Vallourec Selects Startups For Partnership
Vallourec Selects Startups For Partnership
22/06/2018 – Partnership
The second edition of the Vallourec Open Brasil program, which selects startups capable of developing joint projects with Vallourec’s companies in Brazil, will be launched on June 22.
The Vallourec Open Brasil program was launched in 2017, aiming to promote the culture of innovation by searching for startups and entrepreneurs able to develop solutions in the area of data science, focused on improving or developing new services for the Group’s customers. The chosen ones will receive mentoring from professionals, immersion and training at the Company, as well as exclusive access to the network of suppliers and customers.
Applying
The Vallourec Open Brasil 2018 program will welcome technology-based startups from Brazil, registered with the National Registry of Legal Entities (CNPJ).
To apply, the candidates must complete the form available on the website: www.vallourecopenbrasil.com.br, from June 22 to July 22. The list of the companies selected during the 1st phase of the program will be disclosed on August 8.
The theme for 2018 is directed toward computer vision and sensing technologies. “All the challenges are related to capturing and interpreting topographic images or characteristics, in order to transform them into useful information, by processing the data captured,” explains Thiara Rodrigues, VSB Research and Development Engineer and Program Coordinator.
Second Phase
To participate in the second phase of the 2018 selection, the startups chosen in the first phase must send a video pitch of up to 5 min. in mp4 format, presenting a description of the startup and a project proposal focused on one of the challenges described on the website: www.vallourecopenbrasil.com.br. The videos must be submitted between August 8 and 24, and cannot exceed a 2 GB size.
Up to ten startups will be selected, based on the suitability of the company’s activities to the proposed theme, to the technical capacity to develop the project and creation of innovative solutions, and its members’ résumés (Lattes or LinkedIn). The results of this selection will be disclosed on the website, on August 31st.
Hands-On Immersion
In September, the startups selected in the second phase will participate in a stage of immersion at Vallourec’s unit in Barreiro, in Belo Horizonte city, where they will have access to information related to the Company’s business and processes, in order to develop a proposal of joint work with Vallourec. The selected ones will receive cost aid to carry out this activity, which will last seven business days.
On October 3, the proposals developed will be presented to the Company’s managers, who will evaluate and select the best ones. The winners will have the opportunity to implement their own project, under the guidance of Vallourec’s professionals.
Results
The first edition of the Open Brasil already yields practical results.
Twist, one of the winners, has signed a contract with Vallourec, and works with a Data Quality Assessment Platform to support the development of digital solutions, which add value to the Company’s topline product, the Seamless Steel Pipe.
“For us at Twist, it was very important to get to know the Company’s processes, both in production and logistics, so that we could be more assertive. Recently, we were in Belo Horizonte presenting the data we measured and evaluated for Vallourec’s Quality Team,” said Twist’s managing partner Fernando Ferreira, who is its Chief Operating Officer.
The other winner, Rio Analytics, also contracted, has its technology validated and now goes through the process of market evaluation. The startup has created a prototype for failure measurement of risers, the piping which connects the platform to the seabed, in processes related to oil exploration.
Ricardo Ferreira, Director at Rio Analytics, thinks that the product development process was very profitable for his company and counted on the active collaboration of Vallourec’s employees.
