President of Vectra receives honor from UEL for legacy in engineering

On August 4th and 5th, the Saburo Morimoto Academic Center (CASM) promoted the 1st Civil Engineering Week at the State University of Londrina (UEL). The program featured lectures, panels and workshops with market experts and involved students from undergraduate courses in Civil, Production and Electrical Engineering, as well as Architecture and Urban Planning. The event ended with a tribute to the president of Vectra, Manoel Luiz Alves Nunes, for his legacy and contribution to the development of civil construction in Londrina. The commemorative plaque was delivered by the president of CASM, Nelson dos Santos Pio Junior, after the lecture given by Nunes about his 50-year career in civil engineering, which brought together students, teachers and market professionals. “Nothing is lost in teaching, we always get back what we give”, declared Nunes, moved by the honor. In his speech to the students, he highlighted the importance of ethics and honesty in business, the search for continuous improvement in work systems, and never stopping studying. Tribute was given by CASM to Nunes, for her legacy in civil engineering. Rafael Françoso. Over the two days, professionals from different areas at Vectra contributed to bringing knowledge and experience to the graduates. On August 4th, the company's People & Management analyst, Letícia Gubani, gave a presentation to students on “The high performance equation – How people management influences results”. On the same day, the head of technical engineering, Renato Mortari, spoke about “The real estate cycle – from technical to business”. The lecture was attended by the vice-rector of UEL, Miguel Belinati Piccirillo. Renato Mortari gave a technical talk about the real estate cycle. Disclosure. In his presentation, Mortari provided information on all stages of the real estate cycle, from discovering demand and purchasing land, the challenge of creating a product capable of generating value, calculating the financial viability of the project, how to raise funds, analyze the right time to launch, define realistic deadlines, choose good partners, monitor the execution of the work closely and adjust the route when necessary. “The big challenge of working in civil construction is understanding the economic scenario ahead, as the cycle is long”, he stated. On August 5, civil engineers Victor Kono, construction coordinator at Vectra, and Bruno Sakuma, who works as a resident at the developer's construction sites, spoke to students about “Construction management in practice: from planning to execution”. They highlighted the lack of qualified labor as one of the main challenges facing the sector today. “With fewer people working, the delivery time can be extended and, the longer the delay, the higher the final cost of the project”, explained Kono. Engineers Victor Kono and Bruno Sakuma approached construction management in practice. Disclosure. Kono and Sakuma also pointed out that the construction site of the future has already begun, with BIM (Building Information Modeling), a project integration platform; modular constructions; 3D printing; and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to predict delays, optimize material routes and connect qualified professionals to available vacancies. Sakuma shared information about the role of the civil engineer within the works, from obtaining all documentation to demarcating the land, investigating the soil and carrying out temporary installations. He also highlighted the stage of installing protective equipment, signage and training, essential to guarantee the safety of the site. "The engineer holds a very responsible position that requires management knowledge," he said. A model of the Wynn, a project delivered by Vectra in 2026, was displayed on campus for students during the program. Disclosure. For second-year civil engineering student, Ana Laura Negri, the participation of professionals from the construction company was interesting as it brought content in a more dynamic way than that seen in the classroom. “This outside view is very important for us, so we can understand how everything works in practice and what we can do when we have our diploma”, he commented. The coordinator of the Engineering Week and president of CASM, Nelson dos Santos Pio Junior, highlighted the importance of Vectra's partnership as the main sponsor of the event. “We looked for outside partners who could bring some practical experience, so that we teachers can understand where we need to improve so that our students arrive prepared for the professional market”, he informed. The goal is to hold the event annually.