An excerpt from Developing Countries and Technology Cooperation report, reprinted with permission from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
Alcoa Aluminio in Brazil operates the largest alumina refinery in South America and the second largest smelter on that continent. The Alumar plant, one of Alcoa's most modern smelters and refineries, is situated in São Luís, in Northern Brazil.
Alcoa's values, training and financial support were made available to Alumar in the early stages of development, along with technical assistance and experienced workers. Due to the lack of industrial background in the region there very few specialized workers available initially; this was in fact the first heavy industry of its type in the area. During this stage Alcoa's plant in Poços de Caldas supplied several staff to run the plant, and several technicians came from the USA to conduct and teach operational activities. Several technicians hired by Alumar in São Luís were also sent to other plants for training.
Over time the company developed extensive training programs that have enabled local people to form a dedicated, high performance workforce. Depending on their position, they received anything from an introductory course on safety and legal procedures, through to a complete College education. Career plans were developed to determine the appropriate training for each individual. This was a win-win for the employees, the company and the region - more skilled employees meant enhanced and more competitive outputs and consequently an improvement in the local industrial capability.
Great improvements have been recognized in the quality of the operations over time. Training and development programs have led to a highly skilled and qualified workforce. In particular, employees have been noted for developing a strong commitment to policies, cost awareness and a sense of ownership, as well as improved group work and responsibility for self-development. As a result of process efficiency and high management standards, Alumar was awarded both ISO 9002 and 14001 certifications by July 2000.
A labor force of about 13,000 people was employed at the peak of construction. More than 80% of those workers came from Maranhão. Since the commencement of operations, Alumar has become an important regional economic center, offering more than 1,950 direct jobs and another 1,500 indirect jobs. Currently more than 98% of the employees come from the local region, even in the managing seats. Alumar also work closely with Local and Federal Colleges and Research Institutes. Partnerships with vocational institutes, colleges and universities have given many students a chance to enhance their education and apply their knowledge in a practical environment through internships. Alumar is also sponsoring community programs in environmental education.
Alumar is now recognized worldwide as one of the world's largest industrial complexes for production of alumina and aluminum. In the refinery the present production rate is around 1.27 million tonnes per year of alumina, and in the smelter the current capacity is 365,000 tonnes per year of metal. To support the 'heavy industry' a medium-heavy industry has developed in the region, mainly focused on fabrication workshops and industrial gas production. Due to the large amount of goods transaction within the São Luís area, dozens of local industries have developed since Alumar installation.
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Alumar Ranked Best in World for EHS and Community
The Alcoa-managed Alumar refinery and smelter in São Luis, Brazil, was ranked the best among 55 locations around the world audited by BHPBilliton in 2003.
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