Gerdau has been working on graphene research since 2019, in partnership with the Graphene Engineering Innovation Center (GEIC) at the University of Manchester, in the United Kingdom. Gerdau Graphene, launched in April 2021, was created with the objective of being a reference company in the development and sale of products with application of graphene on a scale, with a focus on reaching global markets in areas such as civil construction, industrial and automotive lubricants, rubber , among others.
Graphene is a nanomaterial composed only of carbon, in which atoms link together forming hexagonal structures. In other words, it refers to one of the crystalline forms of carbon, just like diamond and graphite. Due to its unique characteristics, it has become the largest electrical conductor, one of the best thermal conductors and one of the most resistant and hardest materials available today. “Our biggest challenge will be to transform graphene into an additive and bring it to our customers without them having to change their production chains,” says Alexandre de Toledo Corrêa, general director of Gerdau Graphene.
The company is already positioned as a relevant graphene developer in the Americas. Headquartered in São Paulo, a subsidiary in the United States and researchers in England, Gerdau Graphene designs other technological solutions for industrial sectors in Brazil and in countries in North America.
To support this entire operation, the help of the technology and intelligence of SAP Business One is essential. One of the differences in the system implementation process was the adoption of HANA technology, a high-performance in-memory database that accelerates decision-making and actions in real time, based on data and supports all workloads with the broadest advanced data analytics functions.
The solution allows for a service to all business areas with integrated information, providing flexibility, governance, scalability and robustness to support the company's great international growth. “This solution allows a perfect connection with the SAP solutions at Gerdau, offering fast implementation and integration with the head office system”, comments Alexandre.
As at Gerdau Graphene, the strategy of using SAP Business One HANA in subsidiaries is quite common in companies with this type of initiative. “We offer a complete structure in business management solutions, bringing governance to companies or divisions of all sizes. This agility, speed and excellent cost-benefit is perfect for companies that have specific demands within their various business areas”, concludes Daniel Cabrera, Head of SAP Business One Brazil.
Read the original article on The Graphene Council.
