DEFENSE THE DAILY LIVES OF PEOPLE WORKING FOR SOVEREIGNTY

GUATEMALA HIGHWAY PROJECT MARKS THE GROUP’S DEBUT IN THAT COUNTRY

ONGOINGREINVENTION

N E W F R O N T I E R S

New businesses, new places, new times. New frontiers. A highway in Guatemala. A bioenergy plant in Angola. Submarines to monitor the Brazilian coast. Examples of invigorating news that there are new learning experi-ences ahead. In sync with a rapidly and profoundly changing world. An entrepreneurial trajectory that is renewing itself, a Group that is rejuvenated by the challenges it faces and surmounts. Working capacity that is always growing. An ethos of service that is stronger than ever.

176 | V

OL. X

LII | JAN

.FEB.M

AR

2015

CAPA_INGLES_124963.indd 1 3/24/15 8:37 PM

Solucionesen todas partes

Mejorar la calidad de vida de las personas, estén donde estén, es uno de los objetivos de la Organización Odebrecht. Para ello, sus equipos se multiplican en 20 países de cuatro continentes. Llevan tecnologías y disposición para atender demandas complejas, en un mundo en constante transformación. Se desarrollan nuevas soluciones, en forma permanente, para enfrentar los nuevos desafíos y apoyar países y regiones en la búsqueda de lo que más anhelan: vida digna y prosperidade.

Solutionseverywhere

Improving people’s quality of life, wherever they are, is one of the Odebrecht Group’s objectives. To achieve this, its teams are growing and expanding in 20 countries worldwide, taking with them modern technologies and the drive to meet the complex demands of a changing world. They are constantly developing new solutions to fresh challenges and helping nations and regions pursue their greatest aspirations: a dignified life and prosperity.

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 1 3/24/15 4:05 PM

E D I T O R I A L

2

I t is an ongoing drive and a constant process of

reinvention. Launched in the 1970s, the internationalization and diversification of Odebrecht’s businesses are always being renewed to keep pace with a changing world. Staying abreast of the times is a key part of our mission of serving clients around the globe. We must keep our eyes on the horizon, although we will always rely on the legacy of previous generations to reap the expected rewards. This dynamic process is always moving forward, but it is planned and executed with caution learned from experience and the maturity of people who seek to take the right steps, which is essential to ensuring the full satisfaction of everyone who needs effective services for growth and development, including communities and countries. In this issue, you will see the new opportunities that are emerging for Odebrecht Group businesses, often arising in environments where its teams have already established a presence through infrastructure services. Whether as a service provider, an investor, a partner

CAPACITYFOR REINVENTION

in joint ventures or a concession company, Odebrecht is developing new forms of worldwide operations that are enabling the Group to renew itself as an entrepreneurial organization whose calling is service. By doing so, it is empowering itself to serve its clients even better.

This is a new setting in which the principles set forth in the Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology (TEO) will continue to be the basis for our relationships with clients, communities and partners who, as you will see in the reports on the following pages, are feeling the impact of the fresh and challenging demands of these new times – demands that can only be adequately met by people who understand that it is crucial to reinvent ourselves on a daily basis. Instead of seeing them as an obstacle, we are making the changing times our biggest and most crucial ally. However, reinvention sometimes means making a strategic withdrawal to look for new paths. This is the case with Odebrecht Informa, which will temporarily cease publication as of this issue. ]

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 2 3/19/15 5:25 PM

3Odebrecht informa

π Fábio Rodrigues in the A-Darter missile’s Optical Bank Lab at Mectron’s headquarters

Fred

Cha

lub

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 3 3/19/15 5:25 PM

D E S T A Q U E S

4

Begun in the 1970s, the internationalization and diversification of Odebrecht’s businesses is a dynamic process that is gaining significant strength

COVER

New Frontiers

06

Odebrecht’s first project in this country is the widening and rehabilitation of Central American Highway 2, the main artery for the flow of the nation’s GDP

GUATEMALA

15 12

44

Biocom, a bioenergy factory that uses cutting-edge technology in its agricultural processes, signifies career opportunities for the community in the Cacuso region

Biocom member in a lab at the company’s headquarters in Cacuso, Angola. Photo by Juca Varella.

ANGOLA

28

DOMINICAN REPUBLICUnder construction in Baní province, the Punta Catalaina thermal power plant will make a decisive contribution to bolstering and diversifying the DR’s energy mix

DEFENSEA missile and radar manufacturer, the Mectron company was created in 1991 and merged with the Group in 2011. Its teams are conducting tests that present highly complex challenges

H I G H L I G H T S

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 4 3/19/15 5:26 PM

5Odebrecht informa

Get to know some of the ideas and passions of Natalie Dowlsley, Saulo Rezende, Elias Lages and Rodney Carvalho

FOLKS

38

ODEBRECHT FOUNDATIONTwo participants in ongoing projects in Brazil’s Southern Bahia Lowlands share their experiences of work and life through the Young Builder Latin America Program

INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERINGA success story that began in Brazil in the 1980s is repeating itself in several countries, particularly contributions that require unique expertise

50

20Miguel Peres, International Managing Director of Odebrecht Environmental, discusses the process of taking the company global

Marcelo Arantes analyzes Braskem’s international expansion and stresses the importance of applying the Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology to achieve the expected goals

INTERVIEW

ARGUMENT

24

35

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 5 3/19/15 5:26 PM

6

C A P A

π Biocom: the first bioenergy plant in Angola, a country where Odebrecht has been present since 1984

N e w F r o n t i e r sC O V E R

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 6 3/19/15 5:26 PM

7Odebrecht informa

Juca

Var

ella

BROADENINGFRONTIERSTHE PROCESS OF INTERNATIONALIZINGAND DIVERSIFYING ODEBRECHT’S BUSINESSES IS GAINING SIGNIFICANT STRENGTH

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 7 3/19/15 5:26 PM

88

New ways of working in places where we already have a long-standing presence, as well as in different places, facing the inherent challenges of starting out in new environments. In the reports beginning on the following page, you will find examples of these new international frontiers and Odebrecht Group businesses. In the Dominican Republic, the Punta Catalina thermal power plant is the Group’s first industrial engineering project in that Caribbean country. In Africa, Angola is witnessing the birth of Biocom, a modern, automated plant equipped with the latest technology in agricultural processes, the country’s first venture in the bioenergy sector. The work of Odebrecht Defense and Technology’s teams is one of the icons of the constant dynamism of Odebrecht’s diversification, represented in this case by work directly related to Brazil’s national sovereignty. In Guatemala, the most populous nation in Central America, the Group’s operations began less than two years ago. There, our teams are building Central American Highway 2. This is a new environment for the organization, which is bolstering its deep-rooted presence in Latin America. These are stories that speak of appreciation for new experiences and the desire to keep pace with the times and their requirements. Above all, they are reports on the decisions and actions of people who are eager to learn, grow and serve, with a strong sense of unity as members of an entrepreneurial organization that has maintained an unwavering commitment to building the future since its inception.

π Central American Highway 2 in Guatemala: expanding Odebrecht’s operations in Latin America

N e w F r o n t i e r s

Joha

n O

rdan

ez-

AFP

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 8 3/19/15 5:26 PM

9Odebrecht informa

Written by Patrick Cruz | Photos by André Valentim

THE SQUAD FROM HOUSTONA SPECIALIZED TEAM PROVIDES PROCUREMENT SERVICES TO SUPPORT THE GROUP’S VARIED BUSINESSES

Plans for operations outside Brazil entered the Group’s agenda in the 1970s, but perhaps not even its most visionary leaders could have foreseen the depth of this internationalization process. That culture is so ingrained at Odebrecht that it enables the organization to undertake amazing initiatives like injecting an Argentine accent into a base for industrial engineering operations in Houston, Texas. Yes, there is a little (or more) of Odebrecht Argentina in the Group’s presence in the United States.

These Argentine reinforcements began to take shape in June 2013, when Odebrecht Industrial Engineering decided to establish a strate-gic support unit for its projects: the Odebrecht Procurement Center (OPC). It chose the city of Houston as its base because it is a world center for the oil and gas industry, a sector directly related to the industrial engineering projects with which the OPC operates. The goal is eventually to provide procurement services to other Group companies, as well to maximize potential synergies between the different Businesses.

“We’ve adapted very well, despite the chal-lenge of organizing a new life in a country with very different standards and processes to the ones we’re used to," says Procurement Director Ricardo Unzner, who moved from Argentina to the United States with his family to take on his new responsibilities. During the initial stage, two other Argentine nationals, Fernando Rodriguez and Juan Manuel Baya, moved there too. Soon afterwards, the team was reinforced by two more of their countrymen, Emmanuel Contreras and Ezekiel Adamo.

The OPC team works as a kind of central sup-ply depot for projects and seeks to make the most of synergy in its relationships with suppliers. The team members work for and in alignment with Group projects, handling requests for materi-als, purchasing and supplying previously agreed

items. The majority of the team members are from Argentina because they have specific experience in procurement, the right qualifications for interna-tional expansion, and were willing to take on the challenge in the United States. Today, the team consists of 14 people, and there are also plans to bolster the group when projects require it. Based on the experience already gained from forming the initial team for this new operation, the Argentine professionals will play an important part, not only because they were pioneers but also due to the su-pervisory role they will soon be playing.

“We are thinking of how to qualify and hire people in the various countries with which we will be working,” says Unzner. The idea is to relocate these professionals for short periods of time and prepare them to work in sync with the OPC team based in Houston.

All OPC members are prepared to engage in purchasing activities and manage the projects’ re-quests for equipment and materials. This task in-cludes negotiating prices and keeping track of the demand so the right number of parts and machines arrive at the construction sites to ensure that they have neither a surplus nor a deficit.

A youthful teamThe team is young: the average age is 32. Despite the cultural differences between Argentina and the United States, the work they do in support of Industrial Engineering has changed very lit-tle since OPC’s inception. “I am proud to be here, not because I want to leave an ‘Argentine mark’ on the company’s US operations, but because of the challenge of being part of a team that is opening a new front in the organization’s operations,” says Emmanuel Contreras.

Ricardo Unzner believes that he, his fellow Argentines and the other team members have made their own mark on the operation. “We have implemented a successful working method that

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 9 3/19/15 5:26 PM

10

brings together the benefits of decentralized man-agement based on projects and centralized con-tacts with suppliers,” he says. It combines the principle of decentralization, one of the pillars of the Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology (TEO), with the work of a team that focuses on establish-ing relationships with the companies that supply materials and equipment.

OPC’s activities are not restricted to the United States. Its first construction project was the USD 369-million Pascuales-Cuenca multipurpose pipe-line in Ecuador. That was a complex undertaking, and the technicians had to rack their brains to en-sure that the industrial engineering business had a full inventory: the Pascuales terminal, the starting point of the pipeline, is located in the Guayaquil region, at sea level. The project involved install-ing 210 km of steel pipe from there to Cuenca, in the Andes mountains. The pipelines will transport gasoline, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

New challenges now lie ahead for the Argentines and their co-workers at OPC. In 2015, for exam-ple, they will provide support for the construction of the South Peruvian gas pipeline. The project is massive, both in terms of numbers and in terms of logistical challenges. Valued at roughly USD 4 bil-lion, the pipeline will run over 1,000 km between the Andean city of Cusco and the Port of Ilo in the Moquegua region. “It will certainly be a tremen-dous learning experience,” says Unzner. And he and his Argentine co-workers will be sure to pass that knowledge forward. ]

π Pascuales-Cuenca pipeline in Ecuador: OPC’s first construction project

N e w F r o n t i e r s

π Ricardo Uzner: grooming and hiring people

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 10 3/19/15 5:26 PM

11Odebrecht informa

Ode

brec

ht A

rchi

ves

π Pascuales-Cuenca pipeline in Ecuador: OPC’s first construction project

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 11 3/19/15 5:26 PM

12

PRODUCING DEVELOPMENT

Written by Cláudio Lovato Filho | Photo by Erika Santelices - AFP

THE PUNTA CATALINA THERMAL POWER PLANT, ODEBRECHT’S FIRST INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING PROJECT IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, WILL GUARANTEE THAT COUNTRY CHEAPER ENERGY

π Emanuel Ximenes (left) and David Carvalho Neto at the thermal power plant construction site, in Peravia province: meeting the highest standards for environ mental measures

N e w F r o n t i e r s

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 12 3/19/15 5:26 PM

13Odebrecht informa

José Luiz Rocha, a Brazilian from the east-ern state of Espírito Santo, gazes earnestly at the blue waters of the Caribbean Sea, off the coast of the Dominican province of Peravia, near the mouth of the Catalina River. A 27-year Odebrecht member, he is a Ports Supervisor cur-rently working on the Punta Catalina Thermal Power Plant project, which includes the con-struction of a maritime terminal. The look on his face may be serious, but his words express tremendous optimism, and they are convincing - not only because of their tone and meaning but because they are spoken with the conviction of someone with a winning résumé: “We faced some challenges when driving the pipes, but ev-erything’s fine.” When asked if the work is on schedule, the seasoned supervisor displays one of his well-known traits: good humor. “Hey! I’ve never delivered a project behind schedule. In fact, I always deliver ahead of schedule! It won’t be any different here!”

These are words that the President of the Dominican Republic, Danilo Medina, would love to hear. Of course, he has already received that assurance from the team responsible for the project, which is being built by the Odebrecht, Technimont of Italy and the Dominican firm Estrella, the country’s partners in the quest to achieve its main development goal: ener-gy production. The Dominican Republic has an energy deficit of around USD 1.2 billion per year. “That means 15% of the country’s bud-get goes to paying off that deficit,” says Marco Cruz, Odebrecht’s Managing Director for the Dominican Republic.

The decision to build a coal-fired thermal power plant was based on its cost-benefit ratio for the country, which does not produce natu-ral gas or other types of fuel. Coal is a relatively inexpensive fuel source that will make low-cost power generation possible. The decision to use coal also resulted from the certainty that the companies responsible for the project would use the world’s most advanced technology. “From the boilers to the turbines and generators, we are bringing into the Dominican Republic ev-erything that is most modern and environmen-tally recommendable when it comes to running coal-fired thermal power plants,” says Marco Cruz.

A nation-changing initiativeGround was broken in December 2013, and the

π Emanuel Ximenes (left) and David Carvalho Neto at the thermal power plant construction site, in Peravia province: meeting the highest standards for environ mental measures

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 13 3/19/15 5:26 PM

14

plant will be up and running by 2017. This is a greenfield EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contract, which means that the plant is being built from scratch. Its two 360-MW generator units will produce up to 720 MW. The project includes 55 km of transmis-sion lines between the plant and the substa-tion in Santo Domingo, thereby consolidating the national generation system. The port ter-minal, which is located inside the construction site, will consist of a 1,300-m pier and a 300-m docking wharf where ships (probably from the United States and Colombia) can unload coal. “This is a nation-changing initiative,” says Project Odebrecht Director David Carvalho Neto. “There will be cheaper energy through its own operations, run by the Government through the CDEEE [State Power Company Corporation], our client. I feel personally fulfilled by the con-fidence I have that thermoelectric power is the best way forward for the country. We are using the best technology in the world and procedures that meet strict environmental standards,” he adds. The project is 12% complete. Now, the heavy infrastructure works phase is almost over, including earthmoving in the one mil-lion square-meter area where the plant is being built. After that, Odebrecht will begin providing industrial assembly services for the first time in the Dominican Republic.The look of the plant will be consistent with its status as the biggest civil and industrial engineer-ing project in the nation’s history. The boilers will be 72 m high, and the chimney, which will be man-ufactured on-site, will stand at a height of 160 m. the project includes installing 3 km of pipes, with structures measuring 2.5 m in diameter. The logis-tics is complex and challenging: all the parts will be prefabricated outside the country. A multimodal plan will be put in place to transport them to the jobsite, giving priority to the maritime mode. One of the technological and methodological highlights of the project is the use of a beltless, open-air exhaust system with enclosed coal trans-portation to prevent coal dust from polluting the atmosphere. The soil is also receiving special atten-tion because of its high potential for liquefaction, which causes instability. But that’s not all. “We are in a zone of earthquakes, hurricanes and tsu-namis,” says Emanuel Magno Brito Ximenes, from Odebrecht, the officer Responsible for Engineering. “That led us to conduct a comprehensive study of

N e w F r o n t i e r s

the soil and ocean currents, which are being docu-mented and will be one of this project’s legacies for the country,” he says.

Grooming teamsThere will be several other manifold legacies. The most important one may be bringing instructors and students together in classrooms and work-shops through an educational initiative called the Creer (Believe) program. At the peak of the proj-ect, which will take place between November 2015 and April 2016, there will be around 7,500 workers on site. That number helps explain the need for a comprehensive effort to provide workers with the skills they need to work in industrial engineering. Professionals with those qualifications are hard to find in the DR.Based on the Acreditar Ongoing Professional Education Program (Acreditar means “Believe” in Portuguese), the Creer program is playing a key role in addressing that challenge. “The country has workers for civil construction projects, such as car-penters and masons, but few professionals for in-dustrial projects, such as welders,” says People & Organization Manager Pedro Leitão. “And the level of demand here will be very high and unprecedent-ed for this country.”On December 9, the Odebrecht Informa team had an opportunity to attend a Creer graduation cer-emony for 184 people in Baní, the main city in Peravia. They had just finished the three-month course, learning about their chosen occupations in theory and practice.“They have lots of enthusiasm and a tremen-dous desire to grow,” says Victor Paulino, 25, from Alagoas, Brazil, one of the three instruc-tors from the National Industrial Education Service (SENAI) working in Punta Catalina. That Brazilian institution is responsible for transfer-ring knowledge and technology to the Dominican National Technical and Vocational Training Institute (INFOTEP). “The SENAI profession-als base their work on clear technical criteria. We were all on the same page,” says INFOTEP instructor Cristian Pelaez, 41, who was born in Santo Domingo.The biggest winners, of course, were the stu-dents. “It was an amazing experience. I want to continue my studies,” says Juan Ernesto Guerrero, 35, who is now qualified as a boilermaker. “I’m happy. A new door has opened,” says Yesenia Estefania Figuereo, 24, who is now certified in mechanical industrial assembly. ]

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 14 3/19/15 5:27 PM

15Odebrecht informa

Written by Bruno Galba | Photos by Johan Ordanez - AFP

ANCIENT AND MODERNODEBRECHT MAKES ITS DEBUT IN GUATEMALA, THE CRADLE OF MAYAN CIVILIZATION AND NOW CENTRAL AMERICA’S LEADING ECONOMIC POWER

“Para servirlo” (“At your service”). That is what Guatemalans say whenever someone thanks them for their work. The culture of the ethos of service, expressed as an everyday utterance, is evident in the Odebrecht Group’s work in Guatemala. The most pop-ulous nation in Central America, with approximately 15 million inhabitants in an area that covers 109,000 square kilometers, Guatemala is the latest country on the map of Odebrecht’s international presence.

Begun in June 2013, the Group’s debut project in Guatemala is the rehabilitation and widening of a 140-km stretch of the 300-km Central American Highway 2 (CA-2). This route runs through southern Guatemala and plays a key role in national logistics. It traverses the country’s breadbasket, which contains large farms producing sugarcane, rubber and cattle, facilitates the

flow of imported goods arriving through the Port of Quetzal, and serves as the main foreign trade chan-nel between Guatemala, Mexico and El Salvador. According to the Federal Government, the equivalent of 65% of GDP flows through the CA-2.

Despite its importance as an artery for urban de-velopment, the CA-2 is clogged. An average of 13,000 vehicles now travel on it per day, at an average speed of 17 km per hour. It is the scene of nearly one thousand accidents per year. “When we arrived, we evaluated the priority projects being assessed by the Government, and the CA-2 attracted our attention due to its strategic importance to the country,” explains Marcos Machado, Odebrecht’s Managing Director in Guatemala. “We took the initiative and consulted several political and business leaders. They were young

π Guatemala City: the capital of the most populous nation in Central America

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 15 3/19/15 5:27 PM

16

π Technical challenges: the scope of Odebrecht’s work on this project includes building 76 bridges

N e w F r o n t i e r s

people as well as seasoned professionals. Mechanical engineer Jaime Escobar, who has over 20 years’ expe-rience at crushing plants, left his job as a technical ad-visor and his entire client portfolio to join Odebrecht. “I was very motivated by the challenge of leading large industrial plants and the possibility of growing within the company. Of course, I also weighed the possibility of inscribing my name in the history of my country’s development through this important project.” Jaime started out as the officer Responsible for Asphalt Industrial Plants.

Perla Ruiz and Jacobo Ortiz, who are among the venture’s 21 Young Partners (interns), have great ex-pectations about the development of their careers.

“Now that I’m familiar with the company and the opportunities it offers, I am very excited at the pros-pect of leading a large project one day, whether here or abroad,” says Jacobo. In contrast, Perla does not see her-self working as an expat, but her plans are equally am-bitious. “I would like to attain a leadership role in social outreach projects that really make a difference to peo-ple’s lives. I hope to help see my country change,” she says.

Building trustSatisfaction with the relationship between the

organization and the Guatemalan people is a

two-way street. The client, which keeps a close

π Cidade da Guatemala: capital do país mais populoso da América Central

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 16 3/19/15 5:27 PM

17Odebrecht informa

Technology and productivity

The Central American Highway (CA-2) project is divided into three 45-km sections involving 18 simultaneous work fronts, including earthmoving, bridge building and paving. The asphalt concrete used for paving is being produced in two industrial plants installed on the banks of the Nahualate and Ocosito rivers, with capacity to produce up to 130 metric tons per hour. They have been set up in strategic locations to facilitate logistics and bolster the paving team’s productivity.Making the most of the nearby rubber farms, the CA-2 team has developed a project that uses natural latex as an additive when man-ufacturing asphalt emulsion used to seal the surface of the highway. In addition to producing material with better quality and traction, this innovation has reduced production costs by 3.65% and established a closer relationship between the company and local producers.Odebrecht’s proactivity has also helped change the way cement is made in Guatemala. After concluding that the concrete structures in the country showed poor durability, the project team suggested that Cementos Progreso, the nation’s leading cement manufacturer, begin using low alkali cement, creating a new product that was both durable and more economical to produce. “This provided a better cement option not only for the CA-2, but for the country,” says Project Director Carlos Eduardo Rosa.

π Better-quality paving at a lower cost

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 17 3/19/15 5:27 PM

18

THE CULTURE OF DEVELOPMENTGUATEMALA VALUES THE PAST TO GROW WISELY

15 millioninhabitantsin an area of

109,000 km2

US$ 50.3 billionGDP US$ 50.3 billionGDP

Mountains and volcanic lakesform part of the nation’s natural treasures

CRADLEOF MAYANCIVILIZATION,Guatemala o�ers some ofthe most fascinatingarcheological sites in theAmericas, including pyramids,temples, ancient trading centersand homes, and a rich collectionof sculptures from that period

Spanishis the o�cial language, but

22 indigenouslanguages are spoken by communitiesin the interior of the country

A V E R A G E E C O N O M I C G R O W T H

3.5% per year

CIDADE DAGUATEMALA

L O C A T I O N

OCEANOPACÍFICO

OCEANOATLÂNTICO

N e w F r o n t i e r s

eye on the performance of the contract (worth

USD 384 million, one of the largest investments

ever made in that country), is happy with the

progress of the work. “Odebrecht was the com-

pany that presented the best physical, techni-

cal and financial infrastructure of all the busi-

nesses I have kept track of. We have formed a

very good impression, and so have the work-

ers,” says Jaime Laj, Director of Supervision at

the Ministry of Communications, Infrastructure

and Housing, who is responsible for overseeing

the project. According to Carlos Eduardo Rosa,

this is due to transparency in the relationship

between Odebrecht and the client. “He trusts

us to deliver an outstanding product,” says the

Project Director.

π Marcos Machado: dialogue with political and

business leaders

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 18 3/24/15 3:49 PM

19Odebrecht informa

A partnership is bornRefurbishing and widening a route means more safety, productivity and business opportunities for the country. However, other “pathways” for development are also being created.One of them is the Calzados Nahualate (Nahualate Foot-wear) project. Designed and led by Odebrecht, it offers alternative work and income creation opportunities to the community that gives the initiative its name. Today, 18 Nahualate residents are learning to make and sell footwear, putting them in a position to break the local paradigm: doing odd jobs for a living. The initial focus is on handmade sandals to meet local demand. Later on, it will produce dif-ferent types of footwear for schools and industry. In addition to providing technical education, Odebrecht will build the association’s headquarters and provide all the necessary equipment.“It’s a great opportunity for me and my co-workers, espe-cially for us women, who generally only worked as house-wives,” says Eugenia Garcia, 30. “We are here to become entrepreneurs, God willing. We are not just working but learning a lot, mainly because the people here have given us their total support.”π An association member in Nahualate: breaking paradigms

the Ministry of Communications, Infrastructure

and Housing, who is responsible for overseeing

the project. According to Carlos Eduardo Rosa,

this is due to transparency in the relationship

between Odebrecht and the client. “He trusts

us to deliver an outstanding product,” says the

Project Director.

As in all the countries where Odebrecht is

present, the goal is being there to stay. “After

winning our first contract and experiencing

what it is like to work in Guatemala, we hope

to be here for a long time, and the CA-2 will

be a benchmark for fresh achievements,” says

Marcos Machado. “We are studying new proj-

ects for the public sector, as well as through

public-private partnerships. We have new

roads, power plants, pipelines and urban mo-

bility projects on our radar,” he adds. That’s

growth based on offering a qualified contribu-

tion to Guatemala “para servirla” - at the na-

tion’s service. ]

leading a large project one day, whether here or abroad,” says Jacobo. In contrast, Perla does not see her-self working as an expat, but her plans are equally am-bitious. “I would like to attain a leadership role in social outreach projects that really make a difference to peo-ple’s lives. I hope to help see my country change,” she says.

Building trustSatisfaction with the relationship between the

organization and the Guatemalan people is a

two-way street. The client, which keeps a close

eye on the performance of the contract (worth

USD 384 million, one of the largest investments

ever made in that country), is happy with the

progress of the work. “Odebrecht was the com-

pany that presented the best physical, techni-

cal and financial infrastructure of all the busi-

nesses I have kept track of. We have formed a

very good impression, and so have the work-

ers,” says Jaime Laj, Director of Supervision at

20

The 1980s were a decisive period in Odebrecht’s drive to form a solid basis for what is now the core of Odebrecht Industrial Engineering’s op-erations. The acquisition of Técnica Nacional de Engenharia (Tenenge) in 1986 marked the begin-ning of a new growth cycle. That company al-ready had an extensive portfolio of major proj-ects, an established presence in Brazil’s indus-trial engineering sector, and huge potential for carrying out the Odebrecht Group’s future ven-tures in that area.

From 1986 to 1991, Tenenge took on its first major international challenge in the industrial area as an Odebrecht company in Chile: it car-ried out several industrial projects during that period in the fields of mining, steel, energy, oil, and pulp and paper. The highlights included projects for ENAP (the state oil company), such as the construction of fixed offshore platforms in Punta Arenas, at the southernmost tip of South America, construction of the Quebrada Blanca copper processing complex in the north-ern Chilean Andes, 4,500 meters above sea level, and construction of a new pulp produc-tion plant for a private-sector client, Celulosa Arauco y Construcción in Carampague, in the Concepción region.

Diversification and crosscutting In 1979, Odebrecht broke ground for the Charcani V hydroelectric plant in Arequipa, Peru, and entered the oil & gas sector by creating Odebrecht Perfurações Ltda. (OPL), and petro-chemicals, through the acquisition of one-third of Companhia Petroquímica Camaçari (CPC), in Bahia, Brazil. New paths were emerging. Then,

in the early 1990s, Odebrecht acquired control of Poliolefinas and helped expand the Copesul naphtha cracker at the Triunfo Petrochemical Complex in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul.

These projects put Odebrecht on track to be-come a leading chemicals and petrochemicals company. Those achievements were consolidat-ed with the experience and knowledge the Group used in the process of creating Braskem in 2002. Odebrecht Industrial Engineering played a key role in this transformation. Today the company is helping Mexico realize the dream of developing the Braskem Idesa - Ethylene XXI petrochemical complex in the state of Veracruz, an investment that resulted from Braskem’s joint venture with the Mexican company, Idesa.

The biggest challenge during this current pe-riod of increasing international expansion for Odebrecht Industrial Engineering is grooming people and integrating them into the company. Internationalization involves increasingly com-plex circumstances, such as the need to educate a new generation of people who are qualified for international operations, and local leaders in the countries where it is present, planning the preparation of substitutes, and transferring knowledge.

Challenges in Latin AmericaWith this in mind, the leaders of Odebrecht Industrial Engineering went out into the field. Latin America has become an environment that offers major opportunities for the company. In Argentina, a massive natural gas pipeline expan-sion project is underway nationwide, involving

A GLOBAL COMPANY

Written by Luiz Carlos Ramos

ANGOLA, THE UNITED STATES, MEXICO, VENEZUELA: ODEBRECHT INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING’S INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE IS GROWING

N e w F r o n t i e r s

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 20 3/25/15 4:18 PM

21Odebrecht informa

π Quebrada Blanca in Chile: this copper processing complex played a key role in the development of Industrial Engineering at Odebrecht

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 21 3/25/15 4:18 PM

22

the installation of more than 2,100 km of pipes and 25 compressor plants. A new contract is making the expansion of trunk pipelines a reali-ty in Argentina.

The company’s teams will contribute their expertise and share their knowledge. Diego Casarín, 41, is an Argentine engineer from Córdoba who joined Odebrecht seven years ago. He has worked in western Argentina, on the Río Colorado potassium plant project, with the Brazilian engineer Carlos Nascimento, who was then Project Director. Today, Casarín is in Ecuador, as Production Manager of the termi-nal stations for the Pascuales-Cuenca polyduct,

a 210-km system of pipelines, five stations and the La Troncal terminal. “I’ve learned to adapt to change,” says Diego.

Nascimento is now in Peru, where he is Project Director for the 1,132-km South Peruvian pipeline, which will carry natural gas from the Camisea reserves in Las Malvinas, on the Amazon Plain, through the Andes and the cities of Cuzco and Arequipa, to reach three Pacific ports. He underscores the implementa-tion of the Creer Peru program, which is based on the Acreditar Ongoing Professional Education Program (Creer and Acreditar mean “believe” in Spanish and Portuguese). “We will go from the

N e w F r o n t i e r s

π Construction of the Puerto La Cruz Refinery in Venezuela: a strategic project for PDVSA

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 22 3/25/15 4:18 PM

23Odebrecht informa

π Expanding gas pipelines in Argentina; installing over 2,100 km of pipe and 25 compression plants

current number of 380 members to reach 7,000,” he says. “Odebrecht is the leader of the joint ven-ture, with a 75% stake, and Enagás, from Spain, has 25% of the 34-year concession for the pipe-line. Odebrecht Industrial Engineering is working synergistically with Odebrecht Infrastructure and the Latinvest, the Group’s arm for investments in Latin America.

Odebrecht Industrial Engineering is also present in Venezuela, where it has completed the first stage of construction of the Puerto La Cruz refinery for the state oil company Petroleo de Venezuela (PDVSA), and is retrofitting the Central Guanare sugar and ethanol plant, in ad-dition to building a new sugar and ethanol plant

for PDVSA Agrícola. Its next mission in that country: the Anaco Gas project, including plants that will recycle, compress and transfer gas pro-duced in five Venezuelan cities. In the Caribbean, the Punta Catalina Thermal Power Plant (see ar-ticle on that project in this issue), will generate more 720 MW of electricity for the Dominican Republic.

New projects are also on the horizon in Angola and the United States. Angola is one of Africa’s largest oil producers, but needs a large refin-ery to produce more affordable gasoline and die-sel. Odebrecht Industrial Engineering’s teams are ready and motivated to help their clients achieve these goals. ]

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 23 3/25/15 4:19 PM

24

I N T E R V I E W N e w F r o n t i e r s

THE BEGINNING OF A NEWAND INTENSE JOURNEYMIGUEL PERES, DS OF ODEBRECHT ENVIRONMENTAL

Written by Bruna Paulino | Photo by Guilherme Afonso

“The opportunity to keep on learning makes my eyes light up,” says Miguel Peres. After 31 years with

the Group, he has arrived at Odebrecht Environmental with the challenge of translating excellence in

service delivery and the commitment to improving the Business’s quality of life into a universal language.

The International Managing Director (DS) will have a key ally: his own experience. Miguel has spent 28

years abroad, working in countries like Peru, Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, the United States and Mo-

zambique. Now back in Brazil, he says, “I’m adapting again, but I have experience in this area, and that

makes me feel right at home.”

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 24 3/19/15 5:27 PM

25Odebrecht informa

π Considering your 28 years of experience as an expat, what was the most challenging thing about living outside your home country?There are many challenges, including the language, the specifics of the local culture and personal and family adaptation. But when you deal with them properly, all these factors lead to knowledge of the idiosyncrasies and assimilation with the local culture of each country.

π What were the most memorable lessons you learned during your time outside of Brazil? What country had the biggest impact on you?Two countries had a huge impact on my career, and perhaps not coincidentally, they were the first and the last ones where I lived. Peru was remarkable, not only for being my first expat experience but mainly because of the professional and personal challenges I faced there. It was a difficult period for the cou-ntry. It was going through a serious economic crisis, and that was also a sensitive time in terms of public policy, when the guerrilla movements were still going strong. I found important opportunities for career growth in the midst of that situation, and at the same time, my family adapted very well. So well, in fact, that my wife and I decided to have two of our three children in that country. My most recent experience in Mozambique was also striking. It was my first time in Africa, working in a market that, in terms of challenges, was similar to my initial expe-riences in Peru.

π You took on the action program of International Managing Director at Odebrecht Environmental in August 2014. How do you view this challenge?Being at Odebrecht Environmental, which is a new Business in my career within the Group, is highly motivating. Besides being able to rely on a strong team of entrepreneur-partners, there are prospects for the company’s operations in countries that I already know well, having lived or done business there. This will be an intense and certainly rewarding journey!

π What is your analysis of internationalization within Odebrecht Environmental’s growth process?As with Odebrecht in the past 35 years, the interna-tionalization of Odebrecht Environmental is a natural path for growth. The company has developed succes-sful business models in Brazil, and we see interesting opportunities for replicating those models in other countries.

π In this context, what are the main challenges for Odebrecht Environmental, as a relatively new company?We are at the stage of developing new businesses and tackling the major challenge of identifying outstanding opportunities in each market through which we can con-tribute the experience the company has built up since its inception. Despite its “youth,” the company has gained a great deal of experience over the past few years that qua-lifies us to develop outstanding businesses in Brazil and abroad.

π How will your experience in the development and implementation of new businesses in other countries contribute to Odebrecht Environmental’s internationali-zation process?My main role is working with entrepreneur-partners who are active in the countries where we have busi-ness prospects, always working with the pedagogy of presence, contributing the knowledge acquired in the many countries where I have lived and worked, coor-dinating the necessary support for the corporate areas of the company and seeking to promote internal and external synergies positively.

π What are the chief differences in doing business in Brazil and other countries, mainly in Odebrecht Environmental’s operating areas (Water & Sewer, Waste Management and Utilities)?It is hard to generalize because each country brings its own challenges. There are extremely developed markets such as the United States, and others in the initial stage of institutionalization, with res-pect to our business, as in the case of Angola. In Brazil, we have developed business models and acquired knowledge that can be perfectly adapted to each of the international markets, always taking into account the required adaptations to local legislation and the needs of the communities, clients and user-clients that benefit from our pro-jects. That is our challenge.

“WE FACE THE MAJOR CHALLENGE OF IDENTIFYING OUTSTANDING OPPORTUNITIES IN EACH MARKET”

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 25 3/19/15 5:27 PM

26

N e w F r o n t i e r s

π Do synergies with other Businesses help when taking Odebrecht Environmental to countries where the Group is already active? How does that exchange of knowledge occur?Synergies with the Group’s other Businesses play a key role in our internationalization strategy. We have identified markets in countries where Ode-brecht has already established operations. The exchange of knowledge basically occurs on a daily basis, through the presence and actions of our entrepreneur-partners.

π Odebrecht Environmental is analyzing busi-ness opportunities in Angola, Mexico, the United States and Peru. How do you assess these possi-bilities? Each market has its own specifics, but we have well-developed opportunities in each of them. In Angola, we are focusing on contracts for technical assistance and educational services. In Peru, in addition to the synergy opportunities with Ode-brecht Infrastructure, we are developing some delegated management programs for water and sewer services. In Mexico, we have opportunities in municipal water and sewer concessions, and in the Utilities segment, we are working with part-ners like [the state oil and gas company] Pemex

and Braskem. In the United States, we are deve-loping a private-sector water recycling venture in Texas and participating in synergy with Ode-brecht Infrastructure in a water and sewer program through a Public-Private Partnership in Florida.

π How can Odebrecht Environmental bolster its commitment to the development of local team members and improving people’s quality of life in the countries where it is beginning opera-tions? We are confident that the development of local team members is essential to our growth process and assimilation of the culture of each country. We are now working to identify local professio-nals, making the most of programs that already exist within the organization, such as Young Part-ners, to recruit young people with growth poten-tial. We are also using the networks of knowledgeable people that the company has developed over the years through its presence in each market. By their very nature, our services aim to improve people’s quality of life, mainly through effi-cient and high-quality treatment and/or recycling of water and sewage, activities that are closely related to public well-being. It is a pleasure to work in this sector. ]

π Luanda, Angola: the focus in that country is on technical assistance and training projects

Juca

Var

ella

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 26 3/19/15 5:28 PM

27Odebrecht informa

O primeiro eBook da TEO agora também em espanhol!

Depois de ser lançada em português, a versão digital de Sobreviver, Crescer e Perpetuar foi também disponibilizada no idioma espanhol.

Os livros escritos por Norberto Odebrecht já podem ser lidos em seu computador, tablet ou smartphone. Para adquirir os eBooks da TEO, acesse:

WWW.FUNDACAOODEBRECHT.ORG.BR/TEO/LIVROS

The first TEO eBook is now available in Spanish!

After being released in Portuguese, the digital version of Survive, Grow and Perpetuate was also released in Spanish.

The book written by Norberto Odebrecht can be read in your computer,tablet or smartphone. You can get your TEO eBooks at:

WWW.FUNDACAOODEBRECHT.ORG.BR/TEO/LIVROS

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 27 3/23/15 11:18 AM

28

PROJECT FOR NEW ENERGY

Written by Guilherme Bourroul | Photo by Juca Varella

THE NATION’S FIRST BIOENERGY PLANT, FOR MANY ANGOLANS, BIOCOM PRESENTS THEIR FIRST WORK OPPORTUNITY

N e w F r o n t i e r s

π Biocom, in Cacuso, Malanje province: part of the Capanda Industrial Complex

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 28 3/19/15 5:28 PM

29Odebrecht informa

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 29 3/19/15 5:28 PM

30

Using his truck radio, Virgílio Manuel gives instruc-tions to an Angolan co-worker. “Dênis, you read me? I just drove by Farm number 1 and there’s an un-coupled outlet in the water system. Take two team members with you and go fix it, please.”

Virgílio leads a team of 51 people (including his two brothers) who work shift A in Biocom’s irriga-tion area in Angola. He was one of the first Angolans to join the project nearly three years ago. He had le-arned what little he knew about irrigation from a te-chnical course in agronomy. “I knew the basics, but this is where I’ve gained all my practical experience.”

Many Angolans have found their first professio-nal work opportunities at Biocom. “When I returned to my hometown, instead of giving money to the people who needed it and asked me for it, I offered them work. Biocom accepts people without techni-cal knowledge and empowers them with professio-nal skills. It’s one big school,” he says.

Biocom makes up the Capanda Agroindustrial Complex, which is part of the Angolan govern-ment’s plan to develop agriculture and improve the local economy. It has set aside 400,000 hectares in the north of the country for the project, of which 37,000 will be planted with Biocom sugarcane, with the possibility of further expansion.

First bioenergy plantBiocom is located in Cacuso, 400 km from Luanda. A modern, automated plant equipped with the la-test technology for agricultural processes, it resulted

from a USD 750-million investment. Angola’s first bioenergy factory, it is also one of the main business ventures in that country.

Being first has its price. To update the country’s farming structure, for example, Biocom had to set up a weather station inside the unit to provide daily data on temperatures, wind and rain. Other essen-tial services for the completion of the operation are in their final stages, such as a limestone plant and a soil analysis laboratory.

The pre-sprouted seedlings (PSS) system, a me-thod that accelerates the development of new varie-ties of sugarcane, is one of the phases of the project that are at a more advanced stage of development. Gabriela Hilário, who was Virgílio’s classmate in agronomy school, leads the day-to-day work.

She and her team of 25 people are responsible for planting more than 3,300 seedlings daily. After all that practical experience, Gabriela can easily recog-nize the different varieties of sugarcane. “I can tell them apart based on their leaves, color and interno-des. They each have their own characteristics,” she says.

Her team’s work involves testing these new varieties, monitoring their growth, multiplying them quickly and testing them in the project’s soil and climate. “We have a growth curve that indicates how competitive each varie-ty is,” says Gabriela. Currently, 98% of Biocom’s varie-tal census is concentrated in just five varieties produced on a commercial scale. Twenty-seven new varieties are currently being multiplied and tested in the field.

N e w F r o n t i e r s

π Virgílio Manuel: “Biocom is one big school”

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 30 3/19/15 5:28 PM

31Odebrecht informa

Gabriela’s dreams go even further: “Everyone here is willing to learn and grow. I intend to stay at Biocom and further my education by going to agri-cultural college,” she explains.

Professional educationPhosphating, liming, clarifying. José Kissambo Junior has all the industrial processes on the tip of his tongue. He reports accurately and proudly on what happens to the cane from the time the raw material reaches the plant until it leaves in bags of sugar. He had never heard those terms before he joined Biocom. “I’ve learned everything I know about the industry right here. I had always done office work before.”

He was one of 317 Angolans who took the in-dustrial training course developed by Biocom in partnership with the National Industrial Education Service (SENAI) to produce skilled industrial ope-rators and maintenance professionals. “The com-pany is making a major contribution to local deve-lopment, especially for young people. We have jobs that provide us with knowledge and growth oppor-tunities. I believe that in the coming harvests, I will retain more and more of what I’m learning,” he says.

In a process of knowledge and technology transfer, each area of the plant has a Brazilian lea-der and an Angolan leader who is being groomed to take on new responsibilities. Junior is a leader

in the sugar factory. “In the coming years, there will be more industries in Angola, and we will be prepared to pass on the knowledge we’ve acqui-red,” he observes.

Esperança da Silva is another SENAI graduate. She was already working in the agricultural area of Biocom when she took the course, but saw that im-proving her qualification would create fresh oppor-tunities. That realization motivated her to take the industrial laboratory analyst course. Now responsi-ble for analyzing fermentation samples, Esperança says, “I check the percentage of alcohol, pH, produc-tivity, acidity. I am very grateful for the opportunity Biocom has given me. I want to grow even further.”

There are currently 16 analysts at the industrial lab, all Angolans trained by SENAI, under the lea-dership of two Brazilians with experience in that area. “When we have any questions, they are always available to guide us,” says Esperança.

“This project is helping many people from seve-ral different provinces in Angola,” observes Virgílio Manuel. “It would be good to invest in other projects like this, because the country is growing structu-rally,” he adds. Until a few years ago, there were no banks in Cacuso. Today there are more than five. “We are born with the aim of making a contribution and leaving a better world. I’m very happy about Biocom. Anyone who comes into the world tomor-row will be born in a more advanced country.” ]

π Biocom will have 37,000 hectares of cane fields

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 31 3/19/15 5:28 PM

32

PUTTING THE “SUPER”IN SUPERMARKET

Written by Guilherme Bourroul | Photos by Kamene Traça

THE NOSSOSUPER SUPERMARKET CHAIN CREATESWORK OPPORTUNITIES AND PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN BOOSTINGANGOLAN FARM PRODUCTION

N e w F r o n t i e r s

π Jaime Mendonza (left) and Aristides Chicomo: investing in professional education

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 32 3/19/15 5:28 PM

33Odebrecht informa

The eldest of eight children, Aristides Chicomo began his career at nossosuper in February 2008 as an administrative assistant. It was his first opportunity to work in the formal job market. Before long, he was promoted to store mana-ger, and today he is responsible for purcha-sing equipment and setting up outlets for the entire Angolan supermarket chain run by the Odebrecht Africa Fund. The chain includes a to-tal of 34 outlets - 15 in the capital, Luanda, and 19 in Angola’s other provinces.

“Growth came quickly and naturally. Nossosuper was the first to enter the retail sec-tor [in Angola], so we grew together. I am a lu-cky man. I feel privileged and proud to work he-re,” says Aristides.

The supermarket chain is one of the main sources of work opportunities in Angola. It directly employs 1,800 people, 98% of them Angolan citizens. More than creating jobs, nos-sosuper offers growth opportunities. All store managers are Angolan, and so are some regional managers. One of Aristides’ brothers is the ma-nager of the Lauca supermarket, which is near the Lauca Dam, an Odebrecht construction pro-ject. “My mother is a widow. I had to support my seven brothers on my own, in addition to my three children. Since I recommended my bro-ther for a job at nossosuper, he has shared the family’s expenses with me,” says Aristides. “I’m glad to see him growing in a company that in-vests and believes in people,” he adds. Aristides also intends to recommend his younger siblings for jobs when they have the right qualifications.

“Nossosuper is one big family. We can only show you what we know when we have a chan-ce to do so. That’s what happened with me,” he says.

According to Jaime Mendoza, Commercial Director of nossosuper, one of the biggest chal-lenges is enabling people to acquire job skills. “We want to provide a solid basis for Angolans to fill strategic jobs and replace the expats,” he says.

To meet the challenge, the chain introduced the Odebrecht Group’s Young Partner inter-nship program in 2013. Kitoco Bengui holds a BA in business management. He works at one of the Luanda outlets and enrolled in the first class to take the Young Partner course. “I started out at the company’s headquarters and worked in every area of the chain. Now I’m working in all the different sectors of the store. I am in charge

of groceries,” he explains proudly. “I have to be thoroughly familiar with all the processes be-cause I am being groomed to become a store manager,” he adds.

Commitment to local productionIn addition to generating work opportunities, nossosuper is playing an important role in in-creasing agricultural production in the country. According to Jaime Mendoza, encouraging “do-mestic production” is part of the supermarket chain’s business strategy. “We are working on two fronts: with small farmers who supply pro-ducts to their own provinces, and the largest farms, which provide most of the fresh food,” he says. The main products include greens, pota-toes, onions, tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, squash and bananas. “We want to change their reality and strengthen the local economy. We offer technical support and everything else that they need,” adds Mendoza.

Farmers participating in the Kukula Ku Moxi family farming project supply one of the super-markets, in the city of Ndalatando. Introduced by Odebrecht in 2009, the program brings to-gether about 800 small farmers from Malanje Province.

The Ndalatando nossosuper outlet purchases an average of USD 2,000 worth of Kukula Ku Moxi products monthly. The project supplies nossosuper with a varied range of products. In 2014 alone, the supermarket sold 18 different items.

According to Lauren Pereira, the officer Responsible for the Kukula Ku Moxi program, farmers use a standardized seed kit, which qua-lifies them as nossosuper suppliers. “Since nos-sosuper is a client that will resell the product, we conduct strict quality control of the aesthe-tic presentation when filling their orders. It’s different from clients that are cafeterias,” he says. Each product is weighed and documented within the community and then sent on to the clients, who deposit payments in one of Kukula Ku Moxi’s bank accounts. The program deducts ten percent to cover logistical costs and techni-cal assistance.

ProspectsNossosuper has ambitious goals for 2015. In addition to opening eight more outlets and ex-pand some existing supermarkets, the expecta-tion is to open an industrial bakery to supply

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 33 3/19/15 5:28 PM

34

the entire chain. “It will be a very challenging year. We want to establish a closer relationship with consumers and, therefore, we will open outlets in locations that enable them to become a part of traditional neighborhoods,” predicts Jaime Mendoza. Most outlets will be located in Luanda. After all, 8 million of the Angolan po-pulation of more than 20 million people live in the nation’s capital.

Another focus for nossosuper is its own

brand of products. Consumers will have access to many different kinds of food, such as sausa-ges, dairy products and pasta, as well as bevera-ges and bulk sales of products like beans, rice, flour and sugar. This is a result of the synergy between nossosuper and Biocom (see article on Biocom in this issue). A new area of operations for the Odebrecht Group, this growing super-market chain is committed to providing quality food to the Angolan people. ]

N e w F r o n t i e r s

π Nossosuper: stimulating domestic farm production is a priority in the supermarket chain’s business strategy

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 34 3/19/15 5:28 PM

35Odebrecht informa

A R G U M E N T

In 2010, eight years after its inception, Braskem began taking the first steps towards internationalizing its opera-tions. In February of that year, we announced the acquisition of Sunoco Chemicals’ polypropylene assets in the United States, and the following year, the merger of Dow Chemical plants, which also bolstered our presence in Europe.

These new frontiers have enabled us to consolidate a stronger company, but this trajectory would not have been successful without our main base of growth: the Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology (TEO). Early on, we sought to understand the culture of each company involved in the mer-ger and realized that the concepts of TEO would win over our new members. Because it is based on trust, which is cemen-ted through decentralization and planned delegation, we ne-eded to bolster the practice of partnership between leaders and team members and the responsibilities of entrepreneur-partners, not only to produce results but to groom knowled-geable people in each location.

We have learned from experience that we must always

carry out Education through Work and Education for Work programs in order to disseminate TEO and integrate our teams into the local culture. First, this requires an ongoing process of education so team members can assimilate our Culture while reinforcing these lessons in everyday life, en-suring that experienced people are available to share their knowledge. Another very important point is the develop-ment of local team members so that they have opportuni-ties to take on new challenges and put their knowledge into practice. One example of this possibility was the choice of an American to lead our business in Europe. His successor was a leader from India.

After nearly five years of international expansion, we have achieved a number of tangible and intangible results that re-flect our commitment to the process of strengthening TEO. However, our challenges do not stop there. The year 2015 will be an important milestone in the history of Braskem, marked by the beginning of operations of the Ethylene XXI project, the largest private-sector investment in Mexico, carried out in partnership with Idesa. By the start of operations, we will have recruited and groomed some 700 team members, who will work directly in meeting our clients’ needs. It is a vast project where, once again, we are focusing on our main as-set, people, and relying on them to continue writing a suc-cess story. ]

THE FORCE THAT DRIVES USM A R C E L O A R A N T E S

Marcelo Arantes is the Braskem officer Responsible for Entrepreneurship Support (RAE),People & Organization, Information Technology and Procurement

“WE HAVE ACHIEVED RESULTS THAT REFLECT OUR COMMITMENT TO THE PROCESS OF STRENGTHENING TEO”

N e w F r o n t i e r s

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 35 3/19/15 5:28 PM

36

C O M M U N I T Y

January 27, 2012. It is 4:00 on a rainy Friday after-noon. Edinaldo Lima, a former metalworker, now an auxiliary warehouse clerk for the Corredor D. Pedro I Consortium in Itatiba, São Paulo, was re-turning from work. That day changed his life.

“I was riding a motorbike and going into a curve. Swerving to avoid another bike, I skidded and fell. Because I had a [Industrial Automation] college exam I got up and kept going, but I couldn’t finish the test because I was in too much pain. I was taken to hospital, and the doc-tors found fractures in my left knee. I had sur-gery and spent 10 months in therapy, living off of Social Security.”

Edinaldo is 32 years old. He had been a met-alworker since he was 14, until the day of the accident. Without a salary, he could no longer pay his college tuition, but he did not give up. He enrolled in a free technical course, and when the Corredor D. Pedro I Consortium launched a vocational rehabilitation program in partnership with the INSS (Brazilian Social Security) agency in Itatiba, he saw an opportunity to get a fresh start. “I had a career as a metalworker, but I had to give it up because I couldn’t work standing up all day on the production line, but life has given me a second chance.”

Back to the job market“The partnership with the Itatiba INSS has ben-efited everyone involved,” said João Roberto Tavares, the officer Responsible for People & Organization in the consortium run by Odebrecht Infrastructure. “The company wins by fulfilling the Disability Quota Law, and Social Security wins by reintroducing professionals into the job market. Above all, it’s a win for the professionals

HELP WITH A NEW START

Written by Thereza Martins | Photo by Holanda Cavalcanti

A PROFESSIONAL REHABILITATION PROGRAM GIVES PEOPLE A CHANCE TO FIND A DIFFERENT PATH FOR THEIR LIVES AND WORK

themselves, through the chance to get back to work.”

The consortium came up with this initiative and sought out the the INSS agency in Itatiba to propose a partnership. Twenty beneficiaries were selected among the 150 who qualified for vocational rehabilitation in the city, and seven of them attended the first training session. “Our goal is not only to fulfill the legal quota but to plant a seed that is already bearing fruit," says João Roberto. The consortium needs 16 people, so more classes are being organized.

These are people who were unable to do their previous jobs due disabilities caused by illness or accidents. Rejoining the job market requires training in the new skills, which can take 45 to 90 days. The seven participants in the first phase of the program, all Itatiba residents, received cer-tificates and found work opportunities at the consortium in different roles: they are janitors, general services assistants, drivers, production assistants, quality laboratory assistants and gen-eral assistants.

According to Fabiola Furegatti, executive man-ager of the INSS agency in the city, one of the greatest merits of the vocational rehabilitation program is restoring the participants’ self-es-teem. “They feel productive again.”

Andreia Aparecida da Costa, 41, agrees. She got a job at the Corredor D. Pedro I Consortium as a janitor. “I was a street sweeper for the pub-lic sanitation company in Itatiba, when I had to leave my job after diagnosis of acute arthritis.” The disease is incurable, but her new job has different physical requirements and Andreia is doing well. “I grabbed this opportunity. It was a dream come true.” ]

N e w F r o n t i e r s

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 36 3/19/15 5:28 PM

37Odebrecht informa

π Edinaldo Lima: “Life has given me a second chance”

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 37 3/19/15 5:28 PM

38

TRAVEL

FAMILY

Natalie Dowsley was born in Recife, Pernambuco. Her father, Djalma, works for the Brazilian Social Security institute, INSS, caring for the elderly. Her mother, Edinar, is a pediatrician. Natalie holds a degree in Psychology. “Possibly due to my parents’ influence, I’ve developed a strong concern for people’s well-being,” she says. Natalie is the People Coordinator at the Rota do Atlántico highway concessionaire, where she has worked since June 2012. She has two people on her team, and they provide support for the concessionaire’s 175 members - about 60% of whom are women. “We spend more time at work than with our families. So our main focus is developing a harmonious and respectful corporate environment, just like we have at home,” says Natalie.

Opennessand caring

π Saulo and family members: a passion for nature

π Natalie: parental influence

The pleasureof discoveryMany people have heard of Bonito, in Brazil’s famous Pantanal wetlands. What Saulo Carrijo Rezende, 33, found in Costa Rica, Mato Grosso do Sul, where he works as an agricultural supervisor for cane straw baling at the Odebrecht Agroindustrial Unit in that town, is another heavenly spot that is well worth visiting. It is Salto do Sucuriu Nature Park, whose attractions include a beautiful waterfall and infrastructure for ecological tourism. “If you like rafting and zip lining, this park is just the thing,” says Saulo. This unmarried agronomist from Mineiros, Goiás, has been with the Group for five years, all of them at Odebrecht Agroindustrial. “When I discover charming places like that, I make the most of them,” he adds.

Pers

onal

Arc

hive

s

Pers

onal

Arc

hive

sWritten by Eliana Simonetti

F O L K S N e w F r o n t i e r s

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 38 3/19/15 5:28 PM

39Odebrecht informa

SPORTS ARTS & CULTURE

Thrills until the last second Passionate about literature

π Rodney: number-one basketball fan

Rodney Carvalho has been with Odebrecht for 32 years. A native of Rio, he now works in Peru, where he is the Director of the Gas Area of Odebrecht Latinvest, acting as President and CEO of the South Peruvian Gas Pipeline. Rodney loves basketball, particularly the NBA (National Basketball Association). A huge fan of the Denver Nuggets, his second-favorite team is the Miami Heat. Whenever possible, he goes to their home games at the American Airlines Arena, built by Odebrecht. Whether on TV or live, he watches all 82 games in the NBA’s regular season. What is more, for over seven years he has attended the February All-Star Games held in different US cities. “In basketball, the teams are evenly matched, and two seconds before the end of the game, you still don’t know who’s going to win. It’s always a thrill to watch.”

By the age of 4, Beatriz, the eldest daughter of Elias Lages and his wife, Danila, was already picking the books she liked and the stories she wanted to hear. Miguel is one year old, and getting used to the world of fantasy. Elias is a reading aficionado. When he was the leader of the Group’s Rota dos Coqueiros Project in 2012, he introduced the Via School program to promote the continuing education of teachers and set up school libraries. There is one moment he will never forget: at the opening of the José Rodovalho school library in Jaboatão dos Guararapes, he was presented with a book of the schoolchildren’s essays. Currently, Elias is the Investment Director and President and CEO of the Rota do Atlântico highway concessionaire, where he is implementing the Renewing Our Schools Project with a long-term vision. “We will be here for 30 years, and I would like to see today’s 5-year-olds being well prepared to join our team two decades from now,” he says.

Pers

onal

Arc

hive

s

πElias: a fan of reading

Pers

onal

Arc

hive

s

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 39 3/19/15 5:29 PM

40

DIVING INTO KNOWLEDGE

Written by João Marcondes

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER IS THE CORE OF THE PROSUB-EBNPROJECT, WHICH WILL MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO BUILD THE FIRST BRAZILIAN NUCLEAR SUBMARINE

N e w F r o n t i e r s

π ICN is building a conventional submarine in Itaguaí: scheduled for completion by 2017

Nav

y A

rchi

ves

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 40 3/19/15 5:29 PM

41Odebrecht informa

In the 1980s, Brazil attempted to develop a submarine manufacturing industry. Cléber Siqueira, then 25, was a promising officer in the Navy. A naval engineer, he supplement-ed his studies at the University of São Paulo (USP). During a weekend of training in Rio de Janeiro, he went down the hatch of a subma-rine for the first time in life. He was visiting the Tonelero, a British-built sub.

His first feeling was of confinement. The corridor was less than 1 meter wide (700 mm), and the bed was less than half a meter off the

floor. It was a bunk bed. When he looked up, his nose touched the upper bunk. In the nar-row corridor, another crewman lay in a ham-mock that his mates had hung inside the cab-in. The air smelled of cooking oil and diesel. That claustrophobic atmosphere changed his life: ever since, Cléber’s career has been per-meated with the dream of helping build the first Brazilian nuclear submarine.

Today, at 54, Cléber is Chief Operating Officer of Itaguaí Construções Navais (ICN). An affiliate of Odebrecht Defense and

π Natalie: influência dos pais

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 41 3/19/15 5:29 PM

42

π UFEM: the site where subs are assembled with materials from France

N e w F r o n t i e r s

Technology (ODT), the shipbuilding com-pany is responsible for the construction of four conventional submarines (the French Scorpene model) and the first Brazilian nucle-ar-propulsion submarine. “Being able to enter that submarine one day will be the crowning moment of my career,” says Siqueira.

Building a nuclear submarine is a giant leap. It is the privilege of an exclusive club: the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China. For Brazil, it means gaining absolute control over its “Blue Amazon,” 3.5 million square kilometers of ocean, the route for 95% of Brazilian exports and imports, fisheries and the exploitation of biological and mineral re-sources (95% of domestic oil).

From the standpoint of sovereignty, control means having the capacity to deter interna-tional threats. It should be recalled that the nuclear submarine sent by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher decided the Falklands War in favor of the British. Until then, the Argentine fleet had the advantage.

Because of this, the Brazilian Navy has implemented the Submarine Development Program (Prosub). ICN, which is based in Itaguaí, Rio de Janeiro, is a Special Purpose

Company (SPC) formed by Odebrecht and DCNS, a French firm with over 350 years of tra-dition in shipbuilding. The focus of this project is on the transfer of technology.

In addition to submarines, Prosub includes the construction of an infrastructure com-plex that houses the Shipyard and Naval Base (EBN) and the Structural Steel Fabrication Unit (UFEM, which is ready to assemble ships with equipment imported from France). Odebrecht Infrastructure – Brazil is responsible for both projects.

π Cléber Siqueira: "the crowning moment of my career"

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 42 3/19/15 5:29 PM

43Odebrecht informa

the psychology of the crew,” explains Siqueira.The development of the defense industry,

however, is not limited to military strategy. “Knowledge is strategic in this sector,” explains André Amaro, Entrepreneurial Leader (CEO) of ODT. “The development of this industry right here allows us to stop the brain drain and bring in foreigners productively,” he adds. André ob-serves, “We have to be designers, creators of ideas, not just integrators of foreign technolo-gy.” In this respect, Brazil could become an ex-porter of defense technology to the region.

The first submarine ICN is building through Prosub will be ready by the Fall of 2017. It will be named the Riachuelo in honor of the battle of the same name during the Triple Alliance War. The nuclear sub should be completed be-tween 2023 and 2025. By then, the process of transferring DCNS’s expertise to the domestic industry will have been completed.

“The conventional submarines already con-tain nuclear technology. Their construction is a step towards reaching the nuclear mod-el,” says the President of ICN, naval engineer Pascal Le Roy, a Frenchman from Brittany, a re-gion with a strong seafaring tradition. “Today we are consolidating an identity here at ICN, a company that combines the best of these cul-tures, from Brazil and France,” he says.

The technology transfer is conduct-ed through a knowledge management model. “DCNS’s method is being followed, record-ed and multiplied step by step. The process is something like Odebrecht knowledge commu-nities, except that here, it is limited to ICN, because this project is top secret,” explains Managing Director Carlos Alberto Oliveira.

Training in FranceAbout 150 company members went to France for training - from engineers to welders. They included Patrícia Leme da Silva, 34, a resident of Campo Grande, in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro. A single mother, she worked as a wait-ress and sales clerk before learning to become a welder at the National Industrial Education Service (SENAI). She joined ICN and traveled twice to Normandy. In addition to honing her skills, she visited Paris and museums. “Focus, precision and manual skill are characteristics that help me in this work,” says Patrícia. “Today I am a steward and multiplier of that knowl-edge,” she says. ]

Autonomy and discretionWhy is it so important to have a nuclear sub-marine? Precisely because of its capacity for autonomy and discretion (going undetected). Conventional submarines, which are powered by a combination of electricity and diesel, must surface virtually every month to replenish their air and recharge their batteries. Nuclear subs can stay under water for six months. Or more. They are bigger, faster, dive deeper and are almost undetectable. The air is purified in-ternally. “The only limit to this submarine is

π UFEM: the site where subs are assembled with materials from France

Nav

y A

rchi

ves

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 43 3/26/15 11:26 AM

44

N e w F r o n t i e r s

HIGH-PRECISION WORK

Written by Luiz Carlos Ramos | Photos by Fred Chalub

CREATED IN 1991, MECTRON IS AN ODEBRECHT DEFENSE ANDTECHNOLOGY AFFILIATE THAT MAKES MISSILES ANDRADAR EQUIPMENT

π MMA-1 Piranha missile: launch campaign involved tests conducted in Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 44 3/19/15 5:29 PM

45Odebrecht informa

The cheers echoing from a hangar at the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) base in Canoas, in the metropolitan re-gion of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, sound like soccer fans celebrating one goal after another. Inside, however, we see that the only similarity between this jubilation and soccer is the joy of victory after a long struggle. The euphoria near the end of 2014 marks the success of another activity of the team testing defense missiles developed for the FAB. They hit their targets accurately. Mission accomplished.

Military and civilians hug each other. They are part of the same team in the campaign to launch 10 third-generation MAA-1A Piranha missiles, which also involved aircraft and modern equipment. Meanwhile, 1,100 kilometers from Canoas, engineers and technicians from Mectron share the celebra-tions. Mectron is an affiliate of Odebrecht Defense and Technology (ODT), based at the Aerospace Technology Complex in São José dos Campos, São Paulo, where the missiles were manufactured.

“It involved extensive and careful teamwork where no one can go wrong,” says the engineer Carlos Alberto de Paiva Carvalho, from Mectron, a company that makes missiles and radar. At the São José dos Campos factory and when testing equipment at air bases, he checks details and celebrates achievements. “The moment when you test the product is critical to leave it in good working order and deliver it to the cli-ent, the FAB. Before that, each and every component is

tested at the factory,” he explains to Odebrecht Informa after returning from Canoas.

Mectron was established in 1991 by five new-ly graduated engineers from the Aeronautics Technological Institute (ITA) in São José. The com-pany grew, and turned 20 in 2011, the year Odebrecht Defense and Technology (ODT) acquired controlling interest. Its four founders stayed on after the acquisi-tion of Mectron, and are now working on action pro-grams at that company and ODT.

Taking off for CanoasNovember 2, a Sunday morning. The FAB plane takes off from São José dos Campos Airport, taking the Mectron team to the Canoas Air Base for the MAA-1 tests. Projection: two weeks of exercises. The two-hour flight to southern Brazil gives Carlos Alberto time exchange ideas with engineer Michael José Fonseca dos Santos, from São José, São Paulo, the Leader of Mectron’s Engineering Department, who is responsible for the team and the launch campaign. Looking at his laptop, Michael goes over the previous stages, the tests conducted for that lot of missiles at the Santa Cruz Air Base in Rio de Janeiro in August, until he reaches the final projection. “A-OK,” says Michael. They also discuss the progress being made in missile-producing countries. Brazil is now one of those nations. In Canoas, teams are assembling 10 MAA-1A

π From left, Michael dos Santos, Paulo Rogério Pereira, Paulo Morais, Felipe Fonseca, Wesley Barros, Julio César Lage

and Júlio Florêncio: a unified, motivated team whose operations require absolute precision

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 45 3/19/15 5:29 PM

46

N e w F r o n t i e r s

Piranha missiles. The FAB equips its planes with these missiles when patrolling the territory and borders of Brazil. The two weeks of testing are busy and tense. The work sometimes goes on until midnight, without a break. In addition to Carlos Alberto and Michael, the Mectron team includes Julio César Lage, Paulo Rogério Aparecido Pereira, Wesley Mendes da Silva Barros, Paulo Alves de Morais, Felipe do Amaral Fonseca (the program manager) and Júlio “Julinho” Florêncio from Guaratinguetá, São Paulo, a former FAB sergeant who has been with Mectron for 16 years. He has tested more missiles at three other bases, in addition to Canoas: Santa Cruz, Rio; Barreira do Inferno, Natal, and Serra do Cachimbo, Pará. “The Piranha is making history,” he says. The missiles are tested on an AMX aircraft. Michael sums up their achievements by the end of the Canoas mission on November 15th: “We had 14 takeoffs, 10 successful launches, and hit the target. Now it’s time to go back to São José.” The team’s cheers seem understandable, just as in soccer. Every target hit is a goal scored.

International expansionIn practice, modern air-to-air missiles used by one plane against another are not just hollow warheads fired at random by the pilot. Technology has created supersonic

engines and a tip equipped with a “brain” that observes the target to correct the missile’s trajectory and make it more accurate. These developments allow the missile to detect infrared radiation from the target – from the tur-bine exhaust of an enemy aircraft or the kinetic heating of a structure - enabling accurate firing. The explosives are housed in the central part of the missile.

The third-generation Piranha is part of the drive to modernize the missiles mounted on FAB fighter jets, but Mectron also produces other innovative versions, such as the fourth-generation MAA-1B, the fifth-gener-ation A-Darter, and SCP 01 radar, using Italian technol-ogy, which is multifunctional for AMX aircraft. For the Brazilian Army, it produces the MSS-1.2 surface-to-sur-face missile, which is used against tanks on the ground.

The A-Darter, or Agile Darter, is a project involv-ing the Brazilian firm Mectron and South Africa’s Denel Aerospace. Begun in 2007, it is developing new missiles for the FAB and the South African Air Force. After undergoing tests in South Africa, which also involved Michael Fonseca and the Mectron team, the model is now being manufactured. The A-Darter will be mounted on F-5 fighters, and the FAB’s future Swedish Gripen aircraft. “Darter” is the English name of a bird known in Brazil as the an-hanga or carará. It is agile in flight and can dive into water. ]

Proximityfuse

Control andguidance section

Canards

Fins

Warhead

Rocket engine

Mounting brackets (3)

In addition to third-generation Piranha missiles, Mectron produces innovative versions such as the fourth-generation MAA-1B and the fi�h-generation A-Darter. It also manufactures M55-1.2 surface-to-surface (anti-tank) missiles for the Army.

MAA-1APIRANHADEVELOPMENT RESULTED

FROM UPGRADINGFAB FIGHTER JET MISSILES

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 46 3/24/15 3:49 PM

47Odebrecht informa

In this interview, engineer Carlos Alberto de Paiva Carvalho discusses the first 23 years of the factory in São José dos Campos and Odebrecht’s arrival in 2011. He is part of Corporate Engineering team at Mectron, the company he helped to create in 1991, which now has André Amaro as its President and CEO.

π What was the most favorable factor behind the creation of Mectron? It would all have been impossible without the ITA [Aeronau-tics Technological Institute], the higher education institution of the Air Force Command, which is at the DCTA [Depart-ment of Aerospace Science and Technology], in São José dos Campos, in the Paraíba Valley. That engineering school was born in 1950, thanks to the idealism of Colonel-En-gineer Casimiro Montenegro Filho [1904-2000], with the support of Richard Smith, an American professor from MIT [the Massachusetts Institute of Technology]. The ITA and CTA, currently the DCTA, linked to the Air Force Command, became the embryo of Embraer and other companies. I grad-uated from the ITA in 1985, made friends and had adventures until we founded Mectron in 1991, a difficult time for tech-nology in Brazil.

π How did you establish the friendship that enabled you to start the company? In the late 1980s, when Brazil and the United States were still partners with Iraq, several ITA engineers went to work there. I was one of them. The situation was complicated by Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990. With the threat of war, we Brazilians were removed in a dramatic fashion. When we got back home, we cre-ated Mectron. There were five of us: Wagner Campos do Amaral, from Pouso Alegre, Minas Gerais; Antonio Rogerio Salvador, from Vitória; Azhaury da Cunha Filho, from Recife; Renato Zanetta, from São Paulo, and me, from Minas. Renato left the company a few years ago. That small firm has grown and perfected missiles for the FAB. Casimiro’s dream was to see military and civilians working together.

π What did Odebrecht’s arrival signify for a Mectron pioneer? Odebrecht’s controlling stake means progress. We needed a major partner. And then Odebrecht came along - a Bra-zilian organization, which is just what we wanted. And the Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology [TEO] has strong similarities with the culture we already practiced here.

A story that starts with ITA

π Carlos Alberto de Paiva Carvalho with models for the A-Darter and MAA-1 missiles

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 47 3/19/15 5:29 PM

Different but equalOur teams are made up of people from 77 nationalities. We work in the hot sands of the United Arab Emirates, the heights of the Peruvian Andes, rural areas of Angola and Portugal, downtown Miami and São Paulo, and wherever else there is a challenge to overcome in the 23 countries where we are active.

�e Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology offers us they key touchstone for working in a global environment. For us, people, no matter what their background or culture, must always be the beginning, means, and end of everything we do.

Different but equalOur teams are made up of people from 77 nationalities. We work in the hot sands of the United Arab Emirates, the heights of the Peruvian Andes, rural areas of Angola and Portugal, downtown Miami and São Paulo, and wherever else there is a challenge to overcome in the 23 countries where we are active.

�e Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology offers us they key touchstone for working in a global environment. For us, people, no matter what their background or culture, must always be the beginning, means, and end of everything we do.

50

THEY ARE BUILDERS TOO

Written by Livia Montenegro | Photos by Edson Machado

YOUTHS FROM BRAZIL’S SOUTHERN BAHIA LOWLANDS SHARE THEIR STORIES OF LIFE AND WORK AT SEMINARS IN COLOMBIA AND PERU

π Quésia in Bogotá: recounting her experience as a farmer

N e w F r o n t i e r s

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 50 3/19/15 5:29 PM

51Odebrecht informa

Quésia Santos, 18, and Marcelo Roma, 24, spent unforgettable days in Colombia and Peru, where they shared their stories of life and work through the Young Builder Program Latin America (JCAL). Organized by Odebrecht Infrastructure, this initiative seeks to speed up the development process for Young Partners (interns) by putting them in contact with several of the Group’s Businesses with a focus on the Entrepreneurial Task. During the seminar in Bogotá, Colombia, Quésia recounted her experience as a farmer. In 2014, she graduated from the Agribusiness Professional Technical Education course that is integrated in-to the High School Curriculum at the Igrapiúna Rural Family House (CFR-I) in the Southern Bahia Lowlands, in northeastern Brazil. That institution is part of the Governance Pact and the Development and Integrated Growth Program with Sustainability for the Southern Bahia Lowlands Environmental Protection Areas Mosaic (PDCIS). “When I started at the CFR-I, I added new chapters to my story. Before that, I didn’t even have any dreams. Today I am an agent of change for my family, the community and the place where I live,” she says. One of the programs supported by the Odebrecht

Foundation and public and private partners, the PDCIS promotes both high-quality rural education and the creation of work and income opportunities while fostering civic spirit and respect for the envi-ronment.Marcelo Roma is a graduate of the Presidente Tancredo Neves Rural Family House (CFR-PTN) and a member of the Presidente Tancredo Neves Rural Producers’ Cooperative (Coopatan), which are al-so PDCIS institutions. He participated in the JCAL seminar held in Lima, Peru. “I want to show every-one that the countryside drives the city. It drives the world. My focus is on the rural zone, and I own my own business,” he says.According to Carlos Lucena, JCAL’s Academic Director, this exchange of experiences set the course modules apart. “It is important for young people to show what they do and explain how the sponsored programs in the Southern Bahia Lowlands work, be-cause it makes for more fluid interaction, brings peo-ple closer together and facilitates the participants’ understanding,” he says. “We got a first-hand look at how the Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology transcends the scope of the Group and reaches people who are outside it, changing their lives and fostering their development,” says PJCAL participant Maria Alejandra Quintana, from the Odebrecht Peru Legal Affairs Team.Diego Zegarra, a Young Partner who is Responsible for Equipment on Odebrecht Peru’s Costa Verde Project, adds, “The most important lesson we learned is that we can implement social outreach projects in the communities near our jobsites that seek sustain-able development, based on the example of projects being implemented in the Southern Bahia Lowlands.” Eduardo Queiroz, Vice Chair of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, points out that synergy with the Odebrecht Group is essential for the organization’s members to un-derstand the magnitude and potential of the program underway in the Southern Bahia Lowlands. “Our com-mitment is to help build a sustainable society, and that is what inspires and motivates us to grow,” he says. Vera Gaspar, JCAL’s Corporate Coordinator and the officer Responsible for Odebrecht Infrastructure’s Latin American Development Programs, agrees and believes that interaction with the Odebrecht Foundation is critical. “JCAL participants will be the leaders of tomorrow and, as entrepreneurs, their re-sponsibilities to society will go beyond those relat-ed to material wealth. Therefore, they need to leave a legacy of moral wealth in pursuit of sustainability. The experience in the Southern Bahia Lowlands is an example for everyone,” she observes. ]

π Marcelo in Lima: working in a cooperative

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 51 3/19/15 5:29 PM

52

THE ESSENTIAL ART OF DEALING WITH DIFFERENCES

π How did the process of forming the Ethylene XXI joint venture go about?This is a Braskem project. Braskem partnered with the Mexican firm Idesa, and together they won a tender held by Pemex [the sta-te-owned company that controls the oil and gas in the country] to develop a polyethylene manufactu-ring complex. Odebrecht Industrial engineering stepped in to lead the EPC [Engineering, Procurement and Construction] project in partnership with ICAFluor and Technip. We broke ground in 2010. The aim of the complex is to meet about 70% of Mexico’s domestic demand for polyethylene. We’re talking about one of the biggest investments in Latin America at this time.

π What are the project’s biggest challenges?I think the biggest challenge is managing cultural diversity, con-sidering our client, partners, team members and communities. We

A Group member since 1999, Paul Levita has worked in six countries. In 2013 he arrived in Mexico to work as Administrative Officer of the Ethylene XXI joint venture. Formed by Odebrecht Industrial Engineering, Technip and ICAFluor, Ethylene XXI is responsible for building one of the world’s largest petrochemical complexes in Coatzacoalcos, in the state of Veracruz.

PAULO LEVITA, ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER FORTHE ETHYLENE XXI JOINT VENTURE

Written by Luiz Assumpção

have over 17,000 people working at the construction site. The vast majority of them are Mexican citi-zens, but there are also workers from 22 other nationalities. The partners’ corporate cultures are very different. Respecting those differences and dealing with them is critical to the success of our work.

π How have you managed the daily routines of more than 17,000 workers in a region with infras-tructure needs? We’ve hired and groomed many local professionals. Some of them had never worked in construction before. People brought in from other regions and countries [tota-ling about 5,000], are housed in Coatzacoalcos, a city larger than Nanchital, where the complex is being built. People management is extremely complex, including safety, security, transportation logistics, food and payroll, which is done weekly in Mexico.

π The project is one of the lar-gest in the global petrochemical industry. What does that mean and what could its legacy be?It is extremely gratifying to com-bine the client’s satisfaction and results for shareholders with the development of the project’s neighboring communities. It is an opportunity to carry out a venture that changes the public’s socioe-conomic condition, improving their quality of life. This level of investment translates, in effect, into the dynamics of the region. For example, new businesses are gro-wing in these cities at a remarkable rate. Subcontracts in the region are valued at around USD 250 million. That can bring about a major eco-nomic leap. ]

F I N A L W O R D N e w F r o n t i e r s

01a52_INGLES_124963.indd 52 3/19/15 5:30 PM

RESPONSIBLE FOR CORPORATECOMMUNICATION AT ODEBRECHT S.ASérgio Bourroul

RESPONSIBLE FOR CONTENT, BRANDAND IN-HOUSE COMMUNICATIONKarolina Gutiez

EDITORIAL COORDINATIONVersal Editores EDITOR-IN-CHIEF JOSÉ ENRIQUE BARREIROEXECUTIVE EDITOR CLÁUDIO LOVATO FILHOENGLISH TRANSLATION H. SABRINA GLEDHILLPHOTO EDITOR HOLANDA CAVALCANTIART/GRAPHIC PRODUCTION ROGÉRIO NUNESELECTRONIC PUBLISHING AND ENGLISH EDITIONCOORDINATOR CM2 DESIGN

PRINTING 317 COPIESPRE-PRESS AND PRINTING IPSIS

EDITORIAL OFFICES:Rio de Janeiro (55) 21 2239-4023São Paulo (55) 11 3641-4743e-mail: versal@versal.com.br

You can also read Odebrecht Informa magazine: • on the Internet, at www.odebrechtinforma.com.br,where you can access videos and other reports; • on your iPad, by downloading the Revista OdebrechtApp free of charge from the App Store.

The Odebrecht Group is made up of:

BusinessesOdebrecht Engenharia Industrial Odebrecht Infraestrutura – Brasil Odebrecht Infraestrutura – África, Emirados Árabes e Portugal Odebrecht Infraestrutura – América LatinaOdebrecht Estados Unidos Odebrecht Realizações Imobiliárias Odebrecht Ambiental Odebrecht Latinvest Odebrecht Óleo e Gás Odebrecht Properties Odebrecht TransPort Braskem Odebrecht Agroindustrial Enseada Indústria Naval Odebrecht Defesa e Tecnologia

InvestimentsOdebrecht Brazil FundOdebrecht Africa FundOdebrecht Latin Fund

Support CompaniesOdebrecht Export ServicesOdebrecht Insurance brokerOdebrecht Project EngineeringOdebrecht Retirement FundOdebrecht Energy Supplier

Social ProgramOdebrecht Foundation

Solutionseverywhere

Improving people’s quality of life, wherever they are, is one of the Odebrecht Group’s objectives. To achieve this, its teams are growing and expanding in 20 countries worldwide, taking with them modern technologies and the drive to meet the complex demands of a changing world. They are constantly developing new solutions to fresh challenges and helping nations and regions pursue their greatest aspirations: a dignified life and prosperity.

CAPA_INGLES_124963.indd 2 3/24/15 8:37 PM

DEFENSE THE DAILY LIVES OF PEOPLE WORKING FOR SOVEREIGNTY

GUATEMALA HIGHWAY PROJECT MARKS THE GROUP’S DEBUT IN THAT COUNTRY

ONGOINGREINVENTION

N E W F R O N T I E R S

New businesses, new places, new times. New frontiers. A highway in Guatemala. A bioenergy plant in Angola. Submarines to monitor the Brazilian coast. Examples of invigorating news that there are new learning experi-ences ahead. In sync with a rapidly and profoundly changing world. An entrepreneurial trajectory that is renewing itself, a Group that is rejuvenated by the challenges it faces and surmounts. Working capacity that is always growing. An ethos of service that is stronger than ever.

176 | V

OL. X

LII | JAN

.FEB.M

AR

2015

CAPA_INGLES_124963.indd 1 3/24/15 8:37 PM