Hudson Mendes: Technology in Cariri

08:07 20 de November de 2022 Por Daniel Oiticica

Hudson Mendes, AeC Operations Executive

Operating in the market for 30 years, AeC is a company present in at least seven states, presenting technological call center solutions, specializing in customer relationships. There are approximately 43 thousand employees, almost four thousand in Ceará alone. The company’s clients are companies from different segments, such as digital natives, fintechs, the financial sector, telecommunications, services, retail, insurance, energy and health. The roads to institutional growth, prospects for the future and new projects were detailed in this interview by Hudson Mendes, Operations Executive at AeC.

Why did AeC open a branch in Ceará, more specifically in Juazeiro do Norte?
The choice of Ceará is closely linked to skilled labor. We saw a great opportunity in the city as it has a very strong technological and student hub. There are several universities, both public and private, which created a highly qualified workforce. In addition, the profile is welcoming, that is, people who are concerned with solving the problems of others. Exactly our area of operation, which strengthened our decision to settle in the region.

To what extent did the large number of submarine fiber optic cables installed in Ceará influence the decision to open this branch?
Infrastructure is extremely important. We need the technology to be available and especially with the internet link as we work a lot with voice and data. So, we needed to have this availability also in the city, and the Cariri region favored it. We have several internet providers in the city, so technology gets here easily. This was also an important attraction for the company to make the decision.

If we talk about green hydrogen, for example, there is an entire industry that this business will attract to Ceará…
Undoubtedly, they are more business possibilities. In addition to the mapping of the environment itself. We know that some companies are investing in this mapping that will greatly expedite the installation and capture of offshore wind energy.

What have been the results so far?
The company has been growing strongly. Between 2010 and 2011 it started its interiorization process. First, in Minas Gerais with two cities: Governador Valadares and Montes Claros. It was then that we saw an opportunity to come to the Northeast. The first northeastern city was Campina Grande, in Paraíba, in 2012. Then in 2014, the opportunity arose in Juazeiro, Ceará. It was a period of rapid growth for the company, as we had several clients coming in, as well as others who were our old partners and were growing while we were experiencing an exponential movement. In the space of two to three years, the company practically doubled in size.

What factors account for this growth?
AeC focuses a lot on people development. The results that were being delivered, the credibility that the company was passing on to our clients, favored the possibility of having this growth. We had a very positive experience in Campina Grande, with excellent results, followed by João Pessoa and Mossoró. The Northeast region has greatly strengthened these advances due to its welcoming characteristic and the fact that it gives itself to the maximum.

What services have you recently added for customers?
We serve companies ranging from the energy segment to banks, for example, digital natives and more traditional institutions, and we also offer telecom services, billing, and sales services. We have some partners who work with delivery applications, in short, today we have more than 90 clients in our portfolio, a company with more than 40,000 employees, and we have managed, in a very significant way, to help Brazilians with this support.

What message would you like to pass on to those who are thinking about investing in Ceará?
There are preconceptions made about the Northeast region. It is necessary to get rid of these concepts. The Southeast was built by the people from the Northeast and look how rich the Southeast was and still is for our country. There is a universe of opportunities here in the Northeast, mainly in Ceará, for job generation, manufacturing and product building, as well as technology. We have an extremely qualified labor force, extremely competent people. The group is really differentiated, it is worth betting on, and I think that the answer is here. Today we are a company with almost four thousand employees here, generating a large income for the city thanks to the labor and the work that has been done by the people from Ceará.