Innovation focused on AI and factory modernization for 5G from Positivo has R$ 330 million from BNDES

• R$ 258 million will be allocated to the company's innovation plan, within the scope of the BNDES Mais Innovation Program 

• R$ 72 million from Funttel will be invested in the expansion and updating of production units in Manaus (AM), Ilhéus (BA) and Curitiba (PR)

The National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) announces financing of R$ 330 million to Positivo Tecnologia SA for two of the company's strategic projects in the coming years. With an emphasis on innovation in products, services and solutions – incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity resources – and on modernizing production capacity, the operation aims to support the company's innovation plan and prepare manufacturing units for the growing demand for 5G technology, with a forecast of 274 qualified jobs created in the country, in the areas of production, engineering and research.

“BNDES financing for Positivo reflects our commitment to the country’s economic and technological development, in line with the objectives of the new industrial policy. This is a priority for President Lula's government, as it enables investments in innovation and productivity gains in sectors with high added value”, stated the president of BNDES, Aloizio Mercadante.

“This partnership with BNDES is an important initiative to support our strategic business diversification plan and has as its main focus innovation, through the incorporation of the most advanced and modern artificial intelligence tools in our products, services and solutions, and in modernization of our industrial park”, said Leandro Rosa dos Santos, vice-president of Strategy and Innovation at Positivo Tecnologia.

In accordance with the industry's digital transformation mission, defined by the National Industrial Development Council (CNDI), the first project, financed by the BNDES Mais Inovação Program, will receive R$ 258 million from BNDES. The financing includes investments in the company's innovation plan in R&D for digital transformation and operational efficiency and mainly for the updating and development of products, services and technological solutions, incorporating the most modern artificial intelligence and cybersecurity techniques.

To this end, partnerships will be developed with renowned national institutions, such as the Federal University of Goiás (UFG) and the International Center for Software Technology (CITS). Among the projects under development are cognitive virtual assistants based on the GPT language model (Generative Pre-Trained Transformer), data management platforms for better user experience in after-sales technical assistance and advanced ESG maturity analysis tools focused on the corporate market.

New products are also planned, such as a kit for registering biometric information and capturing documents and signatures, automation and security solutions for “smart homes and organizations”, management solutions for payment terminals (card machines), for the market educational and new tools for managing corporate information technology infrastructure.

Expansion – The second project, which will count on R$ 72 million from BNDES, will invest in the expansion and updating of production units in Manaus (AM), Ilhéus (BA) and Curitiba (PR) to increase competitiveness in the manufacturing of smartphones, tablets and payment terminals (card machines).

Factory modernization for the production of 5G equipment will use technology Surface Mount Technology (SMT), which, through a greater density of components, will allow the company to increase the capacity of the equipment produced and the functions they perform, as well as reduce their size. The company's goal is to reach 65% of the product mix with 5G technology and an installed capacity of 2.6 million units in 2025. BNDES support will be provided through the Fund for the Technological Development of Telecommunications (Funttel).

“We combined the Mais Inovação Program and Funttel to support the company's innovation plan and production of goods with 5G technology, with investments in R&D in Brazil and the generation of qualified jobs. There are different instruments to develop the national industry, which is the objective of the Mais Produção Plan and Nova Indústria Brasil”, added José Luis Gordon, director of Productive Development, Innovation and Foreign Trade at BNDES.

For Leandro Rosa, in addition to reinforcing Positivo's positioning as a company that develops technological innovations, “the financing contributes to the optimization of our capital structure, lengthening the profile of our financial obligations and with lower costs”.