Cosan companies invest in technology, research and data analysis to increase the efficiency and safety of operations
The world has undergone transformations that have had significant impacts on the way people interact. Innovation, digitalization and a commitment to sustainability have become imperative for companies that care about the development of today’s and future society.
In a country with a creative economy, with an entrepreneurial spirit, strategic vision and well-defined objectives, it has been investing in technology and innovation. This is one of the main strategic directions of the company which, with its diverse portfolio, has become one of the largest conglomerates in Brazil. The company operates in the energy, oil and gas, agribusiness and mining sectors.
“We are living in times of great transformation in the way people buy goods and even consume information. This is a reality, and large business groups are also being impacted”said Cristiano Barbieri, vice president of Technology and Innovation at , holding of Cosan gas.
Industry of the future
Innovating, digitalizing, increasing productivity, reducing costs and decarbonizing are the pillars of the so-called industry 4.0. Lubricants are essential products to move both people and businesses in this fundamental environment for the economy of any country.
In Brazil, the , one of the companies that make up Cosan’s portfolio, produces, distributes and offers branded lubrication solutions for the automotive, consumer and industrial segments, through services and products that promote more efficiency, performance and sustainability in the operations of many industries that move the country.
Moove is focused on lubricants and has extensive knowledge of the market, which enables a solid understanding of how these products are used and how they can add real value to customers and consumers in all segments in which the company operates.
Among the benefits that can be highlighted are:
- greater efficiency and performance of equipment;
- better environmental management through extended component life and reduced lubricant and fuel consumption;
- greater energy efficiency with lower energy consumption;
- mitigating CO emissions2; e
- greater safety due to the reduction of operational risks during the maintenance of machines and equipment, in addition to the significant prevention of equipment failures.
With a team of specialized and dedicated engineers, Moove develops its own customized lubrication solutions according to customer needs. “The combination of our high-performance lubricants with our service platform, allows us to deliver to our industrial customers greater intelligence for decision-making and greater equipment productivity”said Marília Goldschmidt, executive marketing manager at Moove.
An example is vibration analysis services and data analytics. Based on used oil analysis, the systems enable industrial customers to identify in advance any failure or opportunity for adjustment in equipment to obtain greater productivity and machine availability.
“Our Moove Engineering Solutions platform incorporates Industry 4.0 principles, such as data mining, analytics, machine learning and IoT (Internet of Things). These elements keep us aligned with the latest technological trends, and also enable us to offer highly personalized and effective solutions to our customers”said Goldschmidt.
Moove’s objective is to continue to be part of the development of the future of the industry, offering intelligence, efficiency, security and sustainability for the entire business ecosystem.
Modern trains
Essential to the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, trains can commonly be associated with a slow, analog mode. For , however, trail transportation has been one of the most promising fields in terms of innovation and technology.
The railway transport and logistics company in the Cosan ecosystem has investments worth more than billions of reais in technology, having developed many processes that have revolutionized cargo transport operations in recent years.
Among these innovations are:
- the implementation of Trip Optimizer, one of the best semi-autonomous train driving systems in the world, which reduces fuel consumption and GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions;
- the implementation of the Circulation Optimizer, a solution based on AI (artificial intelligence) for defining train crossings, bringing more agility and safety to operational control; and
- the modernization of land-train communication, implementing 4 means of communication in the locomotives, including a high-capacity satellite, radio and 4G.
To bring even more results, with millions of reais of investment from the company itself, 4G antennas were placed in the Serra de Santos (SP) for 100% network coverage, also bringing benefits to the population close to that region. This also enabled real-time communication between hundreds of IoT sensors along the thousands of kilometers of the railway network, which signal items such as broken rails, falling barriers, wheel and track temperatures, weather conditions, among others.
The initiatives implemented in the railway sector, especially in the Serra de Santos, resulted in significant improvements in communication, safety and productivity. The adoption of technologies such as 4G and satellite communication have enabled real-time monitoring of operations, reducing communication time, on average, from 5 minutes to less than 3 seconds.
“We have sustainable trains and we continue to invest in increasingly modern processes. These examples cited are important systems that integrate technology and innovation into Rumo’s daily operations, fundamental for the flow of the country’s grain production and for supplying the world market”said Marco Andriola, Technology Director at Rumo.
Currently, 85% of train trips leaving from Santos to Rondonópolis (MT) and vice versa, for example, are made semi-autonomously. In other words, the driver remains on the locomotive, but his functions have changed: instead of driving, he has greater focus on track conditions and guidance from the Operational Control Center. This, through an advanced communication network, can monitor the entire route and provide more safety and efficiency to the journey.
“We apply intelligence to the railway. This is optimization: the train arrives faster, safely and consuming less fuel”said Andriola.
Energy and innovation
Compass, created in March 2020 –8 years after Cosan acquired –, has established itself as strategic for the country’s energy transition, offering security, excellence and efficiency in its services in the natural gas and biomethane market in Brazil. None of this would have been possible without investments in innovation and technology.
“When we look inside Compass, where our gas companies are, we see this technological transformation in our favor”said Barbieri.
According to him, with an open innovation model, the development strategy follows 3 main lines:
- digitalization of customer service to offer faster and faster problem resolution to customers;
- sensorization of the entire distribution network with the aim of increasing the dynamism and safety of operations; and
- investment in research focusing on energy efficiency and sustainability.
“Every year we have projects developed in gas companies that improve the quality of service provided to customers and even promote the creation of new services”explained Barbieri.
Compass’ vice president of Technology and Innovation highlights the company’s partnership with Orizon in the production of biomethane, from organic waste. The two companies operate a biogas purification plant, creating biomethane.
“This search for biomethane from agriculture and waste begins with a lot of research and development”said Barbieri.
The natural gas distribution network of Compass companies, which will also be used for biomethane, is around 25,000 kilometers long. “We connect around 200 thousand customers every year. We take hundreds of people to each city for construction work. In other words, in addition to promoting universal access to piped natural gas, we enable the development of these regions by investing in the training of professionals to work on construction sites and creating jobs”said the vice president of Technology and Innovation at Compass.
Read about some of the innovations in the infographic.
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