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VOL. XL 窶｢ # 167 窶｢ JULY/AUGUST 2013

English Edition

ON THE ROAD THROUGH THE AMERICAS SCIENCE ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDS IN THE VICINITY OF THE SANTO ANTﾃ年IO DAM

INNOVATION THE PEOPLE WHO INVENT AND REINVENT BRASKEM EVERY DAY

Thousands of Brazilians will also be wearing Odebrecht’s shirt.

We are very proud to be taking part in the modernization and construction of Brazil’s most important sports arenas. In addition to making multipurpose facilities available to maximize the public’s comfort and convenience, these projects have created thousands of opportunities for their local communities to find work, acquire skills and boost their income.

More than just building major arenas, we are helping many people build their dreams.

E D I T O R I A L

The necessary journey of renewal T

his issue marks the debut of Odebrecht Informa’s new editorial approach and graphic design. The magazine is changing, yet again, because Odebrecht is changing, as always.

The main difference in our editorial approach is opening with an extensive special report. The idea is that the subject of that report, which could be the Group’s engineering & construction works, industrial operations, businesses or programs, should enable you, the reader, to discover the most delightful aspects of the work done

by Odebrecht teams - a story that moves and inspires.

In this inaugural issue showcasing Odebrecht Informa’s new design, the special report is focused on highways. Our reporters and photographers have gone on the road in Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Panama, the Dominican Republic and the United States.

You will find their reports on what they saw, heard and felt during their travels in “Roads of the Americas,” a 38-page journey we are inviting you to take with

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them. You will see everything that thrilled and inspired our reporters and photographers, and before them, provided Odebrecht Group members with transformative experiences.

Other changes in our editorial approach include institutional ads for Odebrecht companies and projects, which give the magazine a new dynamic, and the “Click” section, which permeates each issue with special images captured by our photographers.

The magazine also contains special sections and general reports - important news and analysis for Odebrecht members and all the Group’s stakeholders.

All this is presented in a new and attractive package that makes the magazine more readable and enjoyable, while giving it a look that is in line with the current trends of contemporary design.

In short, this is the new Odebrecht Informa, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary in October. As you will see in the following pages, it is getting younger every year. ]

Fernando Vivas Odebrecht informa

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H I G H L I G H T S

COVER

SCIENCE

Southern Interoceanic Highway, Peru. Photo by Márcio Lima.

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Roads of the Americas: ride along with our teams as they travel the roadways of Brazil, Peru, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Panama and the USA

A major benchmark archaeological project is underway in the area where the Santo Antônio Dam is being built in the Brazilian state of Rondônia

LOGISTICS

64 From the cane fields to service stations, Odebrecht Industrial’s end product follows a long road before reaching consumers

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LIFE ON THE JOBSITE

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The Teles Pires Dam jobsite on the state border of Mato Grosso and Pará, Brazil, innovates with projects focused on improving workers’ quality of life

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ciTies See how a transport solution has become a way of integrating a community into its own city

folks

interview

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The thoughts and daily lives of José Cláudio Daltro, Saionara Lewandovski, Luiz Gordilho and Antônio Pinto

inventors

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Meet the people responsible for creating products and processes at Braskem, and find out about their ever surprising dayto-day experiences

Roberto Ramos, Entrepreneurial Leader (CEO) of Odebrecht Óleo e Gás, discusses the current situation for the Brazilian oil industry and the company’s contributions in that context

PETROCHEMICALS

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ENVIRONMENT A reflection on the measures needed to preserve the most essential natural resources

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YOUTH PROTAGONISM

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25 years ago, young people became the focus of the operations of the Odebrecht Foundation, which decided to treat them as a solution instead of a “problem”

In Paulínia and Mauá, São Paulo, two plants that helped make the history of Braskem (and the Brazilian petrochemical industry) mark anniversaries

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C O V E R

ππHouston, Texas: the fourth-largest city in the United States

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ROADS OF THE AMERICAS Ride along with our teams as they go on the road in six countries

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Not all of them have read On the Road,

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the most celebrated work by the legendary American writer Jack Kerouac, but they DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

had to embody some of the beat generation’s spirit to produce the articles and photos featured in the special report that opens this issue of Odebrecht Informa. In this debut of the magazine’s new editorial approach and graphic

PANAMA COLOMBIA

design, we invite you to join our reporters and photographers on an adventure called “Roads of the Americas.” In its 38 pages, you will travel on highways in Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Panama, the Dominican Republic and the United States. What you’ll find on the road is the life (all of it) that pulsates in the communities within the sphere of influence of seven highways built or under construction with the help of Odebrecht teams. Enjoy the ride. We hope it will be thrilling, inspiring and unforgettable. From now on, you’re “com o pé na estrada,” “en el camino,” on the road.

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PERU

BRAZIL

ππPraia do Forte: the pearl of a heavenly region, the North Coast of Bahia

estrada do coco Written by Ricardo Sangiovanni | Photos by Geraldo Pestalozzi

Escaping the urban bustle of Salvador, Bahia, at lunchtime to go to a good restaurant in Praia do Forte and then returning to work in the city is now routine. The roughly 55-km distance between the capital and the most famous beach on Bahia’s North Coast is no longer an obstacle: traveling on the Estrada do Coco (Coconut Highway) is much faster than driving between the central districts of the congested city of Salvador.

A well-known tourist destination in the tropical paradise of the North Coast, the village of Praia do Forte has also become a culinary attraction. There is a growing demand for traditional Bahian cuisine, the ancestral heritage of indigenous and African cultures. Its secrets

have been preserved by generations of legitimate inhabitants of the region - like the cook, better yet, chef, Maria da Natividade Teles do Nascimento, 57.

Nati, as she is known, is the owner of the Casa da Nati (Nati’s House) restaurant, one of the finest establishments in Praia do Forte. Her “plain, homemade food” has delighted customers for 18 years, since the days when the locale still looked more like a fishing village than the tourist complex of resorts and guesthouses, services, culture and recreation it has become today.

But Nati’s status as a cultural icon of the North Coast is not just due to her skillful preparation of stews based on palm oil. Not even her delicious special dishes,

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of Sergipe, completing the route that has turned the beaches of the North Coast into a tourist destination.

The second was the rehabilitation and widening of the 46.3-km Estrada do Coco between Salvador and Praia do Forte by CLN (the Litoral Norte concession company, an affiliate of Odebrecht TransPort) in 2000.

Thanks to this 13-year concession, the flow of vehicles on the Estrada do Coco/Linha Verde routes has doubled from 360,000 per month in January 2001 to 721,000 per month in January 2013.

“Previously, going to Salvador was darned difficult,” says Nati, who remembers traveling there in a truck loaded with coal as a child. “I got filthy!” She laughs at the memory. Currently, twice a week, she takes a “short hop” into town to buy shrimp and palm oil. The drive, which used to take over an hour before the highway was widened, now takes 25 minutes.

such as fish à la Nati, made with coconut milk, tomatoes and shrimp. Born and raised in Praia do Forte, she is a role model for her community, and a reminder that a “native” can also be highly successful entrepreneur.

Her restaurant got its name because it started out and still operates in the house where Nati lived until the 1990s, which is also her childhood home. It all started in 1995 when she served homemade food to surfers on her doorstep. Her clientele grew, and she renovated the house, moving the living quarters to the top floor and running the restaurant on the ground floor. Today Casa da Nati serves about 150 meals a day to a growing number of diners, thanks to partnerships with hotels and tourist attractions on the North Coast.

According to Nati, improved access to Praia do Forte for people driving north from Salvador and south from the North Coast, has also been a catalyst for her business’s success. Both improvements are due to Odebrecht projects.

The first was the construction in 1993 of the 137.6km Linha Verde (Green Line), connecting the town of Mata do São João (of which the Praia do Forte is a district) with Jandaíra, near the border with the state

Cultural tourism Before starting her restaurant, Nati worked with São Paulo businessman Klaus Peters, a pioneer of tourism on the North Coast. In 1971, Peters bought about 30 hectares of the Praia do Forte Farm, which included a fishing village and Garcia D’Ávila Castle,

ESTRADA DO COCO/ LINHA VERDE

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Rio Real

Praia do Forte Mangue Seco

Esplanada

Siribinha Sítio do Conde

Imbassaí

Lin ha Ve rde

Alagoinhas

This former fishing village has become an attractive tourist hub. The point where the Imbassaí River meets the sea is a heavenly spot.

Subaúma

BAHIA

Sauípe

Catu

Diogo Mata de São João

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Itacimirim Guarajuba Arembepe

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Camaçari

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Candeias

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Santo Amaro

Abrantes Lauro de Freitas Salvador

Atlantic Ocean

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The main beach resort tow n on the North Coast of Bahia. The high lights are Garcia D'Ávila Castle, built in the 16th century, and the Tamar sea turtle pres ervation project.

And of course, there are the beaches.

Imbassaí Praia do Forte

Diogo

This town (named after one of Bahia’s earliest Portuguese settlers, Diog o Álvares Correia, or Caramuru) still retains its rustic charms, ideal for camping and walking on the dunes.

Sauípe

Sauípe Park, the environ mental preserve that houses the natural history museum that tells the story of the region, is a must for visitors.

Another highlight is the complex of hotels in Costa do Sauípe.

Mangue Seco

The dunes and fishing villa ge became famous as the backdrop for “Tie ta,” a Brazilian soap opera based on the novel

by Jorge Amado, filmed in 1989. Just gett ing there is an adventure that starts whe n you cross the Real River on a raft.

ππNati: she started out serving food to surfers on her doorstep the farm’s former headquarters. He planned to build a large hotel - the Praia do Forte Eco Resort, opened in the 1980s - and to begin exploiting the area’s tourism potential.

In addition to the natural beauty of that tropical haven, Peters also saw potential for cultural tourism - after all, Garcia D’Ávila Castle (also known as the Tower House), built in 1551, is a rare example of Brazilian medieval architecture, listed as a national heritage site.

The history of the castle is surrounded by mysteries, which attracts tourists and researchers alike.

For some historians, Garcia D’Ávila was a bastard son of the first governor-general of Brazil, Tomé de Sousa, who gave him vast donations of tracts of land - so vast that it is estimated that they stretched from Bahia to Maranhão, totaling between 300,000 and 800,000 km2 - domains that belonged to his descendants for more than three centuries.

The castle is run by the Garcia D’Ávila Foundation, created by Peters, and attracts around 20,000 visitors a year, most of whom have also joined Casa da Nati’s clientele. Before starting her own business, Nati was Peters’ right-hand woman at the Eco Resort for almost a decade. “I went from cashier to Human Resources Assistant. I helped out at the reception desk, operated the Telex... I did everything. I learned a lot from him.

Then I went into business for myself.”

The eternal lighthouse keeper Peters, who died in 2006, had a plan that went beyond developing the area’s tourist potential: it also included bringing development to the village by attracting new businesses which include local people and create job opportunities for the villagers, who are mostly descendants of former slaves of the Tower House. The Praia do Forte model has served as inspiration to other towns and villages on the Linha Verde, sucn as Barra de Jacuípe, Imbassahy, Diogo, Sauípe, Conde, and, further north, Mangue Seco.

At 77, José “Cajueiro” Pereira Nunes, is a folk figure in the region. He still remembers how things were “before the time of Mr. Klaus.” “It seemed like slavery times, you know?” recalls Cajueiro, whose nickname means “cashew tree.” He got it because when his mother was pregnant with him, she used to sneak away from home to eat cashews.

Born and raised in Praia do Forte, and always curious, insightful and dynamic (he has been a mechanic, blacksmith, fisherman, bricklayer, plumber, boat caulker, well driller, community leader and capoeira, and currently enjoys cycling, dominoes and playing tambourine in serenades), Cajueiro confronted the “backward” mentality of the former owners of the farm. “They didn't let the villagers build anything. We couldn’t have a bathroom or even tiles on our roofs.

When the bosses came to the village and saw that

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ππClockwise from top, the village of Praia do Forte, a sea turtle protected by the Tamar Project, Cajueiro the lighthouse keeper, Estrada do Coco and Garcia D'Ávila Castle

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ππAdauto Poeta: a native of the region, he lives a tranquil life in a wooden house surrounded by Atlantic Forest

everything was the same, paralyzed, that was that they liked,” he recalls.

Endowed with a prodigious memory, Cajueiro uses his “tales” to illustrate the tenacity that gradually made him an agent of community development. “Once I had to build a low brick wall next to the [mud] wall of my father’s house to block a stream of water that was making the wall rot. Then the owner called me. She said I couldn’t build anything because the land was hers, and she had not authorized it. I replied that the land might be hers, but it was my father’s house, and it would take a command from God come down from Heaven to stop me from following his orders.” He built the wall.

Recognized in the village for his thousand and one skills, the debonair Cajueiro is especially famous for one of them: he is the eternal lighthouse keeper (operator) of Praia do Forte, entitled to a Navy rank. In fact, he was the one who welcomed the founders of the Tamar project in the 1980s. Guy and Neca Marcovaldi

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made the Lighthouse house the first headquarters of their newly created project for the preservation of sea turtles. Today, Tamar receives an average of 600,000 visitors a year – all told, it has welcomed more than 15 million people. And it should be said that many have patronized Casa da Nati.

Cajueiro reports that, until the mid-20th century, before Estrada do Coco was paved, people who wanted to get to Salvador had to travel on horseback, on dirt roads, to the nearby town of Dias D’Ávila, and from there take a train or even a boat along the coast, or even walk, which took a whole day. Odebrecht also helped pave the original Estrada do Coco in the 1950s.

From the forest to the screen But some people think that Praia do Forte has grown too much and prefer the silence of the Atlantic Forest. This is the case with Adauto Nascimento, or Adauto the Poet, 54, an artist from the North Coast. He was born in the village and moved from there 10 years

ππA couple sitting in front of the church in the center of town: the pace of life makes it enjoyable ago. He now lives on the other side of Estrada do Coco in a wooden house on the edge of the Sapiranga environmental protection area, 2 km from Praia do Forte.

A professional fisherman, Adauto has participated in poetry sessions for 30 years. He has a reggae band and runs the Canto Eco na Mata (Forest Eco Corner) project, which invites local bands to give monthly performances at his bar, Recanto do Poeta (Poet’s Corner) at the entrance to the reserve. Up to a thousand people flock to the shows.

With an area of 5.33 km2, the Sapiranga reserve is also run by the Garcia D’Ávila Foundation.

There, two years ago, the Foundation created the Sustainable Reserve project, which organizes vocational education programs for the surrounding communities. More than 900 residents have learned farming and animal husbandry methods as well as handicrafts, making jewelry from coconut straw and shells. The project has also planted more than 180,000 native seedlings in the reserve.

Adauto is one of the partners in this project, which receives about 20,000 visitors a year. Many stop at Recanto do Poeta to try the fish cakes prepared by the poet’s wife, Dona Caçula. That helps the couple generate an income to maintain their household without having to seek work outside the reserve.

Connected to the world, the North Coast continues to attract tourists and professionals from other countries, who fall under the region’s spell and sometimes make their homes there. This was the case with Californian filmmaker Kaya Verruno, 27, who has spent his holidays in Praia do Forte since he was three.

In 2010, he wrote and directed, the film “Na Sombra da Linha Verde” (Shadows of the Green Line), which tells the story of a young man who returns to the North Coast to live with his grandfather and rediscover his roots. The film won the Best New Director award at the Brazilian Film Festival in Los Angeles. The cast is comprised of local residents. Adauto stars in the film, which is narrated by Nati. ]

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rota das bandeiras Written by Ricardo Sangiovanni | Photos by Geraldo Pestalozzi

The flower grower Fernando Avancine, 50, lives in São Paulo, the region with the most vibrant economy in Brazil, with a consumption value of BRL 382 billion per year, according to Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV) data for 2012. Fernando is certainly doing his part to contribute to that figure. But his greatest contribution to life in the region is undoubtedly unique: “We sell beauty.”

To “sell beauty,” says Francisco, who holds a degree in Agronomy, it is essential to produce flowers in a location that is well connected to the distribution center where the plants will be sold. “Flowers are living, delicate products. They need to get to market quickly without wear and tear. Delays make flowers droop and fade, and nobody wants to give his girlfriend ugly flower. It’s a surefire way to start a quarrel,” he jokes.

Fernando lives in Atibaia. His garden is 3 km from the city center, which has about 400 producers

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and is the municipality with the largest flower growing area in São Paulo State. He drives his truck for less than an hour on the stretch of the D. Pedro I Highway between Flora Avancine and the Campinas Supply Center (Ceasa), which houses the largest permanent flower market in Latin America. Fernando has a stall there.

His flower truck is just one of about 125,000 vehicles per day that travel on the D. Pedro I, the main highway in the system operated by the Rota das Bandeiras concessionaire, an affiliate of Odebrecht TransPort.

Every year, more than 85 million vehicles use that route, at a rate that is growing year by year. Since the beginning of the concession in 2009, the company has invested BRL 786 million in improvement projects. Over the course of 30 years, that investment will total an estimated BRL 2.6 billion.

ππBridge on the D. Pedro I Highway (opposite) and Fernando Avacine with his team: “We sell beauty”

The way back Fernando is a native of São Paulo State, descended from Italian immigrants. He and his wife, Guaraci, decided to move to Atibaia in 1985, after they both graduated in Agronomy. At first, they lived on the small farm where their flower company now operates. “It was my father’s property. We used to spend our family vacations there when I was little. I decided to begin something new - a business that was mine. And that was the land we had to start with.”

After unsuccessful attempts to raise goats, which ran away, and cucumbers, which proved why “cucumber” (pepino) means “problem” in Brazilian Portuguese,

Fernando decided to take a friend’s advice and invest in the flower business. The books available initially posed a linguistic barrier. They were mostly in Dutch and Japanese, the cultures where flower growing is a common practice. But Fernando didn’t give up: he read up on the subject as much as he could and got plenty of dirt under his fingernails until he became an expert. He soon realized that if he wanted to grow flowers, he would have to give the business his full attention. “I used to play soccer on weekends, until the day there was a sudden rainstorm. I rushed back to the farm, but it was too late to save the seedlings. After that, I quit playing soccer. I spent years without taking a weekend off.”

ROTA DAS BANDEIRAS Paulínia

The region’s cultural cap ital, particularly the movie-making hub whe re major national productions have been filmed.

Mogi Guaçu General Milton Tavares de Souza Hwy

Conchal

Campinas

Mogi Mirim

Engenheiro Coelho

Artur Nogueira

The driving engine of São Paulo State’s economy in the interior.

An enormous fruit and flower market stan ds beside the D. Pedro I Highway: the Campinas Ceasa.

MG

Cosmópolis Campinas

Paulínia

Jundiaí

Itatiba Jarinu

Valinhos Louveira

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SÃO PAULO São Paulo

Nazaré Paulista

nna n Se yrto A . d Ro

Jacareí

The Serra do Japi is wor th a visit – a mountain range listed by UNE biosphere reserve, it is loca SCO as a ted near the city.

Atibaia

The main flower producin g town on the D. Pedro I Highway, part icularly known for orchids and garden plants.

Nazaré Paulista

The site of the loveliest land scapes on the D. Pedro I corridor, than ks to the dam that has formed immense artifi cial lakes.

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ππA typical local farm, and Salvador Brotto: exports via Cumbica International Airport

His flower growing operation began with three types of seedlings used for planting in gardens. Today he produces more than 110 varieties. Sage, “mini pink,” impatiens and plumbago are the most popular. He sells them at the farmer’s markets of Campinas, São Paulo and São José dos Campos. When the business was getting started, it was just him and his wife. Now, in addition to having brought in a new partner, he offers work opportunities to 40 people. “Looking back, I don’t know how we had the strength to get where we are today. But I have wonderful memories,” he says.

Figs for export In addition to flowers, the so-called “fruit circuit” is also a major part of São Paulo State’s economy. It is a green belt formed by 10 towns with a tradition of growing exotic fruits, all close to the D. Pedro I Highway: Atibaia, Indaiatuba, Itatiba, Itupeva, Jarinu, Jundiaí, Louveira

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Morungaba, Valinhos and Vinhedo, which account for more than half of the fruit production in the state.

Figs are the specialty of Salvador Brotto, 50, another descendant of Italians, who now plants the fruit on the property where his grandfather used to grow coffee. “It is a delicate fruit that takes a lot of work, but it is very popular in the local and international markets,” he explains.

Brotto began working at the age of 10. He started planting figs more than 30 years ago. A shrewd businessman, he noticed that profits would be higher if he eliminated the company he had hired to handle exports from the supply chain. “The important thing was to get the word out. I got to work, learned English, set up a website, and today we export all over Europe,” he says proudly. On his farm, 100 employees grow, package and transport the fruit.

Because they are delicate, figs cannot be transported in large quantities. Therefore, they are exported on passenger aircraft, in the luggage compartment.

Today, Brotto mainly exports his produce via Cumbica International Airport, in Guarulhos, São Paulo, Brazil’s main point of departure for passenger flights. However, the increase in passenger traffic at Viracopos Airport in Campinas, after an expansion project is completed, may make it the best option, since that airport is closer. And since Rota das Bandeiras will build the 10-km section required to complete the southern part of the Campinas Beltway, linking the D. Pedro I Highway to the airport area, there will be no lack of good roads to take the figs to market. ]

ππDionisia Turco Quispe: “Thanks to the highway, sales are up now”

SOUTHERN INTEROCEANIC HIGHWAY Written by Luiz Carlos Ramos | Photos by Márcio Lima

Peru and Brazil have combined their national treasures in a magnificent example of communication and exchange. The clear progress made by the economy, tourism and quality of life goes beyond the length and terminuses of the Southern Interoceanic Highway, a road project that has been creating a new link between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans since 2010, facilitating unification with the South American road system. For Peru, the highway not only fosters exports of that country’s products but brings in more Brazilian tourists looking to enjoy its Andean landscapes, historic heritage and rich folkloric traditions. Peruvian citizens, in turn, are gaining access to the attractions of Brazil.

As we drive along the highway, the impact of the new economic boom is clearly visible. This is

true on sections 2 and 3, totaling 649 km, built by Conirsa, a joint venture led by Odebrecht Peru, in partnership with the Peruvian contractors Graña y Montero and JJC Contratistas Generales. The IIRSA South Concessionaire, formed by Odebrecht, JJC and Ingenieros Civiles Contratistas Generales, is responsible for maintaining the highway for the next 20 years.

The second stretch starts in the Cuzco metropolitan region, 3,410 meters above sea level, runs through the icy Pirhuayani area in the Andes, at 4,725 m above sea level, the highest altitude where the road was built, and then goes down as far as Puente Iñambari. That is where section 3 begins, running across flatlands of the sweltering Amazon rainforest as far as the Acre River Bridge on the Brazilian border.

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ππAlpacas in Ocongate and (opposite) Zenobio Vargas: thanking the mountain gods

IIRSA is the acronym for the Initiative for Integration of Regional Infrastructure in South America, a program undertaken in 2000 by all 12 South American countries to cover the areas of transport, telecommunications and energy. In addition to IIRSA South, IIRSA North has also come to Peru under Odebrecht’s responsibility, linking the coastal port of Paita to the city of Yurimaguas in the Amazon Basin. On the Southern Interoceanic Highway, three branches connect the Altiplano region with the Pacific ports of San Juan de Marcona, Matarani and Ilo. This road complex and other routes make it possible to travel 5,917 km by car, bus or truck from Lima, Peru, to São Paulo, Brazil, via Ica, Nazca, Cuzco, Urcos and Puerto Maldonado and the Brazilian cities of Rio Branco, Porto Velho and Cuiabá. The Ormeño company runs a bus line along this route as far as São Paulo’s Tietê Terminal, a trip that takes four days and four nights.

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Odebrecht Informa went for a drive on the Interoceanic Highway in June. Our team visited Cuzco, which was celebrating the Feast of the Solstice, or Inti Raymi, dedicated to the Sun God – an annual tradition dating back to the Inca Empire – passed by the road sign for the town of Urcos that marks the beginning of section 2, and delved into the fantastic ups and downs of a route full of curves and discoveries.

Life in the high Andes First stop: Alto Cuyuni, 4,185 m above sea level, slightly above a belvedere that affords a view of the spectacular snowy peak of Ausangate, 6,384 m above sea level. The belvedere is being rebuilt and will soon offer a modern restaurant serving local cuisine that will replace the original establishment. It is already prepared to welcome Peruvian and foreign visitors alike.

Community leader Zenobio Vargas, the local tourism director, arrives with his musician friends. They are

Iñapari

Abancay

Santa Rosa

Cusco Ica

Puerto Maldonado

Urcos

Peru’s main Amazonian city on the route of the Southern Interoceanic Highway, its importance to the nation’ s economy has grown in recent years.

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Arequipa Pacific Ocean

Moquegua

Puerto Matarani Ilo

Located in the Altiplano region and linked to historic Cuzco, it marks the beginning of the stretch of the Southern Inte roceanic Highway that goes as far as the Bra zilian border.

One of the most elevated parts of the Southern Interoceanic Hig hway, where the route reaches 4,725 met ers above sea level.

This is alpaca country.

Southern Interoceanic San Francisco Highway

Paracari

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Santa Rosa

Puerto Maldonado

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SOUTHERN INTEROCEANIC HIGHWAY

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Located at the end of the Peruvian section of the Southern Interoce anic Highway, near the Acre River, it is the link to the Brazilian road system.

all wearing indigenous clothing and carrying the instruments of the Altiplano – a flute, a bass drum and a pututu (conch shell horn). Vargas says: “Let us thank the gods of these mountains,” and starts organizing an Inca ritual. Dionisia Turco Quispe belongs to the Quechua ethnic group. She and her three children stand on the roadside selling handicrafts they make themselves necklaces, bracelets and shawls. “Sales are already up now that the highway is ready,” says Dionisia.

We drive through one small community after another. In Ocongate, the biggest town, at 3,800 meters above sea level, there is reason to celebrate: the local alpaca producers plan to increase the production of alpaca fiber used to make shawls, coats and blankets sold in Arequipa. Their aim: selling their products directly to the European market. Like the llama, the alpaca is a domesticated species of South American camelid typical of the Andes. The vicuña and huanaco are their wild “cousins.”

“The vicuña, like the alpaca, appears on the Peruvian coat of arms as an example of the richness of our wildlife, next to a tree and a cornucopia, resources from our plant life and mines,” says Hamlet Aza, who runs the incentive program for alpaca farmers in Ocongate and Marcapata.

In Tinke, Hamlet meets with farmers Wilmer Maza and José Apalza and the veterinarian Victor Pimentel, who are planning to shear the dozens of alpacas grazing nearby. “Alpacas are useful because of the fiber in

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their wool. They can be sheared annually for six years.

They can also be used for food. Barbecued alpaca is a delicacy in Peruvian cuisine,” says Pimentel. “The road has brought many benefits. It has brought us closer to the buyers.”

Suddenly, the road starts to climb again. Safe and well-signposted, the asphalt Interoceanic Highway built in nearly five years by heroic workers leads to Pirhuayani, which lies at an altitude of 4,725 meters.

Indigenous alpaca farmer Marcusa Huamán is accustomed to the rarefied air. For her, it is quite natural. She gives her hand to her son Franklin, age 8, and quickly crosses the highway to reach a higher point. “The road is beautiful and makes our lives easier,” she says.

Marcapata is the next stop. It is a village that practices indigenous customs 2,900 meters above sea level. That is where the church of San Francisco, which is over 300 years old, has been renovated with financial assistance from Conirsa to make the village even more attractive for tourists.

Into the Amazon jungle Now the only way is downhill - literally. As we get closer to sea level, the arid Andes disappear and green plains emerge, followed by Puerto Maldonado (population: 40,000), in the heart of the Amazon, where the altitude is just 180 meters. That is the scenery that accompanies the travelers in the miles to come. San Francisco is the name of the village where cocoa growing is the main occupation. It is just after the Madre de Dios River Bridge, near the now bustling port city of Puerto Maldonado, where cars, trikes, trucks, airlines and hotels are multiplying.

“The highway has changed our lives,” says Estanislao Curinambe, President of the Cocoa Growers’ Technical Association in the Department of Madre de Dios, an organization made up of more than 300 farmers. According to Curinambe, production has increased in that region, and the association even plans to set up a factory to have its own brand of chocolate. “At the moment, we sell cocoa to two Peruvian factories, but we will have our own chocolate, our own brand for export to several countries.

The new highway has strengthened our ambitions and improved the quality of life of this region.”

Ten kilometers away, Victor Zambrano Diaz, 66, takes pride in saying that he was born in Puerto Maldonado. He owns a small property on the Tambopata River, a tributary of the Madre de Dios, called the Kerenda Homet Refuge, where he has restored ππSouthern Interoceanic Highway on the Brazil-Peru border: a key to binational unity

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ππEstanislao Curinambe: chocolate for export

the Amazon rainforest and now grows medicinal plants and flowers for sale. Zambrano explains: “Twenty years ago, this forest did not exist. Now, we are a model sustainability project. My wife, Rosa, takes care of the tropical flowers. One of my five children, Kerenda, my youngest daughter, aged 16, is being groomed to take over the business.”

Two hours down the road, Peru ends and Brazil begins. On one side of the bridge over the Acre River, opened in 2004, we find the Peruvian town of Iñapari.

The Brazilian town of Assis Brasil lies on the other side. When we reach Brazil, a sign reads: “Rio Branco, 330 km.”

“Rio Branco? I’ve been there, on the Interoceanic Highway. What a wonderful road. I’ll go there again, but I plan to visit other parts of Brazil too, like Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo,” says nursing student Cleofe Medrano, 45. She is standing in the Plaza de Armas in Cuzco, along with her friend Lilian Bordagallego, an accounting student, as they get ready for the June festivities.

Cuzco and the fabulous city of Machu Picchu have featured in American movies and Brazilian soap operas. Tourists from Brazil, the US, Europe and Japan flock through the streets of the former pre-Columbian capital, which was linked to Quito by the Inca Trail five centuries ago.

Engineer Jorge Barata, a Brazilian born in Salvador, Bahia, is a 30-year member of Odebrecht. Currently the CEO of Odebrecht Latinvest (the Group subsidiary created to develop new projects in South America), he is now based in Lima, and has lived and worked in Peru, Ecuador and Colombia for 25 years. Looking at the map of the Southern Interoceanic Highway, after being closely involved in its construction from start to finish, he observes: “This roadway has had a local and regional impact on areas that were previously isolated from the rest of the country. Everything along its route has improved. People are traveling more, now that, in addition to everything else, the Peruvian economy is booming. Tourism has grown.” ]

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ruta del sol Written by Luiz Carlos Ramos | Photos by Márcio Lima

Puerto Boyacá, a city with a population of about 60,000, situated on a scorching plain on the banks of the Magdalena River, between the Central and Eastern Andes, is experiencing a time of peace and prosperity. The political tensions that wracked this part of Colombia in the 1970s and 80s have given way to economic growth and the drive to overcome problems on the basis of oil production, livestock husbandry and tourism. And Puerto Boyacá’s new prospects have everything to do with the certainty that, once the Ruta del Sol (Route of the Sun) highway is completed in 2016, that route will provide a much faster and safer way of reaching the capital, Bogota, and other major cities, such as Medellín and Bucaramanga, as well as the Caribbean ports of Cartagena, Santa Marta and Barranquilla. Starting out from historic Simon Bolivar Plaza in Bogota, 2,630 meters above sea level, the Odebrecht Informa team traveled to Puerto Salgar, which lies at an altitude of just 177 meters.

After a 195 km descent along a winding road, we reached the Ruta del Sol. That experience that will remain forever etched in our memories.

Colombia, a country of 47 million inhabitants, has 32 departments (the equivalent of states or provinces). The city of Puerto Boyacá, in the Department of Boyacá, is traversed by the future Ruta del Sol, currently Route 45. The original roadway is being modernized while the second part of the new divided highway, which is 1,071 km long, is under construction. Section 2, the largest part of the project, is 528 km long. It runs between Puerto Salgar and San Roque, and is being built by Consórcio Ruta del Sol, a joint venture with two Colombian construction companies, Episol (Corficolombiana) and Constructora Carlos Solarte, led by Odebrecht.

Public debates among government officials, businesspeople and community representatives from Puerto

ππParticipants in the transit and heavy traffic education campaign on the Ruta del Sol: safety and development

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Boyacá, with the support of Mayor Fernando Rubio López, have helped deal with issues related to quality of life and the environment. “We could see the economic advantages of the Ruta del Sol. New hotels and restaurants are arriving. But we asked the Ministry of Transport to include access to the city from two lanes of the highway to prevent accidents and boost tourism, because we have beautiful places to visit in our town,” says Councilman Héctor Eduardo Lesmes Martinez, 44, a cattle rancher.

For now, due to heavy traffic on the highway, including oil and gas tankers, the 282-km drive from Bogota to Puerto Boyacá takes 6 hours. The 853-km trip to Cartagena is a grueling 16 hours long. That driving time will be significantly reduced, predicts Lesmes Martinez, who is encouraging the community to organize road safety campaigns. With the help of the Military Police, one of those events turns into a joyous theater session for 20 young people between the ages of 14 and 28 from the Communities United group, who distribute flyers and point out traffic signals. Jhonatas Mosquera, Diego Cabezas, Julika Ku and Kelly Garzón dramatize the fictitious story of a motorcyclist who gets a warning from a policeman for not wearing a helmet.

The river and the road The Magdalena River runs through Colombia from north to south and follows the route of the highway. The

signs of small roadside restaurants list the local culinary attractions: soup, meat or fish (catfish), rice, beans, patacón (fried green plantains), avocado salad and, of course, arepa, traditional Colombian cornbread.

In the Km 25 district, 10 kilometers from Puerto Boyacá, about 300 people are taking part in Community Fellowship Day, where the Colombian Army and Military Police are helping the joint venture answer questions about the highway and offer medical and dental check-ups, as well as haircuts and shoe repairs. Sergeant Abraham Rojas has brought along 10 soldiers, a doctor and a dentist from his regiment: “Bringing the military and civilians closer together has been a healthy experience,” says Rojas. Medical doctor Maria Quintero and dentist Caterine Sanchez are taking care of dozens of patients.

In Puerto Salgar, a small public school in the Department of Cundinamarca once stood in the way of the road works. Past tense. It is no longer there: the building has been demolished to make way for the second half of the divided highway. But Consórcio Ruta del Sol has already replaced it with a spacious new school equipped with a cafeteria and gym, just 100 yards from the highway.

Beatriz Santos, the principal of that school, the Policarpa Salavarrieta Educational Institute, Rural Headquarters of San Cayetano, is very pleased. While visiting the air-conditioned school building that will

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ππCouncilman Hector Lesmes: more safety and tourism for Puerto Boyacá house her students, she predicts: “They will like it.

Everything is improved. We will even be able to increase the number of students, which is currently around 50, between the ages of 4 and 15. The highway has improved tremendously. So has the region.”

The students live on farms, and go to school on a bus driven by Mary Luz Rondón. Her son, Jesus David, aged 10, is one of those students and wanted to see the new building. “He loved it,” she says.

RUTA DEL SOL Santa Marta Valledupar

San Roque

Puerto Boyacá Located in a major oil producing and ranching region, it has overcome political tensions and is growing along with the highway.

COLOMBIA

Aguachica

New days in La Fortuna, Barrancabermeja and San Alberto La Fortuna, a village located near the access to the more developed town of Bucaramanga, in Santander Department, tells the stories of people who had to move into new homes because of the road works. This was the case with the Hernandez family, who are now comfortably installed in four-bedroom home. “We used to live near the site where the bridge is being built across the Sogamoso River,” says Robinson Hernandez, accompanied by his wife, Esmeralda, and their two children, Sergio, 6, and Esmeralda, 10. “I had a bar and two pool tables there. My workplace. Then the expropriation came, I received compensation, put it together with my savings, built the house and bought a dump truck.” The family agrees that they are living in a better place, and now Robinson is looking for construction projects that can use his truck. When completed, the new Sogamoso Bridge will be 734 m long.

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Puerto Salgar Close to the Magdalena River, this town is connected to Bogota and marks the beginning of the stretch of the Ruta del Sol that leads to northern Colombia.

Rota do Sol San Alberto Barrancabermeja

San Alberto Situated next to the Barrancabermeja oil refinery and the bustling city of Bucaramanga, it preserves local habits and historic customs, especially the cuisine.

Aguachica

Puerto Boyacá

Puerto Salgar

Bogotá

In northern Colombia, it is part of the flatlands between two chains of the Andes Mountains, on the way to the coast.

San Roque The end of the stretch under the responsibility of the Ruta del Sol concessionaire, it is linked to the Caribbean cities of Santa Marta, Barranquilla and Cartagena.

ππEvangelista Arias in his candy store: “More kids are coming in.” Above, community members take part in the transit education campaign

Barrancabermeja, the home of the nation’s largest oil refinery, shows clear signs of progress. The highway will facilitate the arrival of oil trucks and the shipment of gasoline to the rest of the country.

As we travel northward, the landscape changes.

There are more and more palm trees – another source of wealth, through the production of palm oil. Evangelista Arias Jiménez, 60, is disabled and lives in San Alberto.

He does not hide his joy at having his own candy store that is very popular with children. “It’s much better here,” he says, while selling sweets to Nicole Inara, 8, who has come in with four younger cousins. “My old store on the edge of the highway was smaller. I rent this building, and the joint venture contractor that’s building the highway provided the counters and cabinets. More kids are coming in to buy candy,” he explains.

In addition to the rehabilitation of the old roadway and the construction of the second part of the divided highway, bridges and overpasses, which began in 2011, this part of the project is scheduled for completion by 2016. The joint venture’s mission is to maintain this stretch for a period of up to 25 years. Odebrecht Colombia CEO Eleuberto Martorell, explains: “The Ruta del Sol is the most important road corridor in the country, because it connects Bogota and all major cities to the ports of Cartagena, Barranquilla and Santa Marta, running through a region responsible for about 70% of the national GDP. Colombia’s main export products – oil, coal and coffee – are shipped to their destinations on this route. The project will fuel the economy by developing industry, commerce and tourism, with the resulting creation of job opportunities.” Under the leadership of Eder Paolo Ferracuti, Ruta del Sol currently has nearly 800 people taking care of the operation and maintenance of the highway. The Consol joint venture contractor is working on two fronts, North and South, led respectively by Project Directors Ricardo Paredes and Marcelo Piller, who have over 4,000 people on their teams to build the second part of the divided highway and refurbish the existing road.

Section 2 of the Ruta del Sol ends in San Roque and will be connected to Section 3 and the roads that run alongside the Pacific and the Atlantic coasts. On Colombia’s Caribbean shores, the plain meets the high Sierra Nevada mountains. The road traverses Aracataca, the town where Gabriel García Márquez was born in 1927. The winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, he is the author of some of the greatest masterpieces of Latin American and world literature. There are times on this journey when the landscape reminds you of the magical realism of the fictional village of Macondo in One Hundred Years of Solitude. And it is just as thrilling as the novel. ]

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panamA-colón Written by João Marcondes | Photos by Celso Doni

A hot, humid Caribbean wind is blowing in Colón.

On the streets, everyone is decked out in their finest clothes to welcome the young Queen of Great Britain, Elizabeth II. The women are wearing elegant widebrimmed hats, and the men have donned impeccable suits, even though the temperature is over 30ºC. The royal visit is eagerly awaited by subjects of the British Empire, immigrants from nearby islands. There is a frisson in the streets of this beautiful town with its French colonial architecture (similar to the mansions and balconies of New Orleans), and the main attractions, suchas the Rex and Lido theaters, are reminiscent of Parisian soirées. Because of its wealth, Colón is known as the Tacita de Oro (Little Gold Cup). It is the Atlantic end of the Panama Canal.

The Queen’s visit took place way back in 1953, 60 years ago. That Colón no longer exists. That world no longer exists. Even so, the city now has 280,000 inhabitants and is still an important hub, the gateway to the Atlantic for Panama (while the capital, Panama City, is the gateway to the Pacific), and one of the most vibrant commercial centers in the world.

One of the main problems for Colón in the last six decades used to be the lack of a safe and fast route to Panama City. But now it is about to relive its glory days with the opening of the Panama-Colón Highway,

officially named the Don Alberto Motta Cardoze Highway in honor of a prominent local businessman.

Built by Odebrecht, the route is one of the most modern roadways in Latin America and runs alongside the Panama Canal through a breathtaking landscape.

Its nickname has already caught on in that country: Panamanians call it the “Dry Canal.”

Before the “Dry Canal” opened, there were just two ways to travel that route by land: on the old railroad used primarily for cargo, and the Trans-Isthmus Highway, a two-way route with no shoulders where landslides are a constant threat, sometimes closing the road for months. Another problem with this route was the heavy truck traffic - a major challenge, especially for people who commute between the two cities every day.

This is the case with the sales clerk Marysabel Veliz Chanis, 51. She works in Colón’s Free Trade Zone (the second largest in the world, a veritable walled city full of tax-free shops inside Colón), and lives in Panama City.

Marysabel endured the commute on the Trans-Isthmus Highway for 23 years. How did she feel the first time she drove on the Panama-Colón? “It was a joy. A wonderful thing,” she says. She used to leave home every day at dawn and only got back at night. Not any more.

Now she can sit down and read the newspaper, enjoy a leisurely breakfast (her favorite pastime), watch the first

ππMarysabel Veliz, who works in Colón and lives in Panama City: “It was a joy. A wonderful thing”

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ππPanama-Colón Highway, the “Dry Canal”: 40-minute drive between the Atlantic and Pacific

beams of the rising sun gleam through her window, and chat with her 97-year-old grandmother before leaving home. When she gets back, the sun is still shining.

“Now I have a life,” she says with a smile.

On the Trans-Isthmus Highway, her commute took two and a half hours. Now it takes just forty minutes. A Mexican company started building the Panama-Colón project, but it came to a standstill and stayed that way for quite some time. Odebrecht built the highway from Km 13 onward and paved over 46 kilometers in two stages as far as the entrance to Colón. It delivered the final stretch a year ago.

Natural lushness The landscape along the new highway is stunning, because its route runs through National Sovereignty Park. The dark green foliage of that tropical rain forest fringes the modern divided highway (two lanes in each direction, with wide shoulders). There is also an abundance of wildlife, which can use the 3-m-high tunnels built beneath the road to ensure that they can get across safely. Fences are also in place to prevent them from running into traffic and being hit by cars.

The fauna is rich and inspiring, characteristic of a region that lies between two oceans: cougars, iguanas, hawks, toucans, sloths, deer and crocodiles.

Because the “Dry Canal” runs through two environmental protection areas and past Gatun Lake, it was built according to the strictest standards of environmental compliance. For example, noise, vibration and air quality levels were continually monitored during construction. Twice the area cleared for construction has been reforested (a total of 500 hectares, according to the concept of environmental compensation). Invasive plants introduced during the construction of the Panama Canal have been replaced with native forest.

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ππManuel Vasquez and his son Angel: more family time Today the dreaded traffic jams that increased driving time to three hours in each direction are a thing of a past that no one wants to remember. The new highway is traveled by 500,000 cars per month, as well as 60,000 trucks carrying containers of goods bound for the Free Zone. And the traffic flows quietly, smoothly and safely. The story of a merchant who had a flat tire when he was driving on the new route has gone viral. He no sooner got out of his car and started fiddling with the complicated tools than a road rescue team turned up and changed the tire in a heartbeat. Surprised and happy, he pulled out his wallet and asked, “What do I owe you, sir?” The

answer: “Nothing, we are here to serve you.” It became an ad campaign.

“Everyone who drives this route enjoys the highest level of road safety you can find in the world,” says Jorge Salazar, Operations and Maintenance Manager of the Madden Colón Concessionaire, the Odebrecht company that manages the highway. There are 45 cameras in the section the company built, that is, almost one per kilometer. The average response time to a service call (for mechanics, ambulances, etc.) is less than 10 minutes.

“The construction of this road was a dream that the Panamanians nurtured for over 20 years. We are happy we made it come true,” says Ricardo Bisca, the PANAMA-COLÓN HIGHWAY

Colón

Colón Caribbean Sea

This is the Atlantic end of the Panama Canal.

It boasts beautiful French-ins pired architecture, extensive logistics facilities, and a busy port.

It is a shopper’s paradise, beca use it houses the second largest Free Trade Zone in the world.

Trans-Isthm ic H ighw ay Panam y wa igh nH oló a-C

Panama Canal

Panama City

The nation’s capital and the Pacifi c Ocean end of the Canal, it has a distinctive skyline characterized by modern mirro red high-rises.

Its sophisticated restaurants and hotels are among its main attractions, as well as Casco Viejo, the Historic District.

Panama City Pacific Ocean

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Odebrecht Project Director for the third stage of the road works (the Colón Corridor) who also participated in the two phases of the project that have already been delivered. “Colón has a very strong logistics sector because of the port and the Free Trade Zone. And now that it can harness its tourist potential, the city will be restored.

There are gorgeous beaches here that have always been empty because they were so hard to reach,” he says.

Entering the city is easy now, thanks to the highway, but the access road is still narrow, squeezed between the Free Trade Zone and the railway tracks. Odebrecht is widening it, building larger roads and interchanges totaling 12 km of accessibility and urban development works at the entrance to town. It is the Colón Corridor, the icing on the cake, which will be delivered in 2014.

More family time Because the essence of the umbilical link between these two cities is still based on commerce, the highway’s main beneficiaries, in addition to residents and users of the Free Trade Zone, have been truck drivers who used to risk their lives on the road every day. This was the case with Manuel Vasquez, 43, who can finally do his job safely. Relief is written all over his face.

That is the feeling he describes as his truck rides smoothly over the asphalt on the Don Alberto Motta Cardoze Highway. It is more like joy for his wife, Angelica Moraes, 32, and their two children, Angel, 8, and Anton, 2, who is just starting to talk.

Manuel and his family go for road trips on the weekends in their own car. He only drives to Panama City to take the kids to the multiplex cinemas and the Cinta Costera (an area replete with parks, and sports and recreation facilities built by Odebrecht on the city’s oceanfront beltway). They also go to lunch at Pio Pio, little Angel’s favorite restaurant, which serves breaded chicken with fries. “It had been a long time since we’d seen our relatives who live outside Panama City, in the countryside. It was very hard to get there before the highway,” says Angelica.

Now her husband, Manuel, can pick their eightyear-old up from school - which, incidentally, is located on a roadway connected to the Panama-Colón. Now it takes just ten minutes to get from there to his home on the side of the highway in the modest Nueva Italia neighborhood, surrounded by rain forest. Everything is easier now. Bit by bit, life seems to be getting onto the right track in the city of Colón. ]

ππPanama City: the gateway to the Pacific, now closer to Colón, one of the world’s most vibrant commercial hubs

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Corredor Vial del Este Written by João Marcondes Photos by Celso Doni

The sun still shines 365 days a year (except for occasional refreshing rain showers), but in the old days, the high walls that now conceal the view of the city of Bavaro’s heavenly beaches weren’t there.

Leonardo Castillo used to run and play in the fields as a child. The bright green leaves were so big that the boy could hide behind them.

They were fields of tobacco, a traditional crop in those fertile lands bordering the Caribbean Sea. Dominican cigars were already good 30 years ago, but today, some dare say they are even better than Cubans. But the tobacco fields are gone, and the walls surround the area’s famous all-inclusive resorts.

On the side of the road, among all these attractions, there is a handmade cigar factory owned by Leonardo Castillo, now 42 years old. “A cigar is only worthwhile if it’s made by hand,” says the small business owner. He does not complain that resorts have replaced the former plantations. On the contrary.

It is essential for tourists to visit Bavaro and Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic’s most popular destinations. Castillo is eagerly awaiting the completion of the Corredor Vial del Este (Eastern Road Corridor), a major project that will ensure that this part of the country is connected by modern highways.

An important section of that corridor, the 70km Autopista del Coral, opened in 2012, improving the lives of thousands of Dominicans, including Castillo. He gets the tobacco leaves he uses to make his elegant Charles Parker cigars in the north and northwest, passing through Santo Domingo. The new route has reduced his travel time by two hours.

The next step is to turn Castillo’s store into a puro tasting lounge, a more sophisticated type of establishment.

The Corredor Vial del Este is made up of five sections, and Odebrecht is responsible for their construction. Four are being built and one has already been completed. The first segment connects San Pedro de Macoris (a town located just outside the capital, Santo Domingo) to La Romana and is 34 km long. The second is the 14 km half-beltway that runs around La Romana, avoiding the town’s gridlocked traffic. Next there is the Autopista del Coral, opened in 2012 and hailed as the best road in the country. It is 70 km long.

The following section, Boulevard Turistico del Este (BTE), is over 30 km long and connects the

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nation’s two main tourist towns, Bavaro and Punta Cana. All these stretches will be open to traffic

by November 2013. And then comes the 110-km Miches Highway, which runs from Bavaro to Sabana del Mar. “Tourism is our oil,” says Public Works and Communications Minister Gonzalo Castillo.

Currently, the country receives about 4.5 million tourists a year. He wants to increase that number to 10 million; perhaps even 12 million in 10 years. The Corredor Vial del Este is a key part of that plan, since it will link the beaches to Santo Domingo. That city has a rich historic heritage, including Christopher Columbus’s first house in the Americas, but its tourist potential has not been developed because it is hard to reach. There is a breathtaking part of the Dominican Republic that begins in the capital, Santo Domingo, and reveals itself on the roads to Bavaro and Sabana del Mar further on. It needs to be discovered.

Flavors, aromas and art On the road, in San Pedro de Macoris, the first Dominican flavors start to emanate. The scents of sweet fruits, similar to those found in the Northeast of Brazil, such as soursops and mangoes.

The roadside vendor Minerva Gomes, 43, points out that the construction work going on beside her, which will transform a badly paved road into a major two-way highway, promises to improve her livelihood. “When I don’t sell, I don’t eat. Bring in the tourists!” exclaims Minerva, as she enjoys a juicy sapodilla.

Just ahead, in the small community of Cumayaso, a town of 3,000, travelers can enjoy an almost anthropological experience of the “deepest DR.” In this village of unpainted houses, they will find an association of local artisans and see the delicate objects created by elderly women and young señoritas.

They are led by the Association’s president, Maria Estela David, who coyly whispers her age into the reporter’s ear so the others won’t hear, amid curious looks and laughter. (She is 42.) She has been a nurse and school teacher, but now what she really likes to do is lead the 30 talented women who use all sorts of materials - plastic bottles, glass, straw, paper, shells, stones, bird feathers, wire and fabric – to create decorative objects, clothes, ornaments and bags.

ππLeonardo Castillo: “A cigar is only worthwhile if it’s made by hand”

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ππClean, inviting beaches that enchant and inspire: a postcard from the Dominican Republic

CORREDOR VIAL DEL ESTE Santo Domingo

“I am an interior designer,” says Estela. She expects the number of tourists to grow and sees her cooperative’s products taking off around the world. “I want to export them,” she says. Active for 10 years, the cooperative has recycled the road construction workers’ uniforms to make stylish handbags.

We hit the road again, driving past rice fields, cattle ranches, cornfields, mangroves and coconut groves. As well as the beautiful Caribbean beaches. We are now reaching Punta Cana, a town that attracts most of the millions of tourists who visit the country. Punta Cana is a strong brand in the Dominican Republic. Combining it with Santo Domingo is all that is needed to reach the milestone of visitors Minister Castillo wants.

Businesspeople are thankful. Folks like Luisa Patrovita, 77, from Turin, Italy. Born near the Alps, she now heads the most popular Italian restaurant

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The nation’s capital, considered the first city in the “New World” discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492. Its attractions include the well-preserved Colonial Zone, with its museums, restaurants, dance spots and handicraft shops. Its population is less than 2.2 million.

Sabana de la Mar

San Pedro de Macorís

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Miches Bávaro Corredor Vial del Este La Romana

Santo Domingo

San Pedro de Macorís

A former fishing village, this is where the stretch of the road corridor built by Odebrecht begins. It is famous for the fruit sold on the roadside, such as sapodillas, mangoes and soursops. San Pedro is close to the town of Cumayaso and its Seamstresses’ Association, which boasts one of the finest collections of Dominican handicrafts.

Punta Cana

Punta Cana Boca de Yuma

The most famous beach resort town in the DR, next to Bávaro, which is 30 km away. Tourists from the world over flock to its all-inclusive resorts, enjoying crystal clear waters and attractions like Leonardo Castillo’s hand-made cigar factory (in Punta Cana) and Mama Luisa’s Italian cuisine (in Bávaro).

Sabana de la Mar

Caribbean Sea

A town on the northern end of the corridor, it offers heavenly, little-used beaches and is expected to grow as a result of the highway’s arrival. This charming community was founded by Spanish immigrants from the Canary Islands.

Social changes As the road goes on toward Miches, you realize that this vast artery connecting the country’s roadways is bringing social change by awakening the economy to new possibilities. The fisherman Miguel Angel Mercedes, 49, had to move out of his wooden shack to make way for the highway. He is married to Nirza Pacce, a 48-year-old homemaker, with whom he has three children. At first, they were suspicious, but moving into a new and better-organized all-masonry home with a septic tank and a yard big enough to start a plant nursery was the first step towards improving their daily lives.

“It’s the first time in my life that I’ve had a bathroom inside the house,” says Nirza.

She and her husband live near the sea, in a beautiful spot. Even so, Miguel is still not satisfied. He rents a harpoon to catch lobsters and groupers, and leases a boat. He has to sell his entire catch to the owner of the equipment at low

on the island, Mama Luisa. She used to be married to the son of the Dominican ambassador to Italy and learned the restaurant business from her father, who was known as the Prince of the Volcano because he ran hotels and restaurants in a village overshadowed by a lava-spewing mountain.

Although she and her husband have since divorced, she moved to Punta Cana with her children, including Joaquin Salazar, who owns four other restaurants on the island. Autopista del Coral has changed their lives. “We got into the business 17 years ago. In those days we had to deal with storms on the dirt roads.” Currently, most of their customers come from further away, including towns like La Romana. “Now you can get there and back in the same day. In just over an hour. That’s not how it used to be,” he explains.

The drive to Santo Domingo (from Punta) used to take four hours. Now it takes two and a half.

When the La Romana beltway opens in November, travel time will be reduced even further – to 90 minutes. Mama Luisa’s delicious risottos, pasta and Italian desserts will be even easier to reach.

ππMaria Estela David: using recycled materials to make decorative items, ornaments, clothes and accessories

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ππMama Luis Restaurant in Punta Cana, and a roadside fruit stand: the Dominican Republic is a country that should be discovered slowly, exploring all its nooks and crannies

prices. “Today it’s the only work, actually the only kind of work there is around here,” he says. “My income is low because one person controls it,” he sighs. But his eyes shine when he talks about the construction of the Miches Highway, which is energizing small communities like La Vacama, where he lives (he is part of the estimated population of a thousand people) and Lagunas de Nisibón (right next door, with 5,000 people). “Yes, we do hope the highway will bring more tourists to these beaches. And more hotels. That's a job opportunity right there,” he says, clearly thrilled by the prospect.

Marco Cruz, Odebrecht’s CEO in the Dominican Republic, observes: “The Corredor Vial del Este is a project that the public has been eagerly awaiting for over a decade. There have been previous attempts, but nothing came of them,” he explains.

All told, the sections the company has built or is currently building add up to 258 km of safe, modern roadways that will make travel easier in one of the most beautiful and welcoming countries in the world. Roads that have created more than 3,000 job opportunities in the Dominican Republic. And connect some of the most beautiful beaches of the Caribbean with the well-preserved colonial-style capital, excellent rum, and fish and seafood stewed in coconut milk. As well as Leonardo Castillo’s Charles Parker cigars. And Maria Estela’s clothes.

And Mama Luisa’s pasta. ]

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ππBruce Hillegeist: support for local development

grand parkway Written by Eliana Simonetti | Photos by Lia Lubambo/Lusco

Friday, June 21, 2013. Summer begins in the Northern Hemisphere. At 5 o’clock in the afternoon, in a small community called Woodlands, which is part of the metropolitan area of Houston, Texas, but 80 km from the city center, the temperature reaches 35°C. There is no wind, and the cloudless sky is light blue, almost transparent. Entire families start to gather in a small park on Market Street, bringing chairs, rugs and coolers. A group of boys turns on the sound equipment and provides the musical background for the event. People eat, dance and play ball. As the sun sets and the moon rises on the horizon, the atmosphere on Market Street is

relaxed. There is complete harmony among children, young people and seniors; among blonds, redheads, brunettes and people of Asian and African descent. This goes on until 9 pm, when the sun disappears and the families gather up their things and head home.

Some might think that this was a party held to celebrate the arrival of summer. But it was not.

Market Street is a gathering place every day of the week. Residents of Woodlands and the other seven towns that make up Greater Houston live in neighborhoods that resemble the private gated communities found in Brazil. They are the suburbs

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ππBuildings in downtown Houston: the most populous city in Texas, with 2 million inhabitants

of American cities. The homes are spacious, and adorned with manicured gardens. The streets are virtually empty. But that does not mean the residents are not sociable. Very much the opposite.

They take great pleasure in socializing in their community’s parks and plazas.

Houston is the most populous city in the state of Texas and the fourth most populous in the United States, with 2 million inhabitants. The metropolitan area of Greater Houston is the sixth largest in the country, with a population of about 5 million people whose annual income per person is over USD 20,000.

Most residents are middle class, upper middle class, or at the top of the wealth pyramid. They value quality of life, family living, and contact with nature and the outdoors. “Here we say that celebrities who want to appear in the social columns live in Dallas or Austin, two other major cities in Texas.

If you have money and want the good life, go live in Houston,” says Antonio Merritt, the administrator

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of David Wayne Hooks Airport, the private airport in the town of Spring, also in Greater Houston.

Founded in 1963, “Hooks” has six runways for small aircraft (up to 60 passenger jets), 200 hangars full of airplanes and helicopters, and a school for pilots. Who uses this airport? Actor Harrison Ford and investor Jim Robertson, for starters. But that is strictly hush hush.

The Lone Star State Spring is closer to Houston than Woodlands: about 32 km away. It has just over 50,000 residents. One corner of that town merits special attention. It is like an open air mall where all the stores are replicas of buildings from the days of the Wild West. Some of these shops give a better idea of what it means to be Texan. There are welcome signs for visitors - framed with barbed wire. And flags, lots of them, but not the Stars and Stripes.

They are the flag of Texas, with just one star. Texas is known as the Lone Star state.

Why? Well, just look back at its history. In addition to Native Americans, Spain, France, Mexico have occupied the region, which was war torn for nearly two centuries. In 1839, Texas became an independent republic whose president, Samuel Houston, was a military strategist who played a key role in the struggle against the Spaniards, Mexicans and French.

Sam Houston was a man of many parts. Born into a family of merchants, he lost his parents when he was a young man, quit school and refused to run his father’s business. Apparently, he had an adventurous spirit because he went to live near the territory of the Cherokee, who tended to ally with the Mexicans against any Europeans who came to settle near their lands. Sam learned the Cherokee nation’s language, habits and customs. He married a Native American woman and came to be regarded as part of the tribe. As a result, he obtained the Cherokees’ support in the Texan struggle for independence.

The port city of Houston was the capital of the Republic of Texas until 1840. The region’s economy developed, based mainly on ranching. A vast railway network ran through the state, which facilitated the settlement of the West. In 1845, Texas was annexed to the United States, becoming the 28th state to join the Union and flying the Lone Star flag. In a way, it kept its individuality.

Around that time, a group of German immigrants arrived in Houston. The Hillegeist family was among them. The Government of Texas gave

land to settlers who were willing to work it, and the Hillegeists wasted no time. They raised dairy cattle and established two fine ranches.

The first house the family built is still standing, but the three descendants of the first immigrants are no longer involved in dairy farming or ranching.

They recently sold their property to the State of Texas in a move aimed at boosting the region’s urban expansion and economic development. “I think we did an important thing by giving up our property to make room for and support local development,” argues Bruce Hillegeist, who is the President of the Chamber of Commerce of Tomball, another town in Greater Houston.

In 1901, oil was discovered in Texan soil.

Industry flourished, highways multiplied, and the ports gained importance. The capital of Texas at that point was Austin, but Houston remained rich and powerful. Tomball was born in 1907, growing up around a train station. Now it has just over 18,000 inhabitants in the central part of town most with average annual incomes of USD 35,000 to USD 50,000. It is part of the Texan “energy corridor,” thanks to the oil companies established there.

Currently, Baker Hughes is setting up a brand new training center for 66,000 workers in Tomball.

Not far away, ExxonMobil is building a plant that will employ more than 10,000 people, mostly engineers and researchers looking into new technologies. The real estate industry is booming because 2,000 houses are being built for ExxonMobil’s staff alone.

GRAND PARKWAY

Grand Parkway

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This is the most populou s city in Texas and the fourth largest in the United States, with 2 million inhabitants. It is home to the Texas Medical Center, which con tains the largest number of hospitals and medical research centers in the world. It is also the address of NASA’s mission control center, the Lyndon Johnson Space Center.

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H F–1

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Greater Houston is the sixth -largest metropolitan region in the US, with eight counties and nearly 5 milli on residents whose annual per capita income is over USD 20,000.

Swampland

Most of Houston is built on swampland, which explains the large number of interchanges in the city’s landscape. The stretches of the Grand Parkway that will be built by the Zachry-Odebrecht Park way Builders (ZOPB) joint venture – F1, F2 and G, as shown on the map – include areas whic h are just 13 meters above sea level.

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ππResidents relaxing in Market Street, a gathering place for young and old in Woodlands: snapshot of a lifestyle

In addition to a large industrial park (the city is second only to New York in terms of the number of headquarters of major corporations), Houston is home to the Texas Medical Center the largest complex of medical and research institutions in the world - and NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. In short, Houston exudes intelligence and wealth.

A unique lifestyle But this is Texas, and even in a commercial hub it is unusual to find men wearing suits and ties.

Those items of apparel hang in a corner of the office, worn only on special occasions. If the temperature in the city is as low as 7ºC or even as high as 35ºC, men will still be seen wearing boots, many adorned with spurs, as well as hats, plaid shirts and belts with large buckles adorned with the Lone

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Star emblem. “Here we stick to our traditions. We still close deals with a handshake. Contracts are just a formality,” says investor Jim Robertson, who divides his time between Woodlands and Toronto, Canada.

These are people with country roots who still enjoy close contact with the soil, the feeling of freedom and wide open spaces. That is why Houston does not grow vertically: the only office buildings are in the city center. It expands horizontally in concentric circles of suburbs adorned with spacious homes. Spreading out in that circular pattern, the city boasts several shopping and recreation facilities so families have easy access to everything they need. And everywhere you look there are parks, gardens, golf courses, and tennis and basketball courts for public use.

ππThe Jordan family (Heather and Stephen, with their children Angsly and Anthony): the certainty of a peaceful and ever easier life

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Generally speaking, residents of Greater Houston work from 8 am to 5 pm. Then the workday ends.

It’s time to go home and spend time with the family. Unlike other Americans, they actually cook dinner, the meal that brings parents and children together around the table. Not that Houston lacks all sorts of fast food outlets, but they don’t eat burgers and fries every day, which could explain why you hardly ever see obese people in that city. And Sunday is the day to go to church. Only one symbol competes with the Lone Star in Houston: the cross. Most Texans are observant Christians - 60% Catholic and 30% Protestant.

There is another maxim that is often heard in Houston: in the city, people replaced their horses with automobiles. Cars are the only means of transportation. There are no subways or regular

bus lines in the city. Even taxis are rare. And drivers cannot abide the idea of stopping at three traffic lights on the way between work and home. Because of that, the streets are wide, with few intersections and plenty of interchanges, giving the urban area a very unique, almost futuristic, look. Viewed from above, it resembles the rings of Saturn.

Third beltway becomes reality It is in this environment, for these people, that Odebrecht began working three years ago, looking for a way to carry out a long-standing plan that had been shelved: the construction of a third beltway around Houston to ease congestion and divert trucks from the city streets, enabling horizontal growth to spread and encouraging more economic development.

ππWoodlands: access to complete infrastructure for leisure, shopping and services

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ππArea where the Grand Parkway project is underway: helping reduce congestion by diverting truck traffic from the city

Odebrecht partnered up with the Zachry Construction Corporation, a local company with similar values. A family-owned construction company, it was founded 85 years ago. That is how Zachry-Odebrecht Parkway Builders (ZOPB) was born. In September 2012, bidding against seven competitors, including major US, Israeli and European companies, ZOPB won the contract to build, operate and maintain the three northernmost sections of the Grand Parkway, including electrical and drainage infrastructure and toll plazas. Initially, Zachry-Odebrecht will operate the highway for five years, a period that can be extended. “Odebrecht and Zachry are two companies with consistent, first-class cultures. Our working relationship has been very comfortable,” says Zachry Vice President Jorge Laris.

The sections under Zachry-Odebrecht’s responsibility total 61 km (including 26 km of bridges) and will be delivered within a period of 30 months, or 845 days, starting from March 22, 2013,

the date the contract was signed with the Texas Department of Transportation. Ground was broken on June 24, when the first earthmoving equipment got to work.

Married for 11 years, Stephen and Heather Jordan live in the part of Spring called Northcrest Village. They have two children: Angsly, 8, and Anthony, 3. Heather is a nurse, and Stephen is a business manager. The family lives in one of those homes that look like toy houses, where everything is in the right place. When it is ready, the Grand Parkway will be practically on their doorstep. Is that a problem? Not at all. “We are confident that everything around here will be as quiet as ever, and we will have a much easier life,” says Heather. According to her calculations, the 30 minutes it currently takes to drive to the clinic where she works will be reduced to 16 minutes. That is, considering the commute there and back, she will have 28 more minutes per day to spend with her children. ]

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C a m i n h o s

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ODEBRECHT HISTORICAL RESEARCH

CLARIVAL DO PRADO VALLADARES

PRIZE

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10

years

ENCOURAGING THE DISCOVERY AND PRESERVATION OF BRAZILIAN HERITAGE AND HISTORY FOR A DECADE Since 2003, the Odebrecht Historical Research Prize has supported the work of scholars whose research focuses on original subjects related to Brazilian history.

Every year, a research project is funded by the prize and the results are made available to the public in the form of a richly illustrated luxury volume.

That way, the Odebrecht Group helps value Brazil’s cultural heritage and preserve the nation’s memory for future generations.

/premioodebrechthistoria | www.odebrecht.com/pesquisahistorica

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A rg u m e n t

Affected or benefited? m a u ro

"IT IS IMPORTANT TO CONDUCT SOCIOECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES PRIOR TO BREAKING GROUND”

The spheres of influence of road works: are these regions affected or benefited? In the past, when a road project was built in a given region, it was said that it would be “affected” by it. However, based on the perception that they could add to the strengths of the communities in the areas of influence of the road works, that label was replaced with the “region benefited” by the new roadways.

Such regions benefit not only because roads ensure the presence of the state along their entire length, but also because of the socioeconomic development leveraged by the construction projects themselves. However, extra care is essential. A project’s direct environmental impact on its local communities can create irreversible problems if it is not carefully assessed and mitigated. It is important to conduct socioeconomic and environmental studies prior to breaking

h u e b

ground, as well as to partner up with the strategic associations in those regions. The ultimate goal is for the project and the community to engage in a cooperative effort so both can get the maximum possible benefit.

Recent experiences have shown very positive results.

The Acreditar (Believe) Ongoing Professional Education program is already an established benchmark initiative. It is a program aimed at recruiting local people and enabling them to acquire the job skills required to work in the construction industry. In addition to adding economic value to each project, the results of this program promote the socioeconomic development of the community in the vicinity of the construction site. In the past, mass immigration was inevitable because workers had to be brought in from other parts of the country to work on road projects, leading to social conflicts.

Another successful experience is the Via School Program, whose focus is on empowering people who live along the highway so they can coexist with the road in harmony and safety when it is fully operational.

In short, road works directly impact their local communities. Those impacts used to be negative – communities were affected. Today, they are positive – communities are benefited. ]

Mauro Hueb is the Leader of the Odebrecht Group’s Roadways Knowledge Community

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I N V E N T O R S

ALWAYS COMING UP WITH SOMETHING NEW THE WORK OF BRASKEM’S INVENTORS RESULTED IN 47 PATENT FILINGS IN 2012, ADDING UP TO A TOTAL OF 650 REGISTERED PATENTS Written by Mayara Thomazini | Photos by Ricardo Chaves (RS), Almir Bindilatti (BA) and Edgar Ishikawa (SP)

ππBárbara Mano and Antonio Quental: constant innovation and creativity

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When you develop something new that is a big hit on the market, you immediately think about protecting your invention to avoid the risk of having your product (intellectual or material) copied and exploited commercially without authority. By law, the solution is to apply for a grant that confers the exclusive right to make, use and sell that invention for a given period – in other words, a patent.

Braskem devotes special attention to the protection of its intellectual capital, and a demonstration of this was the creation in 2002 of the company’s Industrial Property (IP) program. “In addition to creating, the inventor also has the mission of disseminating the culture of protection of industrial property, setting an example so other company members will also make an official record of their inventions,” says Eneida Elias Berbare, the officer Responsible for Intellectual Property, Information and Knowledge Management, the area charged with supporting Braskem’s Innovation and Technology teams.

In 2012, Braskem made 47 patent applications, 17 of which were for new inventions. Thirty requested an extension of patents filed to protect inventions in previous years. As a result, the company reached the milestone of 650 patents filed in Brazil and abroad. At the forefront of this growth are 26 members responsible for inventions patented in 2012. As inventors, they belong to the team that is making a direct contribution to establishing Braskem as one of Brazil’s most innovative companies.

Innovation is one of the main ways Braskem manages to surprise and satisfy its clients, and therefore better people’s lives. Here are some of Braskem’s inventors in 2012, professionals who have innovated and made the difference.

Innovating at work and at home Antonio Morschbacker, the officer Responsible for Renewable Technologies, joined Braskem 21 years ago and is one of 26 members who filed patents in 2012. Along with three other members Avram Slovic, Paulo Coutinho and Mateus Schreiner - he developed a fermentation process for new products.

Morschbacker leads a team of 31 people whose work is focused on innovation in the areas of biotechnology and renewable processes. Part of this team’s work also involves safeguarding the technology for the company’s “green” ethylene plant at the Triunfo Petrochemical Complex in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. “Since the plant went online in 2010, we have introduced

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improvements that are making it increasingly competitive,” he says.

Moschbacker is not just innovative at the workplace. His favorite hobby is growing rare native fruits, some of which he tends in the greenhouse he has set up in his home. He also works with botanical gardens like the Plantarum in Nova Odessa, São Paulo, near the city of Campinas.

No set routine Antonio Carlos Quental, the Projects Coordinator on the Polymer Science team at the company’s Technology and Innovation Center in Triunfo, argues

ππAntonio Morschbacker: introducing improvements to boost competitiveness

that innovation is one of the pillars that guarantee Braskem’s perpetuity. “It serves as the basis for our sustainable growth and sets us apart. The need to innovate keeps up the creativity, agility and flexibility in the company’s culture.”

The innovation Quental developed in 2012 together with Marcelo Farah and Paula Azeredo, was conceived with the aim of improving the properties of a product family in Braskem’s portfolio known as impact copolymers. A chemist with a Masters and PhD in Physical Chemistry/Polymers from the State University at Campinas (Unicamp), and an eight-year member of Braskem, Quental works with

ππRita Marinho: “Liking what you do is essential”

outstanding people in environments where debate and discussion are the rule. “When you talk about the workday you might think it’s routine, but that is not my experience, because in our projects we are always breaking paradigms,” explains Quental. When he is not innovating at work, he likes to spend time with his family, especially playing with his six-yearold son Matheus.

Daily challenge Bárbara Mano is also a member of the Polymer Science team at Triunfo. She joined Braskem over three years ago and is responsible for the technical management of projects, seeking innovative solutions. In 2012, Bárbara filed patent applications for two inventions: one that improves the properties of the Symbios® family (a terpolymer of propylene, ethylene and butene developed for the sealing layer in coextruded film), and another that enhances the permeation properties of polyolefins. These innovations are the result of work done in conjunction with several other team members: Adair Rangel, Adriane Simanke, Ana Paula Azeredo, Cristóvão de Lemos, Fabiana Carvalho and Márcia Pires.

Exciting and challenging. That is how Bárbara describes her job. “Because I am part of an innovative team, I constantly refresh and update my knowledge by reading scientific papers, patents and press releases issued by the specialized media. It helps me do my work. I also plan experiments and conduct the critical analysis of experimental results to conduct the developments I manage,” she says.

Passionate about her job Rita Marino, an engineer who specializes in PVC Process Technology, is a 23-year Braskem member.

Her invention, developed as a team with Camilo Delfino, Mauro Oviedo, Lucas Polito and Lucas Horiuchi, was patented in 2012. It involves changing the mechanical properties of PVC, which enables new applications of the thermoplastic resin. Her responsibilities include developing new grades, replacing additives, ensuring product quality and developing new technologies and processes to make the plants more productive.

Rita says her day-to-day routine is very dynamic and interesting. In addition to her job at Braskem, she liaises with universities to develop projects, and works with Braskem’s international licensors. “Liking what you do is essential. I am very tuned into the innovations that come up in society, and I love to find new ways to reuse objects and find the most practical way of doing things at home,” says Rita. ]

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T E C H N O L O G Y A N D I NN O V A T I O N

THE PLACES WHERE IT ALL BEGINS BRASKEM’S TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION CENTERS ARE ENVIRONMENTS CHARACTERIZED BY PARTNERSHIP WITH CLIENTS AND THE PURSUIT OF TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES Written by Mayara Thomazini

Lighter, cleaner cars and resistant, sustainable and even smart packaging; more comfortable shoes with better quality. The list is already long, but it still has quite a way to go. In 2012, Braskem launched 28 new products - the result of an innovation strategy based on the development of new technologies. In addition to growing the company’s portfolio, this effort has also increased sales. For example, 18% of polyolefin sales came from products launched in the last three years.

“To ensure that examples like these become increasingly common and help improve the quality of life of millions of consumers around the world, Braskem constantly invests in innovation.

In 2012 alone, our research investments totaled BRL 188 million,” observes Patrick Teyssonneyre, the officer Responsible for Innovation and Technology at Braskem’s Polyolefins Unit.

To make steady progress in this field, the company has teams in place in Brazil, the United States and Europe who are working in harmony with its two Technology and Innovation Centers, located in Triunfo, in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the USA. All told, Braskem has 24 innovation labs, eight pilot plants (facilities where new products, applications and processes are tested) and a team of 330 professionals.

A decade of innovation Braskem’s Technology and Innovation Center at Triunfo celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2012, and is now firmly established as one of the most advanced facilities of its kind in Latin America. “In the last decade, Braskem has added

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a great deal of technology to its products, bolstered its portfolio with new developments, and brought in new products and technologies arising from acquisitions of companies and assets made during that period,” says Patrick.

Comprised of 11 laboratories staffed with teams of chemists and chemical, plastics and materials engineers, the center has received over 5,300 visitors from 22 countries. They include clients, suppliers, students, and representatives of government agencies and financial institutions. Clients represent about 50% of the center’s 100 monthly visitors.

“Our clients want to get a first-hand look at the analytical methods applicable to polymers and often ask us to help them conduct analyses of materials characterization and development testing, and provide evidence of compliance with legal or regulatory standards,” says Nércio Hexsel, the officer Responsible for the Technology and Innovation Center’s labs.

Teaming up with clients to develop products has resulted in constant innovation, effective solutions, technological advances, increased competitiveness, and market expansion, ensuring that the final beneficiaries – the public – enjoy more comfort and convenience in their daily lives. During its first decade of operation, the center has celebrated several important milestones, including the development, at the pilot scale, of the world’s first “green” propylene and polypropylene. Another is the Maxio product line. Made from polypropylene and polyethylene resins, it benefits clients by reducing power consumption, producing lighter products and increasing productivity.

Odebrecht Archives

ππBraskem member at work at the Technology and Innovation Center in Triunfo: marking 10 years of operations in 2012

Using cutting-edge equipment operated with high-accuracy metrology, the center participates in several inter-laboratory programs organized in conjunction with leading international agencies.

“Our Technology and Innovation Center is one of the key differentiators for Braskem, setting it apart from the players in the polymer market in

Brazil and Latin America," stresses Nércio Hexsel.

“We work with a focus on developing new materials and providing support to our clients, enabling access to all 380 existing analytical methods. The goal, therefore, is to maximize the use of Braskem’s plastic resins in manufacturing processes,” he adds. ]

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I N T E R V I E W

LEADER OF NEW AND OLD SALTS ROBERTO RAMOS, FROM ODEBRECHT ÓLEO E GÁS Written by Cláudio Lovato Filho | Photo by Américo Vermelho

Roberto Ramos is always thinking about the past and future. But this has nothing to do with nostalgia, nor with excessive projections or hyper-anxiety. The past to which he dedicates himself on a daily basis is the experience that teaches us lessons and therefore qualifies the present. And the future is the one whose seeds are being planted today, through young people’s drive and capacity to learn from co-workers from other generations. It is therefore fair to say that, for Roberto Ramos, a company’s performance is a permanently extended present. Like life itself. The Entrepreneurial Leader (CEO) of Odebrecht Óleo e Gás (Oil & Gas), Roberto Prisco Paraíso Ramos, 66, holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Federal University at Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), his home state. In this interview, he discusses the combination of experienced and qualified “old salts” (as he affectionately calls the more mature members) and highly educated young professionals. He underscores the investments Odebrecht Óleo e Gás has made since 2006 (the year of its creation, or recreation, since the company’s origins date back to Odebrecht Perfurações Ltda., OPL, created in 1979) and gives the reader an overview of the Brazilian oil and gas industry.

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Brazil is expected to become a major global player in pre-salt oil exploration in this decade. How would you describe the current state of the Brazilian oil industry? What is changing in Brazil in this sector?

Brazil has a very ambitious plan to increase production. The country wants to reach 4.2 million barrels per year by 2020. It’s a huge challenge that the President of Petrobras, Graça Foster, is overcoming in a way that is well suited to the present situation.

Production is dwindling in the main fields, and Petrobras needs new projects. The Brazilian government is encouraging the achievement of audacious goals, with the strong participation of domestic industry.

The challenges include a shortage of skilled labor and the difficulty that suppliers are having to meet the demands at the required pace. The country is growing at breakneck speed, and companies are still striving to achieve excellence goals, although those that are associated with Petrobras and Odebrecht are all top of the line. Overcoming the challenge of qualifying people involves organizing educational programs. Here at Odebrecht Óleo e Gás we have the Embarcar (Embark) Program, which is an adaptation of Acreditar [the Group’s Ongoing Professional Education Program] to the realities of our industry. ππWhat are Odebrecht Óleo e Gás’s main contributions to enabling Brazil to overcome these challenges and achieve the desired new level?

Between 2006 and early 2013, Odebrecht Óleo e Gás built seven deepwater drilling rigs for Petrobras.

Our company has the world’s fifth-largest deepwater drilling fleet, including the pre-salt area [see box on page 54]. We are operating an additional FPSO [floating production, storage and offloading unit] for the first time in Brazil, and building two more pipelaying support vessels, or PLSVs, as they are known in the market. We are the only Brazilian company that operates in the subsea construction segment. We have invested a total of USD 5.5 billion over the course of six years. ππAnd how does the client Petrobras, with which Odebrecht has a historic and prolific relationship, view these efforts?

I think a fairly recent episode can give you a good idea. Yesterday [June 20], the President of Petrobras, Graça Foster, visited the drillship Norbe IX [capable of operating at a maximum water depth of 3,000 m and drilling wells up to 10,000 m deep] in the Campos Basin. That, in and of itself, showed that we are on the right track, because it was the only platform she visited. The president showered praise all the time she

was on board. Thanks to our long history and track record in this enduring business relationship, Petrobras knows that Odebrecht delivers the projects it was contracted to build without fail, and that we guarantee performance. Above all, Petrobras realizes that Odebrecht has a corporate culture that sets us apart, makes people enjoy working at our company and, consequently, ensures that they are always motivated to give their clients the best possible service.

“TODAY WE ARE AT THE CUTTING EDGE OF TECHNOLOGY. AND OUR CHALLENGE AS SUPPLIERS IS TO STAY THERE”

ππBut Petrobras has also given our units good (actually excellent) ratings, isn’t that true?

Yes, it is. We are very happy about that too. The ODN II [capable of operating at a maximum depth of 3,000 m and drilling wells up to 10,000 m] has received a grade of “10” twice now, and a grade of “9.9” another two times from Petrobras’s inspectors, who assess everything from operations per se to the workers' accommodations, including the food served on board and cleaning products used. The average grade we’ve received in these assessments is “9.” For Petrobras, which is an extremely rigorous and demanding client, a “9” means that you have achieved excellence. A “10” means we can understand that an operation is flawless.

This makes us very proud and encourages us to get even better results, always. ππTechnological development is a priority that can be verified during the day-to-day operations of Odebrecht Óleo e Gás teams. To what extent does providing services to demanding clients and partnerships with major international companies contribute in this regard?

Offshore oil exploration began in the 1960s, with the United States operating in the Gulf of Mexico and Great Britain in the North Sea. In Brazil, the search for offshore oil began in the 1970s, in shallow waters with a depth of up to 300 meters. In 1979, Odebrecht Perfurações Ltda. (OPL) became the first private Brazilian company to drill oil wells. In the mid-1980s,

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this country began to explore for oil in what was then considered deep water, at depths of up to 500 meters.

In the late 1980s, we started exploring at a depth of one thousand meters. Anchored rigs, which could operate at depths of up to 600 m, began to give way to more advanced semi-submersibles, which can drill at a thousand meters with much greater precision. In the 1990s, the water depth reached 1,500 meters, and in the 2000s, Brazil began exploring for oil at depths of over 2,000 meters. Those were already considered ultradeep waters. In the middle of that decade, we reached 3,000 meters. Those were giant leaps! We went from using mechanical and electrical operating systems to fully computerized systems. Today we are at the cutting edge of technology. And our challenge as suppliers is to stay there. Of course, Petrobras has always encouraged its partners to develop technology.

That’s how it should be, because the oil supply chain is long and based on technology. Without a doubt, serving clients like Petrobras, as well as Shell, Statoil, Total and ConocoPhillips, and partnering with leading companies in the global market with extensive technological expertise, such as Teekay and Technip, are very important factors for our development. ππHow is the extensive track record the Group’s teams have built up in the industry since the days of OPL important for the continued growth of Odebrecht Óleo e Gás? And how is the know-how and experience of the more seasoned members being balanced with the new knowledge brought in by younger members?

Here at Odebrecht Óleo e Gás we have experienced members who are committed to staying up to date.

Working in the oil and gas industry is a high-risk activity. We cannot do without experienced people.

The safety of our operations is paramount. And if experience means safety, then experience is paramount. We have professionals who have been with us for a long time, but there are also people who, despite being experienced in the profession, are new to the organization. They need to be acculturated. That is one of the challenges we face. On the other hand, we have young members who are well prepared academically, but need to develop the coolness and composure they can only get from experience when dealing with all kinds of situations that can arise during offshore operations. Therefore, our strategy is to combine experience with new knowledge brought in by our younger members. And when I say “combine,” I mean put it into practice on a daily basis. We have mentors in the company, in other words, mature members, or “old salts,” who are responsible for grooming

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young partners. This is part of our Embarcar Program. Depending on the program he leads, a seasoned professional will mentor one to four young people on a daily basis. The idea is to combine the up-to-date experience of mature professionals with the excellent education of younger people. ]

Odebrecht Óleo e Gás • Odebrecht Óleo e Gás provides integrated solutions for the upstream oil and gas industry (the part of the supply chain that precedes refining) in Brazil, and engages in cross-cutting operations with other Odebrecht companies in Angola, Venezuela, Argentina and Mexico.

• Odebrecht Óleo e Gás operates in six areas: offshore drilling, subsea construction, offshore production and logistics, offshore maintenance and services, E&P (Exploration and Production) management services, and specialized well services.

• Odebrecht Óleo e Gás’s fleet is made up of three semisubmersible platforms (Norbe VI, and ODN Delba III and ODN Tay IV), four drillships (Norbe VIII, Norbe IX, ODN I and ODN II), two FPSOs, the North Sea Producer (operating in the North Sea) and the Cidade de Itajaí (operating in the Santos Basin), as well as two PLSVs under construction, with start-up scheduled for 2014 and 2015.

• In 2012, Odebrecht Óleo e Gás partnered up with the Sete Brasil company to manage construction of five drilling units, including four drillships that will be built at Odebrecht’s Estaleiro Enseada do Paraguaçu (EEP) shipyard, and later operated by Odebrecht Óleo e Gás.

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ππAccessories made with piassava coconut shells in Nilo Peçanha, Bahia

S C I E N C E

FRAGMENTS OF LIFE AND WORK A TEAM OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS IS RETRIEVING ARTIFACTS IN THE VICINITY OF THE SANTO ANTÔNIO DAM Written by Francisco Ornellas | Photos by Ricardo de Sagebin

ππ Juliana Santi (top) and the UNIR Archaeology Department: transferring knowledge

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Her eyes shine with the certainty of someone who has made the right decisions in life. Four years ago, while studying for a PhD in Archaeology at the University of São Paulo (USP), after obtaining a BA in History from the University of Santa Maria (UFSM) in her home state of Rio Grande do Sul, Juliana Rossato Santi arrived in the city of Porto Velho. There, in the state capital of Rondônia, she joined the team of 85 people (including 20 archaeologists) that was responsible for retrieving archaeological artifacts in the vicinity of the Santo Antônio Dam, a project being built under the management of the Santo Antônio Energia Concessionaire, an Odebrecht subsidiary.

Their mission is almost complete. The prospecting phase enabled the Brazilian company Scientia Consultoria Científica to scour the entire area of the construction site and collect fragments that scientific methods have dated to 7,000 years before 1950 (conventionally known as “year zero” for that purpose).

The archaeologists marked off dig sites where they excavated up to 1.20 m, collecting more than 100,000 items including pottery shards and polished and engraved rock. Then they reached the point where the conventional method is used – covering each item with cloth and recording it– and finally, they employed a new method brought in from Portugal by the Dryas Arqueologia company. A laser scanner transmits a beam that measures 900,000 points/second to permit 360-degree photogrammetry with such precision that no detail escapes, even in the smallest object.

A four-year member of Santo Antônio Energia, Ricardo Ferreira, 54, follows the work with a watchful, almost fatherly eye. Born in the northwestern Brazilian state of Acre, he coordinates Environmental Conservation in the areas of Archaeology and Palaeontology and listens to the reports of the achievements of young Juliana, 33, and Suzana Zuse, 29 (she is from the same state as Juliana, and, like her, has a BA in History from UFSM. She is studying for an MA in Archaeology at USP).

Ricardo moved to Porto Velho 33 years ago.

“Without a doubt, the people ‘from here’ are very enthusiastic about the changes generated by the Santo Antônio Dam,” he says. Those changes began taking place during the construction phase and are being perpetuated by projects like the one he coordinates. Working assuredly in the spaces between the labs and the offices that once housed them, they are now transferring the entire collection to the Federal University at Rondônia (UNIR).

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ππArtifacts found in the archaeological sites on the Madeira River: Carbon-14 dating was used to determine the age of the pottery shards

Benefits for academia Both Juliana and Suzana have good reason to celebrate: they are now tenured professors at the UNIR Archaeology Department, thanks to the project they helped carry out. Its legacy will be the entire collection of artifacts. The archaeologists will be able to keep the program going at the university, while transferring their knowledge and experience, thereby helping to preserve the region’s prehistoric and historic heritage.

Surrounded by shelves stacked in the labs of the building that once housed the archaeology teams, their job now is to pack up thousands of fragments, screens of all sizes, a few intact vessels and dozens of bottles of various capacities.

All this is the result of the patience that characterizes professionals like these women. It all started on the banks of the Madeira River, in areas that are only accessible in the dry season.

Following the patterns of human settlement, they took samples and marked off areas for excavation.

The dig sites were set 20 m apart. They excavated the area, photographed their finds, wrapped them up and took everything to the lab. There, they washed, sorted and analyzed each item. Using the Carbon-14 method, they were able to date their finds scientifically. They found artifacts created 7,000, 4,000, 2,000 and 500 years ago (before

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1950). An archaeological concept developed in the 1940s, C-14 dating makes it possible to use chemical analysis to determine the age of most of the fragments and objects found on the planet.

The bottles are a special case.

Although they are much more recent (100 years old, according to C-14 dating), most of these items were found at the Santo Antônio site, the original urban center of Porto Velho, 7.5 km from the current center of town. The bottles hold a quarter of a liter. Most are greenish and made of thick glass.

Smaller ones bear inscriptions indicating that they contained cosmetics used by the workers who laid the first tracks for the Madeira-Mamore Railroad.

At this point, archaeological recovery meets historic preservation. As the steward of sustainability programs for the Madeira-Mamore Railroad, Alexandre Queiroz is responsible for that area’s interaction with the community. He collects physical evidence of numerous achievements, such as the urban development around the chapel (where the archaeologists found the bottles) and the establishment of the Indigenous Cultural Center on the Santo Antônio site. In Porto Velho, Queiroz is pleased to see that the restoration of the old rail yard is well underway. And he can already glimpse the future: tourist trains riding the rails on the first kilometers of the adventure that characterized the historic railway. ]

IDEAS

LINKED TO THE HIGHWAY Written by Emanuella Sombra

A chip installed in their vehicles allows drivers to pay tolls without stopping at a toll plaza.

This technology is already well known, but Brazilian motorists can now make driving even more practical with ConectCar. This new electronic payment system is more advantageous than its main competitors for two reasons: first, it works through a prepaid system and does not charge monthly fees, and second, the transponder can be purchased at any Ipiranga service station at a much lower cost than similar devices.

Created by Odebrecht TransPort in partnership with Ipiranga, ConectCar went into operation in April. Its technology enables the system to send a text message to clients’ cell phones whenever they recharge the device, as well as allowing them to exchange credits for fuel. “For people who don’t drive that often, this is a much more economical option than the competition’s,” explains João Cumerlato, CEO of ConectCar. The system can also be used to pay for parking in some malls and shopping centers in São Paulo City. By the end of the year, it will be available at more than 100 business establishments. On the road, 20 concession companies have already adopted this new model.

CAN DO

IN REAL TIME

Good ideas can arise (and often do) from the inconveniences of daily life. A Braskem proposal, made in partnership with the Companhia Brasileira de Embalagens packaging firm, solves a common dilemma for beer drinkers: how can they stop the beer from being contaminated when it comes into contact with the outside of the can? Approved in lab tests by institutes in Brazil and France, a plastic seal protects the top of the can and keeps the surface perfectly clean. The seal is applied to the cans after they have gone through the process of washing and drying, and ensures that they are safe, clean and ready for use at any time. This innovation, which is also eco-friendly because it uses recyclable raw materials, reached Brazilian supermarkets in June. The first brand to adopt the seal was Cervejaria Colônia.

Panels that issue alerts in real time and enable fast decisions.

To improve export processes, Odebrecht Logística e Exportação (Odebrecht Logistics and Export; Olex) has introduced the Warehouse Management System (WMS) to streamline logistics from the receipt of orders from suppliers to delivery of goods at the ports of Santos, SP, and Rio de Janeiro and their subsequent shipment. This system also detects problems and enables immediate solutions. ]

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LIFE ON THE JOBSITE

HOW TO ENJOY YOUR WORK

Texto Luiz Carlos | Foto Edu Simões

INNOVATIVE MEASURES AT THE TELES PIRES DAM JOBSITE FOCUS ON WORKERS’ WELL-BEING

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Written by João Paulo Carvalho | Photos by Bruna Romaro

It’s really a construction site, but feel free to call it a town. The infrastructure set up to house the members who are working on the construction of the Teles Pires hydroelectric plant, which Odebrecht Infraestrutura (Infrastructure) is building on the border of two states, Mato Grosso and Pará, leaves nothing to be desired in comparison to many rural Brazilian towns. About 5,000 people are currently enjoying the facilities installed in a 55,000 m² area to foster the greatest possible unity and fraternization among its residents.

The structure in itself is enough to keep anyone happy, even if they are hyperactive. In addition to the 1,488 bedrooms – each with cable TV and air conditioning – there are plenty of places to go for entertainment. As of 9 a.m., these facilities are ready for the arrival of the first people looking to have some fun. They can start the day by playing on one of three soccer pitches (with natural grass on the official size pitch, and synthetic grass on the other two – the only ones within a radius of 300 km). The workers hold championships there, and the winners are awarded prizes. For those who do not enjoy a friendly outdoor soccer game, there are plenty of indoor options. The game room is equipped with pool and ping-pong tables, and people can also play dominoes, checkers and foosball.

For those who prefer hi-tech toys, there are several Playstation games available. A theater seating 150 people, with a popcorn stand at the entrance, shows movies every night, most of them ordered by the workers themselves. Action films and comedies are their favorite genres. After the movie, how about going to the pizzeria or stopping at the diner with friends?

Then, to cap off the day, you have the option of stopping at an Internet cafe to check your emails or making some quick purchases at the shops – they sell everything from batteries and chocolate to clothes and cell phone accessories. But some may decide to stop and pray at the ecumenical chapel, which embraces people of all faiths on an equal basis.

To ensure that these facilities run smoothly, in addition to the people responsible for the maintenance of physical spaces, volunteers play an

ππParty night at the Teles Pires jobsite: enjoying life in the demanding and challenging environment of a major engineering and construction project

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ππEdvaldo Freire: his work begins when members arrive at the jobsite

indispensable role. There are eight of them at the moment. The leader of this team is Edvaldo Freire.

A native of Serra Talhada, Pernambuco, he is a kind of MC and entertainer who also doubles as a radio and TV presenter. You hear his voice coming from the speakers installed around the jobsite and at events held at the band shell, a facility equipped with a stage, dance floor and bleachers specially designed for the parties and festivities held at the jobsite.

Freire is responsible for the Worker Quality of Life Program, and this is not the first time he has had that task. He was responsible for implementing similar programs at the Irapé Dam project in Minas Gerais in 2002, at the Odebrecht Engenharia Industrial jobsite in São Roque do Paraguaçu, Bahia, in 2005, and the Onça Puma Mining Project in Ourilândia do Norte, Pará, in 2007.

“People need to be won over” “Here at Teles Pires, the big news is Viva+ TV. It’s my favorite. We’re all learning how it works,” says Freire. Viva+ (Live More) TV is an internal channel that broadcasts programs produced at the jobsite by volunteers. The content is varied, featuring interviews about workplace health and safety and in-house activities like the St. John’s Day festivities, which the Odebrecht Informa team was lucky enough to experience.

The TV station has a studio, digital cameras and computers with professional editing programs. “The thing I like best is being able to do a little bit of everything I’ve done on all the jobsites I’ve worked on before, learning and teaching more and more. What I

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do here is part of an awareness campaign that starts when each member arrives. People have to be won over, and if you treat them as equals, the relationship starts out on the right footing and stays that way,” Freire observes.

The work that he and his team are doing has a direct impact on people like Hélio Ferreira Lima, a technical assistant who is working at the jobsite along with several family members – two of his children, two in-laws and a nephew. “Here we have good working conditions and personal and professional development. If you want to grow, you’ll always find an opportunity,” says Hélio, who has worked on Odebrecht construction projects since 1985.

According to the Project Director, Antônio Augusto Castro Santos, facilities like the ones provided at Teles Pires set the project apart because they encourage harmony and productivity. “As our TEO [Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology] clearly states, the most important thing is respect for human beings. We need to ensure that people are happy and motivated, so we invest in quality of life for our workers,” he stresses. “We invited an architect to design this place. The goal was to bring in someone with a different outlook that could further humanize the environment where we will be living for a long time until the project is completed,” he adds.

All this well-being is reflected in the progress of the Teles Pires project, which has never experienced a strike, and celebrated an important milestone on June 6: the diversion of the Teles Pires River and the completion of 49% of the project, which will be delivered by July 2015. ]

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ππKayaker Christian Fuchs in Nazaré Paulista, São Paulo, in the vicinity of the D. Pedro I Corridor

LOGISTICS

ππOdebrecht Agroindustrial’s logistics team: from left, Evandro Pizeta, Luciano Pereira, Gabriel Salgado, Cristiane Pereira, Felipe Vendramin, Guilherme Schwab, Luciana da Cruz, Ricardo Levy, Leonardo Finoti, Kelli Kor Kamp, Edelson de Castro and Paulo Vivan

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FROM THE CANE FIELD TO THE SERVICE STATION A COMPLEX OPERATION IS PLANNED AND EXECUTED TO ENSURE THAT ODEBRECHT AGROINDUSTRIAL’S ETHANOL AND SUGAR REACH THEIR DESTINATIONS Written by Guilherme Bourroul | Photos by Ricardo Teles

Odebrecht Agroindustrial’s nine units are located in four Brazilian states, but most of its ethanol and sugar output comes from the Mid-West.

It takes a complex logistical operation to ensure that the company’s products reach their destinations. The work begins before the production process starts, with the transportation of thousands of sugarcane seedlings for planting.

On average, the cane is ready for harvesting 18 months later, when it is taken to the production unit. For the company, the Cutting, Loading and Transporting operation (CCT in Portuguese) is the target of a major investment in skilled people and equipment.

Sugarcane harvested at the agricultural fronts has to be delivered to the unit for processing to produce ethanol, sugar and electricity from biomass on the same day – preferably the same shift. Because it is perishable, the harvested cane cannot be stored. The logistics must be quick and precise, because it directly impacts the results.

To ensure excellent service and optimize costs, all of Odebrecht Agroindustrial's agricultural fronts use logistics software that minimizes the impact of a shortage of raw materials at the processing plants. “Automation allows us to obtain data on agricultural processes reliably and in real time, as well as increasing efficiency in cost control and decision-making in a way that is concomitant with our operations,” says Otávio Fonseca, from the Odebrecht Agroindustrial Internal Logistics and Agricultural Assets program.

Every year, during the off season between January and March, the agricultural managers

project production and raw materials requirements for the next harvest. “Each unit agrees on the milling plan that will be carried out during harvesting. The goal is to harvest the cane and supply the plant non-stop, 24 hours a day, as long as there are machines available and the weather is good,” adds Otávio.

Odebrecht Agroindustrial currently uses 281 cane harvesters and 562 transshipment vehicles, including tractors and trucks, in its harvesting operations. All told, the company owns 77% of its equipment and rents the remaining 23%. The operation is seamless: throughout the day, each sugarcane truck makes four to eight trips between the fields and the production unit. “It’s a highly synchronized process," concludes Otávio.

Infrastructure team To provide support for its logistics operations, Odebrecht Agroindustrial’s infrastructure team takes care of the construction and maintenance of roads, bridges and other improvements required to ensure the viability of the operation and the safety of the company’s members.

“We make the adaptations needed to transport the raw material. Our investments are based on the requirements of the company’s production centers, which interface with the agricultural area to prioritize construction works,” explains Marcos Alves, the officer Responsible for Engineering and Deployment at the São Paulo and Goiás Hubs.

Last season alone, the company invested nearly BRL 75 million in improvements. “The more we expand the cane fields and identify

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Odebrecht Archives

opportunities to improve the roads that lead to our units, the more we need to invest in infrastructure,” says Marcos.

Transporting ethanol and sugar To optimize the mix of production, storage and sales of its products, Odebrecht Agroindustrial’s Planning team determines the best sales and shipment curve for each month on the basis of the plants’ projected production, the Commercial Program’s projected prices, storage capacity, sales (contract and spot) and the cost of services.

The company currently uses road and rail transport to ship the ethanol and sugar produced at each unit. Odebrecht Agroindustrial is responsible for the largest rail shipments of ethanol in Brazil. The fulfillment of its commitment to clients to deliver the product safely, on time and with a competitive cost is assured by the Logistics team, which is responsible for planning and consolidating the operations of the company’s bases, terminals and logistics modes.

According to Ricardo Levy, the officer Responsible for Planning, Logistics and Energy, a computerized system helps determine which unit will fulfill each commercial contract signed, and the exact time when the company should

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warehouse or sell products on the spot market (immediate delivery and payment), which represents about 40% of sales. “We have a system in place that compares the price curve with the freight curve. Everything that reduces the cost of logistics is a competitive edge,” says Ricardo.

Safe Shipment The challenge for the Logistics area is to deliver products on time and safely, for a good price, all the time. The company complies with all transport standards and is currently developing the Safe Shipment project, whose goal is to minimize the risks for Odebrecht Agroindustrial, the carrier and other stakeholders, while ensuring significant gains in productivity. An important part of this project is the automated ethanol shipment system, which will be initially deployed at two units, Alto Taquari in Mato Grosso (Taquari Hub), and Santa Luzia, in Mato Grosso do Sul (Mato Grosso do Sul Hub), by September.

This BRL 16-million system measures the flow rate between the unit and the tank, which is equipped with radar that measures the amount of product loaded for shipment. “Everything that comes out of the system is measured. There is some evaporation loss, but it is not that significant,” says Ricardo Levy.

Odebrecht Archives Odebrecht Archives

ππCane field, industrial unit and ethanol loading station: the next stop is the service station

In May, Odebrecht Agroindustrial opened an ethanol terminal in Paulínea, São Paulo, which focuses on the spot market. “The terminal has a high-capacity rail station to receive shipments and is strategically located in Brazil’s largest fuel hub, near the main consumer market,” says Ricardo.

The company began exporting ethanol to the United States in 2012. In this case, the product is shipped by road to the port of Santos, São Paulo, and by rail to the port of Paranaguá, Paraná, and tank ships carry it to its final destination. In the case of sugar, 90% of exports are shipped through a multimodal (road and rail) operation from Paranaguá to Asia, the Middle East and Europe, and 10% by road, to Uruguay. ]

Logum and the “ethanolduct” Created in 2011, Logum Logística is yet another symbol of the cross-cutting synergy between Odebrecht companies.

Responsible for operating an ethanol logistics system that has the major advantage of using pipelines that will total 1,300 km in length and a waterway on the Tietê and Paraná rivers, Logum has six partners: Odebrecht TransPort, Petrobras, Copersucar, Raízen, Camargo Corrêa and Uniduto, an association of 52 plants.

The deployment of this system, which is scheduled for completion by 2016, will service 100% of Odebrecht Agroindustrial’s units, enabling the shipment of most of their ethanol production. “When our operation matures, we estimate that around BRL 300 million will be spent on logistics per harvest. Thanks to Logum, we should reduce our costs significantly, which is critical for a commodity business,” says Ricardo Levy.

Odebrecht Agroindustrial expects to expedite about 2 billion liters through Logum. During the 2014-15 harvest season, the company will make significant use of the pipeline. In Ricardo’s assessment: “We will have what it takes to stay competitive, grow and perpetuate our business.”

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PETROCHEMICALS

ππPedro Boscolo and Amauri Silva: growing along with the company

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A TALE OF TWO PIONEERS AS ITS PLANTS IN PAULÍNIA AND MAUÁ RESPECTIVELY MARK 5 AND 10 YEARS OF OPERATIONS, BRASKEM INVESTS IN TECHNOLOGY TO BOOST PRODUCTION Written by Fabiana Cabral | Photos by Holanda Cavalcanti

Fifteen years ago, chemical engineer Maurício Britto got his first job opportunity at the Triunfo Petrochemical Complex in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Ten years later, in March 2008, he moved to São Paulo State for a fresh start: working on the start-up of the new Braskem polypropylene plant in Paulínia, the PP 3 PLN unit. “It was a huge challenge,” he recalls.

“Challenge” is also a word that describes the beginning of the career of Mateus Bacochina, which he experienced at the PP 3 PLN unit. “Everything was a first for me.”

After 20 months of construction by Odebrecht, Braskem’s first greenfield project went online on April 23, 2008. “Its location is strategic, because we are close to the Petrobras unit that provides 80% of our raw materials through pipelines, and our clients’ factories in the ‘heart’ of São Paulo State,” says Maurício, the unit’s Production Manager.

Eduardo Konrath was one of the operators transferred from Triunfo, in his home state, to Paulínia. A 25-year member of the Group, he views participating in the plant’s construction and commissioning as a rare opportunity: “I learned a lot from working with people from different areas, and had the chance to ‘take the equipment out of the box’ and inspect it before installation.”

During the five years that have elapsed since then, the PP 3 PLN unit’s production has increased to keep pace with the polypropylene market, which is growing at a rate of 6% to 8%

per year. The thermoplastic resin is used to make a range of products, such as packaging, auto parts, toys and appliances. Its multiple applications enable cost savings and competitive advantages.

The unit’s output rose from 90,000 metric tons in the first year to 330,000 t in 2012.

According to Maurício Britto, it is expected to reach 450,000 t/year by 2015 thanks to investments in new technologies and equipment. “We can only break production records with the help of qualified teams,” he stresses.

Members from three generations are working in Paulínia. The first generation, which came from Triunfo, includes veterans with more than 25 years’ experience. The second is made up of local residents with 15-year careers, on average, followed by young talent, with an average age of 25. They honed their skills by taking part in the Operator Education Program, a Braskem initiative carried out in partnership with the National Industrial Education Service (SENAI) that focuses on grooming petrochemical industry professionals. “We have also developed courses that enable more experienced members to transfer knowledge to newly hired young people,” says Maurício.

Mateus Bacochina is a graduate of that program. He saw Braskem as an opportunity to get his first job after obtaining a technical certificate in Chemistry. He underwent a lengthy process, including lectures, assessments, classes and tests at Triunfo, before he was eventually hired.

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ππFrom left: Eduardo Konrath, Mateus Bacochina and Maurício Britto, in Paulínia: innovations, challenges and experience

“I participated in the start-up of the plant and changed my major from Mechanical Engineering to Chemical Engineering,” he explains. Mateus graduated in December 2012, and became a Production Planning Analyst in March 2013.

From Paulínia to Mauá “I remember when there were wooden benches in the reception area. That’s how it all started,” says Amauri Silva, who has worked at the PP 4 ABC unit in Mauá, São Paulo, for 36 years.

In 1977, at the age of 21, he saw a newspaper ad for machinists. “I said ‘that’s me’, and today I’m grateful for the opportunity that I embraced,” he says. A leader in the Maintenance area, Amauri observes: “When the company grows, we grow along with it.”

He took part in the start-up of the first polypropylene plant in Latin America on May 19, 1978. Based on the slurry technology – which used solvent in production – its initial capacity was 60,000 t/year. “The months leading up to the start-up of the plant involved a lot of hard work and research so the operation would go smoothly,” recalls the operator Luiz Antônio Martins, who has also worked at the PP 4 ABC unit for 36 years.

In 1985, chemical engineer Pedro Boscolo joined the plant’s team with the goal of reducing

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costs and boosting productivity. Thanks to the installation of a cooling unit for propylene (the raw material for making polypropylene), the unit’s capacity reached 130,000 t/year. “The PP 4 ABC unit needed to modernize to keep pace with the growing market and the increased number of clients,” he says.

After working on other programs for a few years, Pedro returned to Mauá in 2006 to help deploy the Sheripol technology that had just been introduced to turn propylene into polypropylene through the polymerization process (it is also used at Braskem’s other polypropylene plants).

“In 2003, the old plant was demolished and a new, more advanced facility went online right next door. It was built on the adjoining lot before the original unit was deactivated,” he recalls.

The plant’s capacity jumped from 130,000 to 300,000 t/year. In 2006, it reached 360,000 t/ year, and by 2008 it was 450,000 t/year. “We made a massive investment, and we have almost maxed out our production capacity,” says Pedro, who concludes: “Our challenge is to maintain the recognition of this performance, both internally and externally, while grooming a new generation of members endowed with expertise and creativity, and making ever greater efforts to increase the excellence of our operations. And we must do all that with a sustainable outlook.” ]

Odebrecht informa

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F O L K S

Written by Eliana Simonetti

FAMILY

José Cláudio Daltro was born in the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia, and is married to Mara, a southerner from Rio Grande do Sul. Catarina, the couple’s eldest daughter, was born in São Paulo and has lived in Caracas, Venezuela, since she was 4. José Cláudio Filho, 14, was born in Pernambuco, Brazil, and arrived in Caracas when he was 6 months old. The officer Responsible for Administration, Finance and Planning at Odebrecht Venezuela for 13 years, José Cláudio has also lived in Peru, Argentina and Chile.

He teaches his children that diversity and multiculturalism enrich their lives.

“You’ve got to love the place where you are and get to know its people and their culture, because contact with them results in experiences that make our family stronger.”

Arquivo pessoal

Fortifying experiences

ππJosé Cláudio: “You’ve got to love the place where you are”

TRAVEL

Ed Araújo

Discoveries on the footpath

ππSaionara: enchanted by the beautiful hills of Santos

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Born in Quedas do Iguaçu, Paraná, Saionara Lawandovski Porto has a Business degree and is finishing a graduate course in Social Projects Development. She has lived in the Brazilian states of Tocantins, Mato Grosso and Rondônia. Married with two grown children, she joined the Odebrecht Group five years ago and runs social outreach projects in Santos, São Paulo for Odebrecht Realizações Imobiliárias (OR), the Group’s real estate arm. She loves that city, especially the beauty and diversity its hills where she enjoys going for walks and talking to the people she meets there. Her favorite spot is Campina Rock, atop Nova Cintra Hill, where she can take in the view of the coast of Santos and São Vicente. “You can only appreciate some of the beautiful things in life by walking,” she says.

SPORTS

ARTS & CULTURE

When he was 7, Luiz Martins Catharino Gordilho Neto played on the Vitória club's junior soccer team.

Between the ages of 7 and 13, he also played on the national tennis circuit and competed in tournaments. At 13, he started boxing and fought in some amateur tournaments. Then, at 18, he decided to learn jiu-jitsu, becoming a three-time champion in Bahia, as well as winning an interstate championship. He has also surfed.

“In 2000, after losing in the first round of the world jiu-jitsu championship,

I decided to dedicate myself 100% to Engineering. I was third in the world in 1998 and could no longer reconcile the sport with my profession.” An Odebrecht member since 2000, he is now responsible for the Xalapa Multipurpose Project in the state of Veracruz, Mexico. He plays tennis and soccer whenever he can, and goes swimming with his wife, Louise, and daughters Maria Luísa, 5, and Liza, 3. Maria Luísa is already competing at the Mundet Club in Mexico City.

Lia Lubambo/Lusco

Sports are in their DNA

ππAntônio: celebrating the talent and presence of Brazilian art overseas

Carlos Ruiz

Saving artworks

ππLuiz with his wife, Louise, and daughters Maria Luísa and Liza: a passion for sports is a family tradition

An architect from Rio de Janeiro who is married with four children, Antonio Carlos Pinto joined Odebrecht in 1978 at the age of 18. He started out as an intern at the Rio Sul shopping center project in his home town. In the following years he also worked in other parts of Brazil, as well as the United Arab Emirates and Libya, but he has mostly lived and worked as an expat in the USA. He has been developing new businesses in that country since 2011. An art lover, he led the team responsible for the successful effort to restore and install two murals by the artist Carybé at Miami International Airport. That project recently received the Brazilian International Press Award.

“This prize celebrates and highlights the talent and presence of Brazilian art in other countries,” says Antonio, clearly pleased by this recognition of Odebrecht’s initiative. ]

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E N V I R O NM E N T

LIQUID ASSET ODEBRECHT COMPANIES CONCEIVE AND IMPLEMENT WATER PRESERVATION PROJECTS Written by Zaccaria Junior | Photo by Holanda Cavalcanti

“Water cooperation is not a technical or scientific issue. This is about fighting poverty and protecting the environment. It is about laying the foundations for sustainable development and lasting peace.”

These words, from the message released by Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO on World Water Day on March 22, 2013, fit in perfectly with a very special time. The UN has declared 2013 as the International Year of Water Cooperation, symbolizing the importance of preserving the world’s

most vital natural resource. In her message, Bokova calls for “innovative thinking” and “cooperation across the board.” Approximately 70% of our planet is covered in water. Of that total, 97.5% is salt water and only 2.5% is fresh, and 77.2% of that is frozen in glaciers and ice caps, 22.4% is found in underground aquifers, 0.36% is contained in rivers and lakes, and 0.04% in the atmosphere. Therefore, only a small amount of fresh water in liquid state is available for several types of uses.

ππAquapolo’s facilities: the largest industrial water recycling project in the Southern Hemisphere

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“That amount would be sufficient for the world’s population to live in dignity, if it weren’t for waste and pollution,” says Mário Pino, Braskem’s Corporate Manager for Sustainable Development and the author of the quick overview of the world’s water distribution provided in the previous paragraph. Pino points out that water consumption has tripled in the last 50 years, and the population living in areas facing high water stress is expected to rise from 2.4 billion (2002) to 3.5 billion (2032).

Corporate social responsibility At Braskem, the pursuit of water conservation has created opportunities for developing new products and markets and contributed to the development of solutions, with a focus on the following premises: the optimization of water consumption in the agricultural sector, which is the world’s largest consumer of that resource; prevention of diseases related to consumption of contaminated water and health problems related to basic sanitation (water and sewer) infrastructure, and access to water for communities in remote locations.

“Plastic is being used in the construction of sustainable solutions. Irrigation is responsible for 70% of all water consumption in the world. Braskem has helped its clients develop solutions involving plastic to minimize the consumption of water in irrigation. We have already developed some products for that purpose,” says Mário Pino.

Emyr Costa, the Engineering Director of Odebrecht Ambiental (Environment), underscores the importance of three key factors for water efficiency and safety, all of which are included in the company’s activities: conservation of springs in the watershed, loss reduction, and the creation of water recycling projects.

Speaking of watersheds, Emyr emphasizes the revitalization of the Ribeirão Taquarussu Grande sub-basin in the northern state of Tocantins, which supplies 66% of the population of Palmas.

Due to an 85% reduction in its flow during the dry seasons in the last 17 years, the sub-basin is the target of intensive efforts to effect the environmental restoration and conservation of natural areas and biodiversity to reduce water stress and guarantee the watershed’s sustainability.

As for loss reduction, Limeira, São Paulo, in 1995 became the first Brazilian city to provide water and sewer services through a private company.

The concession is managed by Foz, the water and sewer arm of Odebrecht Ambiental, which has been operating with total loss indices (including physical and commercial) of just 16%, while the average in Brazil is 40%.

With regard to recycling, the Aquapolo Ambiental company, an iconic partnership between Odebrecht Ambiental and Sabesp (São Paulo State’s water and sewer company), is the largest industrial water recycling project in the Southern Hemisphere.

Braskem is its main client. Located in the ABC Paulista Petrochemical Complex, the project saves an amount of treated drinking water equivalent to the consumption of a city of 500,000, making it one of the 10 largest projects of its kind in the world.

In addition to operating in these three areas, Emyr points out that Odebrecht is making a contribution on another front: the Conservation Council for Latin America, made up of regional business and political leaders who are committed to tackling Latin America’s environmental challenges. Coordinated by The Nature Conservancy (TNC), a global conservation organization, the council has produced a list of thematic groups focused on environmental threats to human populations and natural ecosystems. With regard to water, they have formed a task force made up of representatives of local companies and governments to ensure the supply of water in cities at greater risk. Odebrecht is part of that team. Marcelo Odebrecht, President and CEO of Odebrecht S.A., is a member, represented by Emyr Costa.

Monica Queiroz, the officer Responsible for Sustainability at Odebrecht Ambiental, underscores one of the region’s unique characteristics. She explains that the final cost of the water that reaches the Brazilian communities and Latin America in general is still considered relatively low, when compared to other countries. “There are numerous campaigns underway that focus on the end consumer to combat waste and raise awareness about the value of water, but they do not really deal with the losses incurred during the processes of the water companies themselves, and the important responsibility they have. The impacts are huge,” argues Monica.

Odebrecht Ambiental’s solutions can be replicated in several parts of the world with highly positive results for the environment. “Loss reduction and reuse have an impact on many watersheds and, consequently, on water efficiency,” adds Monica. ]

Odebrecht informa

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CITIES

THE HEIGHTS OF ALEMÃO A TRANSPORT SOLUTION FOR THE COMMUNITY, THE CABLE-CAR SYSTEM IS NOW ATTRACTING TOURISTS AND GROWING THE LOCAL ECONOMY Written by Luiz Assumpção | Photos by Américo Vermelho

She used to get up before dawn. Vânia Maria Almeida, a resident of the Morro da Baiana shantytown, had to catch a van and pay BRL 2.00 to get down to the “asphalt,” and then take a bus to the Bonsucesso railway station to finally get to her workplace. Thanks to that daily commute, the housecleaner never had any spare time or money.

Vânia represents thousands of people who benefit from the introduction of the Alemão CableCar System two years ago – more specifically on July 7, 2011 – which enables residents of the complex of hillside shantytowns known as Complexo do Alemão to get to work faster and spend less money on transportation. It takes just 16 minutes to get from the first stop to the last, and the ride is free for members of the community.

The recent history of Complexo do Alemão dates back to the 1920s, when a Polish refugee from World War I, Leonard Kacsmarkiewiez, arrived in Rio de Janeiro and acquired land in Serra da Misericordia, a mountain range in what was then a rural part of Rio de Janeiro. Because of his northern-European looks, the city’s residents soon nicknamed him Alemão (German), and that moniker extended to his property, which became known as Morro do Alemão (the German’s Hill).

The construction of Avenida Brasil in 1946 enabled several industries to establish plants near Kacsmarkiewiez’s farm. Over the following decades, the region became Rio’s main industrial hub.

Perceiving these developments, Kacsmarkiewiez decided to divide his land into lots and sell them.

Soon there was a race for housing there. Family members of workers from different parts of the country gradually settled in the nearby hills,

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forming Complexo do Alemão, which officially became a district of the North Zone of the city in 1993.

Today that district is made up of 12 communities which are home to a total of 200,000 people. Life has never been easy for residents who, for decades, were forced to live with the violence and lack of basic services in what was then the main drug trafficking hub in the city.

Housing conditions are still far from ideal, but life in the complex is getting better, especially after the arrival of the PAC Favelas program in 2008, an initiative of the Federal and State governments. Formed by Odebrecht Infraestrutura (Infrastructure), Delta Construções and OAS, the Rio Melhor (Better Rio) joint venture has built schools, houses, PSUs (emergency care units) and the cable-car system. In late 2010, a mega-operation of the civil and military police backed by the armed forces drove out the drug traffickers who once controlled those communities and set up Police Pacification Units (UPPs).

Transport solution and tourist attraction Six months later, after three years of construction at a cost of BRL 210 million, the cable-car system managed and maintained by the SuperVia concessionaire improved transportation services for local residents and became one of the city’s main tourist attractions. On average, 12,000 people travel on the cable cars every day. On weekends, more than half of those passengers are tourists.

According to the cable-car system’s Operations Director, Luiz de Souza, the community has embraced the project and helps protect the cars and cables from being defaced or damaged. “At first, one

ππThe Alemão Cable Car System, Vãnia Almeida and Vera Oliveira with her family: better quality of life for residents and more visitors

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ππWarner Umbelino: “Here I sell to the whole world”

of the main questions we faced was the possibility of vandalism by the local population. After two years and more than 6 million passengers, I am convinced that this is a successful project in every way, and I am thrilled to see families smiling and happy to travel in the cable cars.” The low price of BRL 5 for non-residents encourages large numbers of visitors to use it as well. Furthermore, the Globo network’s telenovela “Salve Jorge,” whose international plot partly unfolded in Complexo do Alemão communities, gave the influx of visitors a further boost.

During the low season, the cable-car system surpassed some of Brazil’s major tourist attractions.

According to SuperVia, an average of 14,000 tourists uses it on Saturdays and Sundays, while 6,000 visit Sugarloaf Mountain and 9,000 climb Corcovado to see the statue of Christ the Redeemer.

Vera Luzia Oliveira took advantage of the low fares to take her whole family to Complexo do Alemão. “I live in Nova Iguaçu and a lot of folks there say they want to check out the Alemão cable car. The tickets are much cheaper than fares for the train to the Christ and the Sugar Loaf cable car.

Plus, you can see a different view of the city instead of just the South Zone,” said the bank worker,

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who was accompanied by her children. They were all smiles as they went on their first ride in the heights of Alemão.

The arrival of visitors has also given local businesses a boost. When you get off at Palmeiras Station, the last stop on the system, you will find a number of vendors selling all kinds of food and beverages, and get a warm welcome from the proud community.

Artist Warner Umbelino moved to Nova Brasília Hill five months ago. He sells his decorated tiles to tourists from countries as diverse as Denmark and Iran. “Here I sell to the whole world. I jot down the nationality of my buyers in my notebook. Lots of ‘gringos’ started coming here after the cable car was built.” Umbelino’s notebook already contains four pages of countries that have imported his art works.

Complexo do Alemão has not experienced such dramatic changes since “the German” sold his land.

It is true that a great deal needs to be done to make it a more comfortable place for its residents to live.

Even so, the speed of the recent changes has given fresh hope to the community, which craves more high-quality investments. ]

Odebrecht informa

WHEN WE GO ABROAD, WE DON’T GO ALONE. Vilson, Salvador, Leonardo, Ricardo and thousands of other Brazilians go with us.

ODEBRECHT is one of Brazil’s leading service exporters. To build projects in 25 countries around the world, we take along our teams, technology, capacity for making things happen, and thousands of Brazilian companies that supply goods and services.

More than 2,800 small, medium and large Brazilian companies exported goods and services for Odebrecht projects and generated over USD 1.4 billion in foreign exchange for Brazil in 2012.

VILSO N PASTRE, Commercial Director of Bompel – safety footwear: “Odebrecht has opened up new markets for our company.

We’ve exported up to 1,000 pairs per day.

This partnership with Olex has also made us invest more in quality, and we achieved ISO 9001:2008 certification.”

SALVADOR BENEVIDES, General Director of Formaplan – plywood and concrete formwork: “Odebrecht and Olex have made a major contribution to our growth, boosting quality and opening up new markets.”

LEONARDO RIBEIRO, Managing Partner of Ferant Ind. e Com. de Roupas – clothing manufacturer: “We’ve invested to meet Odebrecht’s quality requirements, and thanks to our experience with exports to Angola through Olex, we’ve garnered more clients in that country.”

RICARDO MITESTAINER, Sales Director at Medabil – metal construction systems: “Olex centralizes Odebrecht’s exports and continues the relationship in different countries and segments. As a result, we have consolidated our brand in markets with huge potential.”

OLEX IS THE COMPANY THAT HANDLES BRAZILIAN EXPORTS FOR ODEBRECHT PROJECTS. Odebrecht informa

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C I T I E S

ππContribution and significance: new bus shelters modernize São Paulo’s public transport system

AN IDEA THAT SUITS THE CITY IN SÃO PAULO, NEW BUS SHELTERS ARE BLENDING INTO THE URBAN LANDSCAPE AND MAKING THE MEGACITY MORE ATTRACTIVE Written by Elea Almeida | Photos by Murilo Mattos

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A specific measure with a significance that is far deeper than one might initially imagine. The bus shelters in the city of São Paulo are changing. Designed to blend into the urban landscape, 500 new bus stops will help modernize the public transport system and make the megacity more attractive. Expectations are that another thousand shelters will be installed by the end of 2013.

This renovation work is the responsibility of Otima Concessionária de Exploração de Mobiliário Urbano, a concession company created six months ago that has already begun operations with a mega-challenge the size of São Paulo.

The rapid process of creating the company –which is controlled by Odebrecht TransPort, in partnership with Radio and TV Bandeirantes, APMR Investimentos e Participações and Kalítera Engenharia – is not the only sign of Otima’s agility. The first bus shelter was installed on February 15, 2013, a month before the deadline agreed with the client, the City of São Paulo.

Violeta Noya, the CEO of Optima, reports that Odebrecht had been studying the possibility of working in the area of urban bus shelters since 2011. A civil engineer, Violeta was

ππPassenger at a “structured chaos” bus shelter: inspired by the megacity’s diversity

then a member of Odebrecht Participações e Investimentos. “When assessing various projects, we realized that Otima enabled cross-cutting synergies within Odebrecht and would make it possible to leverage the use of advertising for the benefit of other Group assets,” she explains.

In 2012, the idea left the drawing board thanks to a winning bid for the contract to install and maintain bus shelters and totems for 25 years.

According to Violeta, the entire master plan was developed during the annual holiday shutdown, and a factory was mobilized to produce the prototypes of the new shelters on an industrial scale.

The efforts have paid off, and the first prototype was ready by January 10.

Otima faces a major challenge: the company has until the end of 2015 to replace 6,500 shelters and 12,500 totems that now serve 6 million daily bus passengers in the state capital.

Furthermore, during the concession period, it will deploy 1,000 additional shelters and 2,200 thousand totems.

The company’s operations are complex because of the large variety of sidewalks in São Paulo, which means that each bus stop must be assessed before installing a new shelter. Then the installation is done at night to avoid disrupting bus traffic. The old shelters are removed and the existing foundations rebuilt. Then, the structural part and glazing are installed, the bus stop is lit, and finally, the totems and advertising boards are installed.

Four models To adapt them to the cultural and architectural diversity and urban contrasts of São Paulo’s state capital, Otima’s team created four models for bus shelters in partnership with designer Guto Indio da Costa. Inspired by the city’s multiplicity, the “structured chaos” model has vertical and asymmetrical pillars. The “brutalist,” in turn, is designed for slums and major arteries.

Areas with heritage sites will get the “minimalist with rhythm” model. The “hi-tech” model will modernize the streets of financial centers.

All models meet the standards of accessibility for people with disabilities and make life easier for passengers using wheelchairs and strollers, as well as pregnant women. “Our shelters were inspired by the urban landscape of São Paulo and its citizens in order to beautify the city in harmony with the landscape. They are

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ππVioleta Noya: cross-cutting synergies within the Group

well lit and provide better protection from rain and heat,” says Violeta Noya.

Laminated and tempered, the glass on the roofs of the new models is 12 mm thick and the glass sides are 10 mm thick. Film makes the glass shatterproof, providing greater protection. The material is also embossed and coated with anti-ultraviolet and anti-infrared film. This blocks sunlight and reduces the ambient temperature by 5°C. According to the concept Otima has introduced, the 6,500 new shelters will be equipped with 2 m² two-sided advertising panels to resume the exploration of outdoor media in the city.

Violeta Noya is very pleased to say that all the advertising space has been sold. “Shortly after we closed the deal with the city government, we began signing long-term contracts with major advertisers for the use of the space available in our models,” says the CEO of Otima.

To date, the company has sold over 40,000 panel sides to 22 advertisers from 16 different agencies. The first companies to invest in

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the project were AmBev, with ads for Skol and Brahma beer, Telmex, with its Net cable TV and IP services, and Visa. Other advertisers will include Vivo (telecommunications), Itaipava (beer), Nivea, McDonald’s and Sky. With only 50 company members, more than half of them recent hires, Otima is conducting an acculturation program to disseminate the Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology (TEO) among its teams. “Everything we have achieved is the result of teamwork and confidence in people, whether they are members who came from within the Group or professionals who have just joined the organization and are already engaged in the mission of consolidating a benchmark company and improving São Paulo,” says Violeta.

The results of this effort can be seen in the city’s streets, and are confirmed by end user satisfaction surveys. According to a study conducted by the Datafolha Institute, 85% of São Paulo citizens have rated the new bus shelters as excellent or good. ]

S A V V Y

THE CRITICAL STRUGGLE FOR A “YES” ODEBRECHT PROPERTIES’ PLANNING AND OPPORTUNITIES DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR GIVES HIS PERSONAL STATEMENT IN THIS ISSUE Written by Alice Galeffi | Photo by Ricardo Artner

m arcos

Marcos Lima made history at Odebrecht with his dedication, wisdom, and keen eye for the “clues along the way.” After serving as the Executive Director of Odebrecht Corretora de Seguros, the Group’s captive brokerage, for 34 years, he is now a Member of the Fiscal Board of the Odebrecht Foundation, an Alternate Member of the Board of Directors of Braskem and the Planning and Opportunities Director at Odebrecht Properties, to name just a few of his current responsibilities.

The many challenges Marcos has tackled in his life started at an early age. When he was just 9 years old, his father taught him a lesson he will never forget: “If I asked you to go downtown and buy me a bag of cement, but you didn’t have any money, how would you go about it?” The boy racked his brains but could not come up with a response. Then his father told him: “It’s simple. Ask the guy to bring the bag to our house,

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and I’ll pay him when he gets here.” Marcos was intrigued by the simplicity of that answer, and he soon realized that there is no problem without a solution.

When he joined the organization, the Group’s founder, Norberto Odebrecht, set him the challenge of creating a not-for-profit brokerage to take care of the company’s assets.

Marcos didn’t know anything about that area. The very same day, he saw a newspaper ad that read: “First course for insurance brokers in Bahia.” He enrolled and presented his proposal for a corporate policy on insurance for the Group. Marcos learned a great deal from his relationship with Norberto Odebrecht. The most important one was understanding that market rules are always the “floor” and not the "ceiling."

“Because we already know the ‘negative.’ The important thing is to struggle for a ‘yes.’” ]

Watch the full interview Marcos Lima gave to the Savvy project on www.odebrechtonline.com.br

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Y O U T H

P R O T A G O N I S M

AT THE CORE OF A PHILOSOPHY TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO, THE ODEBRECHT FOUNDATION MADE YOUTH THE FOCUS OF ITS OPERATIONS

Written by Gabriela Vasconcellos | Photos by FernandoVivas

A love for the land has always been part of life for Edivan Alcântara, 22. The youngest of five siblings, he was the only one to stay in the countryside, along with his parents. “I’ve always dreamed of making a living from farming,” says the resident of the Alto da Prata community in the town of Presidente Tancredo Neves, BA. He has no regrets.

Edivan says that his family’s encouragement and a calling to work the land were the factors that motivated him to enroll at the President Tancredo Neves Rural Family House (CFR-PTN) in 2008. He took a three-year technical qualification course in Agriculture and learned about farm management,

cooperatives, soil management, irrigation, drainage and a variety of crops. “I studied and put what I learned into practice. In family farming, we are the owners of our own business,” he argues.

During the second year of the course, Edivan carried out his first productive educational project: 0.4 hectares of banana trees planted on his family’s small farm. That activity is part of the training the Family House offers with the support of the Tribute to the Future program, which funds activities certified by the Odebrecht Foundation through allocations of income tax owed by Odebrecht Group members. “My second production project was in the CFR-PTN’s top 10. With the profits

ππEdivan Alcântara: “In family farming we are the owners of our own business”

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ππFrom left, sisters Camila and Taisa, and their mother, Paulina do Rosário: “The future is what we’re doing now,” says Taisa

from those crops, I made enough money to buy a piece of land. So I’ve grown as a farmer.”

Edivan became an assistant teacher at the President Tancredo Neves Rural Producers’ Cooperative (Coopatan) and CFR-PTN, institutions linked to the Growth Program with Sustainability for the Southern Bahia Lowlands Environmental Protection Areas Mosaic (PDCIS), an initiative developed by the Odebrecht Foundation and partners from the public and private sectors. “I help young students and cooperative members develop their crops,” he says.

Despite all these achievements, the young man still faced a challenge – the shortage of land on his family’s farm, which had forced his siblings to leave the countryside. “They couldn’t find any opportunities here.” But things have been different for Edivan. In 2013, an initiative of the CFRPTN, in partnership with Coopatan, which is also associated with the school, enabled him to acquire land and expand his crops. Through the Land

Access Fund, a pilot project that provides financial assistance to small farmers, he and six other young people are receiving the aid they need to implement agricultural projects so they can make a living from the income generated in the countryside.

“I’ve fulfilled the dream of expanding my farm to 20 hectares,” says Edivan, a rural entrepreneur who plans to double his income in a year. Today he makes BRL 1,300.00 per month. He firmly believes that working alongside his parents and on his own property is the way to go. “Getting where I want to go just depends on me.”

Youth Protagonism Stories like Edivan’s reinforce the ethos of the Odebrecht Foundation’s mission, which made young people the focus of its activities 25 years ago. The decision to work with youths instead of for them, viewing them as part of the solution and

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not as a problem, was later conceptualized, systematized and called Youth Protagonism, a philosophy that is now a legacy of the Third Sector.

“One of our pillars is the awareness that the family is the mother cell of the production of society’s moral and material wealth, and that within it, young people act as agents of change,” says Mauricio Medeiros, the Foundation’s Executive President.

Taisa da Luz, 17, believes that too. A student at the Agroforestry Family House (CFAF), where she is completing a technical course in forestry that is integrated with the regular high school curriculum, she has found a way to change her future prospects. “We are transforming something that nature gives us to generate jobs and income,” says the resident of the Jatimane maroon community in Nilo Peçanha, Bahia. “The future is what we’re doing now,” she adds.

She is participating in the Jewels of the Quilombo project, supported by the Oi Futuro Institute, taking on the challenge of making earrings, necklaces, rings and bracelets from coco nut shells. She learned the craft techniques

from qualified instructors trained by the Pratigi Environmental Protection Area Rural Producers’ Cooperative (Cooprap), in partnership with the Mauá Institute. CFAF and Cooprap are also part of the PDCIS. “We can always learn new things.

Opportunities need to be created.”

Davison Silva, 15, is following Edivan’s and Taisa’s example. He began studying at the Igrapiúna Rural Family House in 2013. Also part of the PDCIS, that educational unit teaches methods of developing crops that Davison already grows along with his father. “I consider myself a farmer, and I’m going to study so I can use all my knowledge,” emphasizes the resident of the Domingos Cruz community in Camamu county.

His father, Antonio da Silva, 38, believes in this partnership. “I have the practical know-how and he has technical know-how. Davison is learning and teaching me a lot. He convinced me to stop using chemical fertilizer,” he says. Davison dreams of becoming a role model for his region, just like Edivan.

“I want to be of service to the countryside.” ]

ππDavison Silva and his father, Antonio: working together to improve farming methods and achieve their life goals

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click

ππBeachside scene in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

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ODEBRECHT INFORMA WILL BE CONDUCTING A READER SURVEY.

You’ll soon be receiving an email with a link to a questionnaire with a few quick, simple questions. Please give us your opinion.

It’s very important for us to know what you think so we can make our magazine better than ever.

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and Portugal Odebrecht Infraestrutura – Latin America Odebrecht Infraestrutura – Venezuela Odebrecht Realizações Imobiliárias Odebrecht Ambiental Odebrecht Latinvest Odebrecht Óleo e Gás Odebrecht Properties Odebrecht TransPort Braskem Estaleiro Enseada do Paraguaçu Odebrecht Agroindustrial Odebrecht Defesa e Tecnologia Investments Odebrecht Energias Brasil Africa Fund Latin Fund Support Companies Odebrecht Comercializadora de Energia Odebrecht Corretora de Seguros Odebrecht Previdência Social Program Odebrecht Foundation

RESPONSIBLE FOR COMMUNICATION AT ODEBRECHT S.A. Márcio Polidoro RESPONSIBLE FOR PUBLISHING PROGRAMS AT ODEBRECHT S.A. Karolina Gutiez

EDITORIAL COORDINATION Versal Editores Editor-in-Chief José Enrique Barreiro Executive Editor Cláudio Lovato Filho English Translation H. Sabrina Gledhill Photo Editor Holanda Cavalcanti Art/Graphic Production Rogério Nunes English Edition Coordinator & Electronic Publishing Maria Celia Alves Olivieri Printing 626 copies • Pre-Press and Printing Pancrom Editorial offices: Rio de Janeiro +55 21 2239-4023 São Paulo +55 11 3641-4743 e-mail: versal@versal.com.br Originally published in Portuguese. Also available in Spanish.

contribution

Alemão Cable-Car System. Urban transport infrastructure that improves the quality of life of thousands of residents in a historically low-income community in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro. More than that: it is a key to integrating their community with the city. An area that was once avoided by residents of other parts of Rio, Alemão is now a tourist attraction. And the cable-car system is playing an important role in that transformation, which is social, but above all, emotional, because it begins and ends with boosting the self-esteem of that community’s residents.