In this first episode of the podcast – which is for executives seeking their first Mexico manufacturing operation – Entrada’s Director of Operations, Raul Cabada, explores the different hands-on training approaches in Mexico. He also reveals how clients are relying on Entrada’s new Learning Center to improve quality and efficiency, and how Mexico’s manufacturing sector prioritizes training to address a never-ending need for expansion.
In this first episode of the podcast – which is for executives seeking their first Mexico manufacturing operation – Entrada’s Director of Operations, Raul Cabada, explores the different hands-on training approaches in Mexico. He also reveals how clients are relying on Entrada’s new Learning Center to improve quality and efficiency, and how Mexico’s manufacturing sector prioritizes training to address a never-ending need for expansion.
Cameron 00:00
Hello, everyone, and welcome today to the first episode of Entrada's new podcast that we're kicking off. You know, I couldn't think of a better person to start the podcast series with than Raul Cabada, who is Entrada’s Director of Operations. Raul has over two decades of manufacturing experience with global companies like Mitsubishi, where he was leading the company's TPS Lean Manufacturing principles. Vis-a-vis Entrada Group Raul joined the company in 2015 and he's responsible for applying that expertise in lean production to help Entrada’s clients maximize efficiencies. Raul Cabada, welcome to the podcast.
Raul 00:40
Good morning, everyone.
Cameron 00:41
So, I'm going to jump right in, Raul, and ask you a question about Entrada’s new learning center. And that's the first of its kind, kind of program initiative to improve access to training and professional development for Entrada’s clients at the campuses in Fresnio and Celaya. How did the Learning Center come into existence and why now?
Raul 01:03
You know, training is not new to Entrada. I mean, we've been doing training and we've been working with our clients in the past doing different types of training. But, putting together the Learning Center is going to be different this time, because in my opinion training is key for a successful operation. We can do training in two ways. One of them is training that we're going to offer to our clients, for them to improve their key process indicators, like productivity, on time delivery, quality, all of that. But, there are some other trainings that we're going to put together and give out to our clients in order for them to comply with the federal law. There are regulations that they have to comply with, and those are the trainings that we are also going to be offering. The difference in the way we're implementing now with the training center is really about seeing things as a continuous way of living and operating. Entrada has improved the operations of our clients in an ongoing basis, but definitely this time, we want to offer training for different types of needs of our clients, and with that, improve our service, our image, and add value to our services.
Cameron 02:33
Okay, so you talked about some of the kinds of training, you alluded to that, so I'm going to hit you now with a three part question. Okay, so can you tell our listeners a bit about the type of training that will take place at the Entrada Learning Center, you know, what you're offering right now, what will be offered in the future, and then finally, what types of companies are eligible to participate in the training at the Learning Center?
Raul 02:55
Well, so far, we have certified some of our key elements in the training center. The first certification they have received is about IPC 620 and IPC 610. IPCC 620 refers to the harnessing industry, and IPC 610 refers to the electronics, and those are the first two trainings that we're going to be offering. As a matter of fact, we already put together some of these trainings for two of our clients. In my opinion, we're going to do two different types of training, the one that is for indirect personnel, or more for the one that is doing the management of the company, and some other trainings that are going to be directly for the hands-on personnel. For the management level, we're going to offer leadership skills for supervisors and managers, a lot that is going to be related to lean manufacturing principles. I think that is key for them to succeed in their operations. And we are also, down the road, we're going to offer ISO 9000 and 14000 certifications. For the hands-on, I think some of the ones that are going to take priority are the ones for safety, and some others that are going to be related to the various specific processes of our clients. Like, for example, for all the ones that are doing harnessing, we're going to offer wire stripping. For some others that do box field, we're going to offer box field, but again, that something that is going to take place once we understand better our client needs. You also said, “Who are the companies that are going to be receiving these training?” I mean, for example, if we're talking about safety, all of them are going to be eligible to receive these training. Now, if there is a various specific training for their processes, not all the ones, you know, are going to be in that group, but of course, we're going to get with them, understand what are going to be their needs, and in some cases, some of them are going to be common, and some others will be unique, but we'll try to write them and push to add value by doing the training as they need it.
Cameron 05:23
Okay. And you did mention it there too, I just want to re-enforce it for the listeners, the Learning Center itself is a benefit for it’s clients. A company that's not part of the campus could not just show up and engage in the Learning Center.
Raul 05:36
Exactly. Exactly. Our vision is just to have it for the Entrada clients. This is, the Learning Center is going to be established inside the industrial campus and is going to be only offered to our actual clients.
Cameron 05:52
Okay, fantastic. So, Raul, why is the launch of the Learning Center potentially such a game changer for Entrada’s clients?
Raul 06:00
You know, Cameron, having a trained work force is in our best interest, because it is our belief that successful operations are based in well prepared talent. As our vision says, part of our vision states that we want to accelerate the competitiveness of our clients. And because of that, I think training is a key element to reach that goal. Let me just give you an example- turnover. In my opinion, here in Brazil, we have people coming from different sectors. And just to mention, one will be the agriculture people coming from the field. So, in some cases coming from that sector, and now they are part of the manufacturing, it is really a shock, it is not something that they are used to. And, because of that, putting together the training center will help a lot, because it’s going to be, for them, like a soft landing to a new environment. And that automatically will improve the turnover. Of course, it will affect, in a positive way, other key process indicators, like quality. You know, one that is very important that I haven't mentioned, is the accident rate. A lot of the training is going to be focused on safety, because I think safety comes first.
Cameron 07:21
So, our listeners that are hearing this podcast and discovering about the Learning Center for the first time, how can they learn more about it and how the Learning Center will evolve in the future?
Raul 07:31
Well, Jonathan Nava is our Continuous Improvement Director, and he's in charge of the continuous improvement part. The Learning Center is part of the continuous improvement. Him being the one in charge can give us more information. And I'm sure that down the road, you're going to have interviews with him. So, I'm sure that he's going to be more specific, and we'll give them more information about it.
Cameron 07:59
That's right, Jonathan will be the next person that we’ll interview in this series to learn more about the Learning Center, and on the landing page for this podcast, we’ll include details about the Learning Center. And Jonathan's contact information and his bio is under your team, as well as Raul’s, and the entire leadership team of Entrada. Fantastic, Raul, before we close out, I want to give you a chance to just mention anything else you would like to add for Entrada’s clients or future clients.
Raul 08:24
I think it’s very important, the actual situation that we're going through with COVID-19, we're facing a lot of challenges, and in some cases, plans are being delayed because of the uncertainty. As of today, we're not working with our full resources, I believe more or less people working from home, and some others working here at the office may affect the Learning Center’s speed implementation. I think down the road, things are going to get back to normal, but for this time, training might be done virtually. But not all of them are going to be done that way. That's something that is going to take a little bit more time because of the actual situation. But hopefully, things change soon.
Cameron 09:14
There's only so much you can do by Zoom and by Skype, isn't there, especially in a training and a hands-on environment. Exactly. Okay. All right, Raul Cabada, Director of Operations with Entrada Group, thank you for your time today and look forward to hearing more about the Learning Center.
Raul 09:28
Anytime, Cameron. Thank you very much for the opportunity, and I hope things get better in this pandemic.
Cameron 09:34
Yep. Thank you, my friend.
Raul 09:35
You too. Bye bye.