Innovation is a concept commonly associated with high investments in technological devices, which is restricted to large corporations.
However, the act of innovating is more intrinsic to thinking about a new and better way of doing something that already exists, introducing changes that lead to improvement, renewing or recreating products and processes, regardless of the figures applied. A small company from Rio Grande do Norte proves the breadth of this concept and shows that, with adequate support, it is possible to translate, into practice, what innovation is.
Those responsible for the feat were businessman Bruno Talarico Silva, mechanical engineer Delano Medeiros and production engineer João Cardim, who, together, developed the entire project for the new machine. The invention resolved one of the bottlenecks in the production line by automating the extraction of the kernel from the dried coconut, which occurs through heating or cooking to separate the edible part from the shell. The boiler was developed to optimize coconut processing, which within production was the longest process and with the greatest safety risk, as the existing machinery for this stage is normally of large industrial size, making it impossible to operate in a plant. smaller.
Sabor de Coco is located in Parnamirim, in the Metropolitan Region of Natal, and has been operating in the coconut products market for eight years. The mix is quite varied, from dehydrated coconut flakes, chips, burnt and crunchy coconut, to oil, flour and coconut charcoal. With the increase in demand and the design of new equipment, owner Bruno Talarico decided, two years ago, to open a new division of the company, Macnova Automação Industrial, which serves as the technological arm of the first business and with the capacity to commercialize the equipment developed. .
Macnova's proposal was effectively made possible with the selection in the notice of the Centelha program, which allocates financial support to the area of innovation with resources from the Studies and Projects Financier (Finep) and Sebrae in Rio Grande do Norte, since 2019. In total , Macnova projects received, in total, support of R$ 240.6 thousand to implement the operations of the new company and, consequently, the development of the idealized equipment and automation processes at Sabor de Coco.
Sustainability
The Macnova project is part of the precepts for financing the two programs, Centelha and Tecnova, whose criteria for approval of projects registered in the Public Call involve an innovative idea that solves problems in areas such as productivity and sustainability, for example. And the boiler developed by entrepreneurs from Rio Grande do Norte meets these requirements. With the resources from the notices, the photovoltaic energy panels necessary to operate the electric boiler were installed and investments were made in the production side.
Bruno Talarico explains that the chair has the capacity to process 250 coconuts per hour, which allows you to spend less and increase production
“Normally, the processing of a product like this is done in an electric oven and, both the greenhouse and this solar oven, make the dependence on the electric oven much less. In addition to being quite sustainable as it does not generate carbon into the atmosphere and eliminates the use of gas, which increases the cost of production”, explains production engineer João Cardim, remembering that thermosolar technology uses the sun’s thermal energy indirectly in the oven.
25 more innovation projects will benefit in 2022
The technical analyst from the Sebrae-RN Business, Innovation and Technology Unit, Algéria Varela, considers the transfer of resources from development agencies to stimulate innovation among small businesses in the State, which received this type of investment for the first time, to be a milestone. focused on technological innovation. Macnova is just one of the success stories resulting from the support given through these first notices.
"The Centelha and Tecnova notices debuted, in 2019, the phase of promoting innovation in Rio Grande do Norte. For the first time, we had programs, whose resources managed to boost innovative businesses in the State. This is an initiative that is being successful in across the country and, therefore, we already have the second edition of Centelha II underway, with the selection of another 25 companies and startups to receive financial support next year", assesses Algéria Varela, who was responsible for managing these first two notices.
The second edition of Centelha in Rio Grande do Norte will include even more innovative entrepreneurs from Rio Grande do Norte. The program will allocate resources of around R$1.33 million to enable the implementation of solutions in the area of innovation. The new notice of the Centelha 2 Program will guarantee financial support of up to R$53,300 for companies and startups, which are already participating in the 2022 selection. The preliminary results of the projects of the selected enterprises will be announced on October 5th. The final phase will be launched in January next year.
The program's resources in 2022 will be used to support the generation of 25 innovative enterprises in Rio Grande do Norte, with innovation and improvement actions for products and processes. The startups and innovative projects selected in the notice will receive mentoring until the project contracting phase, when the resources will be passed on to the entrepreneurs.
The Centelha II Program is promoted by the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovations and Communications (MCTIC) and Finep, in partnership with the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), the National Council of State Research Support Foundations (CONFAP ) and the CERTI Foundation, in Rio Grande do Norte run by Sebrae. The idea is to encourage and train innovative entrepreneurs, stimulating the technological consolidation of production chains through the creation of companies that supply innovative products, processes and services to companies already consolidated in the market.
Boiler has energy efficiency system
“The boiler has an energy efficiency and machine learning system, whose programming checks the best way of operating with less energy consumption, ensuring maximum efficiency in this process”, highlights Bruno Talarico. The equipment has the capacity to process 250 coconuts per hour and, therefore, makes it possible to scale the production volume of the small industry.
The extraction of the almond goes through a sanding process to remove the film, which is that brown layer of the coconut. Then, automatic washing is carried out and the coconut is grated, dehydrated or frozen. “We were able to extract this pulp more easily. As the machine cooks the coconut, it softens the almonds and makes the process simpler and faster. It becomes more malleable to break”, explains the businessman.
The company also seeks to minimize losses and make better use of non-edible materials. “We are using the shell waste to produce coconut charcoal. Our purpose is to use 100% of the coconut and the residue is transformed into charcoal”, says Bruno.
The support provided by Sebrae-RN was decisive for the company's consolidation and expansion plans, which are served by the institution. In addition to the resources from the notices, Sabor de Coco participates in the Sebraetec Program, which subsidizes up to 70% of the total value of contracted technological services for the construction of the brand's website.
“The support given by Sebrae and the resources from the notices allowed us to realize a dream of work that was started in a very artisanal way. The investments in the notices made this application become concrete”, celebrates Bruno Talarico. Through the notices, the applied innovation was validated by highly qualified market professionals and generated recognition for the company. “This investment in the notices is of the utmost importance for economic development and the promotion of small businesses in Brazil and, mainly, in the Northeast”.
Source: Tribuna do Norte.
