LAV Magazin 2021

HELM AG • Nordkanalstrasse 28 • 20097 Hamburg • Germany Phone: +49 40 23 75 0 • Fax: +49 40 23 75 18 45 info@helmag.com • www.helmag.com As a family-owned company, HELM stands for fairness, reliability, supreme quality standards as well as the protection of people and the environment. Our know-how and local presence make us the ideal partner for: • International Marketing • Distribution • Logistics • Production • Project Development • Scientific andTechnical Services HELM secures access to the world’s key markets through its specific regional knowledge and subsidiaries, sales offices and participations all around the world – we are one of the world’s leading marketing companies for: • Chemicals • Pharma • Crop Protection • Crop Nutrition PHARMA CROP PROTECTION CHEMICALS CROP NUTRITION LATIN AMERICA – HAMBURG. A REALLY GOOD CONNECTION. “ Currently, we are investing in our lo- cal infrastructures in selected coun- tries in Latin America, to increase our local added value and to serve our cus- tomers with products and solutions made in Latin America, while always keeping our global quality standards.”, says Svenja Ahlburg (Group Director Latin America &ManagingDirectorWILOMexicoBom- bas Centrifugas) in this LAV-interview. is year she moved from Dortmund, Germany, to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Mrs. Ahlburg, Wilo has the vision of sus- tainable water solutions that bene t every- one, everywhere. How does this apply to LatinAmerica speci cally? A signi cant part of the Latin American and Caribbean population still lacks ade- quate access to potable water and sanitation services. About 35% of the population do not have access to safe drinking water and only 20% of the wastewater is treated in the region.With our high e ciency pumps and pumping systems,we are contributing to the ambitious agendas of local governments, by enabling the access to safe drinking water and sanitation systems while reducing our ecological footprint. is applies to both - urban centers and rural areas, for example through solar-powered pumps, ensuring a safe water supply without electrical energy. Howdoes the sustainable development goals (SDG) of the UnitedNations are part of your business? Wilo is one of UN’s “50 Sustainability and Climate Leaders” worldwide. is global initiative highlights international corpora- tions that are supporting a green and sus- tainable future. Within this initiative, Wilo takes e ective action in combating climate change and thereby Wilo contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, which are of utmost im- portance for the Latin American region. Sustainability is part of our DNA since our foundation in 1872. Our products, systems and solutions contribute to supplying peo- ple all over the world with water in an in- telligent, e cient, and climate-friendly way. We have set ourselves the goal of producing climate-neutrally at all ourmainproduction sites by 2025. At our headquarters in Dort- mund, we have already achieved this goal. rough the development and use of highly e cient pump technology, Wilo is helping to signi cantly reduce energy consumption andCO2 emissions. Furthermore, formany years, Wilo has been investing in compre- hensive training and skills development programs together with our local partners in Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Mexico to support the international know-how trans- fer and to sensibilize people for energy e - cient solutions. We have heard about the internal project “VAMOS LATAM” atWilo.What exactly was it about? e Latin American region has not been the focus of the Wilo Group's expansion over the past 20 years. Until 2019, when the VAMOS LATAM project was initiated. At the beginning, the project has been a pure restructuring project to lay the foundation stone towards a sustainable and long-term oriented growth in Latin America. As a result, the Sales Area Latin America was established in order to give the region the attention it needs and deserves. Today, “VA- MOS LATAM” is a movement in which all our 70 employees from7 di erent countries in Latin America are striving to achieve our vision: to become a solution leader for a re- source-e cient world by providing more people with clean and safe drinking water and giving access to sanitation systems in the Latin American region. What would you list as best practices in doing business in LatinAmerica? I would always recommend setting up of a highly motivated team by listening to your people, by giving them room and trainings for personal and professional development and by giving them freedom to take deci- sions. On top of that it is crucial to build up local networks to politics, associations, NGOs and to the private sector. And last but not least to increase the local added val- ue in the Latin American countries. About state-of-the-art technology: it is visible thatWilo has themost modern solutions in its pumps and services.Wilo won several awards for design, technology, sustainability and brand awards. Do you make any di erence in products for Latin America in terms of technology compar- ing it to other world regions? Our commitment to high quality products and solutions is the same at all our 16 pro- duction sites and in all the 90 countries we are present today. But global trends and - nally the pandemic have led us to rede ne our strategic approach. In the future, parts of the global economy will be determined primarily by autarky e orts and protec- tionism. erefore, we have implemented the “region-for-region” approach. As part of this approach, we consistently pursue the goal of serving local customer needs with regionally manufactured products. Based on this approach, we can respond even more exibly to customer wishes and shorten the lead times. Currently, we are in- vesting in our local infrastructures in Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Colombia and Mexico to increase our local added value and to serve our customers with products and solutions made in Latin America, while always keep- ing our global quality standards. ank you for your insights, Mrs. Ahlburg. Svenja Ahlburg Group Director Latin America & Managing Director WILO Mexico Bombas Centrifugas Wilo is one of UN “50 Sustainability and Climate Leaders” worldwide 32 WILO