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Atech Tecnologias Críticas, a Brazilian company that develops systems and software especially for the aeronautical sector, closed a US$ 1 million deal with the Venezuelan government at the beginning of the month, to execute the integration of a net of meteorological sensors and radars in the neighboring country.
"Exporting services and technology is very important for us and for Brazil, since it takes the knowledge developed in the country to other markets and, at the same time, foreign clients notice the Brazilian capacity to provide high value added products," said the company's marketing director, Zareh Balekjian.
As well as the know-how and technical labour, the company will supply the necessary software for integration.
The contract lasts for one year and Atech will apply 100% Brazilian technology to connect the radars and sensors to an operation center in Caracas, capital of Venezuela, in a program called 'Venehmet', which aims to executing meteorological and hydrological monitoring of the country.
As well as improving weather forecasts, the Venezuelan government expects the system to help in the management of water resources in the country, monitoring rate of flow of the rivers, behaviour of the lakes, etc., and in the prevention of natural disasters.
The system will allow local authorities to elaborate strategies for emergency situations, such as floods or droughts.
"In case the volume of water rises too much, for example, the government could mobilize forces so as to avoid accidents," stated the executive. In 1999 a series of floods caused thousands of deaths and homeless people in Venezuela.
But the project is also going to answer to other sectors that need weather forecasts and good management of water resources, like agriculture, aviation, and the hydroelectric power sectors.
This is not the first Atech international contract. The company has already, for example, supplied a system for aircraft management to Mexican airline Allegro Air, which operates flights between Mexico and the United States.
But, according to Balekjian, the business with Venezuela is the most important to date, due to the value and to the duration.
The executive hopes that this will help publicise the company work on the foreign market.
"Every time you export something new, your image also improves. This work should certainly bring favourable results for us," he said.
He added that Atech is currently negotiating with other international clients, but he did not want to provide further details.
Sivam
Atech, based in the city of São Paulo, was the company that organized integration of the entire System for the Vigilance of the Amazon (Sivam), implemented in 2002 by the Brazilian government to collect and process data regarding the Brazilian Amazon.
The so-called Amazônia Legal has an area of 5.2 million square kilometers, which includes the entire northern region of the country, part of the midwestern state of Mato Grosso and part of the northeastern state of Maranhão.
Sivam collects and processes information from satellites, vigilance aircraft, radars, land sensors, etc., used in the defense of the national territory, in the fight against crime, and in environmental and meteorological research.
Apart from that, 80% of the aerial traffic in Brazil is monitored by systems developed by the company, which had revenues of around US$ 21.1 million (in current figures) on the domestic market and another US$ 10 million from Amazon Tech, the company subsidiary installed in the United States.
Contacts
Atech
Zareh Balekjian
Tel: (+55 11) 3040-7314
Fax: (+55 11) 3040-7400
e-mail: zareh@atech.br
www.atech.br
ANBA - Brazil-Arab News Agency
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