Baking & Snack - September 2023 - 36

BIMBO SANTA MARÍA
Dough balls leave the
divider on one of Bimbo
Santa María's automated
tortilla lines.
After pressing and
proofing, tortillas
are baked and then
cooled. Only those
tortillas that pass
the vision inspection
will move onto
packaging.
on 77 years later in so many countries, with so many associates,
touching so many consumers, " Mr. Obregon
said. " But it is the heart and the beginning of achieving
productivity through modernization, technology, training
associates, valuing the community we work in, but
also maintaining our sense of humility, frugality and
safety. Outside of the facility is our legacy and history,
and it is also a point of pride because it shows what we
have achieved with a dream, a vision and the energy to
improve the lives of consumers and our associates and
make a positive impact on the community and even the
country of Mexico. "
To work in Bimbo Santa María is considered an
honor. During Baking & Snack's visit, many employees
expressed the pride they felt working there and that it
could be humbling to know they were working in the
company's original facility. Bimbo Santa María has been
a natural crucible to forge production floor talent.
" This plant has taught many leaders that they are able
to take the culture at Bimbo Santa María to other places,
to larger plants and even different countries, " said
Jorge Zarate, global senior vice president,
operations and engineering, Grupo
Bimbo. " It's been a developing
plant for many people, and
those who get to work here
take advantage of the opportunity
to learn and then
pass that learning on. "
One such employee is
Paola Agonizantes, who
started her career at Grupo
Bimbo 20 years ago at Bimbo
Santa María in the quality assurance
laboratory. She moved
onto supervising the production
line before leaving the bakery to
work in other sectors of Grupo Bimbo,
36 Baking & Snack September 2023 / www.bakingbusiness.com
including Bimbo Mexico headquarters and several bakery
facilities throughout Mexico. In 2022, Ms. Agonizantes returned
to Bimbo Santa María as its new production director,
the first woman in that role for Mexico.
" I love this plant and its people, " she said. " I was very
excited to return to this facility because this bakery is
incredible. It's easy to imagine our founders being here,
and it's just emblematic of the company. "
A bakery with longevity
Over the years, the plant's equipment has been updated
and modernized to automated high-speed lines. Despite
its longevity, the bakery remains one of the most efficient
and safest in the company, especially within Bimbo
Mexico.
" This bakery has been an icon for Grupo Bimbo, but
it also has been the initial producer of some of our main
products still in the marketplace and a place where many
people have trained, myself included, " Mr. Zarate said.
" This is a magical place that invites you into the craft of
baking and producing quality baked goods, maintaining
equipment and buildings. It has been an example to our
people of manufacturing, to keep a bakery running for so
long. We can still produce with productivity, excellent quality
and safety for our people. It's something our people can
foster, and we can take to other bakeries in Grupo Bimbo. "
Visitors can see the original mixer, dividers and oven
in Grupo Bimbo's museum at Bimbo Azcapotzalco, also
in Mexico City. However, many of the production lines
operating today in Bimbo Santa María aren't the newest,
having been installed decades ago.
Mr. Zarate attributes the longevity of the equipment,
the bakery and its stellar efficiency record to both the
team onsite as well as Grupo Bimbo's culture around asset
management and capital investment. While capital
investment is always an important part of the company's
growth, maintenance, quality and productivity are also
critical to ensure those assets last as long as possible.
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