The project was coordinated with Fuji Assembly Systems, and is a follow-on to a partnership initiated 10 years ago with that Japanese company. SPI will be responsible for electric controls development, automation and robotics in GM Argentina’s trucks assembly area retrofit. SPI has also established a joint venture with the Argentinean Ingeniería Electrónica Argentina (IEA), by which both companies have combined efforts to act in the Latin American market. The SPI growth is an example of how the coexistence with large global manufacturers is opening space for Brazilian integrators. Since it was created 15 years ago by a group of engineers from a Rockwell Automation distributor, SPI has been determined to establish strong relationships with major automation suppliers.The first contract in that category was obtained in 1997 to assist Brazilian General Motors, also together with Fuji. With the same partnership, others contracts came: participation in subsets production for an International Truck factory and a Fuji project for a General Motors factory, both in Mexico. Another Japanese supplier, Daifuku, contracted SPI for a project in a Nissan unit at Kenton, Miss.At the same time, companies from other areas started to compete in Brazil for automation engineering services, taking advantage of SPI’s experience in the Brazilian market. Today, these relationships include projects for multinationals like Saint Gobain, Schuler, DuPont and Michelin.An important step in the effort to maintain SPI alignment with world industry needs was the creation of a Manufacturing Execution Systems Division in 2006. This new division is developing products for integration between manufacturing and administration systems. A partnership with Fanuc Robotics was also a valuable initiative. In this case, SPI engineering develops applications for robotics systems for use in contact welding, arc welding, palletization and materials handling.