Hydro's B&A Senior Digital Transformation and IT Manager, Daniel Moraes, was at the headquarters of the Brazilian Aluminum Association (ABAL) on November 6th to tell an audience of operations, manufacturing managers and engineers, automation, maintenance and information technology as Industry 4.0 concepts are applied in the Bauxita & Alumina units.

Among the examples of programs and solutions adopted by the company, Daniel pointed to human potential as the key to process digitization, explaining to the audience that the journey to digital transformation begins in employee awareness. “We will only be able to create a digital culture with the support of the professionals that work daily, dealing the company process. We have to show that technology is an ally and the current moment of digital transformation, a great opportunity for everyone, ”he emphasizes.

In this sense, new generations are potential agents to promote the idea that technology can be an ally of people and processes. Daniel says that one of the strategies adopted by the Digital Transformation program was to foster digital culture in intern and trainee programs: “Young professionals go through training programs and act as agents of change in all areas, contributing to engagement. across the company and creating great partners with the most experienced employees.”

Local development

Regarding suppliers, Daniel explains that there is an effort to define key partners to accelerate digital transformation. Hydro sees value in those who can solve the challenges of our operations within a collaborative and innovative environment. “We are always open to listening to close partnerships that bring us assertive solutions that are tailored to our internal issues - where we invite suppliers with the potential for digitization to work collaboratively, which eventually leads some companies to understand that they also need to transform themselves to act in Hydro.”

Another important initiative is to foster digital innovation near Hydro's Bauxite & Alumina units, located in Pará, by fostering startups in that region to develop the local digital ecosystem. “We held a structured event inviting startups to demonstrate their value propositions to our managers and we are in the final stages of discussion with two of them to develop proof of concept and apply their technology solutions to our business,” he says.

A journey, not an end

Hydro's Bauxite & Alumina Digital Transformation area act as a facilitator, with people of varying and complementary skills working to understand the challenges of B&A units, define solution hypotheses, conduct proof of concepts to validate the solution, create partnerships and alternatives where necessary, working on employee adoption of solutions and generating value through digitization of processes and operations.

“It's a job that involves many levels of the organization and can't be done without people and a collaborative environment. All projects are phased, and proof of concept enables you to reduce the risks inherent in innovation. Thus, at the time of deployment, we have greater assertiveness and a better solution to enable user adoption, ”says Daniel, who adds: “Digital transformation is a journey, not an end activity. In the future, our organization needs to be naturally digital, where to sustain this point we will have a set of solutions, capabilities and knowledgeable people that will leverage the speed and results for the entire company. ”