BLANCA TREVIÑO
Influential leadership beyond Latin America
WHO WE ARE
Managing Director
Jassen Pintado
Creative Director
Omar Rodríguez
Editor in Chief
Rafael Tablado
Finance Director
Christina Schoch
Social Media Director
Maria Elena Gastelum
Content Coordinator
Alicia Barrantes
Project Directors
Lucy Verde
Marcelo Modenesi
David Alarcon
Giuseppe Modenesi
EDITOR’S LETTER
December 2020
With great pleasure we share with you the successful performance of different companies, especially given the conditions we’ve all had to adapt to during this year in which flexibility and reengineering our activities became a common trait. On our behalf, we are honored to be part of a multidisciplinary team formed of elements from different places with common values toward a commitment to our work. Companies receiving coverage in this issue take part in essential activities: EEH
keeping up the power grid over in Honduras, BOMI being instrumental to the healthcare sector, DEPSA building homes able to shelter families indoors, and SUMMUM being fully involved as a strategic partner to companies supplying fuel and energy to keep us running.
We are also proud to grace our cover with a born leader who has been able to bring the world together with her efforts: Blanca Treviño, president of Softtek, from Mexico.
Enjoy your reading!
Mateo Rafael Tablado, Editor in chief at The Boston Business Review
Email: rafael.tablado@thebostonbr.com
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Antonio Peñalver
Blanca Treviño
BLANCA TREVIÑO:
THE KIND OF LEADERSHIP THAT MAKES THINGS HAPPEN
Woman’s empowerment in business has a pioneer named Blanca Treviño. She stands out in the ICT sector in Latin America, the United States and beyond
Blanca Treviño Leadership
Blanca Treviño’s frame of work stands for decades leading Softtek, one of the first ITC companies in Mexico, which she and her partners created in 1982, when not only was uncommon to own a home computer, but also around the time a personal computer’s dimensions were just reducing to fit in a single desk. It’s very clear that her outstanding, successful career happened before recent efforts to bring women’s efforts in the workplace to the forefront; the place Treviño is at has demanded
work, vision and attributes such as determination.
Before the end of the 1970s, Treviño was admitted to the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM, popularly known as “el Tec”, one of the most prestigious colleges in Latin America), where she earned her bachelor’s degree in computer science administration. Shortly after graduating she created Softtek, which has gone beyond working for both the public and private sectors, and any size of enterprises to extend its services
abroad, making Mexico an attractive ITC provider for the United States, practically defining what today we actually know as ‘nearshoring’. Softtek currently operates in more than 30 countries, becoming the largest independent ITC service provider in Latin America.
UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT IN MEXICO AND ABROAD
Treviño’s notoriety and success has led her to be considered a very influential presence in business not only in Mexico and Latin America, but rather globally.
Forbes magazine considers Treviño among top decision-makers and most powerful women in business, as well as into the top 50 most powerful women in Mexico; the former Latin Business Chronicle (now Latin Trade) listed Treviño among the 25 most
important businesswomen, and Fortune magazine also includes her in their 50 most powerful women list.
ACCOLADES AND DESIGNATIONS
Treviño’s career and vision have been considered not just to be honored, but also to rely with her perspective to improve conditions in different environments. She’s been recipient to accolades such as the best Latin American executive of the year, from the Stevie Awards (2010); in 2011 she was the first woman inducted into IAOP’s (International Association of Outsourcing Professionals) Hall of Fame; and in 2019 she was inducted to the Women In Technology - International (WITI) Hall of Fame.
Treviño belongs to elite groups such as the World Economic Forum’s B20 Task Force about ICT and Innovation,
TREVIÑO’S BUSINESSWOMAN PERSONA IS NOT AN OBSTACLE TOWARD DISPLAYING THE NECESSARY EMPATHY TO CLOSE GAPS
and she has taken part in the Woman and Economy chapter of APEC (AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation), among others.
She’s also a board member for Walmart Mexico, Grupo LALA (dairy and related giant in Mexico), the Mexican Stock Exchange, ITESM (her alma mater), the MIT School of Engineering councill, the Kellogg
School of Management (Northwestern University), Harvard Business School and the London Business School.
Treviño’s admittance to what is now known as the Mexican Business Council -to which she’s currently the vice-president- implied the name change of the former businessmen group. She’s also a member of the IBD (Interamerican Bank for Development).
Blanca Treviño
OVERCOMING CHALLENGES THRU TRANSFORMATION
Treviño’s impact on business has taken the work of hundreds of individuals beyond Mexico and the US, it has been instrumental to optimize operations in large organizations both within business as well as government agencies from different countries… To sum it all up, she’s been a factor in bringing people closer in ways that just didn’t seem real when the second half of the last century had just begun.
Her efforts and vast quantity of finished projects are more than plain successful business and development at times when a global pandemic seems to tear the world apart, as communications among individuals depend upon cables and antennas to keep any activity running, specially bringing people together.
Treviño’s businesswoman persona is not an obstacle toward displaying the necessary empathy -along with outstanding efforts- to close gaps,
bringing the world closer to places where there is need and there are no ways to come in contact with the rest of the world in a quicker way.
It would be very hard to imagine what reality would look like for companies and countries of any size without empowered businesswomen such as Blanca Treviño, who are able to perceive challenges as opportunities to bring people together, to create links between worlds that at first seemed to have nothing in common. Her vision allows to bring down walls separating different surroundings and to erase limits imposing isolation in a way that solutions come from across every part involved.
Whatever challenges the future brings, it’s pretty sure that come that moment, Blanca Treviño’s prowess and leadership will bring together different forces to deliver significant advances from the less common scenarios.
COVID19 AS ACCELERATOR TOWARD DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
Digital Transformation had a hand on the helm for businesses in different sectors, but COVID19 pandemic stepped on the accelerator. Companies such as Sopra Steria are creating resources to face a gradual return to regular activities
Written by Mateo Rafael Tablado
Sopra Steria Technology
It is common knowledge that almost everyone has had to adapt to the pandemic’s consequences as soon as COVID19 practically took over the planet: aside from those considered as essential activities, home office stopped being an exception to become a standard, ditto for homeschooling at every level, eating out turned into a venture onto the outdoors without leaving the yard, and online retail also became common practice.
And now, the same digital transformation we had been experiencing in recent years demands the development of necessary resources to gradually return to spaces inhabited before the pandemic hit.
According to an EFE agency interview with Antonio Peñalver, CEO for Sopra Steria in Spain, digital transformation in most sectors in the Iberian country has taken steps
forward, finding companies in a spot in which they had pictured themselves to arrive four or five years from now.
“There are currently plenty of sectors that just cannot operate without this tech transformation. We’ve arrived at a point that would’ve taken us years to get to in regular conditions. What COVID has done is accelerate in record time the trends that were already latent in our society,” the Sopra Steria executive declared.
RECOVERING PUBLIC SPACES
Sopra Steria is a multinational enterprise in Europe which provides ICT, consultancy and digital solutions to different sectors. With the purpose of creating innovative solutions to counteract COVID and its consequences, the company organized a virtual hackathon among employees in their Spain locations; the AFORUM app resulted from this event,
it monitors private and public spaces by connecting to camera networks, determining a place’s occupancy to let us know if it’s safe or if the amount of people increases the risk of infection, keeping space inhabitants anonymous. Peñalver estimates AFORUM will become available before 2020 comes to an end.
“We are developing this app to make it available to organizations that may consider it useful. We are in the final stage of development,” Peñalver added.
AFORUM’s possible success depends upon infrastructure matters according to each place the app will
“THERE ARE SECTORS THAT CANNOT OPERATE WITHOUT THIS TECH TRANSFORMATION. WHAT COVID HAS DONE IS ACCELERATE TRENDS THAT WERE ALREADY LATENT”
- Antonio Peñalver, CEO for Sopra Steria Spain
become available at, being poised as an ideal resource for smart cities, where there’s access to wide networks of public cameras, which are almost non-existent in marginalized communities in underdeveloped countries.
TAKE A SEAT… AND SOME DISTANCE
Workplaces were not exempt of being subject to a worthy resource which would ease return to offices once a recuperation period from the pandemic starts, since Sopra Steria also developed the “Take a Seat” app, designed to efficiently facilitate return to offices by managing cubicle availability in a way that enough space stands between employees to avoid infections.
“This app eases the return to office space in a safe way. It is working
for us and some of our clients are interested in it,” said the CEO of Sopra Steria Spain, who is in charge of more than 4,000 employees to whom “Take a Seat” is already available.
Even if “Take a Seat” is currently an exclusive app for the Sopra Steria community, it is possible it becomes adapted to other sectors to improve their use of office space.
Peñalver also pointed out that some of the sectors served by the multinational company, such as finance, banks, and insurance -among others- aren’t newbies to Digital Transformation and have already invested in this process.
Another app developed by the firm during the pandemic is a private e-prescription for the local Professional Association of Pharmacists, created last April.
LISTS
The following list of outstanding businesswomen covers a wide range of categories: from the ones admitted to college in the late 1970s to those who stepped ahead of the rest now that the 21st century finds us with the tech to make it possible; from those achieving C-level positions just a few years after turning 20 to the ones that entered the business world after completing their fourth decade being alive; from
entrepreneurs able to get their products on shelves worldwide to geniuses able to create benefits which are not a physical object. From undergraduates beginning from scratch to heiresses that got to learn the ropes of hard-nosed business after finding themselves with a fortune in brands and stocks due to someone else’s will… These are ten women from Latin America who lead the way in business.
1
Blanca Treviño President - Softtek
Softtek president not only opens the door to women in business, she just created that path both in tech and also by changing the name of the Mexican Business Council, of which she’s the current VP. Treviño has gained notoriety receiving coverage by CNN, Forbes and Fortune, among other media outlets. She’s also a regular speaker in events from the IDB, ITESM (her alma mater “Tec de Monterrey”), MIT and Harvard. Treviño’s had a key role in the creation of nearshoring as a concept before the end of the 20th century.
2
Paula Santilli CEO - PepsiCo Latin
America
The former president of Pepsi Mexico is in charge of the food and beverage company’s duties in Latin America since mid-2019, which includes Brazil and Mexico, two of the six largest markets for the corporation, and with the mission of achieving growth. Santilli is no newbie to food and beverage, since she held positions at Campbell, Kellogg and Quaker in the past.
4
María Martínez Executive VP - CISCO
Martínez’s career is an extraordinary example to Hispanic women in the US. She’s also a pioneering woman in STEM, achieving leadership positions at AT&T, Motorola and Microsoft, besides being a member of the board at Plantronics, Genesys Works and other companies. The Puerto Rican engineer moved to attend college in the continental US during the early 1980s.
María Asunción Aramburuzabala CEO - Tresalia Capital
Formerly known as the “beer baroness”, the truth is ‘Mariasun’, her sister and mother -who inherited a large amount of stocks from Grupo Modelo and afterwards created Tresalia- sold their part of the Mexican brewery and reinvested part of their earnings into AB InBev. Tresalia Capital is currently diversified into real estate, venture capital and angel capital. Besides supporting a number of start-ups, Tresalia has also invested in the Tory Burch brand. COVID19 has undoubtedly hit some of the sectors Tresealia is involved in, but this is no reason to give in to disbelief of Tresalia’s leadership, who kept afloat on top of Modelo when she and her family just inherited and other partners strived to buy their part.
5 6
Carolina Herrera Fashion designer
Venezuela-born María Carolina Pacanins entered the fashion industry at 42. Nowadays, her creations have presence in more than 100 countries and is the single most important individual in the fashion industry from a Spanish-speaking country. Since a young age, Herrera was a personality among her home country’s high society, her vision took her and her family to New York during the early 1980s to pursue the dream of giving her (married) name to her brand and creations.
Cristina Junqueira Co-founder - NuBank
Brazil’s Junqueira and partners founded NuBank on-line financial institution in 2013 and they currently boast a 25 million user clientele, mainly in Brazil and Mexico, playing home team in the former. This enterprise’s value has raised to more than $10 billion, becoming the only company created by a woman reaching that sum. Junqueira’s previous experience includes Itau Unibanco and Unibanco before the merger with Itau.
María Castañón Moats Partner - PwC
As 1st generation Mexican-American, Castañón Moats has made an example out of her perseverance to get to the top, becoming partner of Pricewaterhouse Coopers after more than three decades in the sector, having held recent positions as audit and assurance leader. She has also been Chief Diversity Officer, where she created ways and initiatives for women from minorities with aspirations in the US.
Silvina Moschini Co-founder and president - TransparentBusiness
From her beginnings, Moschini took part of important projects since the early 2000s such as Patagon.com, one of the first successful web enterprises in Latin America, afterwards she became VP of corporate communications for VISA. Her most recent efforts have led to new platforms able to create jobs for thousands of people with premises such as diversity, inclusion and fair trade: Yandiki, SheWorks! and TransparentBusiness.
Diana Ávila Global head of banking and expansion - TransferWise
Diana Avila graduated from law school in her natal Colombia to specialize in finance, corporate, banking and securities law. She left Colombia more than five years ago after obtaining experience in the local stock exchange, and headed to London, England, arriving at TransferWise in 2015, where she has held different positions such as lead banking for Latin America to global head of banking, not without creating new markets, including obviously those in Spanishspeaking countries and Brasil.
Teresa Arnal Head of LATAM - Stripe
A lot of Arnal’s experience from the 2000s and on has taken place in Mexico, where she’s held C-level positions for companies such as Microsoft and Google, besides turning around J. Walther Thompson through digital transformation during her tenure as CEO of the ad firm. She was named in charge of Stripe for Latin America in March 2020, where she has introduced businesses in the region to the benefits offered by the firm.
María
High value management providing electricity
The expansion of the Electricity Distribution Network, regularization in collection and the creation of an infrastructure inventory add up to continuity duties and upgrades in the service’s commercialization
Interviewee Ricardo Roa, CEO for Empresa Energía Honduras
Produced by Jassen Pintado
Empresa Energía
Honduras (EEHHonduras Energy Company) operates and provides maintenance to the Electricity Distribution Network in this Central American country; EEH is in charge of the commercial operation and its upgrades, besides reducing and controlling technical and non-technical losses in the power system. EEH is created from the partnership between Eléctricas de Medellín Ingeniería y Servicios, Unión Eléctrica and STENEE, adding more than 40-years experience with operations also in Colombia, Chile, Guatemala, Mexico and Panama. After its tender was accepted, operations began in August 2016 for an agreed length of seven years and six
months. After its third year of operations, supervising company Manitoba Hydro International (Canada) qualified EEH’s compliance with contractual obligations at 78.66%.
“EEH develops an important project for the country with challenges of its own with high grade complexity in terms of execution, requiring total coordination of authorities and players from the State’s energy sector in order to achieve the best results. We bring operation and maintenance services to the power distribution system without the required expansion for growth in demand and without being in charge of management, operations or maintenance of public lighting, which limits responsibility between what an operator can do and control,” declared Ricardo Roa, CEO for EEH.
Current management at EEH is focused on controlling power losses
A LIFETIME IN THE ENERGY INDUSTRY
Ricardo Roa Barragán is in charge of EEH. The experienced engineer graduated from the National University of Colombia.
“When I turned thirteen, I decided I wanted to work in the energy sector, as I was becoming an electromechanical technician I advanced in these studies during more than six years along with high school in a polytechnic school, The Salesian Don Bosco Center of Bogotá. Afterwards, I opted to become a Mechanical Engineer,” Roa pointed out, his graduate thesis was the design, construction and start up of a low potency (100W) portable wind turbine able to supply power to a home for natives in the La Guajira region of Colombia.
Roa has taken multiple courses and postgraduate studies, like the one on Engineering Management Systems from the Pontifical Xavierian University (Colombia). Before becoming CEO for EEH in April 2019, Roa was president of the La Luna Thermal Power Station (Colombia) between September 2018 and March 2019, he was general manager of the CELCO company (electric controls, in Colombia)
from January 2017 to March 2018, he was promoted to president for the Bogota Energy Group after being president of TGI (International Gas Transporter), a position he held for two and a half years. He was also director and energy business manager of the Incauca and Providencia factories (property of the Ardila Lülle organization) for more than three years. Other previous experience in Roa’s long career include the management position at Electrificadora de Santander, ANDESCO (National Association of in-property Public Services) and the Management of Public Services.
Roa is actually taking a Master’s in Political Studies at the Pontifical Xavierian University. Even with his plentiful resumé, Roa has shared his knowledge and has taught the Efficient Use of Energy and Energy Generation subjects at the National University of Colombia, Economic Regulation of Gas and Energy Rates as part of the Energy and Mineral Law specialty at the Externado University of Colombia, as well as Energy Generation and Thermal Cycles at the Antonio Nariño University.
Ricardo Roa, CEO for Empresa Energía Honduras
“EEH DEVELOPS AN IMPORTANT PROJECT WITH A HIGH GRADE OF COMPLEXITY
REQUIRING COORDINATION OF AUTHORITIES AND PLAYERS FROM THE ENERGY SECTOR”
- Ricardo Roa, CEO for Empresa Energía Honduras
VALUE INCREASE IN A SHORT PERIOD
When EEH took over the power Distribution System in Honduras, back in 2016, assets were worth approx. $279.4 million. In less than four years, thanks to the geolocated inventory of the entire system and its updates, these assets
inventory value increased in almost 400% to a $886.56 million value. Operation optimization, achieved thanks to the knowledge about the actual Distribution System, has allowed a substantial upgrade in the service’s quality indicators up to 88%; this figure belongs to failure frequency,
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Suppliers Profile
Number of Collaborating Consultants:
Between 20 and 100 consultants specializing in different technologies (according to project demand).
Year Established: 12/22/2017
Industry:
Technological Consulting
Main Services:
251 / 5000
Translation results
SAP implementation, migrations and maintenance. Provisioning and maintenance services for technological infrastructures. Implementation and Development of Technological solutions. Strategic Consulting. Project office services (PMO)
Recent Proyects:
Implementation of SAP S / 4 Hana. Migration from ECC6.0 to S / 4 Hana. Custom ERPs for different public and private sectors
President: David Perera | CEO
Webpage: www.dpes.es
service interruption average duration and performance time of incidents.
Other improvement -in regard to previous management- which has been a factor in the company’s value increase has been the regularization of more than 80,000 users, obtaining payments for 334.98
GWh in the commercial system, equal to $57 million, after anomalies were detected and normalized.
INVESTMENTS FOCUS: UPGRADES AND CONTINUITY
After four years in operation, EEH has already invested $120 million of which 65% has been destined to nationwide updating of infrastructure for metering and the remaining 35% to an upgrade of the SCADA (distribution control center) project, taking inventory of the Distribution Network and to deployment of the new InCMS commercial
EEH delivers a quicker response to emergency calls
system, replacing the IMB390 system, deemed obsolete. The new, reliable system brings support and velocity to commercial processes, provides a larger data control, as well as helps in delivering a better service to users.
Regarding service regularization, up until July 2020 the current management has installed 645,601 metering units, both for regular and remote data intake, thus answering to the market’s demands and consumers’ conditions.
“EEH has brought relief to the country regarding investments, knowledge transfer and the technology the country requires to control electricity theft, legalization and connection of users making illegal use of the power grid; this project becomes important in the process against theft, which impacts the country’s economy for
$510 million yearly, of which $240 million are technical losses from the distribution system and close to $270 million from electricity theft,” the CEO declared.
PARTNERS, PURVEYORS, SUPPLIERS
The entire EEH operation deals with more than 1,000 suppliers among materials, metering units, electrical goods, maintenance outsourcing, general services and logistics, to name a few. Dealing with them implies transparency in each process, searching for competitive options about every required item or service, considering quality, price, delivery time and flexible payment methods.
In the same way, EEH’s suppliers must comply with quality standards in their services and deliver certified products.
NON-STOP WORK DURING THE PANDEMIC
Different from other sectors in the economy, a company in charge of the nation’s power supply cannot stop working. EEH not only has been running 24/7, but it also adapted new measures to guarantee service availability as a basic resource
Since EEH was assigned to operate the electricity grid, power failures have been reduced
Núcleo – Grupo Amper carries out the implementation of the Advanced Electrical Distribution Management System (A-DMS) that includes the supervision of 53 substations of the national network of Honduras, operated by EEH.
Thanks to Núcleo -Grupo Amper’s technology, EEH will be able to efficiently and sustainably manage the network, reducing the number and duration of supply interruptions, allowing the reduction of non-technical losses and improving the quality of services provided to its customers. www.nucleocc.com
Supplier Profile
Number of Employees:
126
Year Established: 01/01/1979
Industry:
Global technology and industrial solutions company for the Communications and Control sector.
Main Services:
Provides turnkey solutions for Communications and Control projects based on the integration and own development of products and Control and Automation Systems for the Electricity, Oil & Gas, Water, Railway, Industry, Aeronautical, Maritime, Security and Defense sectors
Recent Prjects:
1) SCADA/DMS para EEH (Honduras): Sistema SCADA/DMS para gestión de la red de distribución de energía eléctrica de Honduras
2) Sistema SDAC para Enel (Chile): Sistema de Deslastre Automático de Carga para la red de distribución de energía eléctrica de la ciudad de Santiago de Chile
3) SCADA/AGC para CEPSA (España): Centro de Control de Generación con funcionalidad de Control Automático de Generación (AGC) para gestión de la zona de regulación de CEPSA
4) Sistemas de Control de Subestaciones para REE (España): Supervisión y control de más de 100 subestaciones de la red de transporte de 220 kV y 400 kV de Red Eléctrica de España
President:
Javier Valero Artola CEO: César Revenga Buigues
Webpage: www.nucleocc.com www.grupoamper.com
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Regarding the workforce, EEH quickly identified vulnerable individuals, proceeding to rearrange their schedules, allowing more than 500 employees to work from home, and successfully deploying every protocol and standard in the book as demanded by the WHO and local authorities (SINAGERnational system for risk management), such as:
• Workplace sanitization
• Enforcing masks, gloves, protective eyewear and use of sanitizing gel
Also, more than 60% of the company’s workforce was tested for COVID-19.
Operation-wise, the power service has been continuously supplied and some measures have been taken, such as interrupting preventive and programmed maintenance works and the non-interruption of the service to consumers with delayed payments, besides opening new channels for consumer attention such as the EEH app, a WhatsApp business line and the 118 call center.
“EEH HAS BROUGHT RELIEF TO THE COUNTRY REGARDING WHAT IT REQUIRES TO CONTROL ELECTRICITY THEFT, LEGALIZATION
AND CONNECTION OF USERS MAKING ILLEGAL USE OF THE POWER GRID”
- Ricardo Roa, CEO for Empresa Energía Honduras
SUBSTANTIAL SUPPORT FOR THE WORKFORCE
Leadership, working environment, compensation, benefits and growth opportunities make EEH a very attractive company to work for, being awarded a 2nd place in this category in Honduras from Central American recruiting company Tecoloco.
Many EEH employees receive monthly
bonuses, and their children also receive bonuses at the end of the school year for good grade average. Every employee in EEH enjoys 75% medical insurance, funeral services (applies for the employee, parents, spouse and children), extra vacation days for each year of service and accident insurance. Employees focused in continuing education also receive support from the company in determined
percentages for enrollment and tuition fees in diploma courses and other specialized programs at institutions such as UNITEC (Central American Technological University), CEUTEC (Centre for Technological Development), UTH (Technological University of Honduras) and FUNIBER (Iberoamerican University Foundation).
Training programs at EEH cover from technical and practical subjects to
Supplier Profile
Number of Employees:
1.281
Year Established: 07/16/1975
Industry:
Integrator of services and technological solutions supported by a valuable group of strategic manufacturers.
Main Servies:
Our approach is the outsourcing of processes and technologies, operating with a focus on service quality and permanent innovation, integrating information technology, unified communications and networking, cybersecurity, infrastructure and business continuity.
Recent Prjects:
EMPRESA DE ENERGÍA DE HONDURAS – Contact center especializado. AVANTEL – suministro e implementación de la red de Telecomunicaciones a nivel nacional.
TIGO COLOMBIA TELECOMUNICACIONES. Servicios de ofimática, conectividad, internet y televisión, servicios de voz y colaboración, servicios de Cloud Datacenter, ciberseguridad, Movilidad IoT.
President: Luis Alberto Bocanegra C.
Webpage: www.comware.com.co
soft skills. And every worker’s safety is supported by the multidisciplinary Workplace Health and Safety team, formed by a thirteen-member staff.
LINKS WITH THE COMMUNITY
EEH leaves a footprint in every community it’s engaged in, be it an urban setting, the countryside or in the rain forests.
Regarding the environment, the company is constantly organizing reforestation programs, besides taking part in socioenvironmental themed events.
Also, EEH coordinates programs aimed at vulnerable communities and children by making donations and managing other activities, thus establishing bonds able to share wellness and education, enabling access to the community regarding knowledge about the electrical power supply service.
Along these four years, Corporate Social Responsibility activities by EEH have benefitted more than 230,000 inhabitants.
ESTABLISHING AND KEEPING ORDER, THIS ADMINISTRATION’S TRADEMARK
“Having high complexities in the social,
economic and cultural aspects of Honduras, EEH’s presence -as an important link in the supply chain of delivering electricity power- has tended toward order, legality, respect to institutions and total support to State Energy ENEE. This has not been an easy task among obsolete technology in the electrical grid, among lack in investment, but mostly among a culture in which fraud is deeply rooted; nevertheless, today’s power grid relies on true, trustworthy data about
almost two million consumers being served through a strong, safe, solid commercial platform which, for the first time, is a property in domain of the electrical sector in Honduras. Imposing order as a guarantee of the duties and rights of consumers and the minimal conditions for operators -no matter where they come from- demands important efforts and resources, but it specially demands having real conscience of having these responsibility institutionalized into
The Honduras Power Distribution Network has grown more than 100% -both extension and value-wise- since EEH took over in 2016
this quandary of power failures; if this situation is not properly controlled, society is facing the unwanted scenario of having a rationed power supply. Continuity of these areas is foreseen to add to the strategy and control of the service delivery honoring a commitment to investment pacted since our contract began running, with a main focus in recovery of non-technical losses in the system, regularizing users in energy-theft
condition and reporting until completion of corresponding penal and judicial procedures, a labor which can hardly be carried exclusively by EEH without the support and powers of incumbent authorities.
“We still believe in this project; our workforce knows it, experiences it, feels it. Besides the vast criticism we receive permanently, we are this system’s
El sistema comercial de EEH ha recibido inversiones substanciales para operar a la velocidad y estándares requeridos en la actualidad
“WE STILL BELIEVE IN THIS PROJECT; OUR WORKFORCE KNOWS IT, EXPERIENCES IT, FEELS IT”
- Ricardo Roa, CEO for Empresa Energía Honduras
operator and, unfortunately, we are not in capacity to create or assign any subsidy or exempt consumers which are recipients of the service we deliver and meter. These challenges become more relevant in the necessity of spreading an understanding of this market’s complexity and difficulties among society and state agencies, as we require them to take part to process and penalize users on fraud and electricity theft situations, changing the culture about fraud,” CEO Ricardo Roa finalized.
FOUNDED: 2016
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEEES:
1,600
INDUSTRY: ENERGY
Written by Mateo Rafael Tablado
Produced by Jassen Pintado
Interviewee
Daniel Lucio, Presidente de Grupo Summum
Integrated services offered by Summum go well beyond the energy and infrastructure sectors, gaining more reach day after day. The company has new horizons after establishing a name for itself in Colombia, Mexico and Peru.
In mid-2016, the Tiger Companies business group was rebranded as Summum. The corporation is preceded by successful ventures going back more than 50 years through a series of mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, divisions and other movements as a result of transformations experienced within the energy sector in Latin America along these decades.
The Summum Energy and Summum Projects divisions are deployed along Colombia, Mexico and Peru, serving the energy sector with high demand in the oil & gas and energy generation subsectors through a wide variety of services.
In the same fashion, the company offers engineering services also to mining, infrastructure, construction and other business activities.
“We have focused on becoming stronger
in our business lines. Summum is a young brand supported by different companies’ successful careers; besides the brand’s short time, Summum is already an authority within our sector in the three countries where we operate,” commented company president Daniel Lucio. It was five years ago that Daniel Lucio, a lawyer, took the reins of Grupo Summum (formerly Tiger Companies). Lucio attended Universidad de La Sabana and afterwards specialized in employment law at Universidad del Rosario. Lucio completed an MBA between 2017 and 2019 under a Tulane University (U.S.) program.
SOLID, STRATEGIC PRESENCE ACROSS LATIN AMERICA
Summum’s corporate headquarters are located in Colombia, and the company’s efficient performance resulted in opening offices in Mexico and Peru ten years ago offering some of the company’s
services. Five years afterwards, both offices became able to purvey the complete line of integrated services offered in Colombia.
In the case of the Peru branch, the opening resulted from the company first venturing into a refinery project, and it has
Una empresa que conecta - Summum ¡Porque nosotros lo hacemos mejor!
Summum Energy and Summum Projects offer integrated services from the company’s headquarters in Colombia and also from offices in Mexico and Peru
“SUMMUM IS A YOUNG BRAND SUPPORTED BY DIFFERENT COMPANIES’ SUCCESSFUL CAREERS, SUMMUM IS AN AUTHORITY WITHIN OUR SECTOR IN THE THREE COUNTRIES WHERE WE OPERATE”
- Daniel Lucio, President at Summum
already increased its client portfolio, as it happened in the other locations, growing from design and engineering to ongoing operations such as supervision and operation surveillance, oil conveyance and other downstream, midstream and upstream tasks.
This solid presence provides Summum of strategic locations in the region’s energy market with a workforce above 1,200 employees, resulting in every operation being able to count
with support from all three branches, no matter where the project is located.
“When hiring Summum in Mexico, projects are also supported from Colombia and Peru, and likewise if working at Colombia or Peru. Our entire team is aware of ongoing projects: we share experience, opinions and collaboration from professionals able to contribute,” the executive explained.
The company’s material resources along with an experienced workforce have taken the company to take part in important projects in Colombia and Latin America
OIL & GAS AND MUCH MORE… WITHIN BUDGET
The energy industry would hardly count with a better partner than Summum Energy. This division’s integrated services offer within this sector allows the company to take part in any phase of large-scale projects, and as a result, it has become an authority in the business, involved in Colombia’s most important projects for facility installation, production, and oil & gas conveyance.
On its behalf, Summum Projects and its engineering unit have been involved not only in fossil fuels projects, but in recent
years this division’s experienceds pecialists have also taken part in ambitious renewable energy projects, a new market for this division.
Summum stands out for going the extra mile beyond what contracts stipulate. The company’s thorough understanding of entire operations and processes allow for detection of improvement opportunities.
“We’ve put our money in our engineering unit for operation surveillance, being day in and day out in every project, for supervision, for being on the management aspect of projects. We’ve earned an important position also at this level,” Lucio shared.
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Perfíl de Proveedor
Number of Employees:
Industry: Servicios de Tecnología
Services: Proveedores de soluciones tecnológicas
President: Juan Carlos Arango, Gerente General
Web Page: www.consultoriaorganizacional.com
Global standard compliance from Summum within the different industries it’s involved with, position the company at the same level of the top five companies worldwide, regarding quality, efficiency and operation security, bringing added value to clients at competitive prices.
AT THE FOREFRONT OF DIGITAL SOLUTIONS AND TECHNOLOGY
Summum counts with different types of assets to support oil production, equipment is continuously being renovated and up to date.
The new addition to Summum’s inventory is its Rapid Service Unit, ideal for underground tasks, with the idea of comprising an entire fleet of Rapid Service Units.
In other areas, Summum’s TI department is supported by latest-generation software to operate in the different services the company offers, as working with up-to-date tech resources is a standard for Summum.
SUMMUM INNOVA AND BIG DATA
Integrating new machinery and equipment able to obtain data, with
“OUR ENTIRE TEAM IS AWARE OF ONGOING PROJECTS: WE SHARE EXPERIENCE, OPINIONS AND COLLABORATION FROM PROFESSIONALS ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE”
-
Daniel Lucio, President at Summum
software performing actual analytics and interpretation of this information in order to create solutions able to deliver a better product is a task in charge of Summum Innova.
This area was established in early 2019 and it has brought results already both within company operations as well as in delivering more and better information derived from big data for clients. Also, new apps have been developed to report accurate, real-time data.
“Summum Innova is a new area in charge of managing, stimulating and generating innovation among the entire organization. The idea is to create short-term goals, driving individuals to propose new and improved ways to operate through our resources, through self-generation and co-generation processes able to deliver added value to our clients. Everyone out there working day-to-day in every project is coming up with ideas and creating new opportunities,” said the company president.
The company sets sight in new horizons in Latin America, Canada and the United States
THE IMPORTANCE OF TRAINING
Workforce development is also a very important aspect in Summum. This area sets goals and creates training programs. The training and updates portfolio is wide as resources and methods to impart every training.
In certain areas, the company detects outstanding talent for certain tasks, resulting in employees who master a certain skill becoming trainers to fellow employees. High acceptance of employee-taught training has led to these programs prevailing through the years.
Hours of training per employee are fixed goals in this area. In 2019, Summum accumulated 21,000 hours of training, a 41% increase from 2018. The company also offers the necessary resources for individual self-training programs.
NEW HORIZONS IN SIGHT
Summum still has a lot to offer to the markets in Colombia, Mexico and Peru. Nevertheless, the rest of Latin America and North America are always under radar. A special interest in the Canada and U.S.
market has been raised after engaging in successful ventures in these territories. The company keeps contact with clients in North America, being on the lookout for new opportunities that could benefit Summum Projects, the business group’s engineering unit.
Ecuador, Central America and the Caribbean are also very attractive markets for Summum after witnessing the growth in
the oil & gas industry, with the company’s three main markets in the region being taken care of.
“We have a strong presence in the markets we are set at, and we are also interested in current developments in North America, where we can still add value. We are also watchful of markets in Ecuador, Central America and the Caribbean, Bolivia and Argentina,” Lucio explained.
Bogotá – Colombia – South America
POSITIVE RESULTS AMIDST GLOBAL EMERGENCY
As it is widely known, 2020 came along with more than a few question marks, most brought by the COVID19 pandemic, forcing businesses to adjust operations as well as expectations.
The company reported $130 million in sales for 2019, its best in ten years; which resulted in setting high goals in revenue and profitability for 2020. But the oil & gas industry worldwide was affected by low prices derived from a decreasing demand. Summum could adjust its goals and is currently on course to a strong finish finance-wise and with double-digit profitability.
“We are currently in a good position. All of the problems are behind; we had to stop, adjust and keep going forward,” the executive said.
Experts at Summum Projects contribute to different sectors, such as infrastructure
BRIGHT FUTURE AHEAD
Moving forward to 2021, Summum has good expectations, foreseeing a 15% to 20% sales increase. There’s excitement about future projects for the company:
• Possibilities for further projects in the United States and Canada.
• Being in the final stage of a tender for a second-generation ethanol fuel production plant in North America, along with other non-
“THE IDEA IS TO CREATE SHORT-TERM GOALS, DRIVING
INDIVIDUALS WORKING DAY-TO-DAY IN EVERY PROJECT ARE COMING UP WITH IDEAS AND CREATING OPPORTUNITIES”
- Daniel Lucio, President at Summum
Besides oil & gas, Summum Energy is also taking part in renewable energy projects
1,300 FOUNDED: 1992
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES:
INDUSTRY: ENERGY
conventional energy projects, and also being in the final stage of Latin America’s largest oil & gas project, the refurbishment of the Talara refinery in Peru.
• Taking part in an oil & gas storage and conveyance project through pipelines and a power plant in Colombia’s Pacific coast.
• Increase the company’s workforce from 1,300 employees to 1,500 and 1,600 during 2021.
“The last four years we’ve projected ourselves toward accomplishing the goals we set for the last five-year plan: strengthening our business lines within the three territories we are settled in, and substantially increasing our profitability year in and year out,” Daniel Lucio concluded.
Written by, Mateo Rafael Tablado
Produced by, Jassen Pintado
Interviewee, Álvaro Obiols, CEO
DEPSA SETS ‘AFTER’ AND ‘BEFORE’ THE
FOR HOUSING CONSTRUCTION IN GUATEMALA
Different factors along with innovation combine to keep DEPSA thriving from its very beginnings, providing the company for the kind of leadership sustained from decision-making
ecoming a home owner in Latin America is a significant achievement as a material accomplishment in the ongoing quest to provide stability and well-being. Within a quarter of a century, DEPSA became a fundamental player for Guatemala in the housing construction sector since day one. All it took was their daring approach completing large, demanding projects.
After parting ways with previous partners in 1994, engineer José Felipe Obiols Del Cid considered housing as one of different divisions in which DEPSA would take part in the local construction sector. It didn’t take long before Obiols had to travel abroad to bring construction
systems which at the time were unavailable in Guatemala and became instrumental for timely completion of housing projects benefitting families in four-digit quantities, earning the company the “Golden Tikal” first prize award from the FHA (Institute for the Promotion of Mortgage Insurance, the leading Guatemalan housing authority) for five straight years.
“We stopped earning the award after the FHA decided to give the prize to developers instead of construction companies,” said engineer Álvaro Obiols, CEO for DEPSA since 2015. The younger Obiols leads DEPSA’s 2nd generation with support from the company founders’ experience and achievements, resulting in
Portal de San Isidro III, developed by DEPSA, benefits from its vicinity with Ciudad Cayalá
Condado de las Fuentas boasts over 1,000 units between its first two phases. Phases III, IV and V will increase housing units for this development located in the Zona 18 area of Guatemala City
Biography
Álvaro Obiols, a mechanical engineer, graduated from Rafael Landívar University in 2012. He also earned an MBA from the University of Valparaíso and finished postgraduate studies in Neuromarketing. He joined DEPSA while still in college in 2007. Obiols is the sixth son of nine of DEPSA founder José Felipe Obiols Del Cid. Alvaro’s main area of interest is personal development. He’s up to date on this subject following publications and podcasts from authorities in this matter such as Anthony Robbins and Simon Sinek, among others.
Supplier Profile
Number of Employees:
30 - 50
Year Established:
January 2005
Industry: Manufacturing
Main Services:
Plastic and chemical products for construction, pharmaceutical packaging, cardboard corners and metal handles for pails
Recent Proyects:
We currently have a presence in more than 30 projects of houses, buildings, warehouses, overpasses and gray works, among which the following stand out: FUENTES DEL VALLE NORTE, FUENTES DEL VALLE DE SAN MIGUEL DUEÑAS, PORTAL DE SAN ISIDRO Y ALTOS DE SAN NICOLAS
CEO: Gilberto León
Webpage: www.pronisa.com.gt
DEPSA’s contribution to developers, banks and other brokers involved in the housing construction sector earning the accolades nowadays.
Álvaro Obiols, a mechanical engineer, graduated from Rafael Landívar University. He also earned an MBA from the University of Valparaíso and finished postgraduate studies in Neuromarketing. The younger Obiols’ main focus is personal development; this subject leads him to keep up to date with authorities and professors within this subject matter. Obiols paved his way to the top of the company since he was a college student and became in charge of inventory, which led him to experience first-hand the day-to-day operations at every level, in order to become the company’s leader, able to face new challenges.
Both generations of DEPSA are aware that not everything is about accolades. The company has been through difficult times such as the 2008 global financial crisis, the recent COVID19 pandemic and a breach of trust situation in 2015 which brought grief to the company.
“This situation resulted in drastic changes within our organization, it was then that I took over. My father is still working in his specialty area and I’m in charge of
DEPSA is in charge of drafting, design, and planning up to work completion and finishings
administration and project execution,” Obiols expressed.
“WE ARE DEVOTED TO BUILD HOMES, A HOME IS THE SHELTER PROTECTING FAMILIES, WHICH ARE SOCIETY’S FUNDAMENTAL UNITS. THIS IS THE WAY IN WHICH SOCIETIES ARE BUILT”
- Álvaro Obiols, CEO for DEPSA
INNOVATION: THE KEY TO SIGNIFICANT PROJECTS
The first project completed by DEPSA was Ribera del Río, in the city of Villa Canales, which stands today as the cornerstone and starting point of the company’s successful run along with Valle de la Mariposa, completed afterwards in Amatitlán. Both projects are considered Guatemala’s largest efforts in housing developments,
boasting more than 2,600 units each.
In the mid-1990s, housing construction in Guatemala was in transition from brick to cast stone and concrete. Unit quantity and schedules demanded the company seek support and have top execs travel to the United States to bring formwork to Guatemala, done then with metal beams. This method brought DEPSA competitive advantage, allowing the company to rise one house
per day after its personnel was trained for this system, resulting in being granted more projects whose demands, both quantity and schedule-wise, became more feasible.
MUTUAL SUPPORT RELATIONSHIPS WITH PURVEYORS AND STRATEGIC PARTNERS
“We are the kind of company that looks after its suppliers. They support you and you support them, this creates a difference,” Obiols declared.
Toscana Campestre is one of the latest developments completed by DEPSA for Grupo Campestre
www.cempro.com
Supplier Profile
Number of Employees:
Year Established: 1954
Industry:
Mixto Listo belongs to the Construction Industry, specifically to the production and distribution of ready-mix concrete.
Main Services:
Guatemalan company with more than 65 years of experience in the production and distribution of ready-mix concrete, along with the services associated with its placement. We have been present in the construction of the most important infrastructure, building and housing projects in the country, as well as in the construction of thousands of private projects. We have more than 10 production plants strategically distributed throughout the country to serve all kinds of construction projects.
Recent Proyects:
We take part in the construction of the most relevant projects in the country, such as: Fuentes del Valle Norte, Altos de San Nicolás, Portal San Isidro residential projects; infrastructure projects such as the Quetzal Container Terminal and the new Embassy of the United States of America, among others.
Unit Manager: Astrid Pellecer
Webpage: www.mixtolisto.com
This way of conducting business has resulted in mutual growth, and during difficult times (either internal or globally speaking) the company has received support from purveyors such as Cementos Progreso (CEMPRO), PRONISA, Proyectos Futuristas, Multigroup and Mexichem, among others, which have always supplied the necessary goods for DEPSA to a timely fulfillment of its commitments.
EVOLVING TOWARD COMPREHENSIVE SERVICES FROM DESIGN TO FINISHES
Every project engaging DEPSA includes every aspect related with housing construction. For a long time the company recurred to subcontractors for wall finishes, flooring, doors, windows, plumbing and other specialties according to workload.
This changed from 2012 and on, when Obiols claimed each of these tasks as the company created its own finishes department. Centralizing this operation allows complete control on a project, avoiding any kind of shortage while depending upon third-parties and converting DEPSA into a fully-fledged operation covering drafting, design, planning, construction, completion and finishes, just about every single detail delivering turnkey projects.
“Developers seek for land, obtain permits, financing, investors and then engage into sales and marketing. They hire us to take charge of the project’s day to day labors,” Obiols explained.
RECENT PROJECTS
A number of projects involving DEPSA have been developed across different phases. The company currently works in Condado de las Fuentes, located in the Zona 18 area of Guatemala City. The development’s two initial phases
L to R, Álvaro Obiols and José Felipe Obiols del Cid. The two generations leading DEPSA into becoming the recipient of multiple accolades, and also to resurface unscathed from hard times
accounted for four-digits in units built, as Phase III is planned to be completed after 280 units are ready; Phase IV (which will boast 400 units) has been granted to DEPSA also, as Phase V of the project (which was first conceived in 2007) is currently being planned.
In Zona 16, Portal de San Isidro (an Hogares ISN development), contemporary Las Fuentes, has benefitted from the boom at Ciudad Cayalá, with its conceptual, elegant surroundings and luxury housing.
The mutual support relationship between DEPSA and its suppliers keeps every project demand in stock, avoiding any stoppage before completion
The Portal Residencias phase has been completed and currently DEPSA is adding finishing touches to the Portal San Isidro III phase. Other projects have been completed in the vicinities of the highway to El Salvador, where Toscana Campestre and Villa Campestre are located (both Grupo Campestre developments). Both were built with blocks, just like San Isidro, keeping a balance between block and concrete construction.
DIGITAL RESOURCES BECOME HELPING HANDS
The current management at DEPSA makes the most out of its embracing of technology at every level, starting with the deployment of the SKO ERP software since taking over in 2015. SKO is a customizable program based in the O4B (Open for Business) software developed in Costa Rica. SKO’s advantage is its offering of local technical support. The system is based in the Oracle platform,
fitting both management and construction operations in one single interface.
“We need an ERP system able to manage every resource in construction projects involving up to 300 persons,” Obiols expressed.
Other helpful resources for DEPSA’s operations include a giant Gantt chart and SCRUM methodology when assigning materials and workforce.
“Technology eases all these procedures that we have used
“INVESTING
IN THE FINISHES
DEPARTMENT, THUS CENTRALIZING THIS PROCESS, ENABLES US TO IMPLEMENT OUR OWN CONTROLS REGARDING FUTURE GUIDELINES”
- Álvaro Obiols, CEO for DEPSA
for years to complete all these projects,” the executive director explained.
DEFEATING THE PANDEMIC
The most serious worry
The size of some of the projects DEPSA is involved in have been built across several years in different phases, each of these is subject to a meticulous planning and execution procedures
brought by COVID19 among productive sectors as cases began to rise was the uncertainty about its impact extents. The first move by DEPSA was reducing salaries, except for workforce.
“Beating this illness’ effects has become a steeplechase,” Obiols commented. Avoiding the destructive effects of this pandemic the company’s
experience in previous crisis situations became crucial, along with this generation’s drive to push forward. Operations never stopped completely and DEPSA’s proper financial management was instrumental to keep every project running. Other fundamental factor into keeping the company running was the possibility brought by current technology of
DEPSA considers its workforce being its main ally
working from home, allowing for management procedures to be performed remotely, as the finishes department prevented any stoppage derived from depending on third parties.
“Investing in the finishes department, thus centralizing this process, enables us to implement our own controls regarding future guidelines in physical distance and personnel
management,” Obiols declared.
HUMAN RESOURCES: HEADING TOWARD FORMAL ECONOMY
DEPSA considers its workforce as the main ally in every commitment, and one of the main premises shared by the company’s board is to lead each individual employee towards formal economy.
“Our business is based in
DEPSA’S History
“THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR CONTRIBUTES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF URBAN AREAS. OUR FOCUS IS THE COMMITMENT WE HAVE OF IMPROVING OUR COUNTRY FROM WHAT IT WAS WHEN WE STARTED”
- Álvaro Obiols, CEO for DEPSA
people earning a worthy living through stable employment enabling them to fulfill long term commitments such as being granted a credit to become homeowners. Housing construction is our platform to develop individuals,” Obiols stated.
BECOMING PART OF THE COMMUNITY
In every community hosting a project in which DEPSA is involved, the company endeavours to hire local workforce, thus establishing a link with the area’s inhabitants.
The city of Iztapa, Escuintla, benefitted from DEPSA building churches and a school, and also by the company’s sponsorship of the latter by providing meals for 150 students, which if not for
this effort would lack access to this opportunity.
LOOKING UP TO THE FUTURE
DEPSA is about to complete the Condado de las Fuentes project along with works in the San José Pinula, San Miguel Dueñas, Fuentes del Valle and Guatemala City’s Zona 18 areas. But most of the company’s upcoming engagements will be vertical housing projects, considering the rise in vehicle transit in urban areas in Guatemala.
“The construction sector is the most profitable one, it contributes to the development of urban areas surrounding Guatemala City. Our focus is the commitment we have of improving our country from what it was when we started,” Obiols finalized.
RAISING GLOBAL STANDARDS IN HEALTHCARE LOGISTICS
Written by Mateo Rafael Tablado
Produced by Jassen Pintado
Soracci,
Interviewee
Javier
country manager in Colombia for BOMI GROUP
The performance delivered by BOMI GROUP in Colombia and LATAM provides solid support for the healthcare sector by relying in flexibility and adaptability toward each client’s needs
The BOMI GROUP story began in 1985 in Milan, Italy, helping the healthcare sector. It didn’t take long to expand across Europe; and after a decade’s worth of success, BOMI GROUP arrived in Latin America, bringing its know-how and ability in 3PL (third-party logistics) to supply consumables and medical equipment in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Panama and Peru.
The increase in BOMI GROUP’s presence across the map is due to a constant drive to attain excellence beyond compliance by setting a higher bar with help from the company’s own benchmarking standards. The specialized management, storage and conveyance of equipment, medication and disposable materials by BOMI GROUP becomes a crucial, indispensable resource raising demand from a clientele whose main common attribute is global presence and the ultimate goal of saving lives.
KEY PRESENCE IN COLOMBIA
BOMI GROUP opened for business in Colombia in 2010, arriving in this country under a client’s request, as usual. Its presence across Colombian territory has expanded from Bogota, the country’s capital, to Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, Cali, Medellin and Pereira, adding up to 194,000 sq.ft. worth of storage facilities.
BOMI HEALTHCARRIER is able
“WHEN
WE ASK FOR COLLABORATION AND FLEXIBILITY, WE FIND
IT”
- Javier Soracci, country manager in Colombia for BOMI GROUP
“WE OBTAIN FEEDBACK FROM OUR LABOR AND WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR WAYS TO INNOVATE AND IMPROVE”
- Javier Soracci, country manager in Colombia for BOMI GROUP
to store and convey devices, medication, diagnostic reagents and cosmetics everywhere in the country directly or through strategic partners in a cold chain with the required handling provisions.
In the Colombian market, BOMI GROUP is the first company to deliver for home care services. Other innovations in the country comprise the GECOS proprietary management system, able to provide a complete inventory service of stock levels, and the Virtual
Branch solution for companies in a streamlined operation.
Besides ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 compliance, BOMI is also certified under the local BPM (good manufacturing practice certification) and INVIMA (National Food and Drug Surveillance Institute) standards, providing furnishings to more than 25 medical device and reagent importers under CCAA (certificate for conditioning and storage capacity) regulations. The company also earned the “Positive” status from Secretaría de Salud (health ministry), which certifies storage and conveyance of
healthcare products.
“The most important challenge brought by certifications is maintaining them, supported by our own inspections and audits. Keeping up to date with these is based in permanent training and continual innovation. Any procedure created two years ago not adapted to this day should be improved,” said Javier Soracci, country manager in Colombia for the BOMI GROUP
The experienced Soracci has 21-year experience in logistics for the healthcare sector under his belt. Soracci graduated in
BOMI GROUP works according to its own and its clientele’s standards, usually stricter than local regulations
Business Administration from UADE (Argentine University of Enterprise) and afterwards earned an MBA from the Deusto Business School, in Spain. Before taking the reins of the Colombian operation for the BOMI GROUP, he led the company’s operation in Chile. Soracci also worked for top companies within this business sector in Argentina -his home country- and neighbor Uruguay.
“Every country has its own ways and that should be
understood. One should adapt to it. These are all rewarding experiences,” the executive declared.
GLOBAL DEMAND FOR EFFICIENCY-DRIVEN LEADERSHIP
The 20 markets where BOMI GROUP provides substantial support to the healthcare sector share high level operational standards, easing business development and expansion for clients growing into new territories.
Bulky medical equipment, special beds, high-precision medical devices, medication and reagents through cold chain… BOMI GROUP is the ideal partner in logistics for the healthcare sector globally
COLD STORAGE, COOLERS
www.ingecold.com We are a company dedicated to the manufacture, installation, rental and maintenance of refrigeration equipment with more than 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical, logistics and food industry.
At the regional level, the now virtual meetings among country managers and heads of different departments allow detection of areas for improvement, new business opportunities and sharing solutions for similar procedures. Cross selling is a common practice for BOMI GROUP in Latin America and other territories as a result of delivering outstanding solutions to clients desiring a successful outcome across their global presence.
IT RESOURCES
The IT structure along constant development of proprietary software solutions at BOMI GROUP benefits not only the company’s tasks, but also clients’ interaction with inventory status, product request and
tracking interfaces.
Systems already delivering results, such as BOMI WMS, Botrack, Boclaim and BOMI Business Intelligence are now joined by ONETx and ONEVax interfaces for conveyance and control for value added services and conditioning for the clients’ platforms in Latin America.
Developing new IT resources to improve internal manoeuvres as well as dealings with clients and regulatory agencies is an ongoing endeavor for BOMI GROUP. Latest developments in this area include:
• An inventory detection and early restocking system, aided by RFID, developed in a partnership with a client in Brazil.
• A multi-code scanner (recently deployed in Turkey).
• Robot evaluation for warehouse automation in Europe and Brazil.
We are currently at the analysis and evaluation stage, before running the pilot program for automation in these territories, aiming to improve determined business areas, markets and operations. This program will run globally soon after,” Soracci said.
LONG-STANDING PARTNERS ACROSS THE TERRITORY
In the same way BOMI GROUP and the relationships with its clientele is extended globally, the company also develops longterm partnerships and purveyors. Storage, land and air transport, moving and handling equipment, and outsourcing companies, among others, are the main areas in which BOMI GROUP’s partners in Colombia stand out.
The most important capabilities shared by these suppliers are flexibility and being able to reach standards set by BOMI GROUP, which are usually stricter than health, customs and transport regulations in effect in each country.
“Our suppliers go through different evaluations. We don’t engage in any partnership because of pricing convenience. When we ask for collaboration and flexibility, we find it,” the country manager explained.
IN THE FRONTLINE OF THE BATTLE AGAINST COVID 19
The tasks involved in supplying hospitals, medical offices and even patients under home care cannot stop during a pandemic.
Under the guidelines of the company’s headquarters in Milan, BOMI GROUP took timely, exemplary measures to counter www.thebostonbr.com
“AT
THE END OF THE DAY WE BRING HOPE OF LIFE”
- Javier Soracci, country manager in Colombia for BOMI GROUP
the pandemic even before the emergency was declared in the LATAM countries where there’s company presence:
• New product handling protocols were implemented immediately to protect labor. Equipment, disposables and distance measures were established to avoid infection in warehouses and operating space. And it’s been stressed that the staff share these guidelines at home. Also a hotline became available for staff and their families to seek support while facing the lockdown during quarantine.
• Task forces were created in the local and regional levels, grouping personnel from different departments to be in charge of monitoring the situation and making the best choices for business operations.
“Our staff working in logistics never thought that they are actually saving lives. We explained the importance of sharing these guidelines back home. They also give us ideas that we try immediately. We obtain feedback from our labor and we are always looking for ways to innovate and improve,” Soracci declared.
BOMI GROUP counts with 194,000 sq.ft. worth of storage facilities in Colombia
COMMUNITY AND ENVIRONMENT
As part of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) standards, BOMI GROUP is supported by strict corporate ethics shared by employees, partners and shareholders. This code considers care for the environment through a zero pollution policy which includes maintenance of BOMI HEALTHCARRIER vehicles, besides continual risk management assessment in warehouses and offices, and waste management by specialized contractors.
The communities surrounding BOMI GROUP’s facilities benefit from the company’s engagement with local job boards. 20% of labor in the Bogota location hails from surrounding towns west of the capital. The company is also engaged in mutual support programs with institutions such as the SENA (National Service for Learning) office in Mosquera, also a vicinity of Bogota.
New business opportunities open for BOMI GROUP in inpatient nutrition, animal wellness and home care services
NON-STOP DRIVE TOWARD THE FUTURE
Projections for BOMI GROUP during the upcoming months are going forward, from IT deployments and warehouse expansion to new territories and new business segments. New operations began recently in Ecuador, Russia and BeNeLux territories (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg), with more to add to the list from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
New business opportunities are open in the high-cost biopharmaceuticals sector, inpatient nutrition, animal wellness, and home care delivery.
“The home care segment in Colombia has achieved the
most growth among the region. In a different subject, animal wellbeing’s standards are being raised and we see opportunity in this specialty,” the executive said.
Adaptability and flexibility toward clients’ operations drive BOMI GROUP to achieve its goals, planning during 2020 to deliver in 2021 with no intention to stop in the endeavors to support the healthcare sector.
Bomi Group
“We’ve even received letters from patients’ relatives thanking us for arriving on time with a required product, helping complete a surgery or other procedure. At the end of the day we bring hope of life,” Javier Soracci finalized.
Feedback from the staff is key to innovation and improvement
