Philadelphia is a good place for pioneers. Once the second-largest city in the British Empire, after London, it played a decisive role in the American Revolution and was the young nation’s temporary capital while Washington, DC, was under construction. The “City of Brotherly Love” (Philadelphia, in Greek) has a long tradition of generating ideas of freedom and cultivating principles of change and development. And it is in this historic city, which abounds in tales of bold endeavors, that a team of professionals is responsible for hoisting the flag of Brazilian petrochemicals on American soil for the very first time. These brave pioneers are now hard at work on the consolidation of Sunoco Chemicals’ polypropylene assets with Braskem.

Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, Sunoco Chemicals is a former division of the Sunoco Corporation, an oil refining giant. Through the acquisition of its polypropylene assets, announced in February 2010 and concluded in early April for USD 350 million, Braskem America has become the fourth-largest supplier of that thermoplastic resin in North America. It has also firmly established its position as the number-one plastic resin producer in the Americas, taking an important step forward in its plans for international expansion.

This is the first time Braskem has had industrial operations outside Brazil. Now, the Odebrecht company owns three industrial plants in the United States: one in Marcus Hook, in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, one in La Porte, in the metropolitan area of Houston, Texas, and one in Neal, West Virginia. These three plants produce a total of 950,000 tonnes (metric tons) of polypropylene per year.

Braskem has also acquired the Technology Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a hub of development for products and services, technical support and commercialization, with a team of 50 people, including chemical engineers, chemists and sales professionals. All told, the Braskem team in the United States includes 430 members.

In April, Ricardo Lyra, the Braskem VP for People & Organization and Communication, headed up a number of visits to the recently acquired units to introduce the company’s new American members to Braskem and the Odebrecht Group, answer their questions and clear up any doubts they might have. They covered a wide range of subjects, from the company’s health plan to industrial performance. Along with Bruce Rubin, who took charge of the first stages of the merger and is now VP for External Affairs & Business Development, Christopher Bland and Bob Nadin, respectively the VP for Manufacturing and VP for Innovation & Technology at Sunoco, who are now Braskem professionals, Ricardo visited the plants in all three states, as well as the Technology Center.

“We are carrying out a process of broad and transparent communication,” says Ricardo. “No question has gone unanswered.” He explains that the merger is taking place in the best possible atmosphere. “People know that their work is now part of the company’s core business, and they are aware that this is creating new prospects for individual and corporate growth.”

Braskem is also being introduced to its new American clients. Mark Nicolich, who joined Sunoco in 2001, is playing a leading role in that process. He is the VP for Commercial Affairs & Supply Chain. “Our clients are optimistic about Braskem’s arrival,” he says. The fact that they will now be serviced by a company whose main business is polypropylene production has given rise to good expectations, says Mark. He is seeing the same response among his co-workers. “There is a very positive energy.”

Bruce Rubin started working at Sunoco Chemicals 31 years ago. A chemical engineer, his first job was at the Marcus Hook Unit, and he rose to become the company’s President and CEO. Bruce is experiencing what he calls “a new beginning.” He observes: “We are at the stage of leaving Sunoco and joining the Braskem family. This is a very interesting, highly motivating time for learning and exchanging experiences, educating clients and seeking new ideas and new products. People are starting to perceive the enormous potential opportunities here.”

This is the case with Kelly Elizardo, who joined Sunoco Chemicals 10 years ago. She works at the Philadelphia office and has a degree in Chemical Engineering, but went on to get a specialization in Finance and now works as the officer Responsible for Support in that area. “I’m very enthusiastic about the prospects for working with the Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology (TEO) model,” she says. “I like change and love challenges and learning opportunities.”

This feeling of embarking on a new era where people are valued and the focus is on the client is easily noted and quite intense at the Technology Center in Pittsburgh. On April 12, Ricardo Lyra, Bruce Rubin, Christopher Bland and Bob Nadin got together with all the team members at that facility to talk about Braskem’s arrival. “Technology matters, business differentiation matters, but nothing matters more than people and their development,” said Bruce Rubin at the meeting.

Bob Nadin, who has headed the Technology Center in Pittsburgh for eight years, reinforces that message: “We are all very happy because we are now working at a big and growing company that invests in the development of products and technology and is introducing new sales concepts. Braskem is a company that is committed to growth.”

From the Technology Center in Pittsburgh to the plants, and from there on to the company’s clients. Christopher Bland joined Sunoco in 2005. He explains that the priority for his area during the transition phase is to reassure clients and suppliers that their day-to-day relationships will go on without a hitch. Internally, this is the time to get to know the health, safety and environment practices and work organization method of the company’s units in Brazil. “Braskem has a culture of trust in people, and giving them the freedom to assess and decide. That makes me happy,” says Christopher.

Renato Monteiro encountered precisely this type of environment and this kind of feeling when he arrived in Philadelphia in February 2010. Renato is the Braskem VP for Finance & Strategy in the USA. He played a direct role in the acquisition of Sunoco Chemicals from the beginning. “When I walked into Sunoco’s Philadelphia office, I knew we were experiencing a historic moment for Braskem and Brazil,” says Renato. “The people there couldn’t have been more receptive. I soon realized that Braskem and Odebrecht’s business model was like music to the ears of everyone here.”

The series of recent acquisitions made by Braskem in Brazil and the United States is a watershed in the Brazilian petrochemical company’s history
Carlos Fadigas

The fact that Braskem’s main shareholders, the Odebrecht Group and Petrobras, were on the same page about the need to bolster Brazilian petrochemicals and make the industry better prepared for global competition was key to the success of this acquisition in the United States.

Carlos Fadigas, who had been Braskem’s VP for Finance and Investor Relations since 2006 and took on the challenge of becoming CEO of Braskem America in May, underscores that the Brazilian government has created the conditions for building a strong economy by providing support to the business sector. Fadigas believes that the sequence of recent acquisitions that Braskem has carried out in Brazil and the United States is a watershed in the history of the company and Brazilian petrochemicals. “The acquisition of Quattor marked the successful conclusion of the sector’s reorganization in Brazil,” observes Fadigas. “This resulted in a ‘horizon of predictability’ that stimulated the investments this country needs and enabled us to explore growth opportunities in the international market,” he adds.