SAP Helps Brazilian Entrepreneur Innovate for a He...
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Being healthier tops the list of many New Year’s resolutions, but Rio de Janeiro-based startup Fumajet is intent on living up to this promise every day of the year. The company’s MOTOFOG technology installed on motorcycles offers government and non-government agencies along with private farmers a high efficiency and low cost alternative for controlling pests in hard-to-reach urban and rural geographies. Its 17 employees serve customers in Brazil, Angola, the Dominican Republic and Equatorial Guinea.
Their objective is to fight vector-borne diseases, including malaria and dengue fever that are transmitted by mosquitoes. These account for more than 17 percent of all infectious diseases, causing more than one million deaths annually. More 2.5 billion people in over 100 countries are at risk of contracting dengue alone. Malaria causes more than 600 000 deaths every year globally, most of them children under five years of age.
Fumajet is getting significant help in achieving its vision having become one of the first five local entrepreneurs to participate in SAP Exponentes, an emerging entrepreneur program in Brazil launched in 2013. Startups receive three-year access to a package of benefits including mentors from SAP and Endeavor, a worldwide organization that promotes entrepreneurship, and SAP Business One software. Marcelo Machado, Director at Fumajet, said the technology has allowed his company to replace manual processes with centralized visibility.
“We now have real-time transparency into inventory from order to delivery. This helps customer support as well as production and budget control. Customers know where there orders are at any given time, including when products will be shipped and delivered. We hope next year we’ll have even less rework so we can lower prices and provide more benefits to customers,” he said.
Machado also credits the mentoring his company has received from SAP with improved customer support.
“Using Design Thinking workshops, we decided to rethink our entire production system. This has given us much more clarity and the ability to measure activities. With more reliable information, we can make important business decisions for inventory management. And, people are communicating across the company.”
Luciana Coen, Head of Corporate Affairs at SAP Brazil, remarked on the high level of entrepreneurship across the Brazilian community, and how quickly startups within the SAP Exponentes program ramped up operations using SAP Business One software
“Fumajet is a great example of the power of public and private partnerships for the greater good. SAP Brazil aims to stimulate entrepreneurship through collaboration with companies that generate positive social impact. We’re contributing to the generation of new jobs, as well as the economic and social development of the markets in which these startups operate.”
Machado is especially grateful to SAP following Fumajet’s latest achievement. The company was recently awarded the prestigious 2014 FINEP Innovation Award recognizing local products that have contributed to Brazilian development.
“We couldn’t have achieved this award without our partnerships including SAP mentoring, Endeavor and the benefits of SAP Business One. My greatest inspiration is going to work each day and seeing new products and services being developed.”
Machado said that Fumajet’s future plans include adding more employees, and expanding its customer base in Brazil and other countries. It may be among the most ambitious resolutions for a healthier 2015.
