Conference in Sao Paulo Highlights Importance of Operational Excellence for Business Competitiveness

The Santo Amaro Convention Center in São Paulo hosted the Best Practice Day 2024, an international conference on Operational Excellence promoted by Staufen Consultancy on June 18 and 19. The event, which broke attendance records since its last edition in Brazil in 2019, brought together hundreds of executives, managers, and leaders from major national and multinational companies.

Economist Zeina Latif opened the event by emphasizing that “productivity gains are the major driver of long-term growth.” Latif highlighted the challenges faced by Brazilian companies, such as inadequate infrastructure and excessive litigation, which divert focus from efficient management.

The conference featured the participation of executives from companies such as Embraer, Suzano, Gerdau, Siemens Energy, BRF, among others. André Machado, CFO of Siemens Energy in Brazil, reported how the operational excellence journey initiated in 2020 resulted in significant improvements in delivery times and productivity, contributing to the transformation of the company's profitability.

Luis Carlos Marinho, Vice President of Operations at Embraer, shared the success of the Embraer Corporate Excellence Program (P3E), implemented 16 years ago, which has enabled the company to significantly expand into other markets beyond commercial aviation.

The event also addressed the impact of high labor costs on Brazilian competitiveness. Zeina Latif argued that reducing the tax burden on payroll should be the next step to increase the country's competitiveness.

Dário Spinola, General Manager of Staufen Consultancy in Brazil, concluded by emphasizing that investments in Operational Excellence are accessible to companies of all sizes and sectors, offering high returns and making “all the difference” for organizations.

The Best Practice Day 2024 also included workshops, discussion forums, and guided visits to partner companies, providing participants with a unique opportunity for learning and networking in the field of operational excellence.