Quality, safety and innovation mark the 80-year trajectory of Ultragaz, the first company in the Ultra group and an inseparable part of the history of Brazil in the period. The company was a pioneer in the commercialization of bulk Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in the residential market and the first to launch bottled gas, ranking it as leader in this segment. Each year, the company distributes 1,760 thousand tons of LPG to 11 million households and 52 thousand corporate clients.

The continuing search for operational excellence is strategic for the company and an important component in the longevity of the business. Its fundamentals are underpinned by solid and transparent guidelines of governance and sustainability. A case in point is the improvement expected in logistical efficiency with the new system being developed this year for tracking vehicles and monitoring deliveries in real time. The Ready-Delivery Mobility (Mobilidade Pronta-Entrega) project caters for the corporate, residential and industrial bottled gas market facilitating communication via smartphone between delivery truck drivers and the units. This system contributes to a reduction of costs and replaces the paper-based operations, at the same time reducing waste and environmental impacts.

In March 2018, the Brazilian Anti-Trust Authority - Cade rejected the company’s acquisition of Liquigás, an operation Ultragaz had announced in 2016.

3,610

employees

5.8 thousand

resellers units

Ultragaz provides training programs for its resellers and sales people in the residential and corporate segments through iVIS10N. The aim of this program is to guarantee excellence in service throughout Brazil. The program is an integral part of the company’s strategic plan for the next ten years.

In 2017, the company revisited the program’s strategy, creating a Center of Digital Excellence. This will be responsible for digital governance and will be instrumental in developing new initiatives in the organization. Additionally, the UltraTop club – a training and incentives program for iVIS10N residential reseller employees – has launched a specific module for attendants. One of the club’s innovations is using the growing tendency for gamification as a way of stimulating user interaction.

SAP Business One is another project, an integrated management system (ERP) customized for Ultragaz resellers. The project provides the reseller with all the necessary functionalities for good business management. The system also has an application integrated into the module which allows real time monitoring. The system will thus be instrumental in raising the reseller management model to a new level of quality.

Always ready to help transform Brazilian reality, Ultragaz’s initiatives in social responsibility are also directed towards actions in communities close to its units as well as in urban centers. Such initiatives include cultural, educational and environmental preservation projects for children and adolescents at public schools and institutions. The company’s Sustainability and Socio-Environmental policies provide guidelines for investments as well as selecting the projects to be developed and supported. Since 2011, Ultragaz has had a Voluntary Worker Policy for incentivizing and providing guidance to its employees in the practice of voluntary social and environmental work. During 2017, more than 70 initiatives by 430 volunteers from 23 Ultragaz and Brasilgás units were registered in the Ultragaz Volunteer Worker Portal.

The company also continues to support the Júnior Achievement project for developing entrepreneurial programs for children and young people at Brazilian public schools. Held in 13 states, with the participation of 265 Ultragaz volunteers, more than 2,800 students enjoyed the benefits of this program.

Some 2 thousand children and adolescents resident in southside São Paulo have also enjoyed the benefits of the socio-educational Formation for Life project run in partnership with the Associação Santo Agostinho and covering such themes as human values and ethics. In the same area of the city, more than 400 children and adolescents took part in the Sustainable Vocation project with the support of Ultragaz for the integral development of people of all ages through socio-educational activities for schools and families.

The company also supports a school of music and computer studies in the city of Caucaia (CE), where it has a filling plant. During the year, more than 100 students took part in this initiative which is run in partnership with the local Lions Club.

The Ultragaz Cultural project has a nationwide coverage with the aim of promoting and disseminating culture among young people and children from different communities through shows and educational events. In 2017, aboard a mobile stage truck with the participation of pianist, Arthur Moreira Lima, the company took classical and popular Brazilian music to 18 cities in 11 states with audiences totaling more than 20 thousand. In addition to the concerts, local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) took part in the presentations.

Through the Somar Sustainability program, Ultragaz also offers resellers the Oil Collection Campaign: Ultragaz Collects and Recycles Soya Oil - door to door collection of used cooking oil. During the year, 50 representatives from the resellers took part in training for the program.

See more initiatives that Ultragaz operates or supports in its website