Brazil by waterway — and by cloud

"The future of technology is in the cloud," is a phrase ringing through many large companies over and over again, each day.

Studies predict over 50 percent of all information technology will be in the cloud within the next five to ten years. And São Paulo-based Hidrovias do Brasil S.A has already started. 

Home to massive coffee production, the first pottery, and its first female president currently in office, Brazil is growing quickly... especially economically. Brazil relies largely on its iron and manganese reserves for export earnings, keeping the country the seventh-largest industrial sector in the Americas with 28.5 percent of GDP.

The country has transformed from struggle to steady growth, and Hidrovias do Brasil is a main contributing factor in that success. 

The company, founded in 2010, provides waterway logistic solutions for Brazil, offering door-to-door logistics, long-term, and asset productivity solutions. It has projects in North, Southeast, South Brazil, and Paraná-Paraguay. Shipping Brazil's raw materials accounts for almost 75 percent of international trade in the country, and because of areas like the Amazon which lacks roads and railroads, river transport is the most popular method.

Hidrovias do Brasil's mission is to be the waterway logistics operator of choice in Latin America and to provide logistic services of quality by using the waterway transport modality, always prioritizing sustainable development and ethical business, and ensuring its future operations through excellence and continuous growth. In the first quarter of 2014, Hidrovias started building navigation assets and overall infrastructure facilities demanding ERP Solutions to manage all business processes.

To help reach their missions and goals, Hidrovias chose SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud. Already, they've reduced costs and are now able to respond quickly to business demands.

Cloud is not a fad — and it’s here to stay. By choosing HANA Enterprise Cloud, Hidrovias is expected to save about 70 percent in costs per year. They are accelerating time to value, increasing business agility, and drastically reducing costs. 

Although waterway transportation is the most economically viable and clean option, it’s very difficult in some parts of Brazil where rivers are extremely narrow, shallow, and winding.

However, Hidrovias do Brasil marked a milestone for the inland river transport industry when they ordered eight Robert Allan design SDP 4600 Class push boats from Europe. The first two were delivered on March 7 after successful completion of sea trials. These are the world’s most powerful diesel electric triple z-drive shallow draft push boats ever built; they are able to transport a whopping 16 barges and have excellent manoeuvrability  and short crash stop capabilities.

These push boats will be used for iron ore transportation from North of Brazil to Uruguay through the Parana River inland waterways. The total distance is over 2,500 km with many extremely curvy river sections and occasionally very shallow water, but boats are built with the ability to achieve the desired average convoy speed.

Hidrovias do Brasil in partnership with SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud will continue to innovate the way the company does business, continue to achieve their mission, and ensure that Brazil has a steady export of natural resources and industry products. Hidrovias do Brasil is directly contributing to the growth and success of their home country and the success of its people. 

Will you be at SAPPHIRE NOW Orlando? Please join Rogério Dutra, PMP, IT Head Latin America Hidrovias do Brasil, as he leads the discussion, "Start Doing Real-Time Business Faster in the Cloud."

Session Details:

• Title: Start Doing Real-Time Business Faster in the Cloud
• Time: 1:30-2:00PM ET
• Duration: 20 Minute Theater Presentation
• Location: Theater 4
• Synopsis: Accelerate your time to value by using a managed, private cloud to run in-memory solutions, including SAP Business Suite powered by SAP HANA and the SAP Business Warehouse application, powered by SAP HANA. Hear how the SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud service supported customers' cloud journeys during planning, migration, delivery, and management.

Join me on Twitter @CMDonato or on LinkedIn. 

This article originally appeared on SCN in SAP Business Trends.