Stefanini to invest US$50mn in Chile

The Stefanini group will invest US$50mn in Chile as part of a regional plan to spend US$200mn on acquisitions and artificial intelligence by 2026.

In Chile, the investments will go on acquisitions and a new capacity center to promote AI in Andean and Southern Cone countries.

“Chile has a strong structure of startups with very interesting solutions,” Rodrigo Stefanini, the company's head for Chile and Argentina, told BNamericas. He also highlighted that Chile "is a very stable country," where "investments are safer and bear fruit."

Stefanini has tripled its business in Chile in the last two years and plans to grow 40-50% this year. In Argentina, projected growth is around 30%.

The company is planning to acquire companies that have developed AI solutions and which can be integrated into Stefanini’s operations. The company intends to create an AI solution that is “very focused on the region.”

“Many [artificial] intelligences that we see today are very good, but still very oriented toward the northern hemisphere. The idea is to build capabilities and accelerate that environment in Latin America,” he added.

In the fashion industry, Stefanini developed an AI solution for customer service in 20 languages. It also offers AI to the mining sector and cellulose company CMPC.

Another focus of its acquisitions is cybersecurity.

Stefanini operates cybersecurity centers in countries such as Peru and Brazil and plans to strengthen its presence in Chile by making it a global hub.

But cybersecurity acquisitions are not limited to Chile. “We're mapping the best cybersecurity players in the region,” Stefanini said.

The third focus for acquisitions is digital marketing and customer experience.

MINING 

In Chile’s mining industry, Stefanini has clients such as Anglo American and BHP, which are seeking to improve efficiency and reduce their carbon footprints.

“When we talk about 60% of the country's economy being based on mining, the impact [of efficiencies] is very great,” he added.

Stefanini said one of Brazil’s biggest miners used AI to detect pipeline leaks and act preventively, achieving a leak loss reduction of 8%. The company also implemented AI to track truck fleets, among others.