The murumuru drying monitoring project was developed from the partnership between Natura and Telefônica Vivo, and it also provides benefits to the producing communities in the Amazon by enabling a reduction in losses and an increase in productivity.
The drying of murumuru nuts, whose oil is used as raw material for products in the Ekos line, is a stage in the production process that has a significant impact on the quality of the final product – the oil extracted from a single spoiled seed during this process can damage the entire batch. An opportunity was observed to solve this problem through an open innovation initiative, a co-creation carried out between Natura and Telefônica Vivo, and the pilot project was led by the Sustainability area.
The project consisted of monitoring the process through temperature and humidity sensors installed on drying belts in communities in Amazonas and Pará. These sensors produced data, which was then sent to an IoT (Internet of Things) platform. The entire development of the technology also received support from the Research Center of Mauá Engineering University.
Three months after the project was implemented, it was already possible to monitor the drying and storage of the seeds online, with important discoveries. Ronaldo Freitas, Sustainability manager and project leader, explains: “The monitoring indicates alternatives and opportunities for improving quality and reducing costs. This will allow producing communities to add value to murumuru and increase their yield, as there may be improvements in quality and productivity, with fewer losses.”
The monitoring will also result in an unprecedented historical series of data, which could enhance the drying process of murumuru and other nuts. Now, the project is being presented to Natura's leadership to define the next actions, including the possibility of extending monitoring to other murumuru producing regions and other types of seeds.
This case is quite interesting to reinforce the importance of open innovation actions of this kind, forming partnerships between companies from completely different segments to generate concrete and relevant results.
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