Gervasi participed in the Monolithic Refractories Symposium for the Steel Industry – A Trend?, held from May 6 to 8, 2026, at the Vila Galé Collection Hotel in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The event brought together specialists, researchers, industry professionals, and companies from the steelmaking chain to discuss the strategic role of monolithic refractories in modern steel production, while also presenting technological advances, operational challenges, material innovations, and trends focused on efficiency, competitiveness, sustainability, and industrial safety.
Representing Gervasi during the symposium were Engineer Klever Bragança Ferreira Cota, Ian Mendonça Fernandes, and UFOP’s new intern, Bennardo, who attended the lectures, technical discussions, and activities promoted throughout the event. The participation of the team reinforced the company’s commitment to continuous innovation, technological development, and the integration between industry, research, and academia.
One of the main highlights of the event took place on Wednesday at 2:10 PM, with the lecture delivered by Professor Manoel Robério Ferreira Fernandes, a partner of Gervasi through its collaboration with Engemater. Internationally recognized for his extensive experience in refractory materials and industrial solid waste, the engineer presented important technical contributions related to steelmaking process efficiency, also addressing applications and solutions involving Vibro-Briquette technology — an innovation that has been gaining prominence in the industry due to its ability to recycle and agglomerate industrial materials, promoting greater sustainability, waste reduction, and production optimization.
With a consolidated career in the sector, Manoel Robério worked for more than 30 years within the Magnesita Group and associated companies in Colombia, Cuba, and Venezuela, serving as plant manager and product and process specialist. Alongside his industrial career, he also built a strong academic background as a professor at PUC Minas, teaching courses related to Refractories, Mineral Processing, and Mineralogy, in addition to founding and coordinating the Refractories and Solutions Engineering program at IEC PUC Minas.
Currently, the professor leads the CNPq research group “Engineering Solutions for Industrial Materials and Composites” and serves as Technical Director of SUDAMIN, a Colombian company with more than 30 years of experience in refractory production and installation. His work, combined with the partnership with Engemater and his close collaboration with Gervasi, strengthens initiatives focused on innovative solutions and technological advancement within the steel industry.
With the participation of leading names from both industry and academia, the symposium provided a strategic environment for knowledge exchange, technical networking, and important discussions about the challenges and future of monolithic refractories in contemporary steelmaking.
Gervasi’s presence at the event highlighted not only the company’s active participation in the industry’s main technical discussions, but also the strengthening of strategic partnerships focused on innovation, technical qualification, and the development of increasingly efficient solutions for the steel sector.
