Aegea Saneamento appears as one of the five most innovative companies in the country, in the Infrastructure category, in the 6th edition of the Valor Inovação Brasil 2020 Award, promoted by Strategy & – PwC’s strategic consultancy – and the Valor Econômico newspaper, which evaluated the innovation practices of companies operating in different sectors.
“We are very happy with this national recognition, which consolidates the company as a fundamental agent in preserving the environment and optimizing resources, not only for our essential sanitation services, but for incorporating and promoting the use of technology in our business model” , says Marco Aurélio Pereira da Silva, manager of innovation and technology at Aegea Saneamento.
One of the major problems in the sanitation sector is the water loss index. This challenge motivated Aegea to develop, in 2013, a department specialized in efficiency and technology, with a multidisciplinary team of 15 specialists. In just four years, the company reduced water losses by 71 million cubic meters. In Brazil, the damage caused by the problem is estimated at R $ 10 billion per year, according to a survey carried out by Valor Inovação.
Aegea was also remembered for its internal program Inovae, which recognizes and encourages employee projects for continuous process improvement. The program has two pillars to promote internal engagement: Open Innovation, which analyzes projects that require company investments to start and, annually, the Aegea Innovation Award that recognizes the best projects. To date, more than 300 people have participated in the Initiative.
“At Aegea, we train our employees and get a return on both internal and external improvement projects, reinforcing our purpose of leading healthier lives with excellence in serving the population,” says Klaus Paz, the company’s innovation coordinator.
In 2020 alone, Aegea invested around R $ 50 million in technology and innovation with projects that benefit the 57 cities served by the company in 12 states in Brazil.
