Luiz Augusto Bittencourt tells about his management at CICB  

 

Engineer Luiz Augusto Bittencourt has been acting for many years as consultant and chief executive officer of Brazilian Tannery Industries Center - CICB. His experience and ability drove him to the entity's executive presidency, which is going through a recent internal reorganization process. In the interview below, he discusses the new model and its importance to the permanent process of contact with formulators of public policies within the federal environment. According to him, to be present in Brasilia means to make easier and faster the relationship with members of the executive branch and with Brazilian Congress.

Bittencourt talks also about the segment expectations to 2008 and he makes important remarks about economic policies restrictions which negatively refute on hide competitiveness in the worldwide market.

 

COUROBUSINESS - What led CICB to adopt a new organizational configuration, giving professional qualities to the management?

 

Luiz Bittencourt - Today, changes on business world occur at real time, and such situation requires a total dedication of the entrepreneur to his company. In addition to this, Brazil has become a very important player in hide international market, because it has the greatest commercial bovine cattle in the world. These comparative benefits led the country, in 2006, to be the second bigger hide producer (44.4 million of unities/year) and the fourth bigger hide exporter of the world (US$ 1.87 billion).

Such setting required CICB to adopt a pyramidal presidential structure, following great confederations tendencies, having a staff in full-time employment in order to act reciprocally with government, participate in meetings, audiences, among other events, representing the entity on relevant forums, facing all the needs of a industry of such magnitude.

 

COUROBUSINESS - What part does the Managing Council play? Who is its president?

 

Luiz Bittencourt - The Managing Council will keep playing its fundamental part of collegiate, by supervising entity's management, demanding for results, evaluating, establishing and orientating strategic actions of the segment. The actual president of the Managing Council is Umberto Ciliao Sacchelli, director of the Apucacouros Hide Industry and Export S/A.

 

COUROBUSINESS - Do you believe that the new model will provide the agility to decisions and to the contact with authorities who are responsible for public policies of the segment?

 

Luiz Bittencourt - CICB is situated in Brasília, administrative center of the country, and this situation can support negotiations with the government and to speed up results. It is fundamental that the government is always updated with information, because it can reach fairer decisions, as it is adequately instructed about industrial segments that are involved.

The change that has occurred on hide productive chain's profile, which begun to be more requested by automotive and furniture segments (over 60% of the hide production), for example, was unknown to government members. The process of updating information for formulators of public policies is fundamental, and the representative segment entities have to play a highlight part in such process.

COUROBUSINESS - What does the nearness to public government (Ministries and Brazilian Congress) in Brasilia mean to an entrepreneurial entity – from any segment?

 

Luiz Bittencourt - The Brazilian Tannery Industries Center has always understood public government as a partner and such partnership has to develop actions that culminate in public interests. In short, government creates a propitious setting to wealth generation and the private segment generates such wealth.

By way of example, tannery segment is partner of APEX-Brasil in an accord that begun in 2000 and which has been producing significant development in the hide export, with respective added value, generating jobs, taxes and foreign exchange to Brazil. In 2007, hide export will overcome the limit of US$ 2 billion, consolidating its importance for Brazilian economy, surpass, in addition, footwear exports.

Another efficient and successful partnership was made with Sebrae Nacional on the development of a program that was implemented all over the country, aiming the hide quality improvement and, because of the success of the program, it will be increased in 2008.

 

COUROBUSINESS - What is the CICB expectation regarding to the hide external market performance in 2008?

 

Luiz Bittencourt - Brazilian tannery segment is internationalized, competitive, undertaker and e determined. The expectation for 2008 is an international market with a great demand. We muts know if national determining factors will allow the good use of the opportunities that will certainly come.

It is necessary, also, that the government works urgently the logistic structures (ports, airports and roads) which strongly impacts country's results in the foreign trade.

Another preoccupation of the segment is the moroseness which fiscal credits, due to export activity, are reimbursed by the government, leading private segment, eminently exporter, to finance government with zero-costs. It is necessary an urgent agility in such reimbursements.

And for finishing, production exoneration is still the key word which assures competitiveness for Brazilian products in the international market.

Revista Courobusiness Ed. 55 – Nov/Dez 2007