A company at the center of a school supplies controversy in Santa Catarina has a history of contractual issues in another Brazilian state. Brink Mobil, the firm responsible for providing school kits to the city of Navegantes, SC, had previously been fined and had its materials returned by the city of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, due to service failures.
The situation in Navegantes gained attention after a video circulated online showing a student's notebook. When the back cover was removed, it revealed the logo of the Uberlândia city government underneath, raising questions about the origin and quality of the distributed materials.
According to the Uberlândia Municipal Department of Education, the issues date back to 2024. Brink Mobil was contracted to supply school kits but delivered materials that did not meet the agreed-upon specifications. This triggered an administrative process, resulting in the full return of the non-compliant stock. The company was then required to send new, corrected supplies within the same year.
The repercussions for Brink Mobil extended into 2025. The Uberlândia city government maintained the penalties imposed the previous year. These sanctions included a monetary fine and a prohibition on the company entering into new contracts with the public sector, a direct consequence of the service failures.
In response to inquiries, Brink Mobil stated that the operational issue with Uberlândia was identified and resolved at the time, including the replacement of the flagged materials, which they claim fully regularized the supply. The company emphasized its years of experience in supplying school materials to public agencies across Brazil, highlighting its quality controls.
Regarding the Navegantes case, the company described the problem as isolated, confined to a specific batch, and already rectified. They asserted it did not impact other supplies. However, the Navegantes city government reported receiving complaints about notebooks with detaching covers, defective items, and other issues on social media.
As a protective measure, the Navegantes municipality suspended all payments to Brink Mobil until all contracted materials were delivered meeting the required quality standards. The city's education secretariat had been monitoring the situation since mid-April, notifying the company of defects in items like calculators, correction fluid, and scissors.
Specifically concerning the notebooks, Brink Mobil agreed to replace all 25,000 contracted units at no additional cost to the city. The company confirmed this replacement has been completed. The Navegantes government continues to urge parents to report any defects directly to their child's school to maintain official records and ensure accountability.
Based on reporting from g1.