Fluxo Soluções
 / February 2022

Hideo Hama clarifies departure from Automind

Per Ane Milena Oliveira - Journalist at FLUXO

Is it true that you sold your shareholding in Automind?

HIDEO – Yes it's true. After 34 years of its founding in 1987, I decided to sell my majority position in the company (44.59%) at the end of last year.

What got you interested in automation 34 years ago when you founded Automind?

HIDEO – This was indeed an interesting action. COPENE, now BRASKEM, was at the time a leading company in Brazilian petrochemicals and automation technology, and hired Lummus Engineering from the USA for the automation of its factory in Camaçari. After the full implementation of the project - a pioneer in process industries in Brazil - part of the team of Brazilian engineers who participated in the development, with excellent qualification and training, was left without new challenges and workload, running the risk of being outdated due to idleness.

Some of these professionals, several from other states, were very well established with their families in Salvador. The perspective of the moment was the advancement of automation in Brazil and the growth of the Camaçari Complex, which motivated them to look for us to set up a Brazilian automation engineering company. Initially, engineer Fábio Gaiarsa joined Fluxo Instalações, obtaining 42% from the business.

The idea of setting up the automation company came from the visionary Antonio Buzatto Costa, manager of Copene at the time, who brought Gaiarsa closer to Fluxo Instalações. Later, with the co-option of other engineers such as Humberto Guglielmotti, Antonio Manuel Carneiro and Hélio Monteiro Farias, the company gained body and substance.

The group of engineers needed an investor who was willing to give a business structure to the interesting idea. Although at the time there was not much talk about automation in Brazil, I had the intuition that it would be a business of the future and we embarked on the idea, going straight to the wedding, without engagement. In present language, it was the birth of a start-up in the field of automation.

And did Automind soon get contracts?

HIDEO – The technical team was recognized by the market and soon the work began to arrive. Between 1987 and 1990 there were projects together with Metanor, Politeno, Polialden, Copenor, Nitrofértil and Ciquine. In 1991, we started to perform important services at Copene, such as the automation of Demineralized Water Units, Water Treatment Units, Tank Park, Leak Detection System in the Ethylene Pipeline between Camaçari and Maceió, PQU Automation Master Plan - many of these projects are linked to companies represented by Fluxo, such as Filsan, as was the case with the water treatment and demineralization units and ABB, in the SCADA system of the ethylene pipeline. Another project linked to Fluxo Instalações was the sewage pumps in Salvador and the Baía Azul Project, by the ETE in Salvador, executed by ABB. Other good projects were started with Petrobras in the E&P area. A remarkable project was the automation of Cetrel's lifts and ETE.

From then until 2021 it was 30 years. And has the corporate structure always been between the engineers and Fluxo Instalações?

HIDEO - Not exactly. In 1995, Fluxo Instalações was no longer interested in the business, and sold its share to my heritage company Techba.

Over time, Automind opened up opportunities for its managers to acquire equity positions. In 2000, there were already 9 shareholders, in addition to Techba. In turn, Automind's tendency was to open its capital even more to new partners and enter the area of equipment supply, which is the main objective of another company in which Techba is a partner, FLUXO SOLUÇÕES INTEGRADAS.  

It was at this moment that, in view of the near perspective of a collision of interests between FLUXO and Automind, I took advantage of the emergence of new potential shareholders to join Automind and decided to sell my share in the company to these new entrants, most of them managers from the company.

And now?

HIDEO – After so many years of business, the time has come to follow a new path. Making history is being aligned with the demands of the present, using the lessons and experiences accumulated in the past. I thank everyone who had the opportunity to develop projects, exchange knowledge and offer services. I remain with the feeling of accomplishment and the conviction that the laurels have been reaped and the lessons learned by both parties.


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