In 2018 we were positioned among the 350 largest private companies in Brazil. Our robust overseas presence enabled us to end the year as the 39th biggest exporter in the country and the first in defence systems, consolidating the company as one of the major institutions in Brazil’s Defence Industrial Base (BID).
We ended the year fulfilling 100% of our contracts and were elected the largest domestic manufacturer of machinery and equipment by the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo.
We were adept at taking advantage of opportunities with the support and excellence of our team of employees, and a cohesive board of directors killed in managing the business efficiently and sustainably with firm backing from the Brazilian Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces.
Worthy of note were the advances achieved in technologies and innovations that position Brazil among the select group of nations qualified to produce and launch aerospace rockets, constituting a historical achievement for the Brazilian Space Programme (PEB).
Another remarkable achievement was the implantation of the Avibras Technology and Innovation Space (EATI in the Portuguese acronym) in São José dos Campos (SP), an embassy of knowledge in an environment conducive to uniting the efforts of the industry, technology centres and academia for the generation of innovative and strategic solutions for Brazil.
In parallel, we advanced greatly in corporate governance and in enhancing the company’s management tools.
All the developments are underpinned by the Avibras por Excelência (AVPEX) quality programme, which, in just over a year has driven significant results for the company and its employees. All company work promoting continuous improvement is concentrated in this programme, which is perpetual.
No efforts are unconnected. Everything is interrelated, the AVPEX work fronts, the Avibras Culture, internal procedures and the four Avibras priorities, which are: safety and security, quality, on-time delivery and costs.
In 2018, we maintained total focus on safety, an Avibras priority. We undertook a number of measures to disseminate this concept throughout the company, convening leaders to share this learning with their subordinates, as a means of instilling motivation and engagement in this area.
We also updated the Code of Ethics, which sets forth the company’s commitment to doing business with integrity, establishing the standards of ethics and conduct expected of all employees and strategic stakeholders. We created the Customer Care area, the supplier relationship programme, and we are introducing a corporate compliance programme, which will be consolidated during the course of 2019. In parallel, risk monitoring and mitigation plans were maintained.
As a major challenge we have the question of the issue of the bank guarantees necessary for exports, our main source of revenue. In 2019 we expect to receive support and definitive solutions for this question, given that government backing is essential to the maintenance of defence companies in the country.
This year we will maintain our close focus on the ongoing construction of Avibras’ permanent goals, which are valuing people, enhancing financial performance, increasing the value of the company and ensuring its perpetuation.
João Brasil Carvalho Leite
CEO
