With Innovation in Mind, Embraer Turns to the Tech Industry

Embraer says it is forming “innovation teams” in Silicon Valley and in Boston to explore business collaborations with tech startups, investors, academia and corporations, as it looks to develop its next generation of airliners, business jets and perhaps new types of aircraft that we can only guess at.

As part of the push to boost innovation at the Brazilian company, Embraer is forming a Global Business Center at its U.S. headquarters in Melbourne, Florida. It will be connected to and directly participate with the company's engineering departments in São José dos Campos, Brazil, as new aircraft are imagined.

Antonio Campello, who is currently the Director of Corporate Innovation, will lead the initiative, reporting directly to Embraer’s CEO, Paulo Cesar Silva, when the center starts operations within the next month.

“A major transformation is unfolding worldwide, and it has been accelerated by the evolution of artificial intelligence, robotics, virtual reality, and autonomous vehicles, immensely contributing to millions of people's lives," says Campello. "This is yet another step that Embraer takes as a key player in transforming global air transportation.”

Each year Embraer invests about 10 percent of its revenue in research, development, innovation and improvement of its industrial facilities, and says that almost half its income today comes from innovations implemented in the last five years.