May we present: Maurício Hoshino da Costa Barros, Minitub do Brasil

Part of the Minitub do Brasil team since July 2012, Maurício provides technical support for Porcine customers throughout Latin America, especially in Brazil. He is a respected expert for CASA systems and has already successfully established many AndroVision® projects.
 
Maurício, you have been part of the Minitub do Brasil team since July/2012. Can you describe your current areas of responsibility and tell us something about your professional background?
My main responsibility in Minitube today is to provide technical support for Porcine customers throughout Latin America, especially in Brazil. Of course, we ended up getting involved in other areas and species, like preparing commercial proposals for projects of new studs, installing equipment and training customers on several topics. Since I experienced the first installations and updates of our CASA System AndroVision®, I became an expert on this subject. I also worked hard in the improvement of our IDEE software, for boar stud management, since I joined the company, so I’m part of Prism10 development team, giving my inputs and experiences to the group. Regarding my background, I was born in Itapetininga, city in the Sao Paulo State of Brazil. My father had dealt with beef and milk cattle all his life and that's where my interest in animals came from. In 2010, I finished my degree in Veterinary Medicine at the Federal University of Viçosa, in Minas Gerais state, going directly to work at BRF, the result of the merger between two large companies, Perdigão and Sadia, which made Brasil Foods the largest food company in Brazil. I worked there for 2.5 years in a pig slaughterhouse, as a Production Analyst, very related to quality controls, daily productivity goals, critical data analysis and animal welfare. Now, I’m very happy and proud to complete 10 years working at Minitube!
 
As a technical and commercial consultant, you regularly visit customers to provide professional service and training. What do you think sets Minitube's service apart from other companies?
We are not just “sales”, we become partners with our customers. We take responsibility together to make things work out well in our customers. We are continually working to provide the shortest possible response time in the event of a problem. Minitube has a very strong international network within our experienced staff, therefore, we are able to offer security and the best solutions to the market.
 
You are an AndroVision® expert, and have already successfully established many CASA projects with customers. What do you think are the cornerstones of a professional semen analysis and how can customers benefit when using AndroVision®?
Every customer who wants a CASA system and decides to invest in this technology, is looking for a reliable system. AndroVision® can afford it. The accuracy of sperm detection is the key to get trustworthy results. Other systems that detect a lot of particles in the sample, give lower motilities and higher concentrations, which is unrealistic. AndroVision® has a powerful particle filter that ensures that only sperm are considered in the analysis. Another highlight is the ease of use and customers recognize this from the very first day of training. The user interface is very intuitive and one analysis can be completed with a few clicks by absolutely anyone. When I show how much information was generated in this analysis afterwards, people are amazed. For researchers, AndroVision® is perfect as it allows you to change any sperm classification parameter in the system. The cornerstone of a professional semen analysis is the sample preparation. Mistakes here are critical. That’s why we deliver high precision pipettes with the system package and this is our main focus when training the technicians on site. Finally, AndroVision® ends up generating customer value in several ways, either by delivering a high-quality product to those producing doses for insemination, or by offering a huge, complete database to those who are dedicated to scientific work.
 
For some time, you have been part of the international team developing Minitube's new boar stud management software, Prism10. Can you briefly describe what it is like to work in a globally distributed team of experts? What are the main advantages of the new software?
It is very pleasant and rewarding to work internationally with a team of experts worldwide. We are always learning, and learning, and learning…
This means that we have a cross-functional team, with miscellaneous skills and living at different realities, which is building the best lab management software in the world for our market. Prism10 has a wide range of benefits for the users, but in my opinion, the main advantage of Prism10 is that we are merging the “Know-How” from the Minitube previous programs, IDEE and Prism 3.9, in one unique solution. This implies a very practical, complete, flexible and innovative software for any customer in the world.
May we present: Maurício Hoshino da Costa Barros, Minitub do Brasil