FS, Brazil's first and largest ethanol producer that uses 100% corn to manufacture of its products, has always sought to use technology as an additional resource to transform agribusiness. Almost all of its systems operate in the cloud, for example, making processes more agile and efficient and adding value to its products. When they found themselves in the midst of a pandemic, the FS team did not think twice: it would be through sophisticated technology that they would face that situation. That's how they started using Microsoft 365 solutions, ensuring flexibility and better performance for their employees.
Since its foundation, FS has cared about enforcing one of its main purposes: transforming agribusiness through sustainability. For this to be possible, it was necessary to innovate efficiently and safely. The company then formed a team of professionals with extensive experience in the Brazilian and global market, building, as a result, a strong corporate governance structure and the result of this was realized in very little time. Despite being on the market since 2017, four years after its foundation, it has already earned the position of the largest corn ethanol industry in Latin America.
Today, the company operates on important fronts, such as ethanol production, corn oil production, bioenergy, and animal nutrition. But to cover all these areas, it was necessary to implement a technology that would allow the reuse of all grain waste in a closed cycle, generating products with high added value.
The use of cutting-edge technology has always been part of the company's culture. However, remote work was not a reality for its professionals, and the pandemic changed everything abruptly.
Digital transformation
Because energy is an industry considered essential to society, some FS employees still needed to be present on the plant floor, so that all machinery would continue to function normally. However, other employees, especially those operating in the administrative sector, could perform their duties from home, provided they were equipped with suitable technology. It was then necessary to change and further digitally structure the company.
At that time, FS faced the major challenge of unifying collaboration and productivity applications. There was no standard platform or tools for professionals to work productively with good communication while away from the office.
At that time, the partnership began with Lattine Group, a Gold Partner Microsoft company in the area of Management Technology, which works with the implementation and consulting of different software. This partnership allowed FS's day-to-day operations to be conducted remotely, facilitating the administration of the overall routine and results.
The project started a little before the pandemic happened, because there was a lot of instability in the connections and discomfort with the use of personal accounts, in addition to out-of-sync schedules due to time zone difference, among other challenges. The health crisis accelerated the journey expected to happen in six months and was completed in just two.
Implementing the system when employees were working remotely and environments could not be unavailable was a challenge. The process was done step-by-step, starting with Microsoft Teams and continuing with other Microsoft 365 applications being subsequently incorporated.
More collaboration in the company
Using this technology, it was also possible to perform something the company felt the need for a long time: to bring employees closer to the business.
“It was necessary to better implement a culture of collaboration. That's why Microsoft 365 was ideal for them. Microsoft Teams, for example, has unified all communications and is used for many other functions," explains Lattine Group solution architect Thiago Alves.
In addition to online meetings, at FS, Teams has been used to improve project management by creating work groups for every type of project. Within it, a dedicated governance committee environment has been developed that contains the disaster recovery plan, business continuity plan, and information security policies. This allows everyone to access and work as a team so that information is always aligned and up to date.
Microsoft Planner is used in an integrated way with Teams, where strategic company planning is built with a deadline of up to two years, providing the conditions to automate processes and share executive management.
On SharePoint, FS has one page for each project it owns. Websites developed on the platform eliminated the need to hire third parties and consequently reduced costs, making the process faster and more agile.
"Executives who do not have a physical location and travel all the time need an environment that facilitates quick access to the team for information exchange, indicators, and even management. With the right solution, we feel that this entire process has been facilitated. Which, without a doubt, made the time we took to get to know the tool worthwhile," says FS Supply Director Marcelo Jorge Fernandez.
Marcelo also stresses that, with the acceleration generated by the pandemic, it became even clearer that they had made the right choice. According to him, FS has the right tools and the spirit of a digital company. "All of this made our process much easier," he said.
A definitive solution
"The need helped in taking up the software; in 15 days about 150 people were using the tool. This confirmed the success of this deployment," comments Everson Estevão Medeiros, FS Industrial Director.
The return to the office was phased and the routine is no longer the same. Meeting rooms are almost no longer being used, because in addition to maintaining the necessary distancing during the health crisis, with the use of Teams, the entire company has the flexibility to not need to leave their desk to meet its commitments.
"We felt acceptance was very good. During the implementation we started to receive positive feedback and today we are at a point where when we have a customer or supplier, as a rule, we send an invitation and all our contacts and meetings are via Teams,” emphasizes Supply Director Marcelo Jorge Fernandez.
The use of the platform accelerated the process of being more present in São Paulo, where the company will set up an executive office. Microsoft 365 has changed the entire company culture.
"If you purchase Microsoft 365 only through your email box and calendar, you're underutilizing the tool. 80% of the IT area are projects and innovation. When this area in a company stabilizes, it becomes a business lever," says Luciano Waltrick Goeten, IT Coordinator at FS.
Using Microsoft 365 helped FS achieve corporate goals and gain even more credibility and trust with shareholders. "The success of the deployment and the speed it was carried out surprised us very positively. Our plan was to do this in six months, but we did it in 15 days and put Teams to work," Luciano celebrates.
“If you purchase Microsoft 365 only through your email box and calendar, you're underutilizing the tool. 80% of the IT area are projects and innovation. When this area in a company stabilizes, it becomes a business lever.”
Luciano Waltrick Goeten, IT Coordinator, FS
Follow Microsoft