Adoção de tecnologias da indústria 4.0 por firmas do agronegócio do Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

The present study’s objective was to understand the process of technologies adoption of the 4.0 industry in agribusiness firms of Rio Grande do Sul. Through an exploratory and qualitative research, three agribusiness firms and one startup were investigated. Through a sample of ‘snowball sampling’, other actors that compose the National Innovation System (SNI) were investigated too: institutions, agribusiness experts, industry experts 4.0, Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation and Communication (MCTIC) and the Ministry of Development Industry and Foreign Trade and Services (MDIC). A total of 14 semi-structured interviews were carried out during 2017, based on the categories extracted from the theoretical reference that addressed the adoption of technologies by firms, among them: technological choice, trends, difficulties / barriers, characteristics, labor, role of State, institutional actors, innovation results and economic results. The results of the research were interpreted under the content analysis, following the guidelines of Bardin (2009). It was verified that the technologies adopted are: Big Data, Internet of Things and Robotics. This adoption has been taking place in large multinational firms located in the metropolitan area and which are active in the pre-port phase, through the internationalization of knowledge, formalization of the Research and Development department, investment in skilled labor, participation of customers and suppliers in testing of prototypes and application of technologies, observation of national and international trends for the sector. The exception is in firm C, because it is of Brazilian family origin, located in the interior of the state, and invests its own resources and credit from public policies for the development of research and technology. It highlights the role of a startup, as a way to promote and stimulate specific technological practices for agribusiness, aiming at flexibility, cost and production efficiency, competitiveness, communication between machines and human beings and other attributes capable of adding value to the pre and post market sectors. The role of institutions was identified as fundamental, contributing to the qualification of human, technological and social resources, development in prototype, machine and equipment testing and consulting through public-private partnership projects, as well as the partnerships in which MCTIC and MDIC are realizing for the implementation of the National Internet Plan of Thingsand of Advanced Manufacturing, where it allows to understand the knowledge of the mentioned technologies and to apply them in the Brazilian companies. The innovation results adopted by the company, occurs through the participation of customers and suppliers in prototype testing, production expansion and diversification, control and efficiency in decision making and cost reduction, technical assistance and after sales. Regarding the economic results adopted, the following stand out: aggregation of value to the final product, optimization of the work force, increase of productivity and opportunity of diversification of the productive chain and cost efficiency. It is also concluded that diverse efforts must be made by different actors to make the process of adopting these technologies more widespread in the sector and in firms with different profiles, providing a greater value aggregation and sectorial competitiveness.