Tramontina cooks up Web development recipe for Genero

Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil – April 18, 2011Tramontina celebrates its 100th anniversary with the launch of a new Foreign Trade Portal rewritten in just a few weeks from PHP into Genero. Motivated by the speed with which user-interfaces can be designed and the desire to benefit from the same productivity and development methodology of their other applications, Tramontina has now standardised on Genero for all future web developments. At the same time, Tramontina has renewed its support agreement with Four Js for a further three years.

“I now develop Web applications in a fraction of the time it took me with PHP,” said Marcos Antonio Sganderlla, CIO of Tramontina. “This way, I optimise developer skills and give them more time to be creative.”

Tramontina had decided back in November 2006 to modernize its ERP and industrial automation system using Genero and IBM Informix IDS. That decision was made based on the significant productivity improvements achieved with Genero; over 55 systems and 2,800 programmes were modernized. There are 1500 people using the Genero suite of applications to date and with growth of 34% planned in 2011, this number is likely to grow as they add new distribution centres around the world.

The success of that initiative stimulated Tramontina’s development team to write new applications, now including the Web, using Genero instead of more traditional web languages.

Tramontina has acquired over the last 5 years considerable experience with Genero and supports its entire software development program with a team of just 12 developers and analysts. One feature the team particularly likes is Genero’s ‘thin client’ architecture, enabling desktop or web deployments just by reconfiguring the user agent. Little to no changes are required to the underlying hardware infrastructure.

About Tramontina

Founded by Valentin Tramontina in 1911, Tramontina started out as a small blacksmith’s shop in the town of Carlos Barbosa in southern Brazil. One hundred years after it was founded, the company has transformed itself into an impressive Brazilian industrial giant, with 10 decentralised units, of which eight are in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, one in Belém in the state of Pará, and another in Recife in the state of Pernambuco.

Mission

Tramontina is a household name in Brazil with enormous brand equity and has a presence in more than 120 countries. Its mission is to develop, produce and deliver quality products that improve people’s lives, so creating value for its consumers, staff and the communities in which it is based.

It currently employs a staff of about 6,000 and produces more than 17,000 items of homeware, hand tools, high-specification tools, gardening equipment, plastic and wooden furniture, electrical materials, sinks, basins, ovens, extractors, laundry sinks and accessories.

Values

Development of the company has been marked by innovation, design and, above all, a commitment to its people. It supports the professional and personal growth of its team and promotes social awareness and respect for the environment. Throughout its development it has invested in values it considers fundamental for growth: customer satisfaction, openness, the work ethic, leadership and dedication.

Tramontina’s priorities include continuous investment in its production techniques as well as expansion into new industrial sectors.

Centennial

To celebrate the year it was founded, Tramontina has prepared a series of commemorative products, such as cookware, knives, basins, hobs, a ride-on lawnmower, a serving tray, and two special gifts: a hammer, and the “number 1” pocket knife that symbolises the company’s trajectory