Excellent operation, structured governance and constant investment in technology and digital transformation place the Santa Catarina company among the 5 most innovative in the food, beverage and ingredients segment
Jaraguá do Sul, August 2024 – The Brazilian multinational company Duas Rodas, the largest manufacturer of flavors, essences, extracts and other inputs for the food and beverage industry in the country, was elected as one of the five most innovative companies in its segment in the Valor Inovação 2024 Award, awarded by the newspaper Valor Econômico. This is the ninth consecutive year that the Santa Catarina company is highlighted by the ranking that evaluates the best management practices in innovation and its results in different sectors of the economy.
In its 10th edition, the Valor Inovação Award, held in partnership between the newspaper and Strategy& – a PwC consultancy, became the largest national reference on the subject. This year’s edition, which pointed out the most innovative organizations in their sectors and the ranking of the 150 with the best innovation practices in Brazil, is marked by a renewed look to the future. The methodology considered new aspects and was organized into four pillars: planning, execution, results and recognition –, further reinforcing the ability of organizations to ensure innovation amid growing expectations about sustainability and the adoption of disruptive technologies (such as generative artificial intelligence).
The recognition is the result of work that began when the company was founded almost 100 years ago. “Innovation has been one of the driving forces behind our growth since we were founded in 1925. In 2023, 23% of our revenue came from products developed in recent years by our innovation team. Being an innovative company in essence is also vital in the segment in which we operate. Duas Rodas is the leader in the Latin American market for flavors and ingredients for the food and beverage industry. This is an extremely dynamic sector, driven by innovation and the search for products that combine the pleasure of taste with healthiness and consumer well-being“, says Leonardo Fausto Zipf, president of the company.
Committed not only to its growth, but also to the development of the industry as a whole, Duas Rodas invests at least 5% of its net revenue into the innovation area every year. The amount invested in 2023 was 26% higher than the previous year and, for this year, it is expected to be 40% higher. The company will invest 211 million reais in innovation and technology in the period between 2023 and 2025.
Duas Rodas believes in the potential of co-creation and innovation shared with its customers, with whom it develops and analyzes approximately 2,500 innovation projects monthly. It also has partnerships with the main education and research centers in Brazil, such as USP, Unicamp, UFSC, UFSM and Embrapa, and globally, such as Fraunhofer, in Germany, SciSigma, in India, etc. The company has created its own artificial intelligence, the DRICA (Duas Rodas Augmented Cognitive Artificial Intelligence) platform, which is allowing a much more efficient performance.
Four of the company’s processes are supported by artificial intelligence using its in-house algorithms. Areas making use of AI at Duas Roads include customer projects, research and development, sales forecasts and market intelligence. This has allowed the company to reduce inventories, expand production capacity across several lines and also increase customer satisfaction.
“With the knowledge we have gained through nearly a century in the sector combined with DRICA, we were able to predict how our products must be rotated to meet customer demand. This generates agility in delivery and greater satisfaction among our customers since they can buy products as needed without having to keep their own inventories,” the executive explained. Additionally, Zipf state that performance in the German market, with the acquisition of the company tropextrakt Gmbh in January of this year, has been better than expected. “We are very happy with our results in Germany. We believe that in four years we will be able to reach the targets we had set for 10 years, which shows that we are on the right path,” Mr. Zipf concluded. As a result, the company has seen solid growth of 15% on average over the last five years. In 2023, the company earned more than 1.6 billion reais and in the first half of this year has already achieved an expansion of 18% compared to the same period of the previous year.
ABOUT DUAS RODAS
Duas Rodas, founded in 1925 in Jaraguá do Sul (SC) by the German couple Hildegard and Rudolph Hufenüssler, is one of the largest manufacturers of flavors, extracts and ingredients for the food and beverage industry. Leader in several segments in Brazil and Latin America, it is present with its flavors, textures and colors in most of the foods consumed by the Brazilian population. With headquarters in Santa Catarina, it has six factories, three in Brazil and three in other Latin American countries (Mexico, Chile and Colombia), six R&D centers, as well as commercial offices in the United States and China. In early 2024, it announced the purchase of the company Tropextrakt, in Germany, to further expand its operations in Europe. It employs about 1,700 people and produces more than three thousand items divided into three markets: Flavors (flavors, botanical extracts, condiments and additives, in addition to integrated solutions), Food Service (where it operates with the Selecta, Specialitá and Mix brands in the manufacture of ingredients for ice cream, chocolates and confectionery) and Animal Nutrition (ingredients for animal nutrition, with the Staterabrand). The company has a team of more than 200 professionals, including highly specialized engineers and technicians, who develop proprietary solutions for both the production process and the creation of new products, often in partnership with customers. Key technologies used for innovation include artificial intelligence and big data – both as tools to improve efficiency and to monitor consumer behavior.
More information:
NOVA PR (wwww.novapr.com.br)
Lucimara Nunes
