SPECIAL SOBRATEMA 30 YEARS

A glance to the future

Sobratema becomes 30 years old aiming to become an organ to attend the market in all subjects related to equipment for construction, mining and agriculture

People who owns technology can follow the world. This is Sobratema’s motto when reaching 30 years from foundation, along which it played a capital role in the evolution of Brazilian equipment market. During this period, the association developed a work dedicated to guide the professional of the area with technical and market knowledge, spreading information, contacts and technologies to ensure the best use of the machinery in construction. In addition, it directed spotlights to the importance of this industry in the advance of infrastructure in the country.

This purpose comes since the foundation of Sobratema, in the far year of 1988. This was a time when the construction market was going through a cycle of changes, as is occurring currently. This cycle was marked by fusions of companies that were passing through a difficult phase. Most investments in infrastructure were carried out by the government, and private projects were almost zero. At that time, machine rental was an inexpressive activity that occurred only in specific situations, since most companies preferred to invest in their own fleets. “Currently—considering the corruption occurred during the last years involving major contractors—minor contractors started to appear in the scenario to work in infrastructure projects”, compares Claudio Schmidt, executive director of the association. “And these companies are already emerging with the support from Sobratema in technologic knowledge.”

COVERAGE

In fact, during the last 30 years contractors had a technical knowledge that is currently decentralized. But some new contractors already have no information about large projects since they do not have an appropriate technical background.

In this scenario, Sobratema helps to fulfill an important gap, supporting projects and consulting services, spreading technical and market information and showing the most recent features made available by the industry in terms of technology. It became an organ of convergence of all subjects related to machine and equipment for construction, mining, agriculture and forestry in the whole country.

According to Paulo Oscar Auler Neto, vice-president from Sobratema, the idea is to make Sobratema able to deal with all questions related to technical, commercial, market and importation, sales, hourly cost, operation, training and law, among many other subjects. “The purpose is to have a group of expert consultants to supply general and specific information about any subject, matching the needs of the companies”, tells the expert. “Using its technical team, the association will look for all ways to solve the different questions.”

The technical team of the association is continuously identifying points that may be improved to help the companies to increase their productivity in the field. “For example, the experts identified that many professionals of the crushing area do not develop appropriate calculations of operating costs of crushing equipment, production and other points, impacting costs negatively”, tells Renato Grampa, director of the Instituto Opus, program of training and qualification of the entity. Therefore, it is just starting a new course about Aggregates for Civil Construction. “To help in solving this problem we will start five new courses in the area.”

INSTITUTIONAL

But Sobratema also works as a pole of integration in the industry, specially representing its associates into other associations such as Abendi (Brazilian Association of Non-destructive Tests and Inspection), ABCIC (Brazilian Association of Concrete Industrial Construction), Abramat (Brazilian Association of Construction Material Industry), Apelmat (Association of Contractors and Rental Companies of Earthmoving and Compressed Air Machines in the State of São Paulo), Analoc (Brazilian Association of Unions and Associations Representing Rental Companies of Machine, Equipment and Tools) and others. Schmidt observes that most of these associations are focused in market activities, not in the equipment. “In these cases, Sobratema contributes with a technical view referred to the machine and its activity”, says him, remembering also its actuation close to leaderships, as occurred during the last years with the National Front of Mayors (FNP) and the movement Reformar para Mudar, for example.

And speaking about partnership, one of the main accomplishments of the entity in the last years was the society established between Sobratema and Messe München, result of a work that is being carried out for more than 15 years by the International Board from Sobratema, which is establishing alliances with the main international entities of equipment.

Sobratema made a 30-year concession of the brand in a 50-50 society, keeping the political and strategic function of the events and transferring the management of the trade shows to Messe München, The association is offering now a better support to the professionals and companies from the equipment industry, making relationships closer and analyzing their real needs. “The organizing committees of the events are more and more closer, living the reality of the associates, knowing the subjects that they want to be approached”, explains Arlene Vieira, director of international relationships from Sobratema.

In spite of enlarging its activities, Sobratema had its focus in the equipment user since it was born, and remains connected to him. In the meantime, it opened its doors to manufacturers, dealers, rental companies and contractors. Next, it identified the necessity of an equipment trade show, event that was too requested by the market during the 90s because when people wanted to know new features, they had to go to foreign countries.

To attend the market, M&T Expo was created. Other trade shows came in the next years, growing and occupying spaces that compromised the acting capacity of the Association. “Then a moment was come that we had to think again the entity, turning it again to the core of its activity, to its origins”, explains Auler Neto. “That is why we passed the trade shows to a third part.”