Supply Chain Now en Espanol
Season 3, Episode 6

Resumen del Episodio

En este clasico episodio de Supply Chain Now en español, el presentador Enrique Alvarez le da la bienvenida al podcast a Ricardo Maiz, presidente de Vitro Architectural Glass. Escuche mientras Ricardo comparte sus antecedentes, una relación en su familia que dio forma a su espíritu emprendedor, el origen de su naturaleza generosa, su trabajo y misión actual, y mucho más. ¡Escucha ahora!

Transcripción en Español

[00:00:37] Muy buenos días y nuevamente bienvenidos otra y muy interesante plática, otro episodio más de Supply Chain Out en español. Mi nombre es Enrique Álvarez y el día de hoy tengo a un invitado de honor que no solo tiene una carrera profesional y personal muy exitosa, sino yo tuve el gusto de trabajar con él hace varios años, así es que Ricardo Ricardo Maíz, presidente de bitro Architectural Glass, parte del grupo bitro Ricardo, cómo estás? Qué gusto!

 

[00:01:05] Muy bien Enrique, muchas gracias. Igualmente el gusto es mío y aquí a tus órdenes,

 

[00:01:09] Pues bueno, pues como decía un poco, hace mucho que no platicábamos y estamos poniéndonos un poco al corriente, tú y yo también. Entonces para mí va a ser muy divertido e iba a ser increíble el poder platicar un poco más de tus casi 20 años de experiencia en vidrio y cristal. Cuéntanos un poco quién es Ricardo? Dónde naciste a los principios antes de que tuvieras esta carrera en la parte de de vidrio,

 

[00:01:37] Claro, no, con gusto. Bueno, ya me presentaste, no me. Ricardo Maíz Yo nací en Monterrey, México, así crecí toda mi vida y toda mi familia es de Monterrey, es mi casa, somos cuatro, yo soy el yo soy el mayor, tengo dos hermanas y y un hermano y bueno toda mi vida creciendo en Monterrey, colegios en Monterrey. Este ávido seguidor de los deportes antes, antes más que ahora, ahora ya no, ya, ya no hay tanto tiempo para. Pero sigues

 

[00:02:09] Jugando, sigues jugando futbol para todos los críos,

 

[00:02:12] Sigo jugando futbol, sigo jugando ya con los viejitos, con los mayores de 40 años y tratamos de defendernos aficionados o rayados que acaban de ir a hacer el ridículo, a acatar este

 

[00:02:23] No había visto que fueron contra el Palmeiras o algo así contra un equipo.

 

[00:02:27] Jugaron, jugaron contra contra, jugaron contra un equipo egipcio para luego ir a jugar contra el Palmeiras. No nadaban y perdieron con cinco titulares en la selección egipcia, que fue un papelón a nivel a nivel mundial. Pero bueno, hoy en día nos tienen, ya nos tienen acostumbrados a eso. Digo muy me gusta mucho el deporte en muchos deportes diariamente me gusta jugarlo, me gusta verlos. Mi familia es muy deportista beisbolera, aunque son otros, no los nietos. Fuimos una una vergüenza para nuestros papás y nuestro abuelo, que casi nunca casi ni uno jugó beisbol. Fuimos más futboleros este. Pero si eso, eso definitivamente disfruto mucho. Y sí, estudié en el Tec de Monterrey, Economía, licenciado en Economía Este y después me fui a. Fui a? Fui a trabajar, a trabajar de gratis. Estuve un año con los Legionarios de Cristo. Vivía en Buenos Aires desde Argentina, un año por allá, recién graduado. Luego trabajé de profesor por un año y medio. No conseguía, no conseguía trabajo de verdad. Entonces tuve que ser bueno, tuve que ser. Fui profesor por un año y medio en el Colegio Irlandés de Monterrey y después de eso entré a bitrO. Entré a bitro desde los dos años, me fui a hacer mi maestría en Wharton. Igual que tú. Este. Y regresé. Regresé y me apoyaron en ir a estudiar la maestría. Yo tenía el compromiso de regresar y veinte años después, y ahí seguimos dando una carrera.

 

[00:03:57] Sido una carrera bastante extensa y bueno, ahorita nos viste como la sinopsis de todo lo que nos vas a platicar, pero regresando un poco más a la parte antes de entrar a tu carrera. Y bueno, después me gustaría entender un poco más por qué te gustó esa carrera y luego cómo llegaste al puesto que tienes ahora. Pero de joven, algo que tu familia muy unida es algo que aprendieras. Al momento platicamos tú y yo antes y tenemos hijos también más o menos de la edad y están en esa etapa en la que están empezando a ver qué estudian y adónde se meten, etcétera. Algo que te que te acuerdes de esa etapa de tus papás o de tus abuelos. Algo que te impulsó a hacer.

 

[00:04:35] Sí. Pues sí, mi familia son muy extensas, gracias a Dios, y creo que se estilaba antes. Hoy día ya no tanto, pero pero mi papá, que en paz descanse, era uno de 12 y mi mamá uno de 9 11. Yo tenía un montón de primos por todos lados. Este sobre todo, sobre todo de lado maíz, porque de lado, de lado Rodrigo Rodríguez, del lado mi mamá y mi mamá es la mayor. Entonces sí se creó un poco una diferencia en edad entre entre yo y mi prima mayor y todos los demás. No éramos, no éramos muchos. Por ahí vinieron después dos nietos más, más pequeños, pero por el lado del lado de los míos. La verdad es que todo mundo medio que se casó al mismo tiempo y tuvo un hijo y más tiempo. Tengo un montón de primos por todos lados y todos los domingos nos veíamos. De hecho nos veíamos, jugábamos. Todos juegan hoy día fútbol y softbol allá en Monterrey. Entonces sí había mucha relación con mi abuelo, mi abuelo y sí fue un gran empresario. El fundo la constructora Maíz Meyer, que es uno de los grandes grupos constructores de Monterrey y mi abuelo fue un gran empresario, muy buen ejemplo para todos nosotros. Era, sí, muy trabajador, muy exitoso, pero también era, era, era menor. Era muy, muy bueno con los niños, le gustaba tener gente. Todos los domingos estábamos ahí en su casa. No lo veía de mal humor, contento con los niños, escuchando, escuchando el juego, los sultanes en la radio y y bueno, son solo recuerdos, un poco de chico. Y sí, esa cultura de que yo a mí me tocó ser emprendedor, me tocó ser ejecutivo, pero pero si esa esa cultura de emprendedor y ese y ese ejemplo que nos dejó mi abuelo, definitivamente yo creo que nos marcó a mí y a muchos de mis primos.

 

[00:06:22] Sí, es un gran ejemplo, como tú dices, un gran empresario mexicano es muy reconocido y seguido y querido por muchas personas. Cuéntanos entonces cómo fue tu trayectoria de pasar del Tec a estudiar, a decir bueno, sí, quiero ir a estudiar en el extranjero. Y nos contaste un poco que te fuiste un año a Buenos Aires. Eso, eso yo no lo sabía. Entonces, si nos puedes contar un poco más qué es lo que pasó en ese año, cómo te lanzaste con la que viviste en Buenos Aires?

 

[00:06:51] Claro, no fue un año muy bonito, la verdad. Digo yo me de y sobre todo hoy día, creo que nosotros. Yo creo que a ti te tocó estudiar dos años de prepa y yo era de los chicos de mi generación. Yo yo tenía veintiún años cuando. Cuando me gradué y. Y la verdad este yo siempre había trabajado mucho con grupos religiosos y ayudando en varias cosas y. Y había la oportunidad de ir a una especie de voluntariado y yo lo tenía muy desde chico tenía en mente que eso iba a ser cuando, cuando me graduara, que en vez de entrar directamente a trabajar y sobre todo sabiendo que estaba entrando o acabando la carrera, muy chico iba. Iba a ser ese año de voluntariado y tú te voluntarias y te tocaba donde fuera. Me había tocado en en Tapachula como en Buenos Aires y a mí y ahí me acabó tocando en Buenos Aires y fue una experiencia muy padre porque todos sabemos la historia de los legionarios, incluso su fundador, muy, muy trágica y lamentable. Pero pero dentro de dentro de esa organización hay gente muy buena que yo quiero mucho todavía hoy día y gente que nada tenía que ver con algunos de los escándalos.

 

[00:08:01] Y cuando yo llegué a Argentina, a diferencia de otros lugares donde ahí había organizaciones muy establecidas y colegios e institutos, lo que tú quieres manda es que en Argentina realmente estaban llegando y estaban apenas fundando y estableciéndose. Entonces me tocaba hacer un poquito de todo. Lo que lo que se ofrecía era tenían un centro de espiritualidad. Yo era el gerente del centro y era el que iba y depositaba los cheques y el que organizaba los viajes y una experiencia muy padre para alguien que tiene veintiún años. Y te sueltan la llave porque allí todo el mundo tenía que hacer de todo. Entonces yo aprecio mucho la experiencia, obviamente del lado de lo espiritual y religioso y como experiencia, una experiencia muy bonita, pero también por el lado profesional. Este son experiencias que difícilmente los 21 años puedes tener aventureros, una empresa y tienes un jefe y tu jefe tiene un jefe y otro jefe y lo que tú puedes hacer es mínimo. Aquí pues te sueltan las llaves y ahora le organizaste un viaje para 100 personas a Roma y por donde

 

[00:08:59] Empieza tu

 

[00:09:00] Recién graduado? Yo no soy agente de viajes, pero lo organiza el grupo aparte con argentinos que quiere y yo los quiero mucho, pero hijo, es trabajar con argentinos también era tenía su chiste interno para mí cada.

 

[00:09:12] Cada país tiene sus peculiaridades y tú recién graduado y sin tener la experiencia de coordinar mucho, me imagino. Ha sido de lo mejor que fue una gran, gran experiencia y aprendizaje para tu vida. De dónde sacaste? De dónde sacaste el interés de ayudar a los demás? Porque eso es un medio que no viene arraigado en ti desde muy, muy chico también.

 

[00:09:32] Sí, mis papás siempre fueron muy mucho de ayudar en la iglesia y fueron ministros de la Eucaristía en la Iglesia Católica por muchísimo tiempo y siempre nos dejaron el ejemplo de ayudar. Una de mis tías tiene una institución para niños con capacidades especiales. Y si eso es algo que de chiquito definitivamente lo vi y participé y me gustaba, me gusta y la verdad es que no he tenido mucho tiempo de hacerlo recientemente. Pero sí me gustaba mucho. Y así y así empecé a trabajar y para mí fue un paso, un paso muy natural. Pero pero sin duda este. Yo creo que una de las mejores experiencias y incluso pensando en la vida profesional de los que mejor me preparo para la vida profesional. Ahí sí, sí, en todo sentido y viviendo ahí. Yo vivía literalmente vivía en una iglesia, no en una banca. Si tenía que tener mi habitación y todo, pero. Pero sí, vivíamos en una iglesia y comíamos allí a las horas y teníamos los horarios y ayudando los domingos de lo que fuera. Entonces no fue una experiencia muy padre, muy enriquecedora. Ahí me preguntaban y se estilaba decir Oye, por qué no estoy haciendo una maestría en vez en la respuesta filosófica? No, no estoy haciendo una maestría en la vida aquí, de aquí es parte del aprendizaje. Y después y después te cuento otro anécdota por ahí, pero. Pero la verdad es que la experiencia, la experiencia fue muy parias y así se dio. Y luego aquí viene la cruda realidad, porque si acaba dando ese año

 

[00:11:01] Era el compromiso de un año y regresar.

 

[00:11:03] Yo no podría ser un año y me pero no te lo puedes creer, pero mi compromiso era un año y regresar y era mi plan regresar. Y en

 

[00:11:11] Qué año? Para qué año?

 

[00:11:13] 98, 97 98 Yo me gradué diciembre el 97 y en febrero 98 ya estaba

 

[00:11:20] En Buenos Aires,

 

[00:11:21] El Mundial de Francia 98 o el Mundial de Francia.

 

[00:11:24] Te tocó estando en Argentina?

 

[00:11:26] Entonces me tocó estar en Argentina y en Argentina, Inglaterra, Argentina, Inglaterra. Fue un caos y luego los eliminó Holanda y nos eliminó a Alemania. Pero si no fue una buena experiencia verlo ver el Mundial allá en Argentina la gente es igual de apasionada que en México o más, pero acá va eso y ahora sí, ya, ya quiero trabajar una empresa y nada más que toda la ola de entrevistas de los recién graduados. Esas te las perdiste. O sea, ya no, ya no entraste en toda esa, en toda esa ola de ayuda que la escuela te da cuando estás en noveno semestre o en octavo semestre. Y fue empezar de cero. Y la brava te llevaste ya bastante conseguir en conseguir un trabajo por mientras me emplea y con la misma organización con la que me fui a voluntariado y daba clase de economía y daba y lideraba un programa de participación social y me que por un año y medio. Pero yo estaba buscando algún trabajo en alguna empresa que estudia economía. Yo quería trabajar en alguna empresa y y la verdad es que se batallo mucho. Tenía mucho para conseguir mi trabajo en Vitrola

 

[00:12:25] Y era así. Era un momento difícil también. La economía del país en la historia del mundo, entonces no era fácil, a lo mejor conseguir trabajo. En esa época tú tenías una concepción o una predisposición de algo que quisieras hacer, o sea, te veías ya graduado o regresando de Buenos Aires. Y bueno, me gustaría la parte corporativa, me gustaría cierto tipo de industrias o todavía a estas alturas serías muy abierto a cualquiera.

 

[00:12:49] Me gustaba el tema estratégico y me gustaba dónde está el tema estratégico. Me gustaba la idea de entrar en él, ya sea una consultora o una o un área de prensa estratégica dentro de los negocios. Y la verdad es que por ahí, por ahí, por ahí, donde me gustaba y finalmente fue lo que fue, fue como entré yo entré a Vitrola al área de planeación estratégica en la división de vidrio plano en ese entonces y se dio y se dio. Yo le sigo recordando a la gente de recursos humanos en vitro que que ellos no me contrataron, que yo me. Cuando te hablan, le hablan a un amigo mío o muy amigo mío, que trabajaba, trabajaba en un banco y le y lo invitan a entrevistarse para ocupar un puesto de planeación estratégica. Y mi amigo le dice Sabes qué? Mira, a mí no me interesa, pero tengo otros dos amigos que les pudiera interesar. Entonces le dan el teléfono mío y los datos míos, y el teléfono mío y el de otro amigo para que los contacte y contactan a mi otro amigo, pero a mí no me contactan. Entonces yo tuve que ir a pararme ahí en la oficina de Recursos Humanos y decir oye, escuché que están que están buscando entrevistar por un puesto, me pueden hacer exámenes, me pueden entrevistar. Dijeron Sí, cómo no, pásale. Y me hicieron los exámenes y me entrevistaron y eventualmente me contrataron. Pero yo todavía les recuerdo que que tuve que ir yo a tocar las puertas y tu

 

[00:14:02] Fuiste el que tocó las puertas y habla. Habla muy bien de ti, de la proactividad que siempre, siempre has tenido para todos los que nos escuchan, porque obviamente nos escuchan en otras partes, no solo en México. Podrías darles una breve resumen de qué es bitro, que es el grupo árbitro y a qué se refiere? A qué se refieren colección vidrio plano.

 

[00:14:21] Claro, si este grupo es una empresa pública, cotiza en la Bolsa Mexicana de Valores desde hace ya muchos años y básicamente se dedica a la bueno, no exclusivamente, pero sobre todo a fabricar vidrio, a fabricar envases de vidrio para la industria de cosméticos y farmacéuticos y algo de licores premium y hacer vidrio plano, que es el vidrio que acaba en todas las habitaciones, muebles, automóviles. En fin, hay muchas aplicaciones del vidrio, pero nosotros hacemos el vidrio, el vidrio flotado y el vidrio. Se le llama vivir flotado porque flota sobre una cámara de estaño cuando va saliendo de un horno o se corta medida y y y se empaca y se manda a los clientes que lo hacen. Hacen un montón de cosas con él. Son nuestros clientes, pueden hacer ventanas, se pueden hacer mesas, pueden hacer parabrisas, ventana de automóvil, en fin, hay un montón de usos para para el vidrio, pero todo empieza con la fundición de la materia prima arena, carbonato. Sacamos el vidrio y nosotros vendemos. Este es una empresa que se fundó mil novecientos ocho, o sea, más de cien años. Es una historia muy rica y siempre con un liderazgo muy interesante en la parte manufactura en el norte del país y que dio un giro muy interesante o un cambio muy interesante.

 

[00:15:46] Hace aproximadamente cinco o seis años este libro nació como una empresa para la industria cervecera, haciendo envases para la industria cervecera, pero sin embargo les invertimos ese negocio en el negocio de envases para bebidas y alimentos y se reinventó el grupo. En ese momento vendimos ese negocio que al negocio fundador fue una transacción muy exitosa. A mí me tocó ser el yo. Yo era el yo era en ese momento de desarrollo de negocios y entonces me tocó liderar el proceso de venta, un proceso muy padre. Se le vendió a líder mundial, a un chileno. Es que ahora es dueño de las plantas que eran de bitro en México, de envases para para bebidas y alimentos. Y después de eso nos quedamos con cero deuda, algo de dinero y un plan de crecer por donde le damos. Y lo que teníamos era ese negocio de envases para cosméticos. Teníamos el negocio de aeroplano que consistía en vidrio flotado y vidrio automotriz, y teníamos también una industria diversas que hace productos químicos, sobre todo carbonato de sodio y algunos de los subproductos cloruro de calcio, sal, bicarbonato, etc.. Este y en ese momento visto se tenía que reinventar y se dio la oportunidad de comprar a la a la división de vidrio plano de una empresa norteamericana muy grande que PPG.

 

[00:17:07] De hecho, el nombre PPG es East Roleplay Glass es una empresa que nació también como bitro haciendo vidrio. Este logo se verificaron e hicieron un montón de inversiones de lado y pintura. Compraron cómics para los que nos escuchen en México, pero PPG se concentró. Parte pinturas y químicos, porque nosotros estamos buscando crecer, ellos salirse y adquirimos una empresa con un bagaje tecnológico y de marcas. El virus se PPG, nosotros hacemos un virus más, más commodity en México. Y a quién? A quién? Ppg El virus que se hacía era el vidrio, valor agregado para para el sobre todo para la industria, construcción comercial. Entonces todo el vidrio que en Estados Unidos y los países desarrollados, todo el vidrio con capas de control solar que es el estándar en los países en desarrollo en México y en otros países desarrollados apenas inicia. Pero lo que compran nosotros fue al líder en tecnología de. Es una empresa con un bagaje tecnológico y de patentes y de investigación tremendo que nos hubiera si nos hubiese llevado 50 años desarrollar de manera propia. Entonces dimos un un salto cuántico y bueno, por eso, por eso estamos por por acá ahora en viviendo en Pittsburgh y manejando la visión conjunta con las operaciones de México, Estados Unidos y Canadá.

 

[00:18:21] Y bueno, creo que es una empresa con mucha historia también empezaron pasando el tiempo, se juntan en

 

[00:18:29] 800 888 todavía más antigua

 

[00:18:33] Del 1900. Sí, sí, sí.

 

[00:18:36] Si no juntamos dos empresas centenarias, la verdad

 

[00:18:39] Eso a ser muy, muy divertido. Y obviamente este habla muy bien del liderazgo de ambas empresas y de lo importante que ha sido toda la parte estratégica para para bitro, para el grupo y para vidrio plano. Y bueno, también para ti y tu carrera. Central, volviendo otra vez a donde estábamos, apenas acabas de entrar a bitro la parte estratégica, lograron contratarte o más bien tú te contrataste después de que fuiste a decirles que te contrataran? Este. Cómo has visto hasta estado 19 años? Has visto muchas cosas durante todos estos años? Has pasado por varias etapas de desarrollo, no solo de grupo, sino de toda la industria de este mundial. Cómo ha cambiado un poco tu perspectiva desde que iniciaste? Y en esta reestructuración, este reinicio de ciertas cosas en vitro, qué podrías comentar al respecto?

 

[00:19:30] Digo, definitivamente tu perspectiva cambia. Tú entras y entras en un mundito chico y y sin demasiada idea del de la foto completa o el big picture, como dicen aquí los americanos. Y bueno, te vas, te vas centrando y te vas dando cuenta. Y lo que lo que sí es es que me lo decía un compañero, un compañero mío, un jefe. Y ahora sí que estamos compitiendo en Grandes Ligas y ya no es, ya no es un ya no es una competencia amateur. Nuestros competidores son el líder francés, el líder norteamericano, el líder japonés, el líder chino. Estamos compitiendo contra las empresas globales, es de las mejores empresas globales del mundo y eso a veces no te, no te. No te cae el veinte, especialmente cuando estás más concentrado en México y tratando de competir por tu bichito este de repente. Bueno, ya, ya. La competencia es mundial y es intensa y es sin tregua. Pero tienes que seguir innovando, tienes que seguir creando, tienes que seguir moviéndote. Y esa perspectiva, cuando entres a trabajar, pues tú estás concentrado en tu proyecto, en tu división, en tu, en tu región y todo eso obviamente lo has, lo vas viendo de manera más amplia y lo vas entendiendo y participando en las decisiones que impactan al negocio. Y ha sido para mí muy enriquecedor. Gracias a Dios siempre me ha tocado seguir avanzando en el grupo, saltando de una posición a otra hasta llegar a la que estoy, que ya voy para tres años en el Mundial. En tres años el tiempo vuela este, pero bueno, en definitiva es una evolución y y bueno, con el tiempo y el nivel de responsabilidad, si te vas dando cuenta de muchas más cosas y y las decisiones en las que tú colaboras o tienes que hacer, pues impactan directamente en los resultados y en el futuro del grupo. Para, para, para bien o para mal.

 

[00:21:20] En base a tu experiencia y a todo lo que has vivido, si tuvieras que resumir en tres o cuatro puntos o qué es lo que hace, qué características hacen una buena empresa o de qué? De qué manera? Nuevamente sé que has pasado por varias, varias etapas de la empresa y bueno, ha sido creciendo de manera exitosa. Es una gran trayectoria profesional. Qué hace una buena empresa? Porque estás como lo hacías contra francesas, contra japonesas, contra empresas de todo el mundo. Cómo te diferencias? Cómo logras ser mejor?

 

[00:21:52] Esa es la clave. Es cómo te diferencias, porque seguir compitiendo en los productos más commodity, más de batalla, se vuelve muy complicado, porque es la industria la que nosotros participamos en nuestra vida intensiva. En capital las inversiones son monstruosos. Acá cada horno explotado te cuesta 130, 150 millones de dólares. Entonces, cómo haces para parar, para sacar los rendimientos necesarios para justificar ese tipo de inversiones? Y la verdad es que no es fácil. No es fácil porque por lo mismo que la competencia y luego vienes y compites contra 15 y hay otros quizá de China que no tiene ningún costo capital que tuvo y están dispuestos a salir adelante con márgenes muy diminutos y la presión es es inmensa para para seguir dando resultado. Entonces yo creo que una buena empresa tiene que tiene que saber innovar, se tiene que hacer reaccionar, reaccionar muy rápido, que eso es algo que sí yo creo que nos ha caracterizado, que hemos hemos sabido reaccionar y ser resilientes. Cuando se viene un rato es bueno, cómo lo resuelves las razones ya porque no lo sabe ya quién sabe si hoy, mañana y el sentido de urgencia, y la innovación y creatividad y el encontrar esos nichos donde puedes jugar. Yo creo que es lo que hace una buena empresa y no siempre hacemos las cosas bien. Uno intenta y vamos avanzando, pero definitivamente yo creo que eso eso caracteriza la definición de una buena empresa.

 

[00:23:13] Cardo Un poco cambiando un poco la trayectoria de la plática, qué crees que ha sido tu mayor reto profesionalmente hablando? Y bueno, ahorita nos has mencionado varios de la competencia, pero tú volviendo un poco a a ti como persona céntrica en esta entrevista, qué es lo que? Qué es lo que ha sido más difícil en tu vida profesional?

 

[00:23:35] Mira, yo de humor te voy a mencionar dos ejemplos y digo son por diferentes motivos, pero por un poco similares este virus y pasa por una reestructura financiera por ahí de 2015, empezando un poco antes, empezando una estructura que quizás finaliza en 2015, pero empieza por ahí 2011. 2010 2011 este y a mí me toca estar en Estados Unidos trabajando en Memphis, Tennessee, en una empresa que teníamos como director de Finanzas este y un buen día nos llega la notificación de que estamos demandados por los acreedores y que nos tenemos que presentar el día de mañana en Dallas a estar en frente del juez este y comienza un proceso de reestructura que yo tenía en 2000 2010 hablando de tenía treinta y tres años, treinta y cuatro años. Este como abogado de una empresa totalmente sin experiencia para lo que se nos venía enfrente y fue un ataque frontal de los acreedores para para la reestructuración con vitro contra la empresa que me tocaba manejarle las finanzas y. Y el resto fue sumamente intenso, sumamente enriquecedor el final. Pero sí, había días que no sé cómo lo vamos a hacer, no sé qué voy.

 

[00:24:49] La responsabilidad, la responsabilidad de todos empleados que teníamos, el encontrarle cauce a cómo resolver este tema que parecía realmente sin solución. Y ese periodo de mi vida profesional fue, fue, fue de grandes retos, también de grandes enseñanzas y. Y bueno, y en esos, en los momentos difíciles te das cuenta qué puedes hacer tú, qué pueden hacer los demás, con quién cuentas y. Y ese espacio fue, fue definitivamente muy retador. Y también también, también donde aprendimos muchísimo y luego igual, luego el empezar la pandemia, el empezar la pandemia. De repente estamos en abril de 2020 y yo tengo. En Norteamérica tenemos diez hornos de flotado y en ese momento creo que para mayo llegamos a tener nueve de los diez hornos reciclando vidrio o apagados. No apagas. Tú sabes que no los apagues. Esos hornos los prendes hoy, los apagas en 15 años por la estructura que ya no los puedes apagar y prender algo de luz de lo bonito, todo lo que tienes que romper. Tu reproduces, lo respiras, lo empieza a reciclar, lo rompe, lo regresas

 

[00:25:55] Porque las ventas no había, se separaron, la demanda se paró,

 

[00:25:58] Todo se paró y la incertidumbre

 

[00:26:01] Se paró, se paró

 

[00:26:02] El producto se paró automotriz y la incertidumbre y necesidad de efectivo. Entonces ok, sigo vendiendo, pero vendo y vendí inventario. Voy a irme a los huesitos a cero, que qué es lo que hizo gran parte del mundo y por eso ya estamos batallando con todos los temas de logística y abasto a nivel mundial. Pero. Pero la reacción tiene que ser inmediata y las soluciones aquí ya las decisiones son ya y toma las decisiones mejores que tengas. Y las marcas, y aunque sean radicales es imperativo moverte. Y la verdad es que ese período de cómo y cómo solventamos el año fue un año donde generamos muchísimo flujo efectivo por todo lo que logramos reducir los inventarios de hacernos más eficientes. Llegamos a todas nuestras metas, logramos montarnos a la recuperación la segunda en el segundo semestre del año y el puede haber cumplido con las expectativas de ese año tan difícil. Este la verdad es que fue un reto muy grande y súper, la recompensa grandísima de saber que lo que lo sacamos adelante y yo era relativamente nuevo en el puesto. Yo tenía un año en el puesto, entonces realmente no era, no tenía tanto bagaje ni tanta experiencia y el tener que sentarnos con todos y decir a ver aquí que vamos a hacer y entre todos decidir y afrontar y tomar las decisiones de manera rápida y concisa. Pues yo creo que Jorge fue otro gran reto, que yo me siento muy orgulloso haberlo podido solventar, me imagino.

 

[00:27:20] Y bueno, creo que sí es definitivamente un orgullo. Estos dos años de pandemia han sido bastante retadores para todos y para todas las industrias y mucho más para una en la que de la noche a la mañana se te cae el 100 por ciento de tu demanda, no en la parte de construcción y en todas otras áreas. Entonces yo creo que creo que la constante aquí es que entre más retos se te presentan creo que sales cada vez mejor, así es que ya te han servido este. Tenemos ya un poco unos pelos blancos que por ahí no había. No había canas

 

[00:27:53] Hace tres años en todo blanco, pero no esperemos, esperemos un año es un poquito más estable, pero bueno, pero para eso estamos y para eso está el equipo. Y cuando digo cuando te hablo yo de estar orgulloso y te hablo de logros como no son mío, son logros de todo el equipo, de toda la organización y cuento con el mejor equipo en la industria y juntos lo hemos podido, se acaba de sacar adelante, pero

 

[00:28:18] No, que qué gusto y qué bueno este. Y bueno, cuéntanos entonces un poco. Mencionaste un poco la parte de la cadena de suministro, la logística, que a final de cuentas es algo de los que todos aquí nos apasiona. Cuéntanos un poco más. Obviamente se veían en la pandemia. Pasa todo esto en la parte del vidrio o plano, cómo funciona un poco la cadena de suministro? Cómo funcionan los flujos? Qué es lo que realmente tuviste que batallar en la parte de suministro y en un futuro este año y los próximos? Cómo se ve esa parte de la cadena de suministro?

 

[00:28:51] Si no, así como yo con la palabra sufrimos y si sufrimos algunos, algunos temas, pero también nos beneficiamos con algunos temas. Yo creo que hubo, hubo sus pros y sus contras. Definitivamente yo aprendí en estos años de cosas que nunca quise haber aprendido y probablemente nunca volveré. Nunca lo hubiese aprendido si no hubiese sido por toda la. De repente llegaban las llamadas a las diez de la noche y nos estamos quedando sin hidrógeno para las plantas de no sé cual. Y hoy explícame en qué parte del proceso usamos hidrógeno primero y cómo es que nos podemos quedar sin hidrógeno que está pasando? Y el hidrógeno? Nitrógeno, arena. Lo que tú quieras. Hubo, hubo cantidad de emergencias que gracias a Dios, todas no solamente es más bien sobre todo en emergencias, pero todo se quedan en sustos y es mucho trabajo para solventar. Pero si nos toca una cantidad de avisos de decir oye como pinta esto y lo que puede suceder si no arreglamos esto, pues en diez días te puedo dejar de surtir y eso significa que tu horno casi se está derrumbando, lo tienes que tienes que tomar acción y vas a parar toda la producción y a reaccionar contra eso y a ver bueno, de dónde si no es este probador, de dónde lo sacamos y. Y fue un tema de hoy. Esto todavía es un tema constante. Las dificultades siguen, hay cosas que que todos los días nos faltan y tenemos que atender cosas que normalmente o nunca pensabas en ella, nunca pensarás en qué va a pasar. Definitivamente hemos visto ese tire y afloje.

 

[00:30:23] El transporte, el mover tú el producto a tus clientes, se convierte en una aventura también. Todavía voy a levantar la mano y tenías un trailer ahí en las puertas de tu empresa y lo embarcaba y opacaba. Lo marcabas y listo. Ahora no, ahora, ahora escasea. Hay menos personas dispuestas a dedicarse a esa tarea del autotransporte, sobre todo de carga pesada. Y ha sido, ha sido una aventura. Y por otro lado, exportar, exportar es que se ha vuelto casi imposible los costos de logística. Tienes o tienes un lugar separado en el barco? Te presentas y te dicen no, siempre el barco no se paró en este puerto este y eso lo vemos, lo vemos todo días. También lo vemos entrando nuestros mercados, que hay que hay que aceptar cuando antes quizá productos de otras geografías llegaban de manera mucho más competitivo y mucho más constante a nuestras geografías. Hoy probablemente se ve mucho menos, entonces eso ayuda y libera un poco más la demanda para poderla atender y nos ha ayudado definitivamente en estos en estos años. Pero es una realidad. Los temas, el mundo no ha regresado a la normalidad desde el lado de la logística y el abasto. Y hay que adaptarnos, hay que adaptarnos y gracias a Dios nosotros tenemos centros de manufactura muy cerca de nuestros destinos finales. A nuestro principal atención no es la exportación, entonces no nos hemos ido tan afectados como quizá alguien que era un inepto exportador o importador, que ahí sigue su modelo de negocio, se vio, se vio totalmente, totalmente cambiado. La irrupción fue total.

 

[00:31:57] Si no, y más los costos y todas las otras complejidades que tiene lo que estamos viviendo en la parte de cadena de suministro, entonces es sumamente interesante y bueno, se ve que no hay, no hay un respiro cuando no es en la parte de los insumos, es una parte de las ventas o el cliente que como después de todos estos años. Y esta pregunta se la ha hecho a varias personas y entiendo que nadie es más, entre más pienso en cuál pudiera ser la respuesta, más equivocado llego a estar. No sé cómo. Cómo es el futuro? Creo que ahorita es esta incertidumbre. Todavía está como alguien en tu posición en una empresa de clase mundial como la que lidera. Cómo? Cómo planea hacer el siguiente año? En qué piensas, qué indicadores son los que tú personalmente tomas más en cuenta?

 

[00:32:46] Mira aquí. Si me haces la pregunta, me preguntas cuál va a ser tu mayor reto en este año? La respuesta es no sé cuál va a ser mi mayor reto. Sea No, estoy seguro que no va a topar con algunos

 

[00:32:58] Cero, pero no la nevada. El fuego posa desde

 

[00:33:03] La nevada, la nevada el año pasado, la congelada en febrero en Tejas. Nuestra planta o no fue un from diez días de terror en el norte de México y en y en Tejas el año pasado en febrero. Eso no lo teníamos. Probablemente no. Nadie lo planea. No lo planea. No lo pones en tu. En tu presupuesto. Entonces, cuál es mi mayor reto? No sé. Entonces, qué es lo que hacemos nosotros o qué es lo que tenemos que hacer? Uno es bueno ejecutar lo ejecutar el hoyo. Ser, ser, ser muy disciplinado. Seguir mejorando la parte operación, el modelo de excelencia, operación. Seguir atendiendo tus antecedentes actuales, asegurarte que tu hoy lo atiendes, pero estás trabajando en el mañana, seguimos trabajando en el mañana. Creemos que si el vidrio como un material, sobre todo en edificios y en materias de conservación de energía y renovación de energía, es un producto que está en el centro de toda la ola y trae un trae un viento favor muy pronunciado. Los tiempos pueden variar. Esto no se destapa hoy, pero. Pero el que viene de que viene una tendencia, una ola hacia más producto de valor agregado, más productos con control solar, más productos con propiedades térmicas de otro, de otro nivel, de otro olor de de auto renovación de energía o paneles solares e incluso paneles solares en las fachadas de los edificios. Todo eso viene y en todos esos nos estamos metiendo y estamos invirtiendo. Nosotros tenemos que estar ahí, en la vanguardia de lo que viene para los edificios de mañana. Entonces hay hoy que hay que ejecutar algo. Hoy por hoy hay que empezar a planear el mañana y hacer esas inversiones y esas y esas decisiones de adentrarte en esos mercados que el día de mañana van a ser el sustento de tu empresa. En todos estos asílo así lo afrontamos y hemos hemos empezado a nuestros nuestros pininos en áreas muy interesantes y. Y eso es lo que tenemos que hacer.

 

[00:34:50] Eso, eso es increíble y muy interesante, no es emocionante? Yo diría incluso la parte de la tecnología en productos como el vidrio, algo que lleva muchos años de existir el vidrio y cómo se ha desarrollado hasta lo que tenemos ahorita es increíble, impresionante y seguirá y sigue siendo relevante. Y es más, va a ser más relevante que nunca. Con todos estos cambios climatológicos, etcétera.

 

[00:35:16] Y viene legislación. Tú ves todos los todos los edificios que se tienen que renovar en base a legislación en Nueva York por sí solo son miles y miles de edificios. California ya exige auto renovación, auto o generación de energía. Y ahí hay todo el tema del virus, del virus, de los paneles solares. Ahí hay toda una ola que va en esa dirección y escamoteo. Ahí no es cuestión de si va a venir. Es nada más que tan rápido venir. Y tienes que estar, tienes que estar preparado. Pero me entusiasma mucho y digo qué padre? Que tu producto pueda colaborar. Ese es ese progreso y ese y ese beneficio al medio ambiente y al planeta. Y creo que estamos montados sobre una una empresa que tiene todo para competir por esos nuevos nichos y. Y eso sí, sí entusiasma y emociona.

 

[00:36:04] Sí, claro que si estás en una no sólo una empresa, sino una industria que realmente está cambiando la vida de muchas personas para bien y está cambiando el mundo, no para, para bien también, entonces sí es muy, muy emocionante. Y nuevamente te agradezco muchísimo que nos dieras algo de tiempo para platicar el día de hoy este sé que podemos seguir platicando por un par de horas, pero tienes muchas otras cosas que hacer. Una penúltima o última pregunta si pudieras regresar en el tiempo y darle un consejo al Ricardo más de 24 años jugando soccer en el calcio todos los jueves, o era jueves o cuando los jueves jueves

 

[00:36:41] Juegas el calcio.

 

[00:36:43] Qué? Que que este consejo te darías a ti mismo?

 

[00:36:49] 24 años, hijo. Yo estaba prácticamente entrando en ese momento. El consejo que yo daría a alguien recién entrar a una empresa es. Este. La parte económica. Cuando tu a trabajar deben pasar a segundo término. Lo importante son las oportunidades y los aprendizajes que tengas. Este el poderte. Cuando yo. Cuando me toca a mí contratar en vitro a las primeras gentes que a mi me costaba con la talla como jefe. Era algo que el que yo le daba como. Como el punto de venta. Mira este yo. Yo no sé. O sea, yo no sé si probablemente te van a pagar mejor, te podrían pagar mejor y quizá podrías ir a otro lado. Y quizá cuando practiques a tus amigos que estoy trabajando en Cemex o en otras compañías de ese momento y digo y. Pero luego lo que quiero decir es mira en vitro. Al menos estar aquí con nosotros vas a estar sentado con el general y vas a estar platicando los proyectos y vas a estar metido en las entrañas de aquí. Aquí los niveles realmente son muy cortos y tú y tu chance para aprender, para crecer, para, para, para poderte mostrar, son bastantes. Así me tocó a mí. Mi experiencia quizá no es la de todas las áreas donde yo estaba, así lo era y esas oportunidades son invaluables.

 

[00:38:07] Lo que tú puedas aprender en esos años de formación sea tu dinero, lo vas a hacer después, pero, pero, pero primero tienes que tienes que aprender y tienes que arremangarse la camisa y hacer meterte a las tripas y hacer el trabajo sucio. Eso es lo que yo me recomendaría. Este es olvídate, olvídate de todo lo que no es tema de crecimiento y enseñanza donde estás aprendiendo. Métete en todo lo que puedas aprender. Júntate con personas que admires y te puedan enseñar y te puedan ayudar a desarrollarte. Y también ayuda a los demás también. Cuando. Cuando todos los demás te llevas a ti mismo y. Y esa parte a veces lo menospreciamos o nos adentramos en la competencia. Pero cuando tú ayudas a los demás y también te acerca con gente que te ayude, pues eso es un círculo virtuoso donde donde todos van a ganar y tu carrera va a ser mucho más, mucho más rica. Entonces digo, sin duda ese sería mi consejo para mí mismo a esa edad o para alguien que está en una nueva etapa. Y ustedes busquen donde pueden aprender que puedan crecer, dónde, dónde van a aprender más y dejen a un lado el status quo o quizá la mejor oportunidad económica. Váyanse por la poca oportunidad que más enseñanzas va a dejar.

 

[00:39:21] Ricardo, gracias por tu tiempo y por la plática. Ricardo Mice, presidente de bitro Architectural Class Parte de de bitro grupo bitro Ricardo si alguien tiene alguna duda, alguien quisiera aprender un poco más, ya sea de de bitro de la historia de PPG, de oportunidades de trabajo, incluso ya sea en Estados Unidos, en México o en algún otro lado. Cómo te pueden contactar?

 

[00:39:44] Claro, en nuestra página Internet es corporativa, es bitro. Punto com. En Estados Unidos usamos otra para para la industria que es bitro glacis con z is dot com este. Entonces cualquiera que quiera aprender más de nuestros productos, ahí se van a poder encontrar nuestra página en internet. Lo que lo comento los paneles solares para edificios fotovoltaicos integrados al edificio y todo lo demás que estamos desarrollando. Y ahí también puede haber solicitudes de empleo o cómo ingresar currículums y demás. Y bueno, yo creo que en cuanto a redes sociales, yo no laborando soy muy activo en redes sociales, pero pero si tengo mi perfil de LinkedIn y si alguien, si alguien, si alguien escucha por ahí y me quisiera contactar, mandar un mensaje y nada más, pónganle una nota que que escucharon el podcast de Supply Chain Now y con mucho gusto este regreso con ustedes.

 

[00:40:38] Pues muchísimas gracias, muchísimas gracias Ricardo, muchísimas gracias todos los que lo están escuchando. Y bueno, si les interesa el escuchar entrevistas como esta con gente como Ricardo, que no solo está cambiando y siguiendo innovando una industria muy relevante para todos. No dejen de suscribirse nuevamente. Mi nombre es Enrique Álvarez y los vemos en un episodio más de Supply Chain Out en español. Gracias y hasta luego.

Episode Summary

In this classic episode of Supply Chain Now in Spanish, host Enrique Alvarez welcomes Ricardo Maiz, president of Vitro Architectural Glass, to the podcast.  Listen as Ricardo shares his background, one relationship in his family that shaped his entrepreneurial spirit, the origin of his giving nature, his current work and mission, and much more. Listen now!

Episode Transcript

[00:00:37] Good morning and welcome back to another very interesting talk, another episode of Supply Chain Out in Spanish. My name is Enrique Alvarez and today I have a guest of honor who not only has a very successful professional and personal career, but I had the pleasure of working with him several years ago, so Ricardo Ricardo Maíz, president of bitro Architectural Glass, part of the bitro group Ricardo, how are you? What a pleasure!

 

[00:01:05] Very good Enrique, thank you very much. It’s my pleasure and here at your service,

 

[00:01:09] Well, as I was saying, we haven’t talked for a long time and we are catching up a little bit, you and me too. So for me it’s going to be a lot of fun and it was going to be amazing to be able to talk a little bit more about your almost 20 years of experience in glass and crystal. Tell us a little bit about who Ricardo is? Where you were born at the beginning before you had this career in the glass part,

 

[00:01:37] Sure, no, with pleasure. Well, you already introduced me, not me. Ricardo Maíz I was born in Monterrey, Mexico, that’s how I grew up all my life and my whole family is from Monterrey, it’s my home, there are four of us, I am the oldest, I have two sisters and a brother and well all my life growing up in Monterrey, schools in Monterrey. This avid follower of sports before, before more than now, now no longer, no longer, there is not so much time for. But you continue to

 

[00:02:09] Playing, you keep playing soccer for all the kids,

 

[00:02:12] I continue to play soccer, I continue to play with the old guys, with those over 40 years old, and we try to defend ourselves, amateurs or fans who have just gone to make a fool of themselves, to comply with this.

 

[00:02:23] I hadn’t seen that they went against Palmeiras or something like that against a team.

 

[00:02:27] They played, they played against, they played against an Egyptian team and then they played against Palmeiras. They didn’t swim and lost with five starters in the Egyptian national team, which was a disgrace at world level. But well, nowadays they have us, they already have us used to that. I say very much I like sports in many sports on a daily basis I like to play them, I like to watch them. My family is a very sporty baseball family, although they are others, not the grandchildren. We were an embarrassment to our parents and our grandfather, who almost never played baseball. We were more soccer-loving this one. But if that, that I definitely enjoy very much. And yes, I studied at the Tec de Monterrey, Economics, with a degree in Economics East and then I went to. I went to ? I went to work, to work for free. I spent a year with the Legionaries of Christ. I was living in Buenos Aires from Argentina, one year there, recently graduated. Then I worked as a teacher for a year and a half. I couldn’t get, I couldn’t get a real job. So I had to be good, I had to be. I was a teacher for a year and a half at Colegio Irlandés de Monterrey and after that I joined bitrO. I joined bitro when I was two years old, I went to do my master’s degree at Wharton. Just like you. East. And I came back. I came back and they supported me in going to study for my master’s degree. I had a commitment to come back and twenty years later, and there we are still giving a race.

 

[00:03:57] It’s been quite an extensive career and well, now you saw us like the synopsis of everything you are going to tell us, but going back a little more to the part before you started your career. And well, then I’d like to understand a little bit more about why you liked that career and then how you got to the position you have now. But as a young man, something your close-knit family is something you learned. At the moment you and I talked before and we also have children around the same age and they are at that stage where they are starting to see what they are studying and where they are going, etcetera. Something that reminds you of that stage of your parents or grandparents. Something you were driven to do.

 

[00:04:35] Yes. Yes, my family is very large, thank God, and I think it used to be the style before. Today not so much, but my dad, may he rest in peace, was a 12 year old and my mom was a 9-11 year old. I had a lot of cousins all over the place. This one especially, especially on the corn side, because on the side, on the side Rodrigo Rodriguez, on the side my mom and my mom is the oldest. So it did create a bit of an age gap between me and my older cousin and everyone else. There were not many of us. Then came two more grandchildren, smaller, but on my side of the family. The truth is that everyone half married at the same time and had a child and more time. I have a lot of cousins all over the place and every Sunday we would see each other. We actually saw each other, we played. They all play soccer and softball in Monterrey today. So there was a lot of relationship with my grandfather, my grandfather, and yes he was a great businessman. He founded the Maíz Meyer construction company, which is one of the largest construction groups in Monterrey, and my grandfather was a great businessman, a very good example for all of us. He was, yes, very hardworking, very successful, but he was also, he was, he was, he was a minor. He was very, very good with children, he liked to have people. Every Sunday we were there at his house. I didn’t see him in a bad mood, happy with the kids, listening, listening to the game, the sultans on the radio and and well, it’s just memories, a little bit as a kid. And yes, that culture that I had to be an entrepreneur, I had to be an executive, but if that entrepreneurial culture and that example that my grandfather left us, I definitely believe that it marked me and many of my cousins.

 

[00:06:22] Yes, he is a great example, as you say, a great Mexican businessman is very well recognized and followed and loved by many people. So tell us about your path from going from the Tec to studying, to saying well, yes, I want to go study abroad. And you told us a little bit about how you went to Buenos Aires for a year. I didn’t know that. So, if you can tell us a little more about what happened that year, how did you get started with the one you lived in Buenos Aires?

 

[00:06:51] Sure, it wasn’t a very nice year, to be honest. I say me of and especially today, I think we. I think you had to study two years of high school and I was one of the kids of my generation. I was twenty-one years old when. When I graduated and. And the truth is that I had always worked a lot with religious groups and helping in various things. And there was the opportunity to go to some kind of volunteering and I had it very much in my mind since I was a kid that that was going to be when, when I graduated, that instead of going directly to work and especially knowing that I was entering or finishing my career, very young I was going. It was going to be that year of volunteering and you volunteered and it was your turn wherever you went. I had worked in Tapachula as well as in Buenos Aires and I ended up working in Buenos Aires and it was a very cool experience because we all know the history of the Legionaries, including its founder, very, very tragic and unfortunate. But within that organization there are very good people that I still love very much today and people that had nothing to do with some of the scandals.

 

[00:08:01] And when I arrived in Argentina, unlike other places where there were very established organizations and schools and institutes, what you want to send is that in Argentina they were really just arriving and they were just founding and establishing themselves. So I had to do a little bit of everything. What was offered was to have a spirituality center. I was the manager of the center and I was the one who went and deposited the checks and organized the trips and a very cool experience for someone who is twenty-one years old. And they let you have the key because everyone had to do everything there. So I appreciate the experience very much, obviously on the spiritual and religious side and as an experience, a very nice experience, but also on the professional side. These are experiences that hardly 21 years old can have adventurers, a company and you have a boss and your boss has a boss and another boss and what you can do is minimal. Here, they let you have the keys and now you have organized a trip for 100 people to Rome and where to go

 

[00:08:59] Start your

 

[00:09:00] Just graduated? I am not a travel agent, but the group organizes it separately with Argentines who want to and I love them very much, but son, working with Argentines was also an inside joke for me every time.

 

[00:09:12] Each country has its own peculiarities and you are a recent graduate with no experience of coordinating much, I imagine. It has been the best thing that was a great, great experience and learning for your life. Where did you get it? Where did you get the interest in helping others? Because that’s a medium that hasn’t been ingrained in you since you were very, very young.

 

[00:09:32] Yes, my parents were always very much into helping in the church and they were Eucharistic ministers in the Catholic Church for a long time and they always left us the example of helping. One of my aunts has an institution for children with special abilities. And if that’s something that when I was a kid I definitely saw it and participated and liked it, I like it and the truth is I haven’t had much time to do it recently. But I did like it a lot. And so and so I started to work and for me it was a step, a very natural step. But but certainly this one. I think that one of the best experiences and even thinking about the professional life of those who best prepare me for professional life. There yes, yes, in every sense and living there. I literally lived in a church, not in a pew. If I had to have my room and everything, but. But yes, we lived in a church and ate there at the times and had the schedules and helping out on Sundays of whatever. So it was not a very cool experience, very enriching. There I was asked, and it was the style to say Hey, why am I not doing a master’s degree instead of the philosophical answer? No, I’m not doing a master’s degree in life here, from here it’s part of the learning. And then and then I tell you another anecdote over there, but. But the truth is that the experience, the experience was very pariah and that’s how it happened. And then here comes the harsh reality, because if he ends up giving that year.

 

[00:11:01] It was a one-year commitment and return.

 

[00:11:03] I could not be a year and I but you can’t believe it, but my commitment was a year and back and it was my plan to come back. And in

 

[00:11:11] What year? For which year?

 

[00:11:13] 98, 97 98 I graduated in December 97 and by February 98 I was already

 

[00:11:20] In Buenos Aires,

 

[00:11:21] The World Cup of France 98 or the World Cup of France.

 

[00:11:24] Did it touch you when you were in Argentina?

 

[00:11:26] Then I had to be in Argentina and Argentina, England, Argentina, England. It was chaos and then they were eliminated by the Netherlands and we were eliminated by Germany. But if it was not a good experience to see the World Cup there in Argentina people are just as passionate as in Mexico or more, but here goes that and now, yes, I want to work in a company and nothing more than all the wave of interviews of recent graduates. You missed those. I mean, no longer, you didn’t get into all that, in all that wave of help that the school gives you when you are in ninth semester or eighth semester. And it was a fresh start. And the brava you took you already enough to get a job for as long as you employ me and with the same organization with which I went to volunteer and taught economics class and gave and led a program of social participation and I that for a year and a half. But I was looking for some job in some company studying economics. I wanted to work in a company and the truth is that I struggled a lot. I had a lot to do to get my job at Vitrola.

 

[00:12:25] And so it was. It was a difficult time as well. The country’s economy in the history of the world, then it was not easy, maybe to get a job. At that time you had a conception or a predisposition of something you wanted to do, that is, you saw yourself already graduated or returning from Buenos Aires. And well, I would like the corporate side, I would like certain types of industries or you would still at this point be very open to anyone.

 

[00:12:49] I liked the strategic theme and I liked where the strategic theme is. I liked the idea of getting into it, whether it was a consulting firm or one or a strategic press area within business. And the truth is that that way, that way, that way, where I liked it and finally it was what it was, that’s how I joined Vitrola in the strategic planning area in the flat glass division at that time and it happened and it happened. I keep reminding the human resources people at vitro that they didn’t hire me, that I hired me. When they talk to you, they talk to a friend of mine or a very good friend of mine, who used to work, used to work in a bank and they invite him to interview for a strategic planning position. And my friend says You know what? Look, I’m not interested, but I have two other friends who might be interested. Then they give him my phone number and my contact information, and my phone number and another friend’s phone number for him to contact them and they contact my other friend, but they don’t contact me. So I had to go stand there in the Human Resources office and say hey, I hear they are looking to interview for a position, they can test me, they can interview me. They said Yes, of course, come in. And I was tested and interviewed and eventually hired. But I still remind them that I had to go knocking on doors and you had to go knocking on doors.

 

[00:14:02] You were the one knocking on doors and talking. It speaks very well of you, of the proactivity that you have always, always had for all those who listen to us, because obviously they listen to us in other places, not only in Mexico. Could you give them a brief summary of what bitro is, what the referee group is and what it refers to? What is meant by flat glass collection.

 

[00:14:21] Of course, if this group is a public company, it has been listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange for many years and is basically dedicated to the good, not exclusively, but mainly to manufacture glass, to manufacture glass containers for the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industry and some premium liquor and make flat glass, which is the glass that ends up in all rooms, furniture, automobiles. Anyway, there are many applications of glass, but we make glass, float glass and glass. It is called floating live because it floats on a tin chamber as it comes out of a furnace or is cut to size and is packaged and shipped to customers who make it. They do a lot of things with it. They are our customers, they can make windows, they can make tables, they can make windshields, car window, in short, there are a lot of uses for glass, but it all starts with the smelting of the raw material sand, carbonate. We take out the glass and we sell. This is a company that was founded nineteen hundred and eight, that is, more than one hundred years ago. It is a very rich history and always with a very interesting leadership in the manufacturing part in the north of the country and that took a very interesting turn or a very interesting change.

 

[00:15:46] Approximately five or six years ago this book was born as a company for the beer industry, making packaging for the beer industry, but however we invested that business in the beverage and food packaging business and reinvented the group. At that time we sold that business which to the founding business was a very successful transaction. I got to be the me. I was the I was at that time in business development and then I had to lead the sales process, a very cool process. It was sold to a world leader, a Chilean. He now owns bitro’s former beverage and food packaging plants in Mexico. And after that we are left with zero debt, some cash and a plan to grow where we hit it. And what we had was that cosmetics packaging business. We had the airplane business which consisted of float glass and automotive glass, and we also had a diverse industry that makes chemicals, mostly sodium carbonate and some of the by-products calcium chloride, salt, bicarbonate, etc.. This and at that time seen it had to reinvent itself and was given the opportunity to buy the flat glass division of a very large American company PPG.

 

[00:17:07] In fact, the name PPG is East Roleplay Glass is a company that was also born as a bitro making glass. This logo was checked and a lot of side and paint investments were made. They bought comics for those who listen to us in Mexico, but PPG concentrated. Part paints and chemicals, because we are looking to grow, they are looking to leave and we acquired a company with a technological and branding background. The virus is PPG, we make one more virus, more commodity in Mexico. And to whom? To whom? Ppg The virus that was being made was glass, value added for industry, especially for commercial construction. So all the glass that in the United States and developed countries, all the glass with solar control coatings that is the standard in developing countries in Mexico and other developed countries is just beginning. But what they buy from us was the technology leader in. It is a company with a tremendous technological, patent and research background that would have taken us 50 years to develop on our own. So we took a quantum leap and well, that’s why, that’s why we are over here now living in Pittsburgh and managing the joint vision with the Mexican, U.S. and Canadian operations.

 

[00:18:21] And well, I think it’s a company with a lot of history also began to pass the time, they come together in

 

[00:18:29] 800 888 even older

 

[00:18:33] From 1900. Yes, yes, yes.

 

[00:18:36] If we don’t put two century-old companies together, the truth is that we can

 

[00:18:39] That’s going to be really, really fun. And obviously this speaks very well of the leadership of both companies and of how important the whole strategic part has been for bitro, for the group and for flat glass. And well, also for you and your career. Central, going back again to where we were, you just got into bitro the strategic part, they managed to hire you or rather you hired you after you went to tell them to hire you? East. How have you seen up to 19 years old? You’ve seen a lot of things over the years? You have gone through several stages of development, not only of the group, but of the entire industry in this world. How has your perspective changed a bit since you started? And in this restructuring, this restarting of certain things in vitro, what could you comment on that?

 

[00:19:30] I mean, definitely your perspective changes. You enter and enter a small world without much idea of the big picture, as the Americans say here. And well, you go, you focus and you realize. And what is true is that a colleague, a colleague of mine, a boss, was telling me. And now we are competing in the Major Leagues and it is no longer, it is no longer an amateur competition. Our competitors are the French leader, the American leader, the Japanese leader, the Chinese leader. We are competing against global companies, one of the best global companies in the world, and sometimes that doesn’t help you, doesn’t help you. You don’t get it, especially when you’re more focused on Mexico and trying to compete for your little bug all of a sudden. Well, now, now. The competition is worldwide and it is intense and relentless. But you have to keep innovating, you have to keep creating, you have to keep moving. And that perspective, when you start working, you are focused on your project, on your division, on your, on your region, and obviously you have all that, you see it in a broader way and you understand it and participate in the decisions that impact the business. And it has been very enriching for me. Thank God I have always had to keep moving forward in the group, jumping from one position to another until I got to where I am now, which is already three years in the World Cup. In three years time flies, but well, in short, it is an evolution and well, with time and the level of responsibility, if you become aware of many more things and the decisions in which you collaborate or you have to make, then they have a direct impact on the results and the future of the group. For, for, for better or worse.

 

[00:21:20] Based on your experience and everything you have experienced, if you had to summarize in three or four points or what makes, what characteristics make a good company or of what? In what way? Again, I know you have gone through several, several stages of the company and well, it has been growing successfully. It’s a great career path. What makes a good company? Because you are as you were against French companies, against Japanese companies, against companies all over the world. How do you differentiate yourself? How do you become better?

 

[00:21:52] That is the key. It is how you differentiate yourself, because continuing to compete in the most commodity products, the most battle-tested products, becomes very complicated, because it is the industry that we participate in our intensive life. In capital investments are monstrous. Here, each exploded furnace costs 130, 150 million dollars. So, how do you stop, how do you get the necessary returns to justify this type of investment? And the truth is that it is not easy. It’s not easy because for the same as the competition and then you come and compete against 15 and there are others maybe from China that have no capital cost that you had and they are willing to get by with very tiny margins and the pressure is immense to keep delivering. So I believe that a good company has to know how to innovate, it has to be able to react, to react very quickly, which is something that I do believe has characterized us, that we have known how to react and be resilient. When you come for a while it’s good, how you solve it the reasons already because you don’t know anymore who knows if today, tomorrow and the sense of urgency, and innovation and creativity and finding those niches where you can play. I think that’s what makes a good company and we don’t always get it right. We try and move forward, but I definitely believe that this characterizes the definition of a good company.

 

[00:23:13] Cardo A little bit changing the trajectory of the conversation, what do you think has been your biggest challenge professionally speaking? And well, now you have mentioned several of the competition, but you going back a little bit to you as a central person in this interview, what is it that? What has been the most difficult thing in your professional life?

 

[00:23:35] Look, I am going to mention two examples of humor and I say they are for different reasons, but for a little similar this virus and it goes through a financial restructuring around 2015, starting a little earlier, starting a structure that maybe ends in 2015, but it starts around 2011. 2010 2011 and I happen to be in the United States working in Memphis, Tennessee, in a company we had as Finance Director and one fine day we receive the notification that we are being sued by the creditors and that we have to appear tomorrow in Dallas to be in front of the judge and a restructuring process begins, which I had in 2000 2010 talking about I was thirty-three, thirty-four years old. I was the lawyer of a company totally inexperienced for what was ahead of us and it was a frontal attack from the creditors for the restructuring with vitro against the company that I had to manage the finances and. And the rest was extremely intense, extremely enriching at the end. But yes, there were days when I don’t know how we’re going to do it, I don’t know what I’m going to do.

 

[00:24:49] The responsibility, the responsibility of all the employees we had, to find a way to solve this issue that seemed to have no solution. And that period of my professional life was, was, was, was of great challenges, also of great teachings and. And well, and in those, in those difficult moments you realize what you can do, what others can do, who you can count on and. And that space was, was definitely very challenging. And also, also where we learned a lot and then the same, then the start of the pandemic, the start of the pandemic. Suddenly it’s April 2020 and I have. In North America we have ten float furnaces and at that time I believe by May we will have nine of the ten furnaces either recycling glass or shut down. Do not turn off. You know not to turn them off. Those ovens you turn them on today, you turn them off in 15 years because of the structure that you can no longer turn them off and turn on some light of the beautiful, everything you have to break. You reproduce it, you breathe it, it starts to recycle it, it breaks it, you put it back.

 

[00:25:55] Because sales were not there, they broke up, demand stopped,

 

[00:25:58] Everything stopped and the uncertainty

 

[00:26:01] Stopped, stopped

 

[00:26:02] The product was stopped automotive and the uncertainty and need for cash. So ok, I’m still selling, but I sell and sell inventory. I’m going to go to the bones to zero, which is what much of the world did and why we are already struggling with all the logistics and supply issues worldwide. But. But the reaction has to be immediate and the solutions here already the decisions are already and take the best decisions you have. And brands, and even if they are radical, it is imperative to move. And the truth is that this period of how and how we solved the year was a year where we generated a lot of cash flow because we were able to reduce inventories and become more efficient. We reached all of our goals, managed to ride the second recovery in the second half of the year and he may have met the expectations of that very difficult year. The truth is that this was a very big and super challenge, the great reward of knowing that we pulled it off and I was relatively new in the position. I had one year in the position, so I really wasn’t, I didn’t have that much background or that much experience and having to sit down with everyone and say let’s see here what we are going to do and between all of us decide and face and make decisions quickly and concisely. Well, I think Jorge was another great challenge, which I am very proud to have been able to meet, I guess.

 

[00:27:20] And well, I think it’s definitely a source of pride. These two years of pandemic have been quite challenging for everyone and for all industries, let alone one in which overnight you drop 100 percent of your demand, not on the construction side and in all other areas. So I think the constant here is that the more challenges you are presented with, I think you get better and better, so you have already been served this one. We already have some white hairs that were not there before. No gray hair

 

[00:27:53] Three years ago in all white, but let’s not wait, let’s wait a year is a little more stable, but well, but that’s what we are for and that’s what the team is for. And when I say when I talk to you about being proud and I talk to you about achievements, they are not mine, they are achievements of the whole team, of the whole organization and I have the best team in the industry and together we have been able to do it.

 

[00:28:18] No, what a taste and how good this one is. So, tell us a little bit about it. You mentioned a little bit about the supply chain, logistics, which at the end of the day is something that everyone here is passionate about. Tell us a little more. They obviously saw themselves in the pandemic. Does all this happen on the glass or flat side, how does the supply chain work a little bit? How do the flows work? What did you really struggle with on the supply side and going forward this year and in the coming years? What does that part of the supply chain look like?

 

[00:28:51] If not, as well as me with the word we suffer and if we suffer some, some issues, but we also benefit from some issues. I think there were, there were pros and cons. I definitely learned in these years of things I never wanted to have learned and probably will never go back. I would never have learned it if it hadn’t been for all the. Suddenly the calls were coming in at ten o’clock at night and we’re running out of hydrogen for I don’t know which plants. And today explain to me where in the process we use hydrogen first and how we can run out of hydrogen that is happening? And hydrogen? Nitrogen, sand. Whatever you want. There were, there were a number of emergencies that, thank God, all of them are not only emergencies, but all of them are just scares and there is a lot of work to be done to solve them. But if we get a lot of warnings to say hey how does this look and what can happen if we don’t fix this, well in ten days I can stop supplying you and that means your furnace is almost collapsing, you have to take action and you are going to stop all production and react against that and see well, where if not this tester, where do we get it from and so on. And it was a theme of today. This is still an ongoing issue. Difficulties continue, there are things that we lack every day and we have to take care of things that normally you never thought about, you will never think about what is going to happen. We have definitely seen that push and pull.

 

[00:30:23] Transportation, moving the product yourself to your customers, becomes an adventure as well. I’m still going to raise my hand and you had a trailer there at the doors of your company and shipped it and dulled it. You dial it and that’s it. Not now, now, now it is scarce. Fewer people are willing to engage in trucking, especially heavy haulage. And it has been, it has been an adventure. And on the other hand, exporting, exporting has become almost impossible due to logistics costs. Do you have or do you have a separate place on the boat? You show up and they say no, always the ship did not stop at this port and we see that, we see it every day. We also see it entering our markets, which we have to accept when before perhaps products from other geographies were arriving much more competitively and much more constantly to our geographies. Today we probably see much less of it, so that helps and frees up a little more demand to be able to meet it, and it has definitely helped us in these years. But it is a reality. The issues, the world is not back to normal from the logistics and supply side. And we have to adapt, we have to adapt, and thank God we have manufacturing centers very close to our final destinations. Our main focus is not exports, so we have not been affected as much as perhaps someone who was an inept exporter or importer, whose business model is still there, was totally, totally changed. The irruption was total.

 

[00:31:57] If not, plus the costs and all the other complexities of what we are experiencing in the supply chain, then it is extremely interesting and well, you can see that there is no, there is no respite when it is not in the input part, it is a part of the sales or the customer that after all these years. And this question has been asked to several people and I understand that no one is more, the more I think about what the answer could be, the more wrong I become. I don’t know how. What does the future look like? I believe that right now it is this uncertainty. He is still as someone in your position in a world-class company like the one he leads. How? What do you plan to do next year? What do you think about, what indicators do you personally take into account the most?

 

[00:32:46] See here. If you ask me the question, you ask me what is going to be your biggest challenge this year? The answer is I don’t know what my biggest challenge is going to be. Sea No, I’m sure you won’t run into some

 

[00:32:58] Zero, but no snowfall. The fire poses from

 

[00:33:03] The snowfall, the snowfall last year, the freeze in February in Texas. Our plant or not was a from ten days of terror in northern Mexico and in and in Texas last year in February. We didn’t have that. Probably not. No one plans it. He doesn’t plan to. You don’t put it in your. In your budget. So, what is my biggest challenge? I don’t know. So what do we do or what do we have to do? One is good to run it run the hole. Be, be, be very disciplined. To continue improving the operational part, the model of excellence, operation. Keep taking care of your current background, make sure that you take care of it today, but you are working on tomorrow, we keep working on tomorrow. We believe that if glass as a material, especially in buildings and in matters of energy conservation and energy renewal, is a product that is at the center of the whole wave and brings a very pronounced tailwind. Times may vary. This is not uncovered today, but. But what is coming is a trend, a wave towards more value-added products, more products with solar control, more products with thermal properties of another, of another level, of another smell of self-renewal of energy or solar panels and even solar panels on the facades of buildings. All of that is coming and we are getting involved and investing in all of those. We have to be there, at the forefront of what’s coming for tomorrow’s buildings. So there is something today that needs to be executed. Today you have to start planning for tomorrow and make those investments and those decisions to enter those markets that tomorrow will be the livelihood of your company. In all these areas we are facing it and we have started to make our first steps in very interesting and interesting areas. And that’s what we have to do.

 

[00:34:50] That, that’s amazing and very interesting, isn’t it exciting? I would even say the part of technology in products such as glass, something that has been around for many years and how it has developed to what we have now is incredible, impressive and will continue to be relevant. What’s more, it’s going to be more relevant than ever. With all these climatological changes, etcetera.

 

[00:35:16] And legislation is coming. You look at all the buildings that have to be renovated based on legislation in New York alone, there are thousands and thousands of buildings. California already requires self-renewal, auto or power generation. And there’s the whole issue of the virus, the virus, the solar panels. There is a whole wave that goes in that direction. It is not a question of whether he will come. It’s just so quick to come. And you have to be, you have to be prepared. But I get very excited and I say what a father? That your product can collaborate. That is that progress and that and that benefit to the environment and the planet. And I think we’re riding on a company that has everything to compete for those new niches and. And yes, it does excite and thrill.

 

[00:36:04] Yes, of course if you’re in a not just a company, but an industry that is really changing a lot of people’s lives for the better and is changing the world, not for, for the better as well, then yes it’s very, very exciting. And again I thank you very much for giving us some time to talk today. I know we can continue talking for a couple of hours, but you have a lot of other things to do. A penultimate or last question if you could go back in time and give a tip to the Ricardo more than 24 years playing soccer in calcio every Thursday, or was it Thursday or when Thursdays Thursdays Thursdays.

 

[00:36:41] You play calcium.

 

[00:36:43] What? What advice would you give yourself?

 

[00:36:49] 24 years old, son. I was practically walking in at the time. The advice I would give to someone just entering a company is. East. The economic part. When you go to work, they should take a back seat. The important thing is the opportunities and the learning you have. This is the power of attorney. When I. When it is my turn to hire in vitro the first people that I had a hard time with as a boss. It was something that the one I gave him as. As the point of sale. Look at this me. I do not know. I mean, I don’t know if they will probably pay you better, they could pay you better and maybe you could go somewhere else. And maybe when you practice to your friends that I am working in Cemex or in other companies at that time and I say and. But then what I mean is look in vitro. At least being here with us you are going to be sitting with the general and you are going to be talking about the projects and you are going to be in the thick of things here. Here the levels are really very short and you and your chance to learn, to grow, to, to, to, to be able to show yourself, are quite a lot. That was my turn. My experience may not be that of all the areas where I was, but it was and those opportunities are invaluable.

 

[00:38:07] What you can learn in those formative years is your money, you’re going to do later, but, but, but, but first you have to learn and you have to roll up your sleeves and get your guts in and do the dirty work. That’s what I would recommend. This is forget about, forget about everything that is not a subject of growth and teaching where you are learning. Get into everything you can learn. Get together with people you admire who can teach you and help you develop. And it helps others as well. When. When everyone else you take yourself and. And that part we sometimes undervalue or get into competition. But when you help others and you also get closer to people who help you, it is a virtuous circle where everyone will win and your career will be much richer. So I say, that would certainly be my advice to myself at that age or to someone who is in a new stage. And you look for where you can learn that you can grow, where, where you are going to learn the most and put aside the status quo or maybe the best economic opportunity. Go away for the little opportunity that more teaching will leave.

 

[00:39:21] Ricardo, thank you for your time and for the talk. Ricardo Mice, president of bitro Architectural Class Part of de bitro bitro group Ricardo if anyone has any questions, anyone would like to learn a little bit more, whether it’s de bitro of the history of PPG, of job opportunities, even whether it’s in the United States, in Mexico or somewhere else. How can you be contacted?

 

[00:39:44] Of course, on our website it’s corporate, it’s bitro. Dot com. In the United States we use another one for the industry which is bitro glacis with z is dot like this one. So anyone who wants to learn more about our products will be able to find our website there. What I’m talking about is the building-integrated solar panels for photovoltaic buildings and everything else we are developing. And there may also be job applications or how to enter resumes and so on. And well, I think that in terms of social networks, I am not very active in social networks, but I do have my LinkedIn profile and if anyone, if anyone, if anyone listens there and would like to contact me, send me a message and nothing else, put a note that you listened to the Supply Chain Now podcast and I will gladly be back with you.

 

[00:40:38] Well, thank you very much, thank you very much Ricardo, thank you very much to everyone who is listening. And well, if you are interested in listening to interviews like this with people like Ricardo, who is not only changing and continuing to innovate an industry that is very relevant to everyone. Be sure to subscribe again. My name is Enrique Alvarez and we see you in one more episode of Supply Chain Out in Spanish. Thank you and see you later.

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Featured Guests

Ricardo Maiz is the president at Vitro Architectural Glass.  Ricardo is responsible for the P&L of Vitro’s largest Business Unit, manages 11 production facilities in the US, Canada and Mexico with over 1,000 employees, and is a member of Vitro’s CEO Executive Committee.  Connect with Ricardo on LinkedIn.

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Enrique Alvarez

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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Kristi Porter

Host, Logistics with Purpose

Kristi Porter is VP of Sales and Marketing at Vector Global Logistics, a company that is changing the world through supply chain. In her role, she oversees all marketing efforts and supports the sales team in doing what they do best. In addition to this role, she is the Chief Do-Gooder at Signify, which assists nonprofits and social impact companies through copywriting and marketing strategy consulting. She has almost 20 years of professional experience, and loves every opportunity to help people do more good.

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Sofia Rivas Herrera

Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol

Sofia Rivas Herrera is a Mexican Industrial Engineer from Tecnologico de Monterrey class 2019. Upon graduation, she earned a scholarship to study MIT’s Graduate Certificate in Logistics and Supply Chain Management and graduated as one of the Top 3 performers of her class in 2020. She also has a multicultural background due to her international academic experiences at Singapore Management University and Kühne Logistics University in Hamburg. Sofia self-identifies as a Supply Chain enthusiast & ambassador sharing her passion for the field in her daily life.

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Demo Perez

Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol

Demo Perez started his career in 1997 in the industry by chance when a relative asked him for help for two just weeks putting together an operation for FedEx Express at the Colon Free Zone, an area where he was never been but accepted the challenge. Worked in all roles possible from a truck driver to currier to a sales representative, helped the brand introduction, market share growth and recognition in the Colon Free Zone, at the end of 1999 had the chance to meet and have a chat with Fred Smith ( FedEx CEO), joined another company in 2018 who took over the FedEx operations as Operations and sales manager, in 2004 accepted the challenge from his company to leave the FedEx operations and business to take over the operation and business of DHL Express, his major competitor and rival so couldn’t say no, by changing completely its operation model in the Free Zone. In 2005 started his first entrepreneurial journey by quitting his job and joining two friends to start a Freight Forwarding company. After 8 months was recruited back by his company LSP with the General Manager role with the challenge of growing the company and make it fully capable warehousing 3PL. By 2009 joined CSCMP and WERC and started his journey of learning and growing his international network and high-level learning. In 2012 for the first time joined a local association ( the Panama Maritime Chamber) and worked in the country’s first Logistics Strategy plan, joined and lead other associations ending as president of the Panama Logistics Council in 2017. By finishing his professional mission at LSP with a company that was 8 times the size it was when accepted the role as GM with so many jobs generated and several young professionals coached, having great financial results, took the decision to move forward and start his own business from scratch by the end of 2019. with a friend and colleague co-founded IPL Group a company that started as a boutique 3PL and now is gearing up for the post-Covid era by moving to the big leagues.

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Mary Kate Love

VP, Marketing

Mary Kate Love is currently the VP of marketing at Supply Chain Now focused on brand strategy and audience + revenue growth. Mary Kate’s career is a testament to her versatility and innovative spirit: she has experience in start-ups, venture capital, and building innovation initiatives from the ground up: she previously helped lead the build-out of the Supply Chain Innovation Center at Georgia-Pacific and before that, MxD (Manufacturing times Digital): the Department of Defense’s digital manufacturing innovation center. Mary Kate has a passion for taking complicated ideas and turning them into reality: she was one of the first team members at MxD and the first team member at the Supply Chain Innovation Center at Georgia-Pacific.

Mary Kate dedicates her extra time to education and mentorship: she was one of the founding Board Members for Women Influence Chicago and led an initiative for a city-wide job shadow day for young women across Chicago tech companies and was previously on the Board of Directors at St. Laurence High School in Chicago, Young Irish Fellowship Board and the UN Committee for Women. Mary Kate is the founder of National Supply Chain Day and enjoys co-hosting podcasts at Supply Chain Now. Mary Kate is from the south side of Chicago, a mom of two baby boys, and an avid 16-inch softball player. She holds a BS in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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Adrian Purtill

Host, Logistics with Purpose

Adrian Purtill serves as Business Development Manager at Vector Global Logistics, where he consults with importers and exporters in various industries to match their specific shipping requirements with the most effective supply chain solutions. Vector Global Logistics is an asset-free, multi-modal logistics company that provides exceptional sea freight, air freight, truck, rail, general logistic services and consulting for our clients. Our highly trained and professional team is committed to providing creative and effective solutions, always exceeding our customer’s expectations and fostering long-term relationships. With more than 20+ years of experience in both strategy consulting and logistics, Vector Global Logistics is your best choice to proactively minimize costs while having an exceptional service level.

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Kevin Brown

Host, Logistics with Purpose

Kevin Brown is the Director of Business Development for Vector Global Logistics.  He has a dedicated interest in Major Account Management, Enterprise Sales, and Corporate Leadership. He offers 25 years of exceptional experience and superior performance in the sales of Logistics, Supply Chain, and Transportation Management. Kevin is a dynamic, high-impact, sales executive and corporate leader who has consistently exceeded corporate goals. He effectively coordinates multiple resources to solution sell large complex opportunities while focusing on corporate level contacts across the enterprise. His specialties include targeting and securing key accounts by analyzing customer’s current business processes and developing solutions to meet their corporate goals. Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn.

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Jose Miguel Irarrazaval

Host, Logistics with Purpose

Jose Manuel Irarrazaval es parte del equipo de Vector Global Logistics Chile. José Manuel es un gerente experimentado con experiencia en finanzas corporativas, fusiones y adquisiciones, financiamiento y reestructuración, inversión directa y financiera, tanto en Chile como en el exterior. José Manuel tiene su MBA de la Universidad de Pennsylvania- The Wharton School. Conéctese con Jose Manuel en LinkedIn.

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Nick Roemer

Host, Logistics with Purpose

Nick Roemer has had a very diverse and extensive career within design and sales over the last 15 years stretching from China, Dubai, Germany, Holland, UK, and the USA. In the last 5 years, Nick has developed a hawk's eye for sustainable tech and the human-centric marketing and sales procedures that come with it. With his far-reaching and strong network within the logistics industry, Nick has been able to open new avenues and routes to market within major industries in the USA and the UAE. Nick lives by the ethos, “Give more than you take." His professional mission is to make the logistics industry leaner, cleaner and greener.

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Allison Giddens

Host, Logistics with Purpose

Allison Krache Giddens has been with Win-Tech, a veteran-owned small business and aerospace precision machine shop, for 15 years, recently buying the company from her mentor and Win-Tech’s Founder, Dennis Winslow. She and her business partner, John Hudson now serve as Co-Presidents, leading the 33-year old company through the pandemic.

She holds undergraduate degrees in psychology and criminal justice from the University of Georgia, a Masters in Conflict Management from Kennesaw State University, a Masters in Manufacturing from Georgia Institute of Technology, and a Certificate of Finance from the University of Georgia. She also holds certificates in Google Analytics, event planning, and Cybersecurity Risk Management from Harvard online. Allison founded the Georgia Chapter of Women in Manufacturing and currently serves as Treasurer. She serves on the Chattahoochee Technical College Foundation Board as its Secretary, the liveSAFE Resources Board of Directors as Resource Development Co-Chair, and on the Leadership Cobb Alumni Association Board as Membership Chair and is also a member of Cobb Executive Women. She is on the Board for the Cobb Chamber of Commerce’s Northwest Area Councils. Allison runs The Dave Krache Foundation, a non-profit that helps pay sports fees for local kids in need.

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Billy Taylor

Host of Dial P for Procurement

Billy Taylor is a Proven Business Excellence Practitioner and Leadership Guru with over 25 years leading operations for a Fortune 500 company, Goodyear. He is also the CEO of LinkedXL (Excellence), a Business Operating Systems Architecting Firm dedicated to implementing sustainable operating systems that drive sustainable results. Taylor’s achievements in the industry have made him a Next Generational Lean pacesetter with significant contributions.

An American business executive, Taylor has made a name for himself as an innovative and energetic industry professional with an indispensable passion for his craft of operational excellence. His journey started many years ago and has worked with renowned corporations such as The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (GT) leading multi-site operations. With over 3 decades of service leading North America operations, he is experienced in a deeply rooted process driven approach in customer service, process integrity for sustainability.

A disciple of continuous improvement, Taylor’s love for people inspires commitment to helping others achieve their full potential. He is a dynamic speaker and hosts "The Winning Link," a popular podcast centered on business and leadership excellence with the #1 rated Supply Chain Now Network. As a leadership guru, Taylor has earned several invitations to universities, international conferences, global publications, and the U.S. Army to demonstrate how to achieve and sustain effective results through cultural acceptance and employee ownership. Leveraging the wisdom of his business acumen, strong influence as a speaker and podcaster Taylor is set to release "The Winning Link" book under McGraw Hill publishing in 2022. The book is a how-to manual to help readers understand the management of business interactions while teaching them how to Deine, Align, and Execute Winning in Business.

A servant leader, Taylor, was named by The National Diversity Council as one of the Top 100 Diversity Officers in the country in 2021. He features among Oklahoma's Most Admired CEOs and maintains key leadership roles with the Executive Advisory Board for The Shingo Institute "The Nobel Prize of Operations" and The Association of Manufacturing Excellence (AME); two world-leading organizations for operational excellence, business development, and cultural learning.  He is also an Independent Director for the M-D Building Products Board, a proud American manufacturer of quality products since 1920.

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Tandreia Bellamy

Host, Supply Chain Now

Tandreia Bellamy retired as the Vice President of Industrial Engineering for UPS Supply Chain Solutions which included the Global Logistics, Global Freight Forwarding and UPS Freight business units. She was responsible for operations strategy and planning, asset management, forecasting, and technology tool development to optimize sustainable efficiency while driving world class service.

Tandreia held similar positions at the business unit level for Global Logistics and Global Freight forwarding. As the leader of the Global Logistics engineering function, she directed all industrial engineering activies related to distribution, service parts logistics (post-sales support), and mail innovations (low cost, light weight shipping partnership with the USPS). Between these roles Tandreia helped to establish the Advanced Technology Group which was formed to research and develop cutting edge solutions focused on reducing reliance on manual labor.

Tandreia began her career in 1986 as a part-time hourly manual package handling employee. She spent the great majority of her career in the small package business unit which is responsible for the pick-up, sort, transport and delivery of packages domestically. She held various positions in Industrial Engineering, Marketing, Inside and On-road operations in Central Florida before transferring to Atlanta for a position in Corporate Product Development and Corporate Industrial Engineering. Tandreia later held IE leadership roles in Nebraska, Minnesota and Chicago. In her final role in small package she was an IE VP responsible for all aspects of IE, technology support and quality for the 25 states on the western half of the country.
Tandreia is currently a Director for the University of Central Florida (UCF) Foundation Board and also serves on their Dean’s Advisory Board for the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Previously Tandreia served on the Executive Advisory Board for Virginia Tech’s IE Department and the Association for Supply Chain Management. She served on the Board of Trustees for ChildServ (a Chicago child and family services non-profit) and also served on the Texas A&M and Tuskegee Engineering Advisory Boards. In 2006 she was named Business Advisor of the Year by INROADS, in 2009 she was recognized as a Technology All-Star at the Women of Color in STEM conference and in 2019 she honored as a UCF Distinguished Aluma by the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems.

Tandreia holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University and a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering and Management Systems from UCF. Her greatest accomplishment, however, is being the proud mother of two college students, Ruby (24) and Anthony (22).

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Mary Kate Soliva

Host, Veteran Voices

Mary Kate Soliva is a veteran of the US Army and cofounder of the Guam Human Rights Initiative. She is currently in the Doctor of Criminal Justice program at Saint Leo University. She is passionate about combating human trafficking and has spent the last decade conducting training for military personnel and the local community.

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Scott W. Luton

Founder, CEO, & Host

As the founder and CEO of Supply Chain Now, you might say Scott is the voice of supply chain – but he’s too much of a team player to ever claim such a title. One thing’s for sure: he’s a tried and true supply chain expert. With over 15 years of experience in the end-to-end supply chain, Scott’s insights have appeared in major publications including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and CNN. He has also been named a top industry influencer by Thinkers360, ISCEA and more.

From 2009-2011, Scott was president of APICS Atlanta, and he continues to lead initiatives that support both the local business community and global industry. A United States Air Force Veteran, Scott has also regularly led efforts to give back to his fellow veteran community since his departure from active duty in 2002.

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Greg White

Principal & CMO, Supply Chain Now
Host of Supply Chain Now and TECHquila Sunrise

When rapid-growth technology companies, venture capital and private equity firms are looking for advisory, they call Greg – a founder, board director, advisor and catalyst of disruptive B2B technology and supply chain. An insightful visionary, Greg guides founders, investors and leadership teams in creating breakthroughs to gain market exposure and momentum – increasing overall company esteem and valuation.

Greg is a founder himself, creating Blue Ridge Solutions, a Gartner Magic Quadrant Leader in cloud-native supply chain applications, and bringing to market Curo, a field service management solution. He has also held leadership roles with Servigistics (PTC) and E3 Corporation (JDA/Blue Yonder). As a principal and host at Supply Chain Now, Greg helps guide the company’s strategic direction, hosts industry leader discussions, community livestreams, and all in addition to executive producing and hosting his original YouTube channel and podcast, TEChquila Sunrise.

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Chris Barnes

Principal, Supply Chain Now
Host of Supply Chain is Boring

Talk about world-class: Chris is one of the few professionals in the world to hold CPIM-F, CLTD-F and CSCP-F designations from ASCM/APICS. He’s also the APICS coach – and our resident Supply Chain Doctor. When he’s not hosting programs with Supply Chain Now, he’s sharing supply chain knowledge on the APICS Coach Youtube channel or serving as a professional education instructor for the Georgia Tech Supply Chain & Logistic Institute’s Supply Chain Management (SCM) program and University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Center for Professional Education courses.

Chris earned a BS in Industrial Engineering from Bradley University, an MBA with emphasis in Industrial Psychology from the University of West Florida, and is a Doctoral in Supply Chain Management candidate.

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Tyler Ward

Director of Sales

Tyler Ward serves as Supply Chain Now's Director of Sales. Born and raised in Mid-Atlantic, Tyler is a proud graduate of Shippensburg University where he earned his degree in Communications. After college, he made his way to the beautiful state of Oregon, where he now lives with his wife and daughter.

With over a decade of experience in sales, Tyler has a proven track record of exceeding targets and leading high-performing teams. He credits his success to his ability to communicate effectively with customers and team members alike, as well as his strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.

When he's not closing deals, you can find Tyler on the links or cheering on his favorite football and basketball teams. He also enjoys spending time with his family, playing pick-up basketball, and traveling back to Ocean City, Maryland, his favorite place!

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Kevin L. Jackson

Host of Digital Transformers

Kevin L. Jackson is a globally recognized Thought Leader, Industry Influencer and Founder/Author of the award winning “Cloud Musings” blog.  He has also been recognized as a “Top 5G Influencer” (Onalytica 2019, Radar 2020), a “Top 50 Global Digital Transformation Thought Leader” (Thinkers 360 2019) and provides strategic consulting and integrated social media services to AT&T, Intel, Broadcom, Ericsson and other leading companies. Mr. Jackson’s commercial experience includes Vice President J.P. Morgan Chase, Worldwide Sales Executive for IBM and SAIC (Engility) Director Cloud Solutions. He has served on teams that have supported digital transformation projects for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the US Intelligence Community.  Kevin’s formal education includes a MS Computer Engineering from Naval Postgraduate School; MA National Security & Strategic Studies from Naval War College; and a BS Aerospace Engineering from the United States Naval Academy. Internationally recognizable firms that have sponsored articles authored by him include CiscoMicrosoft, Citrix and IBM.  Books include “Click to Transform” (Leaders Press, 2020), “Architecting Cloud Computing Solutions” (Packt, 2018), and “Practical Cloud Security: A Cross Industry View” (Taylor & Francis, 2016). He also delivers online training through Tulane UniversityO’Reilly MediaLinkedIn Learning, and Pluralsight.  Mr. Jackson retired from the U.S. Navy in 1994, earning specialties in Space Systems EngineeringCarrier Onboard Delivery Logistics and carrier-based Airborne Early Warning and Control. While active, he also served with the National Reconnaissance Office, Operational Support Office, providing tactical support to Navy and Marine Corps forces worldwide.

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Enrique Alvarez

Host of Logistics with Purpose and Supply Chain Now en Español

Enrique serves as Managing Director at Vector Global Logistics and believes we all have a personal responsibility to change the world. He is hard working, relationship minded and pro-active. Enrique trusts that the key to logistics is having a good and responsible team that truly partners with the clients and does whatever is necessary to see them succeed. He is a proud sponsor of Vector’s unique results-based work environment and before venturing into logistics he worked for the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). During his time at BCG, he worked in different industries such as Telecommunications, Energy, Industrial Goods, Building Materials, and Private Banking. His main focus was always on the operations, sales, and supply chain processes, with case focus on, logistics, growth strategy, and cost reduction. Prior to joining BCG, Enrique worked for Grupo Vitro, a Mexican glass manufacturer, for five years holding different positions from sales and logistics manager to supply chain project leader in charge of five warehouses in Colombia.

He has an MBA from The Wharton School of Business and a BS, in Mechanical Engineer from the Technologico de Monterrey in Mexico. Enrique’s passions are soccer and the ocean, and he also enjoys traveling, getting to know new people, and spending time with his wife and two kids, Emma and Enrique.

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Kelly Barner

Host of Dial P for Procurement

Kelly is the Owner and Managing Director of Buyers Meeting Point and MyPurchasingCenter. She has been in procurement since 2003, starting as a practitioner and then as the Associate Director of Consulting at Emptoris. She has covered procurement news, events, publications, solutions, trends, and relevant economics at Buyers Meeting Point since 2009. Kelly is also the General Manager at Art of Procurement and Business Survey Chair for the ISM-New York Report on Business. Kelly has her MBA from Babson College as well as an MS in Library and Information Science from Simmons College and she has co-authored three books: ‘Supply Market Intelligence for Procurement Professionals’, ‘Procurement at a Crossroads’, and ‘Finance Unleashed’.

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Constantine Limberakis

Host

Constantine Limberakis is a thought leader in the area of procurement and supply management. He has over 20 years of international experience, playing strategic roles in a wide spectrum of organizations related to analyst advisory, consulting, product marketing, product development, and market research.Throughout his career, he's been passionate about engaging global business leaders and the broader analyst and technology community with strategic content, speaking engagements, podcasts, research, webinars, and industry articles.Constantine holds a BA in History from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and an MBA in Finance & Marketing / Masters in Public & International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh.

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Amanda Luton

Vice President, Production

Amanda is a production and marketing veteran and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience across a variety of industries and organizations including Von Maur, Anthropologie, AmericasMart Atlanta, and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Amanda currently manages, produces, and develops modern digital content for Supply Chain Now and their clients. Amanda has previously served as the VP of Information Systems and Webmaster on the Board of Directors for APICS Savannah, and founded and managed her own successful digital marketing firm, Magnolia Marketing Group. When she’s not leading the Supply Chain Now production team, you can find Amanda in the kitchen, reading, listening to podcasts, or enjoying time with family.

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Clay Phillips

Business Development Manager

Clay is passionate about two things: supply chain and the marketing that goes into it. Recently graduated with a degree in marketing at the University of Georgia, Clay got his start as a journalism major and inaugural member of the Owl’s football team at Kennesaw State University – but quickly saw tremendous opportunity in the Terry College of Business. He’s already putting his education to great use at Supply Chain Now, assisting with everything from sales and brand strategy to media production. Clay has contributed to initiatives such as our leap into video production, the guest blog series, and boosting social media presence, and after nearly two years in Supply Chain Now’s Marketing Department, Clay now heads up partnership and sales initiatives with the help of the rest of the Supply Chain Now sales team.

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Trisha Cordes

Administrative Assistant

Trisha is new to the supply chain industry – but not to podcasting. She’s an experienced podcast manager and virtual assistant who also happens to have 20 years of experience as an elementary school teacher. It’s safe to say, she’s passionate about helping people, and she lives out that passion every day with the Supply Chain Now team, contributing to scheduling and podcast production.

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Chantel King

Social Media Manager

My name is Chantel King and I am the Social Media Specialist at Supply Chain Now. My job is to make sure our audience is engaged and educated on the abundant amount of information the supply chain industry has to offer.

Social Media and Communications has been my niche ever since I graduated from college at The Academy of Art University in San Francisco. No, I am not a West Coast girl. I was born and raised in New Jersey, but my travel experience goes way beyond the garden state. My true passion is in creating editorial and graphic content that influences others to be great in whatever industry they are in. I’ve done this by working with lifestyle, financial, and editorial companies by providing resources to enhance their businesses.

Another passion of mine is trying new things. Whether it’s food, an activity, or a sport. I would like to say that I am an adventurous Taurus that never shies away from a new quest or challenge.

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Lori Sofian

Marketing Coordinator

Lori is currently completing a degree in marketing with an emphasis in digital marketing at the University of Georgia. When she’s not supporting the marketing efforts at Supply Chain Now, you can find her at music festivals – or working toward her dream goal of a fashion career. Lori is involved in many extracurricular activities and appreciates all the learning experiences UGA has brought her.

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Katherine Hintz

Sales and Marketing Coordinator

Katherine is a marketing professional and MBA candidate who strives to unite her love of people with a passion for positive experiences. Having a diverse background, which includes nonprofit work with digital marketing and start-ups, she serves as a leader who helps people live their most creative lives by cultivating community, order, collaboration, and respect. With equal parts creativity and analytics, she brings a unique skill set which fosters refining, problem solving, and connecting organizations with their true vision. In her free time, you can usually find her looking for her cup of coffee, playing with her puppy Charlie, and dreaming of her next road trip.

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