CAMARGO CORREA
Local partnerships key to success

The financial services sector in Barbados is enjoying a naissance, and garnering a reputation as one of the world’s leading and most secure business centres

Marcos de Moura Wanderlay General Manager Camargo Correa

Winner of the concession for a 306km segment of the southern axis of the Peru-Brazil Transoceanic Highway is Brazil’s Camargo Correa. One of South America’s largest construction companies, employing more than 30,000 people worldwide, Camargo currently has projects in Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Suriname. It is also active in Angola, Mozambique and South Africa.

Camargo has had a presence in Peru for over ten years, and shareholder Fernando de Arruda Botelho (INTERVIEW) says the country is growing in importance as a platform for the international expansion of Brazilian companies. “I think Peru is in a very good position now. Sometimes for Brazilian companies, it is a bit complicated to go to some countries that are far away from Brazil. Alan García has shown that he is constant, that he has learned, and that he is trying to do good things,” he comments.

Peru can be a valuable partner for Brazilian companies, Mr Arruda goes on to say, as they have been struggling to expand internationally for the last five years. The global process for these companies has traditionally been to expand within Latin America first, before moving on to the US, and later Europe and Asia.

Consequently, Camargo is now planning on increasing its operations in Peru. Over the last decade, company activities have been focused primarily on road construction, and in the past three years, on public concessions. Mr Arruda adds that now, however, a broader range of the Group´s activities will be moved to Peru. Apart from engineering, construction and infrastructure for energy, oil, transportation and industry, these include sanitation, environmental management, cement production and distribution, footwear, textiles and steel.

Marcos de Moura Wanderley (INTERVIEW), general manager of Camargo in Peru, remarks, “We have the technology, we have the experience in this country, we have local manpower and local machinery. This makes us competitive. Also, we have been bringing a lot investment in from Brazil in partnership with Peruvian companies for a long time. Today, Camargo Correa has a lot of experience in forming partnerships in the country, and this is important.”