Milling & Baking News - July 10, 2012 - 28

Signature Interview 

Continued from Page 26

with large green spaces, including an 11-acre, pristinely maintained soccer ﬁeld in the center of the property, separating and surrounding the two baking plants. The plant is a resource for physical activity and recreation for the Azcapotzalco workforce and also is used by area youth for outreach programs. And while a sense of team spirit is cultivated across the entire company and throughout Grupo Bimbo, a friendly rivalry also exists between informal teams created from the Bimbo and Marinela plants. All Bimbo’s 29 plants feature soccer ﬁelds, but the Azcapotzalco complex has a unique feature housing the ofﬁcial Grupo Bimbo historical archive and museum. Displays include actual baking equipment (still in working order) from the original plant, photos capturing the company history and even the desks of the company’s founders. One framed document features the 1943 notes of

these men as they tried to select a name for the company. Considerations included Pan Azteca, Sabrosoy and Pan Rex. According to the resident historian the name Bimbo was a creation of the founders, looking to conjure a playful image by combining the words Bingo (based on the game) and Bambi (based on the popular Disney movie, released a year earlier). The complex also has a collection of Bimbo delivery vehicles on display, new and old, from all over the world. Wastewater treatment is a fairly new addition at Azcapotzalco, Mr. Rodriguez said, calling it an important part of the company’s commitment to the environment. “The treatment systems that we have installed consist principally in three stages, the ﬁrst consist in the use of physic and physiochemical methods to remove sedimentable and suspend solids,” he said. “The second stage consists of a biological method where the dissolved solids are removed. And ﬁnally the third stage is one in which specialized ﬁlters and disinfection methods give the last treatment to water taking away the ﬁnal impurities providing a water quality to use in irrigation and to wash vehicles.” MBN

The complex features a soccer ﬁeld used by employees as well as local youth.

Yesterday and today: The Azcapotzalco plant produces the artwork, top, used to decorate its trucks. The grounds of the plant feature a collection of new and vintage delivery trucks, including one dating from the company’s early years.

tell them now this is a safe harbor. It’s motivating because people understand we are a committed parent. It’s another reason we believe we add value to the U.S. or other countries.” The fact Grupo Bimbo believes it has resources to help enhance how its global operations do business should not be construed to mean its headquarters is the only source on best practices, Mr. Servitje said. “I don’t think it’s a one-way view, Grupo Bimbo out,” he said. “It’s a two-way interaction. We want to learn as much as we can from the various businesses and see what could be applied elsewhere. I want to avoid the ‘not invented here’ syndrome or being very selective in applying best practices. We give awards to plants that have adopted best practices.”
28 / July 10, 2012 Milling & Baking News

‘I want to avoid the ‘not invented here’ syndrome or being very selective in applying best practices.’
— Daniel Servitje Grupo Bimbo S.A.B. de C.V.
For his part, Mr. Servitje has been with the company for longer than 30 years on a full-time basis. Even earlier, while in school, Mr. Servitje worked at baking plants during the summer. He spent another summer in a Dallas plant of Campbell Taggart Associated Bakeries, Inc. “I recently went back there again,” he said. “It’s a Sara Lee plant now. There was a relationship. We knew

the c.e.o. because of the business in Spain (see related story on Page 24). I even worked in Spain for a few weeks when I was a young teenager.” The full-time work at Grupo Bimbo began after Mr. Servitje graduated from Stanford University in the United States with an M.B.A. “I got back into the business, ﬁrst in the northwest part in Hermosillo, the farthest reach of G.B. at that time. My interest has been more on the sales side. “I like the plants and the operations, but I enjoy more being at the market, visiting customers and with our sales teams and marketing teams. I like traveling to our new businesses, which are quite enriching, the challenges we face, and we face a lot, and the opportunities which are considerable.” If Mr. Servitje expressed a personal
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