SAO PAULO, Aug. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced the opening of its Natural Resources Industry Solutions Lab (NRIS Lab) in Sao Paulo, Brazil to help mining, oil and gas companies use innovative technology to meet the operational, environmental and supply demands facing the industry today.

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The new software development lab will be located in Sao Paulo but will have a national scope to service Brazil's growing natural resources industry. The lab will be connected to a global network of labs and industry solution centers enabling teams to share knowledge and expertise with local clients. The operations of NRIS Lab will be integrated with other existing local IBM facilities including IBM Research - Brazil, focusing on development; and the Natural Resources Solution Center, focusing on the development of solutions and interaction with clients.

Today there is greater demand than ever for natural resources, yet the availability of our planet's natural reserves is dwindling. Cost cutting is maxed and prices, competition and risk keep rising. Natural resources companies are looking for greater visibility over their entire enterprise, insight into financial impact of operating decisions, and the ability to know, evaluate and respond in real time.

This lab, the first of its kind in Brazil, will focus on the development of automated solutions to help natural resources companies tackle these challenges.

"Making innovative technology rapidly available to help our clients is a key priority for IBM and this initiative is aligned with our strategy to strengthen this capability to help clients. We'll combine technical and scientific potential to offer world-class projects as well as leveraging research, development and support from market specialists," said Fabio Scopeta, Director, Software Lab, IBM Brazil.

According to Ulisses Mello, Natural Resources Executive, IBM Research - Brazil, the project will help companies adopt state-of-the-art technologies already in place in foreign markets. "Operations will build on an environmental focus, intelligent resource extraction, real-time analytics and big data management for the collection of valuable data.

"The goal is to enable technology-driven operations and leverage predictive analytics, helping companies improve their natural resource extraction capabilities," says the executive. The initiative will make available to clients a comprehensive set of projects spanning the entire IBM portfolio, from consulting to development.

Natural Resources Solution Center (NRSC)

IBM has established Natural Resources Solutions Centers (NRSC) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil opened in March 2011 and Perth Australia, opened in June 2010 with the objective to help companies in the oil, gas and mining industries to speed up the adoption of innovative technology and business strategies.

NRSC works as a showcase of IBM solutions, where clients can experience hands-on demos of leading-edge technologies for the oil & gas and mining industries. The new Sao Paulo lab will focus on software R&D to create a specialized portfolio for this industry, which will be available at the NRSC in the form of demos.

About IBM

For more information about IBM's offerings to the oil and gas, as well as mining industries, visit: www.ibm.com/industries.

Media Contacts
Jeff Tieszen
IBM External Relations
USA
+1-512-585-8728
jtieszen@us.ibm.com

Izabel Guimaraes
IBM External Relations
Brazil
+55-11-2132-3911
izabelg@br.ibm.com

SOURCE IBM