Global Business Services (GBS) is a global initiative of Alcoa, the aim of which is to provide Company activities with more agility and quality. With this initiative the company is centralizing the services of the administration and financial areas in a single structure.

The aim of GBS is to add value to Alcoa’s business services and make them more competitive, in addition to reducing costs and eliminating redundant tasks. The global alignment of GBS provides access to best service practices worldwide, which generates business opportunities with competitive advantages for the Company’s customers.

The project focuses on concepts of the Alcoa Business System (ABS), a quality control and productivity system that seeks to lever Alcoa’s competitive potential and presence, worldwide. The concept was created by the Company in four regions of the world – North America, South America, Asia and Europe – and is concentrated on the cities of Szhekésferhévar (Hungary), Perth (Australia), Pittsburgh (USA), Bangalore and Calcutta (India) and Poços de Caldas (Brazil).

The choice of the Minas Gerais State city as the system’s headquarters in Brazil was because there is an Alcoa plant in the region, with which it shares the already available local infrastructure. Among the city’s advantages are its qualified labor force and proximity to major commercial centers and renowned universities.

Currently there are 473 employees working for GBS in Brazil, distributed in various offices in the region. The local set–up process is practically finished. The Company’s challenge now is to fully and finally integrate all countries in South America where Alcoa has operations, at the same time as looking for new business opportunities and providing services for other countries, like as Mexico, Canada, Jamaica, Surinam, the United States and some European countries.