CEC Cia. de Engenharia Civil: Civil Engineering Company in Brazil

Interview with Virgílio Augusto Ramos, Director of CEC Cia. de Engenharia Civil

How would you evaluate the civil engineering sector in Brazil?

Due to the upcoming elections and the World Cup, the sector is a little bit more stagnating than last year. Last year we had many projects and construction works; this year we had less projects to work on.

Could you tell us a little bit about the company’s history and give us an overview of its main areas of operation?

CEC Cia. de Engenharia Civil was founded on September 1, 1987. In 1991-1992 we made different economic studies; we were one of the first companies to use a higher FCK (concrete compressive strength), because we thought that each project had its ideal FCK. That gave us a very good market perspective. We were the first Portuguese speaking company to be certified in ISO 9001 by ABS Quality, in Latin America. That certification provided us with a huge projection on the market.

The three key pillars of the company’s success are quality, innovation and human resources, and the customer service. We search for new technologies every year by participating in international fairs and we also develop new technologies.

Today, CEC is a company with large implemented projects, like the ones made for Petrobras and for several construction companies on the market such as Hochtief, Método, Construcap, Fibra, etc.

Up to this day we have already projected around 180 million square feet.

What is the company’s philosophy and what are its competitive advantages?

CEC’s philosophy is based on three main pillars: technology, innovation and quality, and human resources.

You already mentioned some of the big names of clients you worked for. Which were the most successful cases of your company?

We worked on the Hospital São Luís on the Unidade Anália Franco that is a fantastic construction in terms of engineering, we also worked on the headquarters of Petrobras in Vitória (Espírito Santo), we co-worked on Cosipa’s project, we have the Atílio Innocenti’s building that is under construction (an excellent success case in terms of engineering dimensioning), we also have the Hyatt Hotel in Sao Paulo, the Ouro Minas Palace Hotel, in Minas Gerais, The Gloria Hotel, in Rio, currently under construction, and many others.

We make very complex structural projects, because we have innovative structural solutions.

Does CEC have any international representation?

Yes, we made two huge projects in Angola and the Trade Center in Montevideo.

What is the percentage of these international projects in the company’s revenue?

Currently we have no international project. Two or three years ago, it might have represented around 20 to 30%.

Are you thinking of investing just in the national market or are you thinking about having more international projects?

In 2008 we tried entering the Panama market, but the 2008 crises made it impossible to implement the planned projects. We are just working in Brazil at the moment.

What is your vision for the sector two years from now?

There will be an adjustment between the operators and the over-the-tops.

Someone told me the other day that telecommunications in 10 or 15 years will be very different from what we are used to now. I really believe that we are going to go through a profound change in terms of world communications.

Which are the company’s main challenges?

Nowadays a company differentiates itself through its technical solutions. The big clients don’t care about the price, they want technical solutions and that’s our challenge: create, invent and engineer technical solutions to meet our clients’ expectations, while also reducing the construction costs and labor costs.

Another challenge is the survival of the company itself. Our employees are very well paid and we are always depending on the amount of work, on the client’s payments, etc.

The last challenge is to actively verify and inspect projects. We have an engineer who is dedicated to the verification of each project, thus reducing our percentage of non-compliance to very low levels. Last year we had just circa 14 non-compliances within 14 million projected square feet.

Is the company open to any kind of national or international partnership?

We are open to any kind of partnership as long as it adds value to the company. We are always open to new technology to serve better the Brazilian and the international market.

What is your perspective for the civil engineering sector in the next two years?

The sector’s boom of 2009-2011 is over. The prices have increased, but the Brazilian market still remains a promising one. The construction business in Brazil is here to stay.

What would you like to have accomplished in two years?

I would like to continue having good and big projects, because the biggest projects are the ones that bring more money.

What would be your advice to a foreign investor that wishes to come to Brazil and work in your area?

First, the investor has to find a trustworthy company with market responsibility and market projection. Then, the investor should also bring technology into the business – that is fundamental.

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