The spirit of León
It is one of the newest plants in the KAMAX world: León in Mexico. The facility entered operation in 2019, and this September its approximately 80 employees celebrated the plant’s third anniversary. What is special about this facility? High-profile customers, a steep learning curve, huge growth potential, and a culture that is strikingly open.
Although the overall situation today is challenging, Managing Director Rafael Peña is satisfied with the plant's development to date: “Today there are four production lines in operation on the 5,400 square meter site, the latest of which we installed just this year.” Up to 1,200 kilograms of high-strength fasteners with strengths of up to 12.9 and dimensions ranging from M6 to M18 come off the production line every hour. While this naturally does not begin to approach the tonnage produced at the biggest KAMAX plants, it is more than enough to make it one of the region’s most efficient fastener manufacturers.
Peña believes that his employees are his most important resource, and he regularly gets everyone together around the table. No topics are off-limits. Criticism is welcome, as are ideas that can help KAMAX Mexico going forward. Chrisoula Angelidou, Global Vice President People & Culture, was able to experience this in person: “In Leon, everyone is treated as equals, and this defines the atmosphere. Employees and managers encounter one another every day. There is an open-door policy, everything is in close proximity, ideas are shared, and people are respected as individuals.” Angelidou, who is in charge of the global Human Resources department, also witnessed the fact that such policies are not merely empty words there: “Inclusion is no buzzword. They really emphasize providing support for employees, particularly women in production.”
A young team committed to helping others
Helping others is also emphasized in Mexico. A number of our colleagues recently supported a school with a painting event. During this December, employees will be collecting toys to donate to charity. Rafael Peña values their social solidarity and supports their efforts: “I’m proud of how we have been able to put together such a dedicated young team that is so eager to learn.”
This eagerness to learn is essential, as they need to keep expanding their expertise in order to stay abreast of KAMAX Mexico’s growth. Peña sees this as a major challenge: “We provide our employees with continuous education.” Training on such topics as lean management and occupational safety is just as much a part of this process as establishing a digital mindset and fostering an openness to change. The company even utilizes augmented reality. This makes it possible to conduct training at multiple sites, such as with the team in Lapeer (USA) or in Museros (Spain). There are even greater efforts at the personal level. “This fall, a delegation from León paid a visit to Museros. Our colleagues took part in specialized cold-forming training, and now they will be working to establish the training system they were taught in Mexico as well.”
The plant in León
A competitive edge
Constant development safeguards high quality over the long term. Peña outlines: “This gives us a key competitive advantage.” KAMAX Mexico also makes use of metrological and metallurgical laboratories and a state-of-the-art inspection machine to monitor product properties. Digital systems maintain a continuous overview of productivity and machinery. As a result, any technical faults are quickly spotted and rectified. This is something that is also very important to major customers like Mercedes Benz and General Motors. Word has gotten around about the good work being done for the Group by our colleagues in León. In addition, the business magazine “Mexico Industry” reported on the operation in late 2021. Production volume has doubled since that time. We are now supplying 24 locations in countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Canada and the United States.
What is Peña’s vision for the León location? “An outstanding reputation in Mexico, growth in both sales and profits – and continuing to get better and better as a team.” The foundation has already been laid.
KXpress
