Suppliers in Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo develop and qualify their business through the action of Samarco’s Força Local

Samarco's Força Local Program ended this Monday (25) the first cycle of the Supplier Development and Qualification pillar. The initiative implemented actions aimed at contributing to the development of local suppliers in the municipalities that receive Samarco in Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo, in addition to ensuring improvements in integrated management processes. In all, 65 companies were received training in Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo.

For one year, entrepreneurs participated in lectures and seminars, and received consulting services and guidance on how to foster business growth, technically qualify employees to improve the productivity and quality of services in their companies. The meetings covered strategic planning, occupational health and safety, financial and people management, project management, among other.

The Supply Manager at Samarco, Ailana Vilela, highlighted the leading role played by companies and the importance of training. “The program contributed to the processes and management of companies, achieving significant results. Qualification and development must be constant, and this program was just the first step,” she said.

The coordinator of the Força Local program, Elisangela Toledo, highlighted that “the results achieved contribute to suppliers becoming more competitive, ready and prepared to serve not only Samarco, but the entire market, boosting the local economy”.

Potential of companies

The results of the first cycle of the Supplier Development and Qualification pillar demonstrated the evolution and performance of the suppliers. 65 companies received training, 148 on-site and 216 virtual technical assistance actions were provided and 1 business round plus 164 responses to local suppliers.

For Maria Izabela Morais, from DM Extintores, in Guarapari (ES), the training was important and strengthened the company even more in a time of pandemic. "We would like to thank Samarco and partners for the initiative. In the middle of the pandemic, our company hired and innovated and today we are sure that we are prepared to serve a large company like Samarco. What we learned has positively impacted all sectors of our company."

Cleiton Custódio Vieira, from JS Construções, a company located in Catas Altas (MG), also highlighted the positive impact of the initiative. “It was a good opportunity to be aware of the growth we can achieve and exchange rich knowledge. We intend to enhance the learning acquired during this period, applying the actions in the company”, she said.

“We saw the evolution of companies in practice. The program encourages companies to participate in training, even in times of turmoil like the one we are experiencing. Suppliers need to be aware of constant changes, assess their market potential, and seek to fully understand their product, improve their processes, to achieve quality and productivity”, highlighted Durval Vieira de Freitas, from DVF Consultoria, Samarco's partner in training.

Força Local

The Program aims at promoting socioeconomic development in the municipalities that host Samarco in Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo. Força Local is based on the policy, training, business, monitoring and development and qualification pillars. The program also provides workshops, lectures and seminars as a way to improve and prepare professionals and companies for the job market.

The Program is delivered by Samarco in partnership with professional associations in the municipalities, who also contributed to the training. In Minas Gerais, the partnering entities are: Mariana Trade Association (Aciam), Ouro Preto Trade Association (Aceop), Santa Bárbara Trade Association (Acisb) and Catas Altas Trade Association (Aceca). In Espírito Santo, they are the Câmaras de Dirigentes Lojistas (CDLs) of Anchieta and Guarapari, the Piúma Trade Association (Ascopi) and the Immigration and Coast Region Development Agency (Adeturci).