Mathematics and innovation: a combination that can boost business

In a scenario of fierce competition, mathematical sciences can be the solution for companies that need to optimize their processes and structures, improve products, incorporate new technologies and reduce the consumption of raw materials

If your company has a problem and you believe that, by using mathematics, it would be possible to solve it, it is time to seek the help of experts from the Center for Mathematical Sciences Applied to the Industry (CeMEAI), one of the Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers (RIDC) of FAPESP. This was the main message conveyed by the director of the Center, José Alberto Cuminato, during the lecture “Innovation and mathematics”, for entrepreneurs in Sorocaba and region, which took place on September 16.

The result of a partnership between the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Brazil (AHK) and the Center of Industries of the State of São Paulo (Ciesp), the lecture was held at the regional headquarters of Ciesp in Sorocaba. Approximately 60 businessmen attended the event, eager to better understand how mathematics, combined with innovation, has the potential to boost their business.

“Mathematics can be very important for the economic development of a country, especially when the competition is fierce,” said Cuminato. Among the numerous examples presented by the expert to show the applications of mathematics in the industry, is the invention of cell phones, which would not exist if not for maths. Without it, the majority of image processes currently employed in medicine, such as magnetic resonance imaging, would not exist. In the logistics field, on the other hand, mathematics is behind the algorithms of the software applications that manage the distribution of products, optimizing the activities in a reliable and agile manner.

“Mathematics can contribute to the improvement of processes that are not competitive for being outdated or use a technology that is no longer the most appropriate,” said Cuminato. The director of CEPID-CeMEAI explained that the center was established two years ago and is inspired by similar institutions from abroad, being the first in the field of mathematical sciences to be funded by FAPESP.

Based at the Institute of Mathematics and Computer Sciences (ICMC) at USP, São Carlos, the center relies on the participation of researchers from USP, UNICAMP, UNESP, ITA and UFSCar. According to Cuminato, one of the goals of CEPID-CeMEAI is to reduce the difficulty of interaction between the academic community and the production sector, a very common obstacle worldwide. While at the academic community the results of a scientific research are usually achieved in the long term only, in companies, time is always running out. On the other hand, in the academic environment, most of the resources allocated to research are public; while in companies, the scarcity of resources is greater.

“This is the first time I have the chance to speak to an audience of businessmen. In São Carlos, we will not have the solutions to all problems of the production sector in Brazil, but we can help in the dialogue between companies and researchers from universities in Brazil and abroad, helping to reduce the distance that separates our worlds,” said the researcher.

Projects in progress – One of the projects developed at the CEPID-CeMEAI resulted in the creation of the software for planning of casting in small industries. Among the existing challenges, due to the diversity of alloys and parts, is the decision regarding which alloys to cast in the ovens available and which parts should be poured from the cast alloys.

According to Cuminato, in this case, the company involved in the project did not allocate any resource to the research. It only presented to the researchers of CEPID-CeMEAI the information concerning the industrial process so that they could understand the problem and model a customized software. “Since the company did not want to become a partner of USP and get the property rights of the software, the product is available for us to provide to other clients,” said the director. 

There are several other projects being carried out to different sectors of the economy: from medicine to the petrochemical industry. “We have 16 projects in course in which we are using statistical methods,” said the researcher of CEPID-CeMEAI, Francisco Louzada Neto, in his presentation. Among the examples presented are the development of new methodologies for the analysis of cancer data, a statistical control system for quality management and a software to detect young talents in sports. Both innovations are in the prospecting phase of partner companies. 

Applied research in Germany – The event in Sorocaba was attended by the Swedish researcher Stefan Jakobsson, who presented examples of research studies conducted by the Fraunhofer Institute, one of the largest organizations for applied research in Europe and that inspired the creation of CEPID-CeMEAI, of which it is a partner. 

Jakobsson presented a simulation conducted by the Institute for automakers seeking to improve the process of painting on cars. According to him, every time a new model enters the production line, the work done by the robots in the paint needs to be reorganized. “Through studies of electrodynamics, the trace of the ink droplets and airflow, we created the design of a virtual paint factory, and thus we managed to simulate how the paint sprays should be directed for the task to be performed more quickly and with more quality,” said Jakobsson. 

Among the many other projects shown is the improvement of the design of flexible structures employed in the automotive industry and the simulation of how these structures work after being coupled to other parts of the vehicle. “I hope that this presentation represents the beginning of a collaboration between the Fraunhofer Institute and your companies,” he concluded. 

Challenges of Inovar-Auto – During the event, the challenge of promoting innovation in the Brazilian automotive industry was also discussed. For two years in force, the Incentive Program for the Technological Innovation and Intensification of the Production Chain of Automotive Vehicles (Inovar-Auto), proposed by the federal government, has been granting tax benefits to companies that stimulate and invest in innovation and R&D in Brazil. 

For the supervisor of production processes of ZF, Michel Haddad, Inovar-Auto has already impacted the market by reducing the import of light-duty vehicles, however, this effect has not been observed in the industry of auto parts. According to Haddad, for being a long and complex chain – which goes far beyond the automakers, because it involves large companies of auto parts, in addition to smaller companies and suppliers of raw materials –, the major difficulty is to increase the competitiveness of national companies. “This is reflected in the increased imports of auto parts,” he explained. 

Haddad also said that, out of the total investments made in R&D by the automotive industry in 2012, the highest percentage (60.5%) comes from the industry of auto parts, and automakers account for only 31.4% of these investments. “The automotive industry is one of the pillars of the economy of our country, so we have to be alert to this scenario,” said Haddad. 

Perhaps the use of mathematics is one of the solutions to solve this and many other problems of Brazil. “The hope of our country is innovation and technology. As a result of this lecture, I hope we can bring at least one case of success,” concluded the director of Ciesp Sorocaba, Antonio Beldi.

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