and are still contributing

to the formation of a knowledge network that enables Odebrecht’s

teams to energize their spirit to serve and help make their clients’

dreams come true.

Through the reports in the following pages, you will see how

each edition of the Highlight Awards, every meeting of the Knowl-

edge Communities, each module of the PDE, all the data added to

the Organization’s Intranet portals, every visit to the Culture Cen-

ter, and every Thematic Café adds a new chord to this transcen-

dent opus called knowledge in a never-ending symphony, contrib-

uting to our happiness, fulfillment and the ongoing reaffirmation

of faith in humankind.

“Creating the conditions for

the no less crucial sharing of accumulated

knowledge is just as essential

as stimulating the generation of knowledge in the

first place”

K

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THE FACTS OF

lifewritten by Edilson lima photos by Bruna romaro

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THE FACTS OF Program for Developing Entrepreneurs enables participants to engage in a rich and productive exchange of experiences through informal contact between different generations

Moises Swirski and Renato Baiardi (wearing dark jacket) conversing with the PDE participants: sharing lessons learned

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etermined to dream the Organization’s

future together, 88 members met with

Odebrecht leaders in Atibaia, São Paulo,

during a five-day seminar. The event was

the first module of the 10th edition of the

Program for Developing Entrepreneurs (PDE). For the

first time, the initial module of the program was con-

ducted jointly, involving members of Braskem and the

Organization’s Engineering & Construction companies.

Odebrecht Informa was present and got an up-close and

personal look at every step of their experience.

At the opening session on the afternoon of April 15,

participants received a warm welcome and heard a pre-

sentation of the PDE program’s first module. That eve-

ning, they enjoyed a classical music concert, and went

on to dinner.

The next day started with a lecture by Felipe Jens, the

officer Responsible for Finance at Odebrecht S.A., who

gave a general assessment of the consolidated assets

of the Organization’s companies and their investments.

Then, Marcelo Odebrecht, President and CEO of Ode-

brecht S.A., gave a presentation on the Organization’s Vi-

sion for 2020, highlighting the leaders’ challenge of con-

veying the principles of the Odebrecht Entrepreneurial

Technology (TEO) to new members.

In his talk, Renato Baiardi, a Member of the Board

of Odebrecht S.A. and one of the mentors of the PDE,

stressed the importance of leader-team member rela-

tions to the smooth conduct of business activities and

people’s growth. After their meeting with Baiardi, the

participants formed small groups to discuss and reflect

on his presentation.

On the third day, Entrepreneurial Leaders (CEOs) Luiz

Mameri, from Odebrecht América Latina e Angola, and

Fernando Reis, from Foz do Brasil, spoke about their

businesses. Mameri emphasized the challenge of work-

ing in countries with different political situations in Latin

America. Fernando Reis pointed out Foz do Brazil’s ex-

cellent performance in the field of water and sanitation,

an area historically dominated by state companies.

In the afternoon, participants attended a panel dis-

cussion on sustainability, with the participation of Sér-

gio Leão, Carla Pires and Jorge Soto, the officers Re-

sponsible for that area at Odebrecht, ETH Bioenergy and

Braskem, respectively. The mediator was Sergio Foguel,

a Member of the Board of Odebrecht S.A.

Paul Altit, Entrepreneurial Leader of Odebrecht Re-

alizações Imobiliárias (OR), started the fourth day’s ac-

tivities with an overview of the current real estate boom

in Brazil. He underscored one of the main challenges

OR has taken on: helping prepare Rio de Janeiro for the

2016 Olympics, including the construction of residential

villages for athletes.

Then the participants saw a presentation on the case

of Aquapolo Ambiental, a sewage treatment plant that

produces reused water for industrial use in the São

Paulo metropolitan region. The project involves three

Odebrecht companies: Foz do Brasil, Braskem and Ode-

brecht Infraestrutura. Led by Pedro Novis, a member of

the Board of Odebrecht S.A., the presentation aimed to

encourage reflection on the implementation of the con-

cept of transversality in the Organization.

Hits and missesIn the evening, the young participants once again

divided into groups, and had the opportunity to interact

with graduates of previous editions of the PDE. Marcus

Vinícius Dias participated in the first edition of the pro-

gram in 2003. Today he is a Project Director at Odebrecht

Oil & Gas (OOG). “There were less than 30 students in

our class. We heard the stories of our leaders, their hits

and misses. It made a lasting impression on us.” Antonio

Augusto Santos was in the class of 2004. He is currently

the Project Director for the Teles Pires Hydroelectric

Plant project in Mato Grosso. “I learned that Odebrecht’s

future depends on us,” he says.

Juliana Monteiro and Ana Carolina Farias respec-

tively attended the 2008 and 2009 editions. In 2010,

Juliana became the first woman Project Director at

OR. “It’s an honor,” she says. In 2011, Ana Carolina be-

came the first woman Project Director at Odebrecht In-

fraestrutura: “The PDE taught me to focus on people’s

growth. Today I try to convey positive inspiration to my

team members.”

The fifth and final day began with a lecture by the En-

trepreneurial Leader of Braskem, Carlos Fadigas, who

emphasized the acquisition of assets of Quattor and Su-

noco Chemicals in 2010, and Dow Chemical in 2011.

Respect for cultural differences was one of the points

Emílio Odebrecht, Chairman of the Board of Directors of

Odebrecht S.A., underscored in his talk. He stressed that

TEO must be conveyed to all members of the Organiza-

tion while respecting their local customs and habits.

After lunch, Márcio Polidoro, the Odebrecht officer

Responsible for Corporate Communications, and Board

Member Luiz Villar gave a talk on “Representativeness

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and Image Building.” After a presentation of case stud-

ies, the participants were encouraged to reflect on im-

age building within the sphere of their own businesses.

In the evening, there was a farewell social event and

the presentation of a “video-overview” of the five-day

seminar. Throughout the coming year, the two groups

of participants (members of Braskem and Odebrecht’s

Engineering & Construction companies) will separately

take part in three more program modules.

Open hearts and soulsSome participants reported their impressions to

Odebrecht Informa. “The PDE gives us a comprehen-

sive view of the Organization businesses,” said Marcelo

Nunes, from OOG. “The PDE gives us an opportunity to

be face to face with people who have lived and are liv-

ing the history of Odebrecht,” observed Alaíde Barbosa,

from Foz. Fernando Cervera, from Odebrecht Peru, said:

“I’m leaving here with a tremendous desire to be a better

person.” The issue of sustainability drew the attention of

Manuel Kai, from Angola: “When I came here I had few

ideas on that subject, but now it’s as if several lights have

gone on in my head.” Becoming an educational leader

is one of the goals of Warren Springer, from the USA,

a member of Braskem in the United States. “Odebrecht

has a culture of always giving the best possible service.”

According to the academic coordinator of the PDE,

Moises Swirski (see his article in this issue), the pro-

gram is in its 10th edition, and is staying true to its

original purpose: “Being a space for reflection on TEO

involving interactions between the generations of Nor-

berto Odebrecht, Emílio Odebrecht and the youth of to-

day, led by Marcelo Odebrecht.” Renato Baiardi adds:

“Over these 10 years, many participants have proved

themselves to be excellent entrepreneurs. This means

that the PDE is on the right track. The practice of TEO

should be intensified in all of the Organization’s small

businesses.”

According to Antonio Rezende, the officer Respon-

sible for the People and Development Team of the Vice

President for Engineering & Construction Operations,

the PDE’s greatest legacy is encouraging a feeling of

belonging to Odebrecht among the participants. “They

leave here motivated to preserve the Organization’s cul-

ture and convey it to their team members.”

One of the high points of each edition of the PDE has

been the participation of Norberto Odebrecht since the

program’s inception. “Norberto Odebrecht always amaz-

es us with his stories. Young people have the opportunity

to interact directly with him,” says Moises Swirski. You

could say they have the opportunity to dream the Organi-

zation’s future together.

Marcelo Odebrecht: conveying the principles of TEO to new members

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ARGUMENT

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The PDE marks its 10th anniversary

Moises Swirskiis the academic coordinator of the Odebrecht Organization’s Program for Developing Entrepreneurs (PDE) moises@msw.com.br

he PDE [Program for Developing Entre-

preneurs] is celebrating the 10th anni-

versary of its mission to accelerate the

education of entrepreneurs in line with

the Odebrecht Culture, contributing syn-

ergistically to Education through Work.

The PDE is at the service of the Organization’s lead-

ers in the effort to overcome the challenge of grooming

future generations of leaders in the art of conducting

the Entrepreneurial Task, keeping pace with the rate of

growth of their businesses.

By the end of 2012, 10 classes will have taken the

Engineering PDE, which includes Foz do Brasil, Ode-

brecht Realizações Imobiliárias [Real Estate Develop-

ments], Odebrecht Oil & Gas and OCS, and six will have

taken the Braskem PDE, making a total of more than

700 participants.

The program provides a break in the participants’ dai-

ly lives that enables them to reflect on their own experi-

ences and engage in self-assessment. We learn through

the application of TEO and lessons taught by leaders from

the three generations that have built the Organization.

Reflection inspires the possibilities of each individual

and increases their drive to achieve. Dialogue strength-

ens their sense of mission and the freedom to pursue

personal fulfillment within the Organization. The PDE

does not create entrepreneurs; the talent for becoming

an entrepreneur is already innate.

The educational program is geared to broadening

perspectives, thereby enhancing people’s capacity to

conceptualize, focus, plan and evaluate the implementa-

tion of their Action Program. We do not develop the skills

required to perform specific tasks. The PDE prioritizes

developing the sensitivity required to be an entrepreneur.

Our values emerge from our actions, and it is those val-

ues which make us stand out. As Rubem Alves tells us:

“Knowledge gives us the means to live, but it is our sensi-

bilities that give us our reason for living.”

As the Academic Coordinator of the PDE, I have

three reminders for our participants. The first is that

each individual brings their own truth, because there

is no one answer in business. Furthermore, it is our

differences that make us stronger and will allow us

to review the way we perceive things. When everyone

thinks alike, it is more than likely that no one is think-

ing at all.

The second is that each individual must be fully

committed to the program. Bring all of yourself to the

plenary session, along with everything you represent.

And, finally, each individual is responsible for building

an environment of trust for their peers.

I have a PhD in Finance from the Stern School of

Business at New York University and am a partner in

a company focused on Valuation and M&A. However,

I have always been involved in education. I helped to

found the UFRJ Coppead (Federal University at Rio de

Janeiro Graduate Institute of Business Administra-

tion), and went on to help create the PDE, a pioneer-

ing project in Brazil for grooming senior executives.

I like people and enjoy helping them, so I am fully

committed to the PDE’s journey. And for the last ten

years, I have been learning important lessons from the

art of grooming entrepreneurs, from the participants,

from the Organization’s leaders who share their art

and lives, from the entrepreneurial coordinators (An-

tonio Rezende, Olindina Dominguez, Carlos Hupsel

and Ciro Barbosa), teachers Nilton Ricardino and Ro-

berto Vargas, and my colleagues at MSW.

T

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CREATORS OF AN

archivewritten by EmanuElla somBra photos by FrEd ChaluB

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ESSENTIAL

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CREATORS OF AN

archive

Braskem’s Highlight Awards gain

strength as a tool for supporting the company’s growth

ESSENTIAL

Camila Dantas (center) with Felipe Yukio Matsumoto and Carolina Mirabeli: increasing productivity by encouraging creativity

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t all started the way good ideas often arise

in the workplace: a practical obstacle led to

strategic planning that resulted in short- and

long-term gains for the client. “We needed to

provide them with support, which meant re-

ducing their costs and ensuring our competitive-

ness in the current scenario for the petrochemical

industry,” says Braskem Energy Manager Gustavo

Checcucci. “In other words, we were strengthen-

ing the entire supply chain,” he summarizes.

The characters in this story were members

of Braskem, which produces polypropylene, and

their client Borealis, a company that makes auto

parts from the polymer after adding other chemi-

cal components. Based on observations of how

Borealis’s power consumption was impacting its

competitiveness in the market, Gustavo and his

colleagues Octavio Pimenta Neto, Lucas Nishioka

and Fabio Yanaguita came up with an alternative

way to reduce the costs of inputs used to make

plastic products - in this case, auto parts.

That is how the winner in the Adding Value

for the Client category of the 2011 edition of the

Braskem Highlight Awards came about. The pro-

posal was to mediate the energy purchased on

the Free Power Market and manage it so Borealis

could save 17% of its annual consumption. “Ne-

gotiating cheaper energy required expertise that

midsize companies such as Borealis do not pos-

sess. Not to mention that Braskem has been in

this market a long time, which made negotiating

the purchase easier,” explains Checcucci.

After the initial stage of the project, in which

the partners studied several legal and economic

variables, they began applying the idea in prac-

tice. The bond of trust between the two companies

grew stronger, and the client is enjoying a savings

of BRL 600,000 annually. Furthermore, Braskem’s

entrepreneurial legacy had gained yet another ex-

ample of how shared knowledge and experiences

result in an archive of solutions that can be ap-

plied and replicated over the years.

Encouraging creativity“In addition to encouraging the emergence of

innovative ideas that can be applied in our own

Organization, the awards ensure that our mem-

bers share their acquired knowledge within the

company, which helps improve the work done in

all spheres of activity,” says Camila Dantas, the

Braskem officer Responsible for Education and

Careers. “The Braskem Highlight Awards rec-

ognize professionals by valuing their knowledge.

This helps increase productivity while encourag-

ing creativity,” she adds.

At the Braskem unit in São Paulo, Camila and

the other organizers of the awards keep track

of entries for the next edition, which are due by

July. At this stage, the routine will gradually cre-

ate a climate in which creativity and the exchange

of ideas predominate - in many cases, ideas that

have already been tried and tested within the Or-

ganization. “People begin to form groups, which

ends up creating pools of expertise. With each

passing year, we have seen the awards make a

contribution in this regard,” she says.

According to Camila, the number of entries

in 2012 is expected to exceed the milestones

reached in previous years. And this expectation

is justified. In 2011, the competition totaled 194

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Gustavo Checucci, Fabio Yanaguita and Octavio Pimenta: reducing the costs of inputs used to make plastic products

17informa

entries, 20% more than 2007, the first year the

awards were held. During that period, the pro-

gram made adjustments aligned with Braskem’s

Vision for 2020, such as the number of partici-

pants per group and the inclusion of new cat-

egories. Other categories have been eliminated

for strategic reasons. Now in its sixth edition,

Braskem offers Highlight Awards in four catego-

ries: Innovative Solutions, HSE (Health, Safety

and Environment), Adding Value for the Client

and Continuous Improvement.

Conceived as a tool for recording and sharing

knowledge, the Braskem Highlight Awards are held

annually. All company members can participate, as

long as each group has at least two members. En-

tries must be original and unpublished, and imple-

mented the same year or the year before each edi-

tion. Criteria such as sustainability, originality and

impact on the company’s development are taken

into account when selecting the best entries.

From team member to leaderMost members who submit winning projects

share the feeling that this is a form of recognition

and are encouraged to participate in other edi-

tions. The resulting exchange of experiences and

knowledge also ends up having a positive impact

on their professional careers. “I can safely say this

award has directly influenced my career, because

I’ve gone from being a team member to a leader,”

says Braskem Product Development Manager

Alessandro Lima. Alessandro and his group won

the 2010 Braskem Highlight Awards in the Adding

Value for the Client category.

Along with colleagues Nicolai Duboc Natal, Fer-

nando Cruz and João Caiado (the latter two are

former company members), Alessandro developed

a new alternative for the Brazilian offshore indus-

try’s logistics: producing and supplying a type of

polypropylene that Petrobras had previously im-

ported to coat oil pipelines. “Our direct client was

not Petrobras, but the suppliers of that polymer.

And it was much more advantageous for them to

have a Brazilian product and technical assistance

in this country.”

Used as an insulator, the polypropylene main-

tains the temperature at which oil is extracted from

the earth. Furthermore, the polymer protects steel

pipelines from seawater corrosion. Braskem un-

derwent a lengthy approval process to be accred-

ited as a supplier of the raw material for Petrobras.

“It is Petrobras’s policy to promote the national

oil industry, and we were able to contribute to

that effort,” says an exultant Nicolai Duboc Natal,

Braskem’s Polypropylene Marketing Coordinator.

“Better yet, we can use this technical track record

in other applications, now that Braskem already

has the know-how,” he adds.

Nicolai Natal: boosting the Brazilian oil industry

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written by rEnata mEyEr

18An initiative created to showcase and reward collective intelligence and encourage members to seek and reuse creative solutions, the Engineering & Construction business’s Highlight Awards mark 20 years

good ideas THE PATH TO

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good ideas n 1992, the Odebrecht Knowledge Network

gained an important tool for recording and

sharing innovative ideas developed in the tech-

nical and social fields of the Organization’s

companies’ operational areas. The Highlight

Awards, as it became known, have helped recognize

knowledgeable people, while capturing synergies

and enhancing Odebrecht’s collective intelligence,

providing a stimulus for the pursuit, dissemination

and reuse of creative solutions.

Any Odebrecht member in Brazil and other coun-

tries can compete for the awards, individually or in

groups. There is no limit to the number of entries

per author or the number of participants per group.

All the entries submitted become part of the Orga-

nization’s archives and are available in full for con-

sultation on the Highlight Awards website and the

Engineering & Construction Business’s Corporate

Portal.

Over the course of 20 years, more than 4,000

members have shared the knowledge acquired

through day-to-day activities, forming a rich trove of

over 2,000 innovations. These projects reduce costs

and time, minimize social and environmental im-

pacts, and improve productivity, among many other

benefits. During those two decades, the awards

have evolved, adapting to new market needs and the

growth of the Organization, adding new categories

and means of delivery, consultation and access.

“At first, we would call members on the phone to

encourage them to submit their work. Today, people

participate spontaneously. Every year, more people

realize the importance of sharing knowledge,” says

Olindina Perez Dominguez, the officer Responsible

for Ciaden (Knowledge and Information to Support

IIIRSA South Highway in Peru: the project’s team used an innovative solution born at the construction site for another route in that country – the Tingo María-Aguaytía Highway

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Business Development), who is in charge of orga-

nizing the Highlight Awards. Over the years, the

number of members taking part has steadily in-

creased: between 2010 and 2011 alone, it jumped

from 227 entries to 367.

Hosted annually, the awards are presented to

members whose work has been selected in each

of the six categories evaluated: Innovation, Young

Partner, Knowledge Reuse, Environment, Commu-

nity Relations, and Health and Workplace Safety.

The selection process takes place in two stages.

First, an international panel of judges composed

of multidisciplinary technical teams from the Ode-

brecht Organization assesses the entries. All Ode-

brecht members can also vote for their favorites

through the Corporate Portal (Intranet). The 10

highest-scoring entries are pre-screened and un-

dergo another round of evaluations by an outside

panel of judges - in the case of the Environment

and Community Relations categories - and a sec-

ond internal committee for the others. At the end

of this process, the winning project in each cat-

egory is chosen.

Reusing knowledgeCreativity, dedication and persistence were the

tools the management team for the Tingo María-

Aguaytía Highway rehabilitation project in Peru

used to overcome the challenges posed by the

weather and climate and ensure productivity. To

avoid demobilizing the workforce during the rainy

season, which made it impossible to carry out

some procedures, the team created a paving tent,

a movable metal frame shaped like an arch and

covered with a plastic tarp that was high enough

to allow the work fronts to operate normally un-

derneath it.

The idea was submitted to the Highlight Awards

in 2005 and became a benchmark for other projects

the Organization is building in similar situations.

This was true for the IIRSA South Project, where

the harsh temperatures limited the work of plac-

ing the asphalt mixture to a total of five hours per

day. By using the tent, they were able to ensure a

temperature-controlled environment and increase

productivity during construction of the road system

linking Brazil and Peru.

The Odebrecht Angola team has also been in-

spired by an existing initiative to promote the pro-

fessional education of Angolan workers. Originally

deployed in Santo Antônio, Brazil, the Acreditar (Be-

lieve) program has been replicated in Angola, and,

since 2010, it has graduated more than 2,000 skilled

workers in various construction trades and related

areas in three provinces.

The Angolan version of the program won the

2011 Highlights Award in the Knowledge Reuse

category, which this year received the record num-

ber of 70 entries. “Winning the Award gives us the

certainty that we made the right choices when we

decided to create a program based on the local

realities, using an educational technology aligned

with TEO and the most advanced trends in mod-

ern education,” says Adriana Bezerra, who co-

authored the project along with Diana Ortiz and

Paloma Alencar.

Grooming new entrepreneursThe award ceremony for the last edition, which

marked the 20th anniversary of the Highlight

Awards, took place in December during the An-

nual Meeting in Costa do Sauípe, Bahia. The oc-

casion was also marked by a tribute to Mauro

Martins, the officer Responsible for Engineering

on the Manuel Piar (Tocoma) Hydroelectric Plant

project in Venezuela. Mauro is the Organization

member who has submitted the most entries

throughout the history of the awards: a total of

38 projects.

Mauro Martins: record holdero

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2012 HIGHLIGHT AWARDS

Registration and submissions due by September 28. Don’t miss out! www.premiodestaque.com

For more information on the Highlight Awards, write to premiodestaque@odebrecht.com

Mauro is acclaimed within the Organization as one

of the greatest promoters of the Awards. “Through

the Highlight Awards, we have been able to ‘contage’

and influence colleagues from different generations

to engage in joint projects focused on important is-

sues related to the different challenges that arise in

our business environments. This promotes the con-

tinuous pursuit of scientific and technical knowledge

while always valuing the spirit of innovation,” says

Mauro.

Under his leadership, Robinson Areaza won the

Award in 2011 in the Young Partner category for

“Breaking Paradigms on the Road to Success. Us-

ing Postcooling in High-Altitude Paving.” Created

in 1997, this category recognizes younger members

who see opportunities for innovation in their day-to-

day work. “I am convinced that each and every one

of us can find solutions to overcome obstacles and

forge ahead, becoming increasingly efficient and ef-

fective in the execution of any project we are build-

ing,” says Robinson.

According to Olindina Dominguez, for young peo-

ple, participating in the Highlight Awards is primarily

a learning opportunity. “Whether they are reporting

an innovation developed in conjunction with their

team or recording the knowledge of experienced su-

pervisors, these young people will grow and develop

because they have to find the technical data to sup-

port the idea they are presenting,” she says.

Whether they are Young Partners or seasoned

professionals, all Odebrecht members have the

transformative potential to innovate, renew and con-

stantly improve their work and themselves. This is

the essence of the Highlight Awards, which symbol-

ize the entire Organization’s recognition of the spirit

of service of people who share their knowledge to

serve the future.

Aida Yolanda José da Silva (foreground) and other Acreditar Program students in Angola: professional education

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Engineering & Construction Knowledge Communities provide support for any situation anywhere. Just give them a call

written by João marcondes

22 Danilo Abdanur (right) and Venezuelan engineer José Gonçalves: reinforcing Education through Work

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THE PLEASuRE OF FINDING YOuR

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n 2009, engineer Manuel Ximenes arrived in Co-

lombia. The challenge he faced was verging on

impossible: putting together a bid for the Ruta

del Sol Highway contract in just four months.

The scope: building a 500-km roadway in a re-

gion with heavy rainfall in the extremely short period

of five years. A month had gone by since the tender

announcement was published. They were not even

100% sure they would win. There were technical gaps

to overcome. Then, in the course of a conversation, his

leader, Odebrecht Colombia CEO Luiz Bueno, sug-

gested that Ximenes attend the meeting of the Road-

ways Community that would soon be held in Panama.

“I didn’t belong to that Community, and I wasn’t even

sure what it was. I wondered whether it would be

worthwhile missing a week of work on the bid to make

the trip,” he admits.

Ximenes went, and his time wasn’t wasted. In fact,

he won the contract. “I told them my troubles and ev-

eryone offered to help,” he says, highlighting the com-

munity’s willingness to pitch in and work together to

find solutions. “It was like opening a book and finding

almost all the answers you needed.” Never had the

spirit of service seemed so clear to Ximenes, who im-

mediately became one of the community’s most active

members. He called in colleagues from similar proj-

ects in Peru, Brazil and Panama to help him with his

mission. They held a mini-community meeting in Bo-

gota, where they produced the winning bid in record

time. Manuel Ximenes says the support of “Maurão”

was crucial. “Maurão” is Mauro Hueb, the Roadways

Community Leader and a Project Director at Odebrecht

América Latina e Angola (Latin America and Angola).

InceptionAugusto Roque Dias Fernandes was one of the

founders of the first Odebrecht Knowledge Community

- Power Plants and Dams, created in 2001. “When you

have a question, someone comes up with an idea. Then

another member contributes a second idea about the

same problem. When they get together, they come up

with a third idea. That one is usually the best, and the

one that gets used,” he explains.

The concept of Knowledge Communities began to

take shape at Odebrecht in the 1990s to address the

following question: how to manage, focus and qualify

the new knowledge generated in hundreds of con-

struction sites around the world in an organization

where decentralization is part of its cultural and philo-

sophical essence? It started off in 1996 as a modest

Intranet network through which people exchanged

information, but soon took on the form of an “archi-

pelago of excellence linking islands of competence” (a

concept devised by geologist José Carlos Leal Bezerra,

a former member of the Organization).

In 2001, the first community meeting took place at

the Itapebi Hydroelectric Plant project in Bahia. Roque,

now Engineering Director at Odebrecht Energia, became

the leader. Since then, the communities have multiplied

quickly. Today, there are 12 for Odebrecht’s Engineering

& Construction business, totaling over 4,000 members,

and more communities are expected to start up later this

year.

One person who has played a key role in this story

is Olindina Perez Dominguez (see interview in this is-

sue). The officer Responsible for Ciaden (Knowledge

and Information to Support Business Development),

she observes: “In a company where Education through

Work is part of our philosophy, we had to think of a

way to design processes and methods to further en-

hance knowledge transfer. One challenge was figuring

out how to motivate people to structure and share this

knowledge.”

To accomplish this, she turned to Nilton Vargas,

from the Neolabor company, an Odebrecht partner

for two decades. “First, we redirected the focus of

the network (Intranet), which used to be on process-

es and technology. The target became people, which

was more in tune with the Odebrecht Entrepreneurial

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Technology (TEO),” she explains. “Then we established

three strategies: bringing together professionals with

the same interests; recording video testimonials, in-

stead of just written texts and data, because we wanted

to see the players in action, face and soul, and, not least,

for everything to be done from the bottom up - that is,

forming communities and electing their leaders should

go beyond the structure and prioritize the desire to par-

ticipate.”

The environment of these communities is a kind of

“social network” (“predating the famous social networks

we have today,” says Vargas). There, members can send

out technical questions to their community. Members like

Pedro Paiva, who had a question about how to develop

the planning for Solid Waste Management on a project in

Venezuela, and received prompt support from the Sustain-

ability Community Forum. In this environment, community

members also share journal articles, progress reports on

projects, video testimonials and other information. Face-

to-face meetings are another important tool for encourag-

ing interaction and fostering the exchange of knowledge

among community members. Also acting as Technical

Missions, the communities visit benchmark jobsites and

institutes. At the end of each meeting, recommendations

on the main topics discussed at the event are published

on the Corporate Portal so all Organization members can

consult them.

Another product of the communities’ work is their

Best Practices compendiums, which deal with critical

issues that require further consideration. They are orga-

nized by knowledgeable people who compare the prac-

tices used in various areas of the company and draw up

best practices with the help of contributions from other

members.

Enthusiasts of knowledgeDanilo Abdanur, the officer Responsible for Produc-

tion on the Line 2 construction project for the Los Teques

Metro in Venezuela, is the Leader of the Rail Transport

Community. He says: “Joining a community is the best way

to get to know the Organization’s philosophy.” An enthu-

siast of knowledge in all its forms, Danilo has innovated

by creating the first theoretical course within a Knowledge

Community - the Tunnel Builders’ Training Program - to

enhance the expertise of company engineers in the field

of NATM (New Austrian Tunneling Method) tunnels and

TBMs (Tunnel Boring (Machines). It brought together 37

people, had various teachers, ranging from consultants

to renowned academics, and included two phases: one in

Venezuela and another in Germany, where Herrenknecht,

a leading TBM manufacturer, is based.

The young Venezuelan engineer José Goncalves, 20,

says: “Participating in the Tunnel Builders’ Training Pro-

gram raised my level of knowledge, which was basically

that of a mechanical engineer. I learned about geology and

the civil engineering side of the work and got to know peo-

ple from all over the world,” he says. Danilo was pleased.

Increased theoretical knowledge fits in perfectly with Edu-

cation through Work.

Augusto Roque stresses that energizing knowledge

is just as important as the energy projects currently in

progress (which will generate 22,000 megawatts in sev-

eral countries in the next few years). “What we’re looking

for is to reach a higher level and climb up steadily from

there,” he says.

The complete list of Odebrecht Engineering & Construction Knowledge Communities and their leaders is available in the online edition of Odebrecht Informa (www.odebrechtonline.com.br).

Augusto Roque: pioneer

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ESCALATING

knowledge

26Worker at a Braskem unit: Knowledge Communities help improve quality, productivity and sustainability

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knowledge

At Braskem, a mosaic of Knowledge Communities provides virtual forums for debate

written by thErEza martins photos by marCos sá

he Braskem Knowledge Communities were developed in line

with the existing model within the Odebrecht Organization. They

provide a place to exchange information, experience and knowl-

edge. Knowledge built by many hands, and incorporated into the

company’s memory and heritage.

By definition, these communities are groups of experts on a particular topic, project,

service or product who interact to form a diversified pool of knowledge, which, in turn,

enables the dissemination of information and experiences. Based on these guidelines,

the communities foster the application of the principle of education through and for

work expressed in the Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology (TEO).

In addition to face-to-face meetings, the communities get together in a virtual envi-

ronment that could be compared to special interest or discussion groups on the Internet,

with the possibility of posting files and comments and revisiting the group’s history.

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The goal is to collect the specific knowledge gen-

erated in the company within the same environment,

which is called a digital collaboration platform, to

share that knowledge more easily while preserving

the memory resulting from this process.

”The drive to create a community and be a part of

it is closely linked to the Organization’s culture, be-

cause it involves the spirit of serving the current and

future generations of members, the humility to teach

and learn, and the desire to discover new things and

preserve knowledge built up through work,” says In-

formation and Knowledge Resources (RIC) analyst

Edileni Leão.

The RIC area is responsible for reviewing proposals

and approving new groups, as well as running the com-

munities. Each community has one or more modera-

tors in charge of sending out invitations, encouraging

participation and coordinating collaborations internally.

The most important milestone in the development

of these communities at Braskem dates back to 2009,

when the RIC began discussing the concept. The fol-

lowing year, they developed a pilot project focused on

innovation and technology. By 2011, there were five

communities at different stages of participation and

maturity. By April 2012, another three groups had

been added, and the goal is to have two more by the

end of the year.

The focus topics include the Braskem+ Program,

PP (Polypropylene) Process Engineering, Green Ethyl-

ene Technology, People & Organization, and Sustain-

ability. Altogether, the company’s eight communities

include over 300 people.

Braskem+The Braskem+ Knowledge Community has the

largest number of participants – about 60 – because

of the breadth of the subject, which covers all the

company’s business units and support. Braskem+

is a corporate program designed to provide support

for these units in their drive to improve the quality,

operational productivity and sustainability of their

results.

“Right now, the production teams are working

on building standards for the company’s produc-

tion system, a process that has become more agile

through the exchanges of information, ideas and

experiences made possible by the Braskem+ Com-

munity,” says Vladimir Araújo Ornelas, a specialist

in the Corporate Quality and Productivity (Q&P) area

and one of the community’s moderators.

Vladimir also underscores another benefit of this

tool – the ability to record all the contributions, which

are stored in its archives. “That way, we can identify

the people who made the contributions, when they

were made and their originality,” he stresses. As a

result, if any members want to see how the process

of constructing and establishing standards was car-

ried out, they can do so easily.

The significance of this debate and improvements

in quality, productivity and sustainability for the

company is reflected in the variety of topics on the

agenda: the production and reliability of equipment,

focused improvement, physical organization, and

process systemization. Each topic opens up a range

of more specific subtopics.

Edileni Leão and Backer da Rosa: spirit of cooperation

29informa

“This discussion could be carried out using tradi-

tional methods, such as workshops, file sharing on the

corporate network or videoconferencing, but we real-

ized that it is more productive through the community,”

says engineer Rubem Ede, a Q&P expert who works at

the Camaçari Industrial Complex in Bahia. “We need to

be representative to conclude the debate on the stan-

dardization of the Braskem+ production system, and

we are achieving this through the communities, where

each participant represents their area of activity and

their team, thereby enriching the process,” he adds.

Green Ethylene Technology Innovation is in the DNA of the Green Ethylene

Technology Community, which is completely in line

with Braskem’s Vision for 2020 – being the world

leader in sustainable chemicals. To achieve this, the

company must continue to develop research on alter-

native technologies for renewable raw materials. The

initial and decisive step was the development of the

production technology for green ethylene, and after

that for green polyethylene, both of which are made

from sugarcane ethanol at the Triunfo Petrochemical

Complex in Rio Grande do Sul.

“Our community has 17 participants and is still

in the pilot phase of implementation,” says Roberto

Werneck do Carmo, the officer Responsible for Re-

newable Processes, who does his research at one of

Braskem’s partner labs in Campinas, São Paulo. At

this initial stage, the members being invited to join

the community are technology research and devel-

opment experts working on the Green Ethylene proj-

ect whose knowledge is considered strategic for the

company.

Roberto is one of the community’s moderators,

based on his experience at another company that he

describes as motivating and rewarding. “One of the

challenges of being a moderator is to encourage peo-

ple to participate, showing them the benefits of this

forum for their own work and the company,” he says.

Collaboration platformThe pillars of the digital collaboration platform, the

environment that supports the knowledge communi-

ties and the users’ interactions, are integration, cen-

tralization and stored information, shared workflow

collaboration, knowledge networks, data security and

confidentiality, and access permissions per participant

profile. This information comes from Backer Luis Vie-

ira da Rosa, a systems analyst who helped build the

platform. Based on Microsoft SharePoint technology,

it offers users features to which they are already ac-

customed.

“The access system is similar to the functions avail-

able in Office, with a toolbar. Also, the navigation is sim-

ilar to social networking on the Internet, with panels for

comments and an area for posting files to be shared

in a kind of virtual library,” Backer explains. “Further-

more, participants can customize the alert systems, so

they get an email whenever a new file or comment is

available for consultation. This keeps users updated on

the communities’ recent activities.”

Roberto Werneck do Carmo: encouraging people to participate

30 informa

INTERVIEW

30

written by Karolina GutiEz photo by holanda CavalCanti

A COLLECTIVE OPuS CALLED

knowledgehirty-three years have gone by since

Olindina Perez Dominguez joined

Odebrecht. Her four medals in rec-

ognition of 10, 15, 20 and 25 years of

work at the Organization are framed

and arranged on the cabinet behind her desk

amid stacks of papers, attesting to the acknowl-

edgment she has received for a career that began

on the dam design area team in Salvador, Bahia,

her hometown. With a technical background,

combined with training at the School of Fine Arts,

Dina, as her colleagues call her, has witnessed

many milestones on projects in that segment and

stayed on when her department was consolidat-

ed with the corporate environment to support the

development of bids for the whole of what was

then Construtora Norberto Odebrecht. She went

on to groom the teams conducting studies to bid

for new contracts. “Winning a tender is price-

less. But if you lose, it really gets you down.” In

the process, whenever the construction company

had to prove its technical and commercial ability

to participate in a tender, professionals relied on

previously generated knowledge. “That’s why we

always say that Odebrecht has had a knowledge

network since its inception. It is inherent to the

business.” That’s how Ciaden (Knowledge and

Information to Support Business Development),

which Olindina leads, originated: as part of the

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31informa

knowledgeOlindina Dominguez: “When you submit a project, you improve on your own idea and conceptualize what was done in practice”

informa

bid development area. In this interview with Ode-

brecht Informa at Odebrecht’s São Paulo office,

Olindina discusses the challenges Ciaden faces

to keep pace with the growth of the Organiza-

tion, whose main allies include the knowledge

network.

ODEBRECHT InFORMA – What are Ciaden’s

main focuses today?

Olindina Dominguez – We have three focuses

for our activities, which are both integrated

and dependent: qualification, business security

and the knowledge network. The first has to do

with our support for the bid development teams

so they can participate in tenders. Everything

that is generated at the construction sites and

serves to qualify businesses and members, like

a Construction Certificate, must, in turn, be

fed into our corporate information base so we

can support future bids. To meet this demand,

we’ve created a tool called a checklist, a tally

of the minimum documentation required for the

Organization’s survival in the market, with the

observation that all projects are responsible for

providing the information requested on that list.

This is how we preserve our technical memory

and guarantee our business security. Then we

go on to disseminate the knowledge generated

in all the settings in which we operate, because

our treasure trove of archives is worthless if it’s

not shared. Our challenge is to create the tools

and means to share knowledge and make it

available for use in all our businesses.

OI – And how does a decentralized

Organization like Odebrecht provide that

knowledge to all its members?

Olindina – The Highlight Awards were the first

step, taken in 1992 to encourage members to

exercise increasing productivity and creativity,

reuse the knowledge generated in their work

experiences, and strengthen the culture of

recording and disseminating knowledge. When

you submit a project, you improve on your own

idea. You conceptualize what was done in prac-

tice. In their 20 years of existence, the awards

have built up a collection of 2,900 projects. To-

day there are six categories. In 2011, members

from 15 countries and 10 Organization compa-

nies participated, but the awards are open to

all of them. The Corporate Portal (Intranet) was

the next step. It was created in 1996 to transfer

our team’s memory to an online tool. We use

the site to provide all information necessary

for developing bids, winning tenders, executing

contracts and demobilizing projects. Over time

we realized that, despite the large amount of

content, members weren’t visiting the por-

tal because we had developed solutions that

concentrated more on technology than people.

So the Intranet has changed. We’ve adopted the

taxonomy system used by the Google search en-

gine, but in 2001 we also got to work on another

initiative: the creation of Knowledge Communi-

ties. We've brought together people with com-

mon interests who are willing to share their

knowledge and learnings with each other. The

first community was for dams and hydroelectric

plants. Today there are 12, and all of them have

a large membership.

OI – You mentioned sharing both knowledge

and learnings...

Olindina – Losses occur when you take

the wrong path. The communities don’t

just share success stories. Quite the con-

trary. They realize that the biggest lessons

“Our challenge is

to create the tools

and means to share

knowledge and

make it available

for use in all our

businesses”

32 informa

informa

come from failures. That’s when you learn

the most. And in these settings, whether they

meet face-to-face or via the Internet, there is

a favorable climate for people to speak openly

and plainly and engage in in-house consulting.

Recording these reports on Education through

Work contributes to in-house programs that

are tailored to Education for Work, for example,

the Program for Developing Entrepreneurs

(PDE).

OI – Have members always been willing to

share their expertise and experiences?

Olindina – José Carlos Leal Bezerra, a geologist

who is a former member of the Organization,

once set us the following challenge: “We need to

transform islands of competence into an archi-

pelago of excellence.” People had a tendency to

keep their knowledge to themselves. Once we’ve

overcome that barrier, it’s easy to get them out

of the tacit and make it explicit, because they

are among knowledgeable people. We repeat-

edly invest resources to solve the same issues.

However, the challenges and opportunities are

similar. So the way forward is reusing knowl-

edge. The spirit of service is a pillar of our

Culture that helps us follow that path.

OI – Can you give a successful example of

knowledge reuse that is emblematic for the

Organization?

Olindina – The “Caia na Rede” (Hit the Net)

program. It was initially deployed on the Au-

tonomous Repumping Platform (ARP-1) project

in São Roque do Paraguaçu, Bahia, and won

a Highlight Award in 2005. Today, that digital

inclusion program for workers and communities

in the vicinity of our projects is a reality at many

of the Organization’s jobsites in several coun-

tries. The Acreditar (Believe) Ongoing Profes-

sional Education Program won one edition of

the award, was replicated, and in 2011 it won

again in the Knowledge Reuse category.

OI – After three decades of work in the

Organization, are there any learnings you’d

like to share with us?

Olindina – Being decentralized does not mean

being isolated. Seeking integration and coop-

eration between individuals, businesses and

settings is a constant effort, but it has gratify-

ing results. Transversality, which is already

happening in the Knowledge Communities,

for example, with the involvement of different

businesses, is a cause for celebration. Using

knowledge generated in different contexts is

both productive and wise. We can’t keep going

back to square one. This will enable us to evolve

more and more. We have built more than 320

tunnels and over 280 roads, so we have also

built up extensive knowledge that we need to

share.

“The way forward

is reusing

knowledge.

The spirit of

service is a pillar

of our Culture and

helps us follow

that path”

informa 33

34 informa

SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATION OF A

culture

34

Visitors at the Center in Salvador: opportunities to learn about the people and feats that have made, and are still making Odebrecht what it is today

35informa

SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATION OF A

cultureThe Culture Center in Salvador, Bahia, provides Odebrecht members and partners a historical perspective on the results achieved and inspires them to do even more and better

written by José EnriquE BarrEiro photos by FErnando vivas

he day after reading an ar-

ticle on the Odebrecht Culture

Center in a local newspaper,

Aloísio Procópio Nascimento

headed to the Organization’s

headquarters on Avenida Paralela in Salva-

dor, Bahia, to visit it. “I worked for Odebrecht

my whole life, and I wanted to see the place

that tells my company’s story.” So he intro-

duced himself to Fátima Berbert, the officer

Responsible for the Center, and she took him

on a tour of the exhibition space where visi-

tors can come into contact with the Organi-

zation’s history, from its origins during the

nineteenth-century German immigration to

Brazil, to the present day.

When he reached the display case that con-

tains the work IDs of supervisors who worked

with the Organization’s founder, Norberto

Odebrecht, in the decades between 1940 and

1970, Aloísio Procópio Nascimento didn’t see

his and protested: “Why are Bonifácio’s and

Zé Vital’s IDs here and not mine?” He didn’t

need an answer, and made up his mind on

the spot. “I’ll go home and get it right now.”

And so he did. His ID was shown to Norberto

Odebrecht, which recognized Aloísio as one of

the supervisors who had worked with him and

authorized the Center to put it in the showcase

alongside the documents of Bonifácio Manuel

dos Santos, José Vital da Silva and other su-

pervisors.

Episodes like this are not uncommon in the

history of the Odebrecht Culture Center, which

often receives documents and other items that

contain a piece of the Organization’s 68-year

history. “This Peruvian rug,” says José Rai-

mundo Lima, the officer Responsible for Cor-

porate Communications in Salvador, “portrays

the city of Machu Picchu. It was presented to

Odebrecht by Pedro Huilca, President of the

Peruvian Confederation of Construction Work-

ers, in 1989.” Pointing in another direction,

he explains: “This is the prize that Odebrecht

received from IMD [Institute for Management

Development] in Switzerland in 2010, after be-

ing voted the best family business in the world

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35informa

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that year.” He adds, “Odebrecht was the second Latin

American organization to receive that award.”

José Raimundo also shows his visitors items that

precede the Organization’s history, like a telescope,

which in 1862 belonged to Emil Odebrecht, the grand-

father of the founder, Norberto Odebrecht, that was

donated to the Culture Center in March 2010 by Nor-

berto’s cousin Curt Otto Baumgart, as well as several

documents, including a letter from the late Bahian

nun Sister Dulce, dated January 29, 1983, thanking

Norberto Odebrecht for the construction of new build-

ings for the Santo Antônio Hospital, which she ran

during her lifetime and still provides free healthcare in

Salvador. While showing the Odebrecht Informa team

the exhibition space at the Center, José Raimundo

and Fátima Berbert each pointed out other objects

and documents and told them something about the

history of each one.

Young visitorsA 35-year member of the Organization, José Rai-

mundo has been involved with the Culture Center

since its inception in 1984, when it was called the

Odebrecht Memory Center. He recalls that the initia-

tive came from Renato Martins, Special Advisor to the

President and CEO of Odebrecht S.A.: “He wanted to

bring Odebrecht’s memory and archives together in

one space and give members and visitors an oppor-

tunity to learn more about our history.”

Since then, the Center has undergone several

transformations, expanded and received new func-

tions. One change was its name. In order to express

its essential nature, the word “Memory” has been

replaced with “Culture.” As Márcio Polidoro, the of-

ficer Responsible for Communication at Odebrecht,

explains: “The Center is a symbolic representation of

our culture, which is an entrepreneurial philosophy

based on core principles, values, concepts and be-

liefs. It provides our members and partners a histori-

cal overview of results achieved in the past to inspire

them to get bigger and better results in the future.”

new functionsIn August 1991, the Center took on new functions

through the creation of the CDR (Documentation

and Reference Center), a kind of database for the

Organization that contains over 80,000 documents,

including photos, texts, videos, and in-house and ex-

ternal publications about Odebrecht in newspapers

and magazines (published in Brazil and the other

countries where it operates). All these materials are

available to members via the Organization compa-

nies’ Intranet.

From its creation until February 2012, the CDR was

run by Ulla von Czekus, who is now on the People &

Organization team of Odebrecht S.A. Her successor,

Liana Garrido Fontenelle, observes that there is a huge

demand for CDR materials. She answers 200 requests

per month, on average (239 in March 2012, about 90%

of them via e-mail) and the CDR gets roughly 1,000

hits per month on the Intranet (1,080 in March 2012).

“The biggest demand is for photos and writings about

the Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology (TEO),” she

says. “When Odebrecht Informa magazine and the An-

nual Report come out, the demand for photos is much

bigger.”

In recent years, the Culture Center began receiving

an increasing number of young visitors - members of

the Organization and educational and social institu-

tions. This is one of the Center’s main goals: becom-

ing an educational tool for future generations. Out of

the 11,062 people who visited the Center in Salvador

in 2011, 2,492 were either guests invited by the Orga-

nization’s entrepreneur-partners or participants in

internal meetings, including many young people who

were taking part in the PDE (Program for Developing

Entrepreneurs). The other 8,570 visitors came from

schools, universities and social institutions.

37informa

The Culture Center’s new website went online in

April to contribute to its mission of giving members

and partners a historical overview of the results the

Organization’s members have achieved. Visitors can

find a wide range of information there. Among other

content, the site contains a virtual model of the physi-

cal area of the Center (in which visitors can move

about as if they were in the real thing), statements by

leaders, and the complete collection of items on dis-

play in Salvador, with photos and descriptions of each

item. Organization members and anyone else who is

interested can visit this virtual space at www.cultura-

odebrecht.com.br.

Looking for materialsDuring their visit, the Odebrecht Informa team

came across Rafaella Lana Figueiredo, from Ode-

brecht Infraestrutura, in one of the rooms in the Cen-

ter. She joined the Organization three years ago and is

currently working on the Carajás Railroad expansion

project being carried out in Maranhão for Vale. “I came

here to find materials we can use to develop a course

at our project for strategic production people, general

supervisors, young partners and officers responsible

for programs,” said Rafaella, who works in the Accul-

turation program of the project’s People & Organiza-

tion (P&O) area and was making her third visit to the

Culture Center. “I’ve watched videos and researched

information in the CDR that I needed for the course

about the Organization’s history.” She says visiting the

Center is an immersion in the Odebrecht Culture and

an opportunity to learn about special details: “Yes-

terday, when I was watching the video ‘Conversa ao

pé do Núcleo,’ I learned that Mr. Norberto Odebrecht

dreamed of becoming a doctor as a young man. I had

never heard that before.”

Rafaella will take the information she found at the

Culture Center to Açailândia in the northern Brazilian

state of Maranhão, where she works, and may convey

it to the Odebrecht Infraestrutura teams there. But

she knows that many of her colleagues will be dis-

appointed. Whenever she returns to the construction

site after a visit to the Odebrecht Building in Salva-

dor, she always hears the same question: “Did you

see Mr. Norberto Odebrecht?” The second time, when

she attended a lecture by the Organization’s founder,

she was able to satisfy her co-workers’ curiosity. But

Rafaella didn’t get to see him this time around. Mr.

Norberto Odebrecht was out of town.

Exhibition venues worldwideOdebrecht has set up exhibition venues inspired

by the Culture Center outside Brazil, in some of the

countries where its teams are present. In Angola, the

venue created two years ago is in the headquarters of

Odebrecht Angola in the Talatona district of Luanda,

and usually receives visits from Odebrecht members

active in Angola who want to learn more about the

history and achievements of the Organization where

37informa

informa38 informa

they are working. Students, journalists, artists, busi-

nessmen, representatives of government agencies

and members of communities in Luanda and other

Angolan cities also visit to gain a better understand-

ing of the origins and development of Odebrecht’s

work in Brazil, Angola and the world.

“This space helps demonstrate that Odebrecht

has been a constant partner of Angola over the

course of the past 27 years, during the country’s

struggle to develop and improve the quality of life for

its citizens,” said Justino Amaro, Odebrecht’s Insti-

tutional Relations Manager in Angola. Jorge Benge,

the officer Responsible for the Odebrecht Angola

Center, gives each group of visitors special atten-

tion. “Here in this room, you can see Odebrecht’s

philosophical and cultural standards. Visitors are

soon impressed with the scope of the work we do,

the investments made and our work in the field of

corporate social responsibility. “

Adilson Job, who has worked for the company for

four years as a construction technician, says that

when he first visited the space, he gained a new out-

look on and respect for the Organization. “Odebrecht

is like a university, it’s so vast and its operations are

so competent.” Zilpah Figueira, who has worked in

Odebrecht Angola’s People Program for five years,

was impressed with a detail she observed. “I already

knew about most of these important construction

works, but I hadn’t realized the broad scope of Ode-

brecht’s social outreach programs in Angola. Now I

am better informed, and I’m proud of it.”

In Venezuela, an area also modeled on the Ode-

brecht Culture Center opened in the second half of

2011 at the company’s office in Caracas. It tells the

story of the Organization’s 20-year presence in that

country. On a large central table equipped with mul-

timedia and interactive resources, visitors can access

written information and photos of the projects the

company has built and is building in Venezuela, such

as the Orinoco Bridge and Metro lines in Caracas and

Los Teques. The table is surrounded by panels, maps,

objects and documents that help tell the story of the

Odebrecht Venezuela. There are also similar spaces

in Panama and Peru.

Salvador Exhibition Space – A permanent exhi-

bition space portraying the history of the Odebrecht

Organization from its origins to the present day.

CDR - Reference and Documentation Center – An

archive of photos, texts, documents, internal publi-

cations and news about the Odebrecht Organization.

Consulted via the Intranet.

Hertha Odebrecht Library – A collection of books

and publications housed in the Odebrecht Building in

Salvador, open for consultation by members and visitors.

HOW THE ODEBRECHT CuLTuRE CEnTER IS ORGAnIZED

Historic photo of the Castro Alves Theater in Salvador: one of the highlights of the CDR’s archives

informa

Compassionate network Opened 10 years ago, the Child Cancer Treatment Institute (Itaci) in São Paulo undergoes expansion of its service capacity

en years ago, the city of São Paulo re-

ceived a helping hand in the treatment of

young patients with cancer. An extension

of the Institute of the Child (Chr), part

of the University of São Paulo Medical

School’s Teaching Hospital (HCFMUSP), the Child Can-

cer Treatment Institute (Itaci) was officially opened in

September 2002 by Governor Geraldo Alckmin.

“The Itaci was born from a wonderful partnership

conceived by the Child Foundation, which brought to-

gether the community and the private-sector business

world, from which it has received full support,” explains

Aluizio de Araujo, a member of the Board of Odebrecht

S.A. and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Child

Foundation, an organization established in 1994 to sup-

port the ICr.

The hospital is a result of a Public-Private Partner-

ship (PPP) between ICr, the Child Foundation, private-

sector companies and civil society. “The ICr treated all

childhood diseases, but we saw the need for a special

service for children with cancer,” says Aluizio de Araujo.

The construction of the institute began after the

Oncocentro Foundation donated land near the São

Paulo Teaching Hospital to the Child Foundation. The

work was done with materials and services donated by

businesses. Engineer Pedro Boscov, a member of Ode-

brecht, oversaw the project.

“We sought the social support of the community

and resources from private institutions,” says Aluizio

de Araujo. He emphasizes the importance of the PPP:

“This partnership between the government, private en-

terprise and society, was key to building the hospital,

which is now a successful model.”

Currently, the Itaci can treat up to 3,200 in-pa-

tients with cancer and blood disorders. Every month,

it also provides medical consultations for 1,100 out-

patients per month, 550 chemotherapy treatments

and 1,000 consultations with a team of psychologists,

social workers, occupational therapists, physiother-

apists, nutritionists, pharmacists, nurses and nurs-

ing assistants.

The works that will expand the institute’s service ca-

pacity will be completed by June this year, including a

new Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Center,

19 additional beds, seven intensive care unit beds and

six semi-intensive care units.

The Itaci’s facilities: social support for the community and resources from private institutions

Twritten by FaBiana CaBral photo by holanda CavalCanti

COMMUNITY

39informa

40 informa

written by Eliana simonEtti photos by FrEd ChaluB

lookingIN THE RIGHT PLACE

Braskem Thematic Café participants in São Paulo: a mix of lectures, technical debates and informal chats

40

41informa

Braskem’s Knowledge

Base, Expertise

Development Program

and Thematic Cafés

help its teams

in their quest for

information

lookinghaís Beteta is a librarian from São

Paulo. Three years ago, she accept-

ed an invitation to work at Braskem,

and back then, her activities at the

company were not very different

from those to which she had always been ac-

customed: there were libraries in various units

throughout Brazil, each with its own cataloguing

system for publications. To fulfill the research-

ers’ requests, she had to do a full search for each

one of them, which multiplied her work load. But

since 2011, Thaís’s life has changed. She and the

Information Resources and Knowledge team have

taken on the challenge of designing a database

for all the company’s archives, including digital

documents. That is how they created the Braskem

T

42 informa

Knowledge Base (BKB, or BBC in Portuguese),

a specialized search engine available to 7,500

Braskem members.

The BKB started out like other search engines

available on the Internet, except that it is restricted

to publications in the existing archives. Thaís stress-

es: “Our challenge is to optimize the researcher’s

work and Braskem’s results. So soon after the BKB

was up and running, we added improvements, such

as the possibility of carrying out searches on sites

containing information sources and specialized pub-

lications Braskem subscribes to.”

Thaís explains that when someone searches the

word “polymer” on Google, for example, they will

come up with over 2 million hits. “Selecting and

reading all the material available on generic search

engines takes time, doesn’t always get the expected

results and therefore increases research costs,”

she argues. Even if you restrict the search to Google

Scholar, which covers more specialized research

and theses, you will get 26,000 hits in Portuguese

alone. In the BKB collection, the same search got

about 1,500 hits (in Portuguese, English and Span-

ish), because the acquisition of documents is al-

ready pre-filtered.

The Information Resources and Knowledge team

constantly updates the research material, which

has been available online since January. In April,

the database recorded 80 searches daily, and the

demand is growing. Considering that Braskem has

over 300 researchers seeking innovations for prod-

ucts, production processes, sales and marketing,

that amount of interest can be seen as an extremely

positive result.

Members can share the documents retrieved in

their searches with colleagues from Rio Grande

do Sul, São Paulo, Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, Alagoas

and the United States (Pittsburgh). As soon as

they hear of an event, they can publicize it; if they

are participating in the event, they can share the

materials received. The same goes for people who

produce academic studies. They just send in the

paper and pronto, it will be available to their col-

leagues.

Danielle Espósito and Fabio Carneiro: changing the way they see the world

43informa

Developing expertiseFrom the BKB to the EDP – the letters, ac-

tivities and focus may change, but the spirit of

sharing knowledge and experiences is the same.

Journalist Danielle Esposito, 28, used to be on

Braskem’s Corporate Communications team and

took on a fresh challenge at Odebrecht S.A., the

Organization’s holding company, in late April. “I

have a degree in Communications. Now I under-

stand a little more about industrial risk, finance

and toxicology. My way of seeing the world has

changed,” she says, clearly moved. Danielle is

highly motivated by the opportunity to participate,

as one of 31 people chosen to take the Exper-

tise Development Program (EDP) in Sustainable

Development, offered sted by Braskem at the

FIA-USP (the University of São Paulo School of

Economics and Business Administration’s Ad-

ministration Institute Foundation).

“I’ve been questioning my principles and val-

ues, asking what I am and how I can contribute,

realistically, to a viable future,” explains Danielle.

Her coursework completion project, which should

be delivered and evaluated by the end of the year,

will focus on principles of educational communi-

cation about sustainability. And, of course, it will

be posted on the BKB.

Another EDP participant, Fabio Magalhães

Carneiro, has a degree in Business Administra-

tion, including an exchange program in Econom-

ics in Vienna, Austria. He has been promoted from

Performance Leader for Polyethylene to Com-

mercial Leader for Renewable Chemicals. “I’ve

acquired information and expertise that were not

previously required. Now I can talk to our global

clients in the US, Europe and Japan, and pres-

ent the possibilities of using renewable plastic at

events and conferences.” Braskem Sustainable

Development Director Jorge Soto is proud to say

that the course has made a major contribution to

preparing Fabio for this new challenge.

The 2011 EDP covers Strategic Management for

Sustainability. “The demand from our clients, our

clients’ clients and the various actors in society is

increasing. A lot of changes are taking place in the

world and we must continually strengthen our quali-

fications in the sphere of sustainability,” says Jorge

Soto. And he goes on to say: “We must create op-

portunities for new leaders to flourish in this area.”

Soto is not just talking about Braskem mem-

bers. Another EDP participant, Ana Maria Wil-

heim, is the Executive Director of the Akatu Insti-

tute, which disseminates conscious consumption

information and practices. She says: “I’ve entered

the chemical industry and systemized informa-

tion, and without a doubt I’ll leave here with a

heightened awareness. The aim of this course is

to groom leaders,” says the sociologist, who has

been a human rights activist for nearly 35 years.

This year’s EDP participants also include a

representative of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF),

the Bank of Brazil, Oxiteno, Indústrias Tigre and

Construtora Norberto Odebrecht, as well as peo-

ple from various areas of Braskem. The idea of

Screen showing informative materials

available on the BKB: optimizing the

researchers’ work

43informa

44 informainforma

inviting people from outside the Organization to

participate in courses offered by Odebrecht com-

panies is an innovation. “It is completely in synch

with the principles of sustainable development,

which seek to take all stakeholders into account in

the businesses’ strategy,” emphasizes Soto.

“Sometimes the debates get heated, which is good,

and the teachers are excellent, on the same page

pedagogically, and knowledgeable about Braskem.

They know how to work with different viewpoints in a

constructive way,” explains the general coordinator

of the course, Professor Izak Kruglianskas. “We’ve

built up a 460-hour course that is geared directly to

Braskem’s interests and business,” says Annelise

Vendramini, a member of the EDP’s team of coor-

dinators.

Jorge Soto (foreground, wearing jacket) and EDP participants: this initiative includes activities strongly

linked to the principles of sustainable development

44

45informa

The colleague beside youBraskem’s teams are building up knowledge

at an ever-increasing pace. Today, a researcher

at the company has access to information gener-

ated and/or posted in other states and all areas of

the company, but it is also essential to be aware

of what the colleague who is right beside them

is saying and thinking. It is key for people who

share the same work environment to exchange

ideas, because when researchers talk to each

other, even a hallway chat can lead to a success-

ful initiative.

Aline Renz, from the Triunfo RIC, is bring-

ing together people connected to the area to

talk to each other through a mix of lectures,

technical discussions and informal conver-

sations with the goal of enabling knowledge

sharing. That is how the Thematic Cafés were

born in July 2011. These highly informal (and

often productive) events generate Technologi-

cal Memory records that are available in the

database so that other Braskem researchers

can use them.

The first Thematic Café was held in the ca-

talysis area to discuss the book Simetrias de

moléculas e cristais: fundamentos da espec-

troscopia vibracional (Symmetries in molecules

and crystals: fundamentals of vibrational spec-

troscopy), and the participants pitched in to en-

sure that everyone thoroughly understood it. It

is a huge tome that contains a vast amount of

data, so the researchers decided to find a way to

get to topics of specific interest. The discussion

about how to do that led to the creation of the

Thematic Cafés.

On March 23, in Triunfo, 50 members got to-

gether for a Thematic Café on LCB - Long Chain

Branching (long chains of molecules). That event

was replicated on April 17 in São Paulo. The

meetings in Triunfo and São Paulo included pre-

sentations by two researchers in the field of Poly-

mer Science: Ana Moreira and Francisco Paulo

dos Santos.

A big fan of the Thematic Cafés, Suzana Aita

Isaia does not miss a single one. She is an ex-

pert in Polypropylene Process Engineering, pro-

vides support for various Braskem plants, and

has worked at the company for 23 years. “I have

to know everything that’s going on, what is out

there to be explored. The Cafés bring together

people from different areas, so I have access to

different views on topics that interest me,” she

says. Her main challenge? Arriving at new pro-

cesses and technologies that will ensure safe-

ty, increase production and reduce costs while

adding value to new and existing products.

Chemical Engineer Adriane Simanke has a

Master’s degree in Chemistry and a PhD in

Materials Science. She is on the Braskem

Polymer Science research team in Triunfo

and took part in the Café on LCB, a subject

that requires specific knowledge and exper-

tise acquired after a long period of study.

“At the Thematic Cafés, we get together and

discuss the proposed topics through debates

and Q&A sessions in an informal setting,” she

observes.

46 informa

the art OF THINKING DIFFERENTLY

46

informa

Odebrecht Engenharia Industrial’s investments in technological innovation are making the company’s projects benchmarks in Brazil and other countries

Making the final preparations for launching platform P-59 at the

São Roque do Paraguaçu shipyard in Bahia: an innovative idea that

became a milestone in the history of offshore engineering

written by luCiana lana

informa

acques Raigorodsky felt pleased and proud as

he watched platform P-59 glide slowly off the

BLG-2 barge and into the waters of the Para-

guaçu River in June last year. It had taken

over three years of research and development

to find a solution to the challenge of sending a gigantic

structure out to sea after building it at Petrobras’s ship-

yard in São Roque do Paraguaçu, Bahia. It was Jacques

– then the Corporate Engineering Manager at Odebrecht

Engenharia Industrial – who came up with the innovative

idea of using a barge to launch oil rig jackets. It worked,

and has since become a milestone in the history of off-

shore engineering.

But anyone who thought the research for that opera-

tion stopped there would have to think again. It would be

true if all that research had not been documented to serve

as a basis for future discoveries, and if that innovation had

not been duly acknowledged in a way that encouraged

further studies. In addition to these reverberations, the

investment in research had another important outcome:

under the terms of the Brazilian Ministry of Science and

Technology’s Law no. 11.196/2005 – known as the “Good

Law” – it also garnered tax benefits for Odebrecht. Today,

throughout the company, it is self-evident that the impact

of a single innovation goes far beyond its practical appli-

cations. This is the guideline pursued by the Odebrecht

Technological Innovation Program (POIT).

Created in 2008, the program has made significant

progress in recent years. The figures make that clear: in

2009, five Technological Research & Development proj-

ects from three construction ventures were registered

with POIT. By 2010, those numbers had gone up to 40

TR&D projects from nine construction ventures. And by

last year, they had reached 161 from 40 ventures. The in-

novations made in 2009 earned tax incentives on the order

of BRL 490,000 for the Organization. The following year,

that figure rose to BRL 2.6 million. The return on R&D

investments in 2011 was BRL 4.6 million.

However, the POIT’s significance goes far beyond sums

and numbers. It has evolved because it helps consolidate

a culture of innovation. “Innovation is in Odebrecht’s DNA.

The company’s decentralized structure demonstrates

that. Everything is always new because the conditions

that arise on each project are always different. But each

and every innovation must be recorded, shared, and rec-

ognized, and therein lies the most important aspect of

the POIT,” explains Jacques Raigorodsky, who is now the

Manager of the Construction Processes Area (Research,

Development & Innovation – RD&I).

He is involved in a significant amount of the demand for

innovation at Odebrecht, and is sometimes affectionately

called “Professor Pardal” (Gyro Gearloose in English), a

reference to a Walt Disney character, the great inventor

from Duckburg. Jacques explains that the construction

method used has a major impact on the cost and efficien-

cy of each project and, therefore, the R&D program he

leads receives requests not only from the Entrepreneurial

Leader (CEO) of Odebrecht Engenharia Industrial’s team,

but also from those of other CEOs, such as the Entrepre-

neurial Leader of Odebrecht Infraestrutura.

On the computer, Jacques shows photographs of a

long pile fastened by cables at four points, which has been

hoisted by a crane and placed in a vertical position. Then he

shows the prototype made for the studies for that operation.

“We had never lifted a pile that large that way before. So it

was an innovation. They may seem simple, but these inno-

vations represent highly sophisticated engineering studies.

We are working with the state of the art,” he observes.

Before submitting innovations under the terms of the

Good Law, the POIT committee carries out a careful anal-

ysis. “It doesn’t have to be a solution that never existed

before in the world or in Brazil, just something that is new

for the company,” says Tatiana Tourinho, the officer Re-

sponsible for Tax Planning at Construtora Norberto Ode-

brecht. However, she points out that only investments in

technological research and development can be included.

“The moment the innovation is implemented in a produc-

tive activity, the expenditures related to it are no longer tax

deductible,” explains Tatiana.

J

48 informa

informa

Identifying innovations and documenting them as re-

quired by law is a complex task that involves the participa-

tion of entrepreneurial leaders in synergy with the POIT

committee, and advised by the Pieracciani consulting

firm, which has been hired to support the program. “Bit

by bit, everyone is getting more involved with the POIT.

This explains the increase in the number of projects regis-

tered. Thinking about innovations and how to record them

is becoming routine,” says Alfonso Abrami, Managing Di-

rector of Pieracciani.

Transformative ideasAccording to Odebrecht Infraestrutura Engineering

Director Dante Venturini, the POIT’s biggest contribution

is making teams realize the scope of their innovations:

“People often don’t realize the value of their own work

and all the innovative things the company is doing. The

POIT has shown that seemingly trivial ideas can be ex-

tremely transformative and valuable,” he says.

In addition to the solution for launching the P-59

and P-60, Odebrecht members came up with a num-

ber of other innovations in 2011 during studies for

the construction of the Enseada do Paraguaçu Ship-

yard, which will result from a partnership between

Odebrecht Engenharia Industrial, OAS Investimentos

and UTC Participações, who are all partners in the

Estaleiro Enseada do Paraguaçu (EEP) company.

Along with the existing construction site, the ship-

yard will form part of a complex in São Roque do

Paraguaçu.

“The platforms were the stars of the show, but we

also studied the terrain, logistics and other aspects,”

says Jacques. He observes that the Paraguaçu yard is

still producing the biggest demand for research this

year. “We’ve never built a shipyard, never built ships,

never built drill ships before - this is all new to us.

That’s why we are making frequent trips to Japan, Chi-

na and South Korea. We are looking for technologies

around the globe.”

In the field of infrastructure facilities, building the roofs

of soccer stadiums for the 2014 FIFA World Cup has also

required a great deal of research and innovation. “Our ex-

perience of working offshore ended up being utilized in

other areas,” says Jacques, who explains that his depart-

ment was called in to help with the completion of the João

Havelange Olympic Stadium (Engenhão), in Rio de Janei-

ro, where it was necessary to install four arches - metal

structures 170 m long and 2 m in diameter - at a height

of 74 m. Currently, they are providing support for several

ongoing projects in that area: Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro,

Corinthians in São Paulo, Fonte Nova in Salvador, and the

Pernambuco Arena in Recife. “Each of these projects re-

quires different kinds of studies and new technologies,”

says Jacques.

According to Cinthia Blassioli, who works as a POIT

facilitator, providing support for networking between the

sectors that require solutions and the research areas,

the teams’ interaction has been another very positive as-

pect of this program: “Today, the tax benefits are a con-

sequence, because POIT has taken on a different dimen-

sion. Its importance lies in recognizing and encouraging

innovation and creating a body of knowledge that can be

transformed into a slew of new solutions.”

Illustration shows how Maracanã Stadium will look after it is refurbished for the World Cup: building the roof required research and innovation. Below, Jacques Raigorodski: “We are working with the state of the art”

49

informa50 informa

Looking for 100% commitment He is marking 50 years of work at Odebrecht. Congratulations, Zé Bodinho

PROFILE: José Osinair Rodrigues da Silva

written by Flávia tavarEs photo by riCardo dE saGEBin

e is plainspoken and straight-

forward, and his stories are al-

ways accompanied by a friendly

smile. José Osinair Rodrigues da Silva,

better known as “Zé Bodinho,” wel-

comed the Odebrecht Informa team to

his home on a sunny April morning in

Conselheiro Lafaiete, Minas Gerais, the

Brazilian town where his family lives

and where he spends less time than he

would like. Odebrecht Energia’s general

supervisor on the Teles Pires hydro-

electric plant project, underway on the

state border of Mato Grosso and Pará,

he discussed his 50-year career at Ode-

brecht, which began when he was 16.

If he has been one of the people

responsible for grooming fresh talent

at Odebrecht’s jobsites for some time

now, this is because his own education

began right there, in the school of day-

to-day work. The third of 13 children,

born in Conceição de Piancó, Paraíba,

he spent his childhood watching his

father, Manoel Alexandre da Silva,

work as a grader operator for the Na-

tional Department of Works to Com-

bat Drought (DNOCS). “We lived in a

railroad car. My father would drive that

grader and haul it all over the North-

east,” he recalls.

As a boy, he began selling the

treats that his mother, Nina, care-

fully prepared. When Manoel got a

job at the Star paving company, then

an Odebrecht subsidiary (in the early

1960s), to work on the construction of

the road that would connect the towns

of Itajuípe and Coaraci in southern

Bahia, Zé was 16 years old. He fin-

ished high school at that jobsite and

started working there, first as an of-

fice boy, then as a mechanic. “But my

dad advised me to work in the field,

in earthmoving like him, an area that

had a better future. He was right.” It

was then that he got the nickname

Zé Bodinho. Thin as a rail, when he

tried to flirt with a young woman who

worked in the jobsite canteen, he

heard his workmates say he looked

like “a little billy-goat [Bodinho]” mak-

ing moves on the girl.

When he was doing his father’s job,

Zé Bodinho became one of the most

sought-after teachers at the company.

He was promoted to general super-

visor, built his own home, raised five

children - all of whom are college

graduates – and now enjoys spoiling

his three grandchildren. “Odebrecht

gives us a lot of opportunities, and

that’s why I’ve never thought of work-

ing anywhere else. Now I’m happy

to share what I’ve learned,” he says,

while showing pictures of himself re-

ceiving honors from the Organization’s

founder, Norberto Odebrecht, and

Marcelo Odebrecht, President and

CEO of Odebrecht S.A.

Throughout his career, he has lit-

erally laid the groundwork for projects

like Rio International Airport (Galeão),

Avenida Paralela in Salvador, Bahia,

the Pombal-Leiria Highway in Portu-

“Now I’m happy to share what I’ve learned”

H

INFORMA 51INFORMA

gal, the Kikuchi River Aqueduct in An-

gola, and the Irapé hydroelectric plant

in Minas Gerais. “I like the challenge

of construction work. Dams are usu-

ally built in hard-to-reach areas with

complicated topography.”

He does not remember how many

people he has helped educate. “At the

Simplício hydroelectric plant alone

[in Rio de Janeiro State] there were

22,” he recalls. Whether through the

Young Partner Program or by guid-

ing the less-experienced people as-

signed to his direct team, Zé Bodinho

only approves of one type of profes-

sional: “People who are responsible

and committed. There’s an old saying

that you can’t teach if you’re not 100%

committed.”

It is easy to fi nd someone who can

attest to that. Francisco “Chico” Men-

doza is a former pupil of Zé Bodinho

who is now his counterpart on the

Teles Pires Dam project - Zé takes

care of the left bank, Chico, the right.

“His method is more about practice

than theory. He is humane, patient and

thorough. But if you’re not 100% com-

mitted, you don’t stand a chance with

him,” says his friend and former stu-

dent, who has worked with Zé Bodinho

since the late 70s.

Retired since 2000, Zé is starting to

think about slowing down. He wants to

spend more time with his family. When

his wife, Edinalva, talks about how much

she misses her husband, her eyes fill

with tears. But don’t think he wants to

leave Odebrecht. He is talk-

ing about buying

some machines and renting them out to

the company somewhere down the line,

like one of his brothers, Eliomar, now

deceased, used to do. Another brother,

Raimundo, is a general supervisor at

Odebrecht. One of Zé Bodinho’s children,

Manoel Alexandre Neto, is also a mem-

ber of Odebrecht Energia and now works

on the construction of the Santo Antônio

hydroelectric plant in Rondônia. And his

youngest son, Vitor, wants to become an

engineer. His dream is to wear the com-

pany name tag that is part of the life

stories of his father, uncle

and brother.

Zé Bodinho: “I’ve never thought of working anywhere else”

informa

servingne Tuesday in April, hairdresser Filom-

ena Rafael Gomes, 32, arrives at a multi-

colored building in the Talatona district of

Luanda, waits a few minutes to be served,

and leaves with her new ID card (called

a Bilhete de Identidade or BI in Angola). Filomena re-

members that a few years ago, getting that document

was a complicated venture, but the Integrated Citizen

Service Center (SIAC) has made the process much

more practical. “This time, I took a number, was seen

quickly and got my BI just 30 minutes later,” said a re-

lieved Filomena, before going back to work in Kilamba

Kiaxi in the Luanda metropolitan area.

The Talatona unit is the largest and most modern

SIAC outlet in Angola, and soon there will be 12. The

SIAC is an independent agency of the Ministry of Public

Administration, Employment and Social Security. Citi-

zens can not only use it to get their BIs, but also birth

certificates, marriage certificates, driver’s licenses,

auto and property registration, pensions, jobs and nota-

ry’s services. A bank office in the same building receives

payment for services. You can also pay taxes and bills,

take out insurance policies and get in touch with the

water, power and telephone companies, and buy airline

tickets and books.

This efficiency has everything to do with the current

cycle of development in Angola and the Government’s

decision to reduce red tape in all its sectors. Odebrecht

is playing an important role in this process: not only did

it build the Talatona SIAC, which opened in 2007, but

it was also responsible for Assisted Operations and

Transfer of Technology based on training civil servants.

The Director-General of the SIACs, Rosa Micolo, has

a law degree and runs the eight centers from her office

in the Talatona unit. She praises the efficient transfer of

knowledge: “Odebrecht’s international experience was

OCITIZENS

52

written by Luiz carLos ramos photos by GuiLherme afonso

Filomena Gomes: getting her ID card in 30 minutes

informa

The SIACS project helps improve public services and technology transfer in Angola

informa

critical to achieving the current standard of service,” says

Rosa. “The SIACs’ headquarters building, which we call

the ‘Mother SIAC,’ has a pleasant design that makes ev-

eryone happier at work. And the main thing is that the

public is also happy, because getting a BI, which is now

issued the same day, used to take up to two months.”

Besides being the first of the eight existing units to be

built, the Talatona SIAC has served as a model for de-

ploying a unique and revolutionary concept of providing

services to citizens in that country. The success of that

groundbreaking SIAC led the Ministry of Public Admin-

istration, Employment and Social Security to open seven

more units, which are subordinated to the central office

in Talatona under Rosa Micolo’s administration. Two are

located in Luanda Province (Cazenga and Zango) and

the others are in the provinces of Malange, Uíge, Bengo,

Benguela and Huambo. More units are scheduled to

open this year in Cabinda, Cunene and Lunda Sul, and

construction of Luanda’s fourth unit, the Kilamba Kiaxi

SIAC, will also begin in the next few months. The teams

trained by Odebrecht in Talatona have expanded its ser-

vices to other areas.

Odebrecht Angola Director Fábio Januário explains:

“When developing the SIAC, we were not only focused

on building the facilities but mainly on the content of the

program through the transfer of technology based on

the Brazilian experience. This is a successful challenge

of sustainability in a country with which we have a his-

torical relationship and an ongoing commitment to ex-

panding opportunities and expressing national content

in our ventures.”

Grooming workersThese SIAC units, which offer a range of services and

provide them quickly and efficiently, were initially inspired

by two Brazilian initiatives: Poupatempo (Timesaver) in

São Paulo, and the SACs (Citizen Service Centers) in Ba-

hia. Adriana Bezerra arrived in Luanda five years ago to

deploy the SIAC. “Odebrecht started grooming about 250

Angolans and carrying out assisted operations at the Ta-

latona SIAC in 2007,” says Adriana, who holds a business

degree. “A year later, the agency gained its independence

and its members became civil servants.”

Antonieta Kileba, a lawyer who lives in Zango, in the

Luanda metropolitan region, visited the Talatona SIAC

along with her husband, Dorival Kileba, a public of-

ficial who needed to renew his BI. They left satisfied.

Rosa Micolo and Dorival and Antonieta Kileba: a different standard of service

54 informa

informa

“We didn’t wait long,” says Dorival. The couple will be

returning to the SIAC in a few months’ time with a joy-

ful mission: Antonieta is pregnant and will register the

birth of the couple’s first child at the Talatona unit. Have

they thought of a name? “I know it will be a boy... It’ll be

Dorival Júnior,” she says.

From paperwork to portalIf the deployment of SIAC units is a case study for the

application and sharing of knowledge for the public’s

benefit, creating a web portal for Odebrecht Administra-

tive and Financial Managers (GAFs) is a good example

of this practice within the company.

Marcus Vinicius Vianna, the Administrative and

Financial Manager for the PRP (Population Resettle-

ment Program), had been with the Organization for

fourteen years when he swapped Peru for Angola in

2009. In Luanda, he quickly adapted to his new envi-

ronment, but he noticed one detail: “Suddenly, I was

dealing with loads of paperwork. There were internal

documents and numerous laws and regulations gov-

erning the labor sector, administrative guidelines and

other issues,” he recalls. “During a meeting of GAFs

in March 2010, in a conversation with Fernando Car-

neiro, the GAF for the Water and Sanitation Project,

and Fernando Koch, the GAF for the Gove Dam con-

struction project, I proposed creating a virtual space

that we could supply with information and consult on a

regular basis. Both of them approved the idea, and we

developed the project in conjunction with Odebrecht

Angola’s administrative and financial team.”

Angola Odebrecht’s institutional relations area,

which runs the company’s web portals in that country,

helped them create the GAF Portal, a site for the exclu-

sive use of members working in the administrative and

financial area. “It was a huge success,” says Marcus

Vinicius while chatting with the system’s users. Point-

ing to a stack of paper in his office at the Zango jobsite,

he says: “This is a thing of the past. Thanks to technol-

ogy and people endowed with the spirit of service, we

have consolidated an entire history of laws, guidelines

and standards in a single online tool.”

Overall, the GAF Portal is a reliable resource that

is updated with trustworthy information. For example,

on the portal members can find constantly refreshed

data on union agreements and labor laws in Angola

and Brazil. It also provides explanations about how to

get visas for Brazilians in Angola, as well as informa-

tion on relatives. If an expat member or their spouse

needs to take their child with them on a trip outside

the country, the site explains the red tape and lists the

documents required.

However, technology does not prevent the man-

agers from using more traditional forms of contact

to analyze problems and reach solutions – face-to-

face meetings. “We get together every three or four

months,” says Marcus Vinicius.

Marcus Vinicius: colleagues in the Administrative and Financial area share information and experiences

55informa

56 informa

schoolTHE COuNTRYSIDE IS A

56

From left, Marcelo Faria, Lídia Toledo and Américo Ferraz:contributing to the free and productive flow of information at ETH

57informa

written by Cláudio lovato Filho photos by Edu SimõES

schoolTHE COuNTRYSIDE IS A

mérico Ferraz needs to have an-

swers: assessing situations and sug-

gesting solutions is a routine part of

his job. To do so, he can rely on input

from members of his direct team,

such as Maria Thomazini and Douglas Rocha. They

are always traveling from one of ETH’s nine agro-

industrial units to another in four Brazilian states,

taking their highly qualified support and expertise

to people like Marcelo Faria. Marcelo is based at

one of those units, in a town where he has always

wanted to live since his childhood, and, in his turn,

he is keenly aware of the perceptions of partners

like Lídia Toledo, who heads one of the company’s

work fronts. This path of communication, which

goes from Américo to Lídia through Maria, Doug-

las and Marcelo, then back to Lídia and Américo,

is a two-way street, and explains how knowledge

is born and shared at ETH Bioenergy.

ETH’s officer Responsible for Agricultural Tech-

nology, Américo Ferraz graduated in Agricultural

Engineering from the University of Campinas (Uni-

camp) in 1997. He also holds a Master’s degree

in Agricultural Machinery from the same university

and a PhD in Sugarcane Farming Machinery. He

joined ETH in 2008 and now leads the formulation

and management of Agricultural Best Practices at

all of the company’s production hubs.

A

Diversity of expertise and the intense exchange of knowledge are ETH’s strengths on its steady path of growth

58 informa

Best Practices are methods that contribute to cost

reduction, improved process quality, on-time delivery,

and especially the quick and efficient dissemination of

knowledge. “Our company is made up of nine agro-

industrial units that operate like Small Businesses.

They each have their own life, but we need to be on

the same page to get better results.” Américo adds:

“We are interested in anything that can improve our

performance, ranging from the correct management

of sugarcane varieties to identifying the most suitable

parts for our machines, up to and including the most

effective herbicides.”

Based at ETH’s headquarters in São Paulo, Américo

and his team maintain a constant presence at the units.

Maria Thomazini, the officer Responsible for Agricultural

Technology - Geocoding, visits them all the time. She lives

in São José dos Campos, São Paulo, but only goes home

on weekends. She gave this interview to Odebrecht In-

forma in São Paulo - with a suitcase and backpack close

at hand. Right after her conversation with the reporting

team, she headed for Congonhas Airport to catch a 10 pm

flight to Goiás. She had two days of work ahead of her at

the Morro Vermelho Unit.

Maria graduated in Cartographic Engineering from

Júlio de Mesquita Filho São Paulo State University (UN-

ESP) in 1996, holds an MBA from the Getulio Vargas Foun-

dation (FGV), and has taken a specialization course in Sug-

arcane-Related Topics. “Knowledge is increasingly being

shared in the company, and this is the result of increasing

integration between the teams, programs and units.” She

has worked in the bioenergy sector for five years. At the

moment, she is intensely involved in the development of

a GIS (Geographic Information System), a precision farm-

ing tool for remote consultations aimed at making harvest

estimates more accurate. “That’s where the company’s

budget comes from!” says Maria.

During her visits to units, Maria likes to go to the

work fronts in the fields and talk to the people directly

involved in planting and harvesting sugarcane. “I al-

ways show people the biomass map done with sat-

ellite imagery. Those members feel appreciated and

really come to understand the process in which they

are participating.” Maria may be taking information to

the people working in the cane fields, but there is a

trade-off. “That’s where we also go to obtain knowl-

edge. Nobody knows the land better than the people

at the work fronts.”

Lídia Cabrera Toledo, 26, is proof of that. She was born

in Sidrolândia, Mato Grosso do Sul, and has worked for

three and a half years at ETH’s Santa Luzia Unit, which

produces ethanol and electricity in Nova Alvorada do

Sul, 100 km from Campo Grande, the state capital. The

Santa Luzia and Eldorado units comprise ETH’s Mato

Grosso do Sul Hub, one of the company’s five production

hubs. Lídia went through training programs without any

previous experience in the cane fields, and soon began

working in mechanized planting, operating farm equip-

ment for the very first time. After a year, she became a

tractor driver, and after that, she operated a harvester

and reached the position of work front leader, where

she is today.

The leader of a team of 30 people, men and women

aged between 19 and 43, Lídia says: “You’ve got to do

your job well to get ahead.” Based on the knowledge

she has built up about planting sugarcane, she can cal-

culate the yield per hectare. During the crop-year that

Maria Thomazini: valuing people

59informa

began on April 23 and will end in mid-November, Front

36, which Lídia leads, will work on Farm 3 M, cover-

ing a 10,000-hectare area. Their equipment includes

five harvesters, nine tractors, a water truck, a convoy

truck (for supplies) and a mobile repair shop. Lídia and

her team will be responsible for an estimated harvest of

800,000 metric tons of sugarcane.

Diversified knowledge“From the machine operators at the work fronts

to the managing director of the hub, including the ag-

ricultural managers, coordinators, supervisors and

work front leaders, there is a constant flow of infor-

mation and exchange of experiences,” says Marcelo

Lopes Faria, 30, the Agricultural Manager at the Santa

Luzia Unit. “That’s how it should be. We’ve got to make

the most of the diversified knowledge of people at

ETH,” he adds.

Born in Guaimbê, in the interior of São Paulo State,

Marcelo enrolled in Agricultural School at the age of

14 and got his first job opportunity at a sugar mill when

he was 18, working as a quality analyst. Soon, he was

put in charge of agricultural operations, managing the

activities of 90 people. He took on new challenges, and

became a supervisor. He was promoted to plant man-

ager at the age of 24, at the same company. Later on,

he became the mill’s agricultural and technology plan-

ning manager. At the same time, he went to business

school. Then, in August 2011, he joined ETH. “I discov-

ered that the PA (Action Program) was something I’d

always dreamed about! Plan and deliver!”

Marcelo is currently experiencing a time of high ex-

pectations. As of 2012, the Santa Luzia Unit will start

operating at maximum production capacity - 6 million

metric tons of sugarcane. “The dynamics of the unit will

change. We have over 200 machines in the agricultural

area, 1,700 members, and a sphere of operations as big

as 200 km. Some work fronts are up to 100 km apart.

More and more, the performance of our operators in the

field will be decisive. We need to groom people to meet

the new business challenges ahead.”

Douglas Rocha, 51, the officer Responsible for CLT

(Cutting, Loading and Transporting sugarcane), joined

ETH in February 2011. He, too, likes to spend as much

time as possible in the cane fields. One of the first instruc-

tors at the SENAR (National Rural Education Service) in

the early 1980s, he is a specialist in equipment used to

cultivate sugarcane and has a passion for empowering

people through education. He visits all of ETH’s units,

teaching classes and developing professional education

programs on mechanization. Douglas talks to everyone

– from the managing directors at the hubs to the mem-

bers who work in mechanized planting. “In our jobs, we

are liaison officers, we are links,” he says, referring to the

work of his team.

Douglas has vivid memories of his childhood, when

he dreamed of working the land, tinkering with ma-

chines and coming into contact with farmers and

planters. “I like being around people, following up on

the work fronts, showing how you do things and doing

them together. When you teach, you learn. The coun-

tryside is a school.”

Douglas Rocha: “In our work, we are links”

60 informa

preserving

60

Workers and machines in Panama City’s Historic Center: the private and public sectors are working together to ensure construction professionals’ physical safety and well-being

61informa 61informa

preservingOuR MOST PRECIOuS ASSETS

n recent years, the construction industry has

given a significant boost to Panama’s economic

growth. In 2011 alone, that sector registered

18.5% growth over the previous year and it rep-

resents 6% of GDP, according to data from the

Comptroller General of the Republic. But the “boom”

in that market has brought a challenge: ensuring the

physical safety of construction workers. Contractors,

unions, educational institutions and government agen-

cies have started looking for mechanisms to help pre-

vent occupational accidents and illnesses.

“Training programs and awareness campaigns are

being developed in many areas of the company,” says

José Vilar Junior, the officer Responsible for Health,

Safety and Environment (HSE) at Odebrecht Panama.

“We have also set up an educational center in this

country that is strongly focused on safety and health,”

he adds.

Since the Organization began working in that coun-

try in 2006, Odebrecht has undertaken a commitment

to contribute, by whatever means possible, to creating

a culture of prevention regarding occupational acci-

dents and health. The key to this contribution is con-

veying knowledge and experience internally, via Edu-

cation through and for Work, and externally, through

the transfer of technology to partners, suppliers, con-

tractors, unions and government agencies.

I

Panama’s booming construction industry requires special efforts in the area of health and safety

written by eriksa Gómez photos by hoLanda cavaLcanti

62 informa

Educational partnershipWith over 25 years’ experience in occupation-

al safety in Panama, Maribel Coco, the Director

of the Health School at the Specialized Univer-

sity of the Americas (Udelas), has witnessed the

developments in the educational field. Founded

14 years ago, the Health School has become a

leader in occupational health and safety educa-

tion, and offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees

in that field, as well as courses in different areas

of specialization.

Their philosophical affinity and converging

goals led Udelas and Odebrecht to work together

in grooming young professionals to work in the

field of occupational health and safety. “Every year

we organize three events with the support of Ode-

brecht, with an emphasis on training. The compa-

ny facilitates the inclusion of professionals in the

job market, which is very important and helpful for

our students,” says Maribel Coco.

Lectures for students, cooperation on research

projects and visits to Odebrecht construction sites

are measures that form part of the day-to-day

relations between the company and Udelas. Fur-

thermore, a factor Maribel Coco considers crucial

is giving students an opportunity to apply their

knowledge at the company’s projects through in-

ternships.

Spreading a philosophyHowever, Odebrecht HSE Members have de-

cided to expand the scope of their work even fur-

ther. In early 2010, while they were planning the

In-House Workplace Accident Prevention Week

(SIPAT), they came up with the idea of organizing

an event that dealt with the issue outside the Or-

ganization.

That idea resulted in a conference that brought

together local and international experts from Ode-

brecht and other companies and organizations.

This year’s edition devoted three days to training

members, and two to lectures. The participants

included students and members of the health and

safety teams of sub-contractors, public institu-

tions and clients.

The SIPAT grew in 2011, going from two to

five days of lectures, where guests signed up for

each day of activities. The number of participants

has risen to 500. Arquímedes Sosa, the officer Re-

sponsible for Environment on the Panama-Colon

Highway project and an Odebrecht member since

2007, took part in these events as an organizer and

speaker. “We are sharing a vision that consolidates

Maribel Coco, Arquímedes Sosa and (opposite page) Raimunda Valencia: leading players in the effort to improve the health and safety conditions of Panamanian workers

63informa

health and safety in the work environment. I am

very happy to have an opportunity to pass on my

experience,” he says.

Other companies share the objective of pro-

moting a culture of prevention for occupational

accidents and health, especially the members of

the Panamanian Chamber of Construction (CA-

PAC), which has developed professional educa-

tion programs.

“CAPAC is committed to supporting its affili-

ated companies. It carries out inspection visits

to construction sites, organizes lectures and

training programs for workers, and provides

ongoing consulting services,” explains civil en-

gineer Julio Aizprúa, a Director of CAPAC. “Be-

cause construction is an activity that involves

risks, contractors must play a vigilant role in the

implementation of a management system that

ensures the best indicators when it comes to

prevention,” he says.

Panama’s economic forecasts point to con-

tinuing growth in the construction industry in

the next few years, driven by public and private

investments. The country still faces challenges

ahead. It has made major advances in the pre-

vention of workplace accidents, but there is still

a way to go.

This process is being carried out step by

step, with awareness and support, and the re-

sults are becoming increasingly consistent.

“Doctor, it’s time for my hearing test.” This re-

minder makes Raimunda Valencia Jiménez’s day.

She is the physician Responsible for the Health

Program for the Panama-Colon Highway project

(the second phase of a route that connects the

country’s two biggest port cities).

“We need our members to change their cul-

ture and learn to protect their lives and health

with the support of administrative and engineering

methods. They used to ask us why so many tests,

but now they let us know when it’s time to repeat

them.”

Raimunda Valencia and the project’s HSE team

were responsible for the recent achievement of OH-

SAS 18.001:2007 certification in occupational health

and safety, Odebrecht Panama’s second certifica-

tion in that area. The first was granted in 2010, for

the Dos Mares Hydroelectric Plant project.

However, in the opinion of Dr. Valencia, who

joined Odebrecht two years ago, the most impor-

tant thing is that the results of certification will

not end when the project is delivered. “People

now understand that they have a big responsibility

for individual safety, both theirs and other peo-

ple’s, and they are also responsible for everyone’s

safety in general,” she observes.

64 informa

64

Yuri Tomina is playing an active role in

a special time in Braskem’s history:

the company’s international expansion

65informa

written by mayara thomazini photo by GeraLdine di Lucca

uri Tomina is 29. A member of

Braskem America, two years ago he

delved deeply into what he considers

to be one of the biggest opportunities

in his life. “My wife and I moved to the

United States in search of intense learning, fresh

challenges and accomplishments.”

Yuri joined Braskem in 2004 as an intern in the

Corporate Marketing Program, and in early 2010, he

got an invitation to work in the United States from

Ricardo Lyra, who was taking on the challenge of

leading the People & Organization and Communica-

tion program at Braskem America. With his leaders’

encouragement, he took on the challenge of helping

build Braskem’s brand and image in that new envi-

ronment and disseminating the Odebrecht Entrepre-

neurial Technology (TEO) among the company’s new

members. Today, as a member of Kelly Elizardo’s

team, he is Responsible for Corporate Communi-

cation at Braskem America, based in Philadelphia,

Pennsylvania.

In February 2010, Braskem announced the acqui-

sition of the polypropylene assets of Sunoco Chemi-

cals in the USA, and in April of that year, it took con-

trol of three manufacturing plants and a technology

and innovation center in the states of Pennsylvania,

Texas and West Virginia. That move marked the be-

ginning of Braskem’s first industrial operations out-

side Brazil.

“When we first arrived in the USA,” recalls Yuri,

“we already had three fully operational plants and

a list of clients that had to continue receiving their

products as usual, despite the company’s change of

management. It was a major challenge.”

He had a lot of questions. The language, market

and local culture were all new to him. “We soon real-

ized that disseminating the principles of TEO would

be key to the successful integration of teams and

processes,” says Yuri. “Bit by bit, we managed to

create an environment that was well suited to the

Organization’s entrepreneurial culture, more open

to creativity, entrepreneurship and focused on our

clients’ needs and dreams,” he adds.

Right at the inception of Braskem America, some

concepts of TEO grabbed the attention of its American

members and especially won them over, “particularly

the model for entrepreneurship, including decentral-

ization and planned delegation, which foster a good

environment for developing creativity,” says Yuri.

The possibility of living different experiences and

absorbing the best of everything each culture has to

offer has been fundamental to Yuri’s growth as an

entrepreneur. He makes a point of stressing that

TEO has been an essential part of that process. “Our

entrepreneurial culture is widely accepted around

the world because its principles are linked to the

creation of wealth through hard work and discipline.”

During the second stage of acquisitions outside

Brazil announced in October 2011, Braskem acquired

four Dow Chemical plants, two in the US and two in

Germany. “The groups that are now being integrated

into the company were welcomed by the team from

the previous acquisition, who already feel they are

spokespersons for TEO,” recalls Yuri, clearly pleased.

Through this second acquisition, Braskem is now

the leading polypropylene producer in the USA and

has bolstered its European operations with the ad-

dition of two units in Germany. “Our members in the

US welcomed Braskem’s new growth plan. They were

all willing to help build Braskem Europe.”

Today, two years after moving to the USA, Yuri is

celebrating his professional and personal growth: “All

these events we are experiencing here have added to

my knowledge and maturity. And we have also had a

joyful event in my family: the birth of my first daughter,

Sophie, who is now three months old.”

YphilosophyON THE WINGS OF A

65informa

66 informa

TO ENHANCE LEARNINGS

66

OOG is systemizing information as a tool for overcoming fresh challenges

timewritten By Edilson lima photo by GEraldo PEstalozzi

67informa

TO ENHANCE LEARNINGStime

Crisis Management Center: technology at the service of safety

informa68 informa

debrecht Oil & Gas (OOG) is focusing its

efforts on improving the quality of its ser-

vices from day to day, optimizing its pro-

cesses, and thereby ensuring the safety

its members, its physical assets, and the

communities it serves. One tool in particular has played

a critical role in this drive: using knowledge derived

from lessons its teams have learned.

A young company, established in 2006, OOG inher-

ited a pioneering history in the offshore industry that

started with OPL (Odebrecht Perfurações Ltda.), es-

tablished in 1979. OPL began its activities with the ac-

quisition of the Norbe I platform. In the 1980s, it car-

ried on investing and acquired more offshore oil rigs:

Norbe II, III, IV and V and Asterie. It was the first pri-

vate-sector Brazilian company to drill at water depths

of over 1,000 meters.

In 2000, OPL left the drilling segment, later return-

ing to the sector with a new brand, OOG. Since 2006, the

new company has built five drilling rigs, and two more

are in final stages of construction. By the end of 2012,

all seven rigs will be operating in Brazilian waters.

“Despite this track record, we felt the need to

systemize knowledge and learn more about building

and operating platforms to be used in ultra-deep wa-

ters. That was when that we got the idea of creating a

system to use, record and share knowledge to make

it a proprietary technology of OOG itself that was

accessible to everyone,” says Herculano Barbosa,

Managing Director of the Engineering & Technology

Business Unit.

OThis system’s starting point will be the company’s

drilling experience. Later on, it will be extended to oth-

er areas, such as subsea engineering and production

platforms. “It’s a pilot project. We’ll structure this area

first and then go on to the others,” says Herculano.

Based on the Odebrecht Organization’s previous

experience and practices, such as Knowledge Com-

munities, the OOG teams are creating their own sys-

tem for applying and sharing knowledge. Other com-

panies’ experiences are also being consulted. For

example, OOG members recently visited the Embraer

(Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica) factory in São

José dos Campos, São Paulo, where they got a first-

hand look at the aircraft manufacturing company’s

knowledge management system.

Interacting and sharingThe step-by-step process of creating the system will go

like this: first, workshops will be held where participants

in each of the company’s projects will be invited to report

on their experiences, including successes and failures.

Their experience will be recorded and documented, and

made available for consultation by stakeholders. The sec-

ond step is forming Knowledge Communities made up of

people experienced in specific areas of drilling rig design,

such as electric systems, facilities and oil well equipment,

among others. These communities will be linked through

the OOG Portal (using SharePoint technology), through

which members can interact and share their experiences.

If necessary, they will be invited to take part in face-to-

face meetings as well.

OOG’s Macaé Base on the coast of Rio de Janeiro State: the company wants the knowledge its teams have built up zto become a research source for all its members

69informa

The communities will have the supervision and

encouragement of the members’ leaders through

committees - step three. “The goal of the Knowledge

Communities is to enable interaction between mem-

bers. We will observe and encourage them. We must

promote a culture of knowledge sharing,” argues

Elizeu Leonardo da Silva, the officer Responsible for

People & Organization at the Engineering & Technol-

ogy Business Unit.

According to Herculano, the big challenge is cre-

ating interaction between the generations, as today’s

technology is very advanced compared to some de-

cades ago: “Today’s young partners were born into

a world where almost everything is automated, un-

like 20 or 30 years ago. We will make an effort to

ensure that this exchange of knowledge occurs,” he

observes. As a former member of OPL, he has one

more reason to celebrate this new era: “I’m part of

OOG’s prehistory.”

Among the company’s various experiences in drill

rig construction, the case of the Norbe VI stands out.

Near the main tower of that rig (the towers are used to

raise and lower drilling equipment), another smaller

one was built parallel to it. While the main tower is

drilling the well, the parallel tower helps raise and

lower equipment. “That reduces drilling time and, of

course, saves money,” explains Herculano, who was

one of the mentors of that initiative. “Although this

was already being done on the international market,

we added the parallel tower our way, so as to op-

timize costs for Petrobras. This experience, for ex-

ample, cannot and should not be isolated. It must be

recorded and shared with other members of OOG,”

he emphasizes.

Ready for action While part of the OOG team strives to systemize

the company’s trove of knowledge, the company has

implemented another important measure: the creation

of the Crisis Management and Emergency Response

Center (SGCE).

Characterized by efficient use of communications

resources, the center located in an office on the sec-

ond floor of the building on 370, Praia do Botafogo, Rio

de Janeiro, allows simultaneous communication with

up to four sites at once (onshore facilities and offshore

units) through conference calls and video conferenc-

es. It also has two auxiliary boards used to note down

and record information about the crisis or emergency

at hand, the timeline of the event, blueprints for the

rigs, and clocks showing the time in Brazil, Venezuela,

South Korea and the United Arab Emirates, the coun-

tries where the company has ongoing operations. In an

emergency, the center will be used by members of the

Crisis Management and Emergency Response Com-

mittee (CGCE), chaired by Roberto Ramos, the Entre-

preneurial Leader (CEO) of OOG.

“At the center we also have a contact list of the au-

thorities, clients, business partners and our teams in

all the locations where we operate. In an emergency,

we can’t think twice. We must know how to act effec-

tively, be trained to respond and provide technical and

management support, while always trying to control

and resolve the crisis or emergency,” says Marco Au-

rélio Fonseca, the OOG officer Responsible for Sustain-

ability and one of the creators of the SGCE.

Like Herculano, Marco Aurélio also worked at OPL,

in his case, in the 1990s. In 2000, he returned to his

hometown of Belo Horizonte. Then, in January 2011, he

came back to helm the creation of OOG’s Sustainabil-

ity Program, which includes Health, Workplace Safety

and Environment and Corporate Social Responsibility.

His team is responsible for setting Sustainability poli-

cies and directives in alignment with the Odebrecht Or-

ganization’s policy, and guiding OOG’s activities at the

strategic, tactical and operational levels. He is also

a member of Odebrecht’s Sustainability Knowledge

Community, led by Sérgio Leão. “Our activity involves

constant risks. We must be aware of any possible emer-

gency and take preemptive action to prevent damage to

people, property, the environment and the company’s

image,” underscores Marco Aurélio.

Marco Aurélio Fonseca: “In an emergency, we can’t think twice”

69informa

70 informa

70

written by PerLa Lima photos by andré vaLentim

OR has developed a communication system that enables its members to share knowledge while keeping every project unique

CONTINuALLY BuILDING

identity

71informa

identity The Rio Corporate venture, under construction in Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro: OR is present in 15 cities in eight Brazilian states

72 informa

he figures show significant growth in recent

years. Present in 15 cities in eight Brazilian

states, Odebrecht Realizações Imobiliárias

(OR) nearly tripled its net income between

2010 and 2012, from BRL 1.2 billion to BRL

3 billion. It will increase the value of its launches to BRL 6.5

billion in 2012 (in 2010 they were valued at BRL 2.4 billion),

and estimates are that by the end of this year, it will have

about 5,500 members, including 400 interns and young

partners, which corresponds to approximately 430 profes-

sionals hired monthly.

To achieve sustainable and organic growth, OR provides

its entrepreneurs with a communication system that sets

the Organization’s real estate arm apart in the market while

contributing to the dissemination of knowledge at every step

of their entrepreneurial task – ranging from the identifica-

tion and acquisition of new business to the mobilization of

teams, implementation of projects and client satisfaction.

These tools consist of the following steps, which the teams

have established for each of their projects: Investment Com-

mittee, Product Discussion Forum, Pre-Engineering Module,

Engineering Module and Post-Delivery Module.

Paul Altit, the Entrepreneurial Leader (CEO) of OR, ex-

plains: “This way of working encourages leaders and their

teams to discuss the venture’s main variables, thereby con-

tributing to greater transversality of knowledge. It involves

OR members in several states and, many times, other Or-

ganization companies as well.” And he emphasizes: “This is

how we disseminate knowledge, encourage discipline and

transversality, and above all, the uniqueness of each project.”

Each step is decisiveThe Investment Committee, the first stage of the cycle,

evaluates the project’s impact on the community, its orga-

nizational strategy, the parameters of profitability, capital

structure, the competition’s performance in the region, the

initial engineering analyses, legal risks and aspects related

to sales and image. “Once the purchase of the land is ap-

proved, the leader organizes his or her team to tackle the

new challenge, until they reach the second and final stage

of approval: the launch. During this pre-release stage, the

leader receives various contributions through the Engineer-

ing and Product Forum modules,” Paul observes.

Bairro Novo, the OR company that operates in the low-

income housing segment, recently had five land acquisitions

approved at the last meeting of the Investment Committee.

Daniel Villar, the Leader of Bairro Novo, notes that three of

those properties are in São Paulo and were approved be-

cause of their transversality with the team of Paulo Melo,

Leader of OR’s South Central Regional division, which is re-

sponsible for prospecting and market intelligence. “The team

“We have a huge challenge ahead because we’re a new company”

Paul Altit

T

André Basto (left) and Djean Cruz: the right product for each client

73informa

led the search and choice of properties, which made all the

difference,” says Daniel.

Then there is the Boulevard Side project in Salvador,

Bahia. Three years ago, it got the green light to make that

dream a reality. It has gone through all the steps prior to de-

livery, which is scheduled for May 2012. Djean Cruz, Leader

of the North and Northeast Regional division, says that by

the time the process reaches the Product Forum stage, the

team is thoroughly familiar with the venture. “Since we had

a solid concept for the location, architectural design, layouts

and the sales and marketing strategy, we won over the right

clients for that product.”

According to André Basto, the Construction Director for

the North and Northeast, the steps following the Product

Forum - the Engineering Pre-Module and Engineering Mod-

ule - are like a baton in a relay race: “The better it is passed

on, the better the performance.”

The Engineering Pre-Module involves conducting bud-

get studies and outlining architectural and engineering

solutions. This stage ends with a presentation that covers

all points of the project in the presence of OR’s engineer-

ing teams and guests from other Odebrecht companies.

“We launch the product with the expectation that sales will

be successful, along with construction, which is carried out

with the desired and planned price, schedule and quality,”

observes André.

The Engineering Module takes place after launching

the venture and is an improvement on the Pre-Engineering

Module. According to André Basto, “It is the project’s Action

Plan, which, after some fine tuning, keeps any surprises

during implementation to a minimum and ensures that they

are easily resolved.”

The Post-Delivery Module, which concludes the cycle,

was recently included and consists of analyzing the entire

Entrepreneurial Task. The main objective is to share the

hits and misses of the engineering design and construction

process from the conception stage to providing technical as-

sistance to clients. This boosts the teams’ learning curve.

João Carlos Moog Rodrigues, OR’s Engineering & Con-

struction Director in Rio de Janeiro, highlights the positive

effects of the business management cycle. The officer Re-

sponsible for the Dimension venture, which will be deliv-

ered in December of this year, he says: “Developing and

discussing the modules makes knowledge circulate within

the Small Firm. Furthermore, having upstream engineer-

ing participate in the gestation of the product generates

tremendous synergy between the teams, including our as-

sociates.” And he adds: “We are all on the same page, and

when it comes time to build, we have improved on what was

already agreed.”

Paul Altit points out: “We have a huge challenge ahead

because we are a new company that is still seeking the

best way to reach maturity. It is made up of young and

seasoned professionals with tremendous talent, but little

time with the company. We face the challenges of inte-

gration and growth on a daily basis. Therefore, I believe

that these communication tools are essential to our sur-

vival and growth.”

João Rodrigues: making knowledge go around

74 informa

74

HERE, NOW, IN OUR

hands

André Carlos dos Santos during a PDJE activity: “I’ve learned to manage my time”

75informa

written by GabrieLa vasconceLLos photos by aLmir bindiLatti

An Odebrecht Foundation initiative in northeastern Brazil is helping groom youths to become rural entrepreneurshands

76 informa

t’s before dawn, and André Carlos dos

Santos, 25, is already at the bus station

in Ituberá, Bahia. It is 5 am on a Friday,

but he shows no sign of fatigue. All week

long, he divides his time between a Busi-

ness Administration course, working in the fi-

nancial area of the Institute for the Sustainable

Development of the Southern Bahia Lowlands

(IDES), chairing the community association of

Lagoa Santa, his home town, and conducting

workshops on tourism, sports and reading in

the region.

Once a month, André also takes part in

the educational workshops of the Program

for Developing Young Entrepreneurs (PDJE).

That is why he was waiting for a bus at such

an early hour. Juggling all these activities is

no easy task. Everyone who knows him jokes

that there are more than 24 hours in his day.

André has had to plan his schedule to cope

with it all. “I’ve created a routine. I learned

to manage my time during one of the modules

of the PDJE. That was the subject that most

caught my attention,” says André, who is also

responsible for the logistics of transporting

the other participants.

The PDJE is an initiative of the Odebrecht

Foundation. In line with the Odebrecht Entre-

preneurial Technology, it contributes to the

professional education of 21 young rural entre-

preneurs who are currently working at institu-

tions or projects that are part of the Program

for the Integrated and Sustainable Develop-

ment of the Mosaic of Environmental Protection

Areas in the Southern Bahia Lowlands (PDIS).

The majority are former students of the teach-

ing units linked to the PDIS. André is one of

them. For him, joining the Agroforestry Family

House in 2006 was a life-changing experience

“I always stop to think and analyze what my

life was like in the past. I can’t believe how far

I’ve come today,” says André, who grew up in

a maroon community. He points out that even

his relationship with his family has changed.

“My parents are proud to see me replicating

knowledge in our community. My Mom says I’m

a young role model.”

Ongoing educationIn this second edition of the PDJE, 11 modules

have already been taught and seven others will

be covered by the end of 2012. They address top-

ics such as leadership, personal expression, life

and career plans, globalization, sustainability,

citizenship, project design, communication and

business security.

According to Gilcia Beckel, the coordinator

of the second PDJE class, the essence of the

program is developing entrepreneurship among

young people. “Their enthusiasm and interest

are clearly visible. This ongoing education pro-

gram is contributing to the growth of each indi-

vidual. They had great expectations about how

this process would work. Today they actively

participate in discussions. The lecturers can’t

praise them enough,” says Gilcia, who joined the

Odebrecht Organization 28 years ago and is cur-

rently a human development consultant at the

Odebrecht Foundation.

In addition to receiving follow-up from Gilcia,

during each module the participants interact

with facilitators, including members of the Ode-

brecht Foundation and the PDIS, and specialists.

I

André, Jeane and Ana Paula (clockwise): multiplying the lessons learned

77informa

Maria Celeste Pereira, Executive Director of the

Rights and Citizenship Institute, which is linked

to the PDIS, was one of those people. “The prolif-

eration of learning is the result of a commitment

to the socialization of acquired knowledge. Our

understanding is that knowledge contributes to

the formation of a more just and democratic so-

ciety,” says Maria Celeste, who was one of the

18 young people who took the first edition of the

PDJE and now shares her experiences.

Ana Paula Conceição, a participant in the

second group, underscores this point. “It makes

no sense to keep this knowledge to ourselves.

We need to replicate it, make it available to

the community,” argues the Youth House State

High School alumna, who is currently a mul-

tiplier agent for the Reading Circles project,

which encourages reading and reading com-

prehension to contribute to the development of

new leaders.

Valéria Nakamura, a consultant from Triáde

do Tempo, was the facilitator for a debate on

“Being an Entrepreneur – Strategic Thinking.” “The group was fully engaged with the questions

and arguments. I was very pleased with how the

activities were carried out. The important thing

is the knowledge they take away with them.” Ac-

cording to Jeane Oliveira, a farmer who is also a

member of the Pratigi Environmental Protection

Area Guardians Association, the theme of this

debate made the strongest impression. “What

we have here is an opportunity to improve what

we see in our work and our personal lives. Every-

thing is connected. We are professionalizing the

information,” says Jeane, who is also a graduate

of the Presidente Tancredo Neves Rural Family

House.

André makes the most of this exchange and

doesn’t want to miss a single module. “What I

get most from the speakers is their example,

their experience. These are people who have life

experiences we can use.” He sees all the activi-

ties as a priority. “I’m striving to follow my life

and career plan. I’ve managed to accomplish a

lot. My family used to live in a mud hut, and now

we have better housing. I’ll graduate from col-

lege at the end of the year. Things are happen-

ing. I’m meeting my deadlines.”

78 informa

SAVVY

Julio Lopes Ramos: urban development in a slum with over 1,200 shacks

79informa

Social engineering

enacious and passionate

about his work, Julio Lopes

Ramos is a 36-year Ode-

brecht member who believes that

when you work with love and deter-

mination, a light will shine to show

you the way. It happened when he

was invited to become the officer

Responsible for the Curundú Proj-

ect in Panama. Julio knew it was

not a challenge, but a mission: the

urban development of a slum with

over 1,200 shacks. “Civil engineer-

ing is no challenge for Odebrecht;

social engineering is the hard

part,” explains Julio Lopes Ramos,

the Savvy project’s interviewee for

this issue. The following is a sum-

mary of his interview, which can be

read in full on the Odebrecht Infor-

ma website (www.odebrechtonline.

com.br).

Curundú Project In November 2009, I was pleas-

antly surprised to receive an invita-

tion from the Director of Odebrecht

Panama, André Rabello. He del-

egated responsibility to me for bid-

ding in a tender that was already un-

derway: the Curundú Project.

When I learned more about the

project, I saw that it wasn’t a chal-

lenge, it was a mission.

It involves the urban develop-

ment of a slum with more than 1,200

shacks in a flooded area. The water

is black. Completely unsanitary.

At the stage of mobilizing people

to work on the project, we realized

that there were 12 gangs of young

thugs in that area.

I told the management team and

all my team members: “This will be

tough going. These guys have never

had an opportunity to work in their

lives. They don’t have a work ethic,

and don’t even know what it’s like

to be responsible for keeping to a

schedule. We have to explain and

teach them all this because they’re

rebels. They only obey the gang

leader’s orders, and will not follow

instructions easily.”

We found that there were three

stronger gangs, and if we reached

an agreement with those three lead-

ers, the others would back us up.

All the management team mem-

bers and I went to talk to them. Eye

to eye, face to face, to explain the

project and ask for their support.

The first guy we spoke to was the

leader of the MOM (Kill or Die) gang.

His name was Moisés. I explained to

him that we were going to hire 800 lo-

cal people and 200 from the outside.

And everyone would wear a uniform,

including myself. Also, when hiring

people from other neighborhoods in

Panama, I would work with the po-

lice, who would know the person’s

background.

Then he said: “If that’s how it

is, we’ll back you.” I asked, “What

do you want from us in exchange

for your support?” “Just keep your

promise.” “What promise?” “You

said you would hire the muchachos.

I want them to leave this life and

start their own families with dignity,

instead of going through all the sac-

rifices I’ve been making.”

We identified people with natural

leadership skills and formed a part-

nership with the INADEH, which is

equivalent to the SENAI professional

education institute in Brazil. We got

a teacher dedicated exclusively to

the program and started offering a

course to groom the first 30 foremen

or 30 shift supervisors.

I was surprised to see that 94% of

the class passed. That’s how you get

to see what these young people can

do. All they needed was encourage-

ment.

Change of attitudeIn the beginning, several ladies

went out on the streets of Curundú

to complain about the project. They

called the press and said: “I’ve never

paid for water, power, or rent, and

now the government wants to put

me in an apartment where I’ll have

to pay for all that.”

The first chance I had to meet

with all these women, I said: “La-

dies, you couldn’t be more wrong.

You pay a high price to live here, you

pay with the death of a relative, with

the abuse of a child, with these dark

waters, and these totally inhospita-

Statement given to Valber Carvalho / Edited by Alice Galeffi

In Panama City, Julio Lopes Ramos heads a project where “the protagonist is the family”

79informa

T

informa80

ble conditions where you bring your

children to live. So you can never say

you don’t pay anything.”

I prepared a three-stage action

plan. The first was to relocate the

families. The second step was to

initiate the construction process of

urban development and work for

this community so it would support

the project and let the job get done.

The third step would be bringing the

families back to live in new housing

units and somehow prepare them to

live in a condominium.

Manoel urtado sets an exampleIn the course of the project we got

to know outstanding people. Take

Manoel Urtado, for example. He was

a former outlaw who belonged to the

MOM gang. He had spent many years

in prison and become a pastor.

At the beginning of the proj-

ect, Manoel participated as a social

worker. One day, there was a drive-by

shooting. A gang from another neigh-

borhood gunned down several boys,

and two were killed. One of them was

Manoel’s eldest son.

Committed to the project, to Ode-

brecht, and especially committed to

God, he took the noblest decision I’ve

ever seen in my life: he went to Cabo

Verde to forgive the man who mur-

dered his son.

He saw this as an example to be

followed. He wanted to put an end to

that bloody cycle of revenge.

Luiz Altamirando, known as Wa-

cuco, was also a former leader of the

KrisKros gang. He told me: “Pana-

ma has never seen a project like this.

It changes people.”

LearningFrom the start, I would tell the gov-

ernment minister: “The protagonist of

this project is the family. What we are

doing is social engineering, because

civil engineering is no challenge for

Odebrecht.”

Mr. Norberto [Odebrecht] has al-

ways been a huge inspiration for me

because of everything he has done, his

humility and because he conveys his

philosophy of life and the Odebrecht

Entrepreneurial Technology to us.

But my strongest inspiration comes

from my family. My father was a simple

man, the son of a construction super-

visor and a schoolteacher. My mother

was a teacher too. Her father was an

accountant.

My wife, Maninha, is my main part-

ner who is always by my side. When-

ever I’m at an impasse, she always

comes up with an intelligent solution.

I always carry a piece of advice

with me that I pass on to my team

members, especially to my part-

ners: our client is not just the one

who hires us, but the community to

which we are providing that service.

Whatever you do with passion, with

love and determination, you’ll do well.

A light will always shine to show you

the way.

80 informa

informa

Next issue:Sports

Founded in 1944,

ODEBRECHT is a Brazilian

organization made up of

diversified businesses with

global operations and

world-class standards of

quality. Its 160,000 members

are present in the Americas,

the Caribbean, Africa, Asia

and Europe.

RESPONSIBLE FOR CORPORATE COMMUNICATION AT CONSTRUTORA NORBERTO ODEBRECHT S.A. Márcio Polidoro

RESPONSIBLE FOR PUBLICATIONS PROGRAMS AT CONSTRUTORA NORBERTO ODEBRECHT S.A. Karolina Gutiez

BUSINESS AREA COORDINATORS Nelson Letaif Chemicals & Petrochemicals | Andressa Saurin Ethanol & Sugar | Bárbara Nitto Oil & Gas | Daelcio Freitas Environmental Engineering | Sergio Kertész Real Estate Developments | Coordinator at Odebrecht Foundation Vivian Barbosa

EDITORIAL COORDINATION Versal Editores Editor-in-Chief José Enrique BarreiroExecutive Editor Cláudio Lovato Filho English Translation H. Sabrina GledhillArt and Graphic Production Rogério NunesGraphic Design and Illustrations Rico LinsPhoto Editor Holanda Cavalcanti Electronic Publishing Maria Celia Olivieri

Printing 1,050 copies | Pre-Press and Printing Pancrom

EDITORIAL OFFICES Rio de Janeiro +55 21 2239-4023 | São Paulo +55 11 3641- 4743email: versal@versal.com.br

Originally published in Portuguese. Also available in Spanish.

82 informa

“An entrepreneur must be a person who is

endowed with experiential knowledge, which combines education and practice, and who makes things happen

instead of just wanting them to happen”

TEO (Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology)

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