Victor Venâncio Dias is the director of digital solutions in Latin America (LatAm) for SAMSON.

He shared the unique background that led him to work with SAMSON, as well as his vision for how it will help industries in the LatAm region.

What do you do in your role as Director of Digital Solutions LatAm?

I’m in charge of digital solutions for all Latin America, including our offices in Brazil, Peru, Mexico, Chile, and Argentina. My role is to support SAMSON’s digital solutions to Latin America strategically and commercially, where our customers need what we have in our digital portfolio. I work to identify opportunities, come up with strategies, and push to sign contracts for digital solutions. Of course, since our team is lean, I also do a bit of everything to support the business and create value for our customers.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Lots of meetings! I’m in close contact with my team and our customers, who are C-level executives throughout industries such as oil and gas, energy,  chemical and petrochemical, pulp and paper, and food and beverage. I support our champions, who work to develop local business opportunities in their home countries, and I always reserve a large part of my day for analyzing the market and designing GTM and PR strategies.

What is your professional background?

30 years ago, I got my start working in instrumentation and automation, where I always worked with SAMSON products. I then got an engineering degree, an MBA, Master of Science and a Senior Executive Program in a top 10 European Business School, and went on to become a digital transformation consultant, connecting my engineering background with business management skills acquired during my career, working for companies like KPMG and Stefanini.

What made you decide to work at SAMSON?

I worked for SAMSON at the beginning of my career 23 years ago, applying a very different set of skills from the one I have now. But I kept an eye on the market, and when SAMSON acquired Precognize, I reached out to congratulate them on becoming the first valve company to go in a digital direction. One conversation led to another, and we decided it was a great time for me to come back home to SAMSON and apply the skills and knowledge I’ve developed working on both sides of the industry, connecting the expertise in Valves and Digital Transformation to creating value for SAMSON´s customers.

What do you like best about your work?

I love the challenge of helping support customers through their digital transformation journeys. In my past consulting work, I had the opportunity to get to know C-level executives and really understand their most complex business and organizational needs and challenges. One of the best parts of my job today is being able to deliver them the solution they’ve been looking for all this time, with a highlight on SAM GUARD®, which provides predictive monitoring and data analytics for industrial processes, using HCAI (Human Centered Artificial Intelligence) to guarantee the customer success in their plants.

What do you find most challenging about your work?

While all customers recognize SAMSON as one of the best control valve suppliers in the world, currently, there are still some customers that do not make the link between SAMSON´s portfolio with their digital transformation needs. Part of my role is leveraging my personal brand in digital transformation to help build SAMSON’s brand in this area, using SAMSON’s strong reputation to deliver peace of mind to our customers from valves all the way to digital transformation’s most complex requirements. As a professor of Digital Transformation for industrial organizations, a speaker and a writer for Brasil Energia magazine, having over 30,000 followers on LinkedIn and acting as thought leader on digital transformation for industries, I’m happy to be able to make use of my personal branding and audience to share knowledge and support our customers about SAMSON’s digital solution portfolio.

What are some common misconceptions about digital transformation?

There is a lot of confusion about the difference between digitalization, industry 4.0, and digital transformation, which is important to clear up. Most people think these are all the same thing, but they’re not. 

Digitalization, or the conversion from analog to digital electronics and signals, began in the very early 2000s. Industry 4.0 began around 2012, when European countries proactively worked to become more competitive in a changing international landscape by introducing technology such as AI, IoT, virtual reality, and augmented reality in the plant floor.

Digital transformation, which is very much happening here and now, goes beyond just technology. It’s impacts the entire organization, including technologies (conventional, emergent from industry 4.0 or disruptive), organizational culture, process optimization and organizational structure, requiring a completely different approach and mindset from the operational team to the highest leadership. When done right, digital transformation can advance the entire organization as a whole. My job is to offer Samson´s digital solutions to accelerate the customers’ digital transformation journeys, helping them to achieve their operational excellence, energy efficiency and environmental protection (reduce carbon footprint) goals for a better world.

What is the current state of digital transformation in Latin America?

As a member of the Brazilian Petroleum and Gas Institute, I participated in a survey to identify the digital maturity of industries in Latin America. What we discovered is that, while industries like banking and ICT have a very high digital maturity level, this isn’t the case in industries such as gas and chemical. In these sectors, Latin America is far behind the core countries that are leading the way in digital maturity, such as the U.S., Western Europe, and Japan.

Looking at the glass half full, this indicates a great opportunity for SAM GUARD® in this region. Because, ultimately, companies in all industries have to use digital technologies to remain relevant and competitive in a global market. My work with SAMSON is to help these industries leverage SAM GUARD®  to achieve these goals and keep their businesses sustainable.

Why do you think SAM GUARD® is such a great fit for the process industries of LATAM?

Nearly every process industry in Latin America has made a commitment to Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG), as well as Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). SAM GUARD® is ideal for helping companies become more sustainable and meet their SDGs. Beyond that, SAMSON’s Customer Value Creation through our Analytical Monitoring Service is a great fit for LATAM’s industries, as they can leverage SAMSON’s expertise to run more smoothly and effectively.