A company that expands while getting standardized
The Mexican company, whose progress and expansion in the Aztec territory does not seem to have a ceiling in sight, gathered four of its most important executives for a discussion with Revista del Ascensor to talk about achievements such as NOM 207-SCFI – 2018 and NOM Regulations 053-SCFI-2000, the opening of subsidiaries in several cities of the country, etc. Here you have the interesting answers from Mr. Fernando Orozco González, Commercial Director of BLT México; Engineer Gabriel Rendón, Facilities Manager of BLT Mexico; Engineer Jorge Piña, Central Zone Service Superintendent and Andrea Ramos, Head of Customer Service.
Growing even in crisis
Revista del Ascensor:- Mr. Orozco, what balance do you make about the activity of your company in the recently completed 2022? Do you already consider that they have returned to pre-pandemic activity levels? Have you accomplished a year of growing or may be it was a year of taking care of what you’ve achieved?
Lic. Fernando Orozco: – No doubt it was a difficult year but also one of a lot of learning. New challenges and realities arose, so we had to be creative in the search for solutions that would allow us to adapt to the requirements of our clients, prioritizing the long-term relationship at all times.
We had a significant recovery In the sale of new equipment, we managed to grow 37% compared to 2021. Some import costs were stabilizing and investment in the national market, fortunately, has been reactivated.
On the maintenance side, we had a difficult year as many of our clients are still suffering from the economic ravages of the pandemic. The residential sector seems to be one of the most complicated yet due to its very administrative nature and decision-making. For this, several service and business strategies were implemented that allowed us to achieve growth in the value of our portfolio of 25% net.
R del A.:- Does BLT keep expanding on the Mexican territory?
F.O.: – Fortunately, clients have continued to trust us and our service. We are a company that is constantly growing and we continue to bet on flexibility, innovation, agility, and personalized service.
This has allowed us to continue expanding in cities such as Ensenada, Ciudad Juárez, Iguala, Los Cabos, Mexicali, Puerto Vallarta, and Tulum. The latter one with impressive growth thanks to the enormous investment that currently exists in the southeast of the country.
R. del A.: – Since July 2021, when we made the first article on BLT Mexico in the magazine, a year and a half has passed since the end of the pandemic, and a war broke out in Europe that affects the economy of the entire world, in one way or another. Would you say that the company successfully overcame this difficult contingency? Are you even better than 19 months ago?
F.O.: – We are a company with a clear vision of what we want and where we are going. This clarity and focus have allowed us to continue making important decisions to continue investing in improvements for our collaborators and customers, even while we were going through a critical situation with a global impact
During the last year and a half, we have not only increased our technical staff to provide service in the areas where we have expanded, but we have also made relevant investments at a structural and long-term level. We now have our own Electronics Laboratory, with which we can greatly improve delivery times and reduce costs for our customers. We made important alliances with national and international suppliers to continue increasing our offer of services and products. We also strongly increased the Customer Service Department (DAC) with which we seek to be very close to them and take forceful measures when they report us an area of internal opportunity. The department practically doubled its staff and a lot of work was done on improvements to the management platform in order to get a timely follow-up.
THE DAC, A KEY GEAR IN THE MANAGEMENT OF BLT MEXICO
“Customer service is a valuable tool that allows us to create trusty relationships. We know that it is complex, due to the individuality of each person, which is why we seek to be the medium that reconciles and facilitates dialogue.
A quality service is one that is provided with passion and warmth, is to go beyond the scope of our contracts, is one that knows how to identify customer needs and anticipate them. We focus on the objectives, but we also consider the importance of the way we reach them, taking care of the process in an integral way.
Any client will find in the DAC (Customer Service Department) a safe space where they can express themselves, they will be listened to, based on what is most precious to us, which is empathy, which means following up on each case in a personalized way. Looking for through specific strategies and actions, we can improve the total service experience”, said Andrea Ramos, Head of Customer Service.
To summarize, yes, we are better than 19 months ago as we continue to grow solidly and invest in talent, resources, and infrastructure to improve our service offering in the Mexican market.
BLT MEXICO MEMBER OF THE REDUCED GROUP OF STANDARDIZED COMPANIES
R. del A.: – From what you told us, you had achievements in the matter of Standards and Certifications…
F.O.:– It is correct. Safety and compliance with regulations have always been a concern of BLT Mexico since its inception. We seek to market only standardized products that meet international standards in terms of design and manufacturing.
As far as Mexico is concerned, in recent years some companies, technical experts, and associations have been promoting the revision and creation of local regulations that contribute to the general effort to have a safer, more reliable, and more professional vertical transport industry in the country. The result of this effort was the entry into force of the NOM-207-SCFI-2018 Standard, focused on the maintenance service and the providers that provide it.
With all this background, at BLT Mexico we sought to start the certification procedures a couple of years ago, but unfortunately, it was an investment that we had to pause due to the pandemic. At the beginning of the year 2022 the company management decided that we could no longer stop said certification and that was when we resumed the process, not only for the maintenance standard but also for the NOM-053-SCFI-2000 Standard that refers to the installation of electric traction elevators.
Today we are pleased to mention that BLT México has been successfully certified in both standards, both Facilities (NOM-053-SCFI-2000) and service (NOM-207-SCFI-2018), being one of the few companies nationwide that has both.
R. DEL A.: – The Standards, which very few companies have today in Mexico, show that they are a trustworthy provider. Can you tell us a bit about the process to get there?
F.O.: – No doubt, it required a great effort from all of us involved. We started with choosing the right company that would accompany us throughout the process. Later, we had to start raising awareness among all the staff, but above all the operations people from both areas, since they are the ones who carried out the heaviest part of the process. To further drive this in the best way, we decided to choose a person in charge of each area, a kind of internal ambassador who could understand the importance and had the leadership and commitment to meet the objective of being certified in both standards during the past year. Engineers Gabriel Rendón, from Installations, and Jorge Piña, from Maintenance, did this. I would like to take advantage of this medium to congratulate them and all the technical staff in both areas for carrying out this process successfully and helping BLT Mexico today to be certified in both national standards.
THE OPINION OF THOSE WHO IMPLEMENTED THE NEW STANDARDS
R. del A.: – Ing. Piña, what do you think this achievement will mean for the company?
Eng. Jorge Piña: – We are proud to know that we are part of a team that offers services supported by Mexican regulations. Without a doubt, it has been a work of continuous effort for years, which gives us the confidence of knowing that we are on the right track, guaranteeing quality services to our customers. This certification is an endorsement, which helps us transmit this same confidence to our clients.
Let’s not forget that the standards have a precise and objective approach in terms of security, seeking to eliminate any risk for users and technicians. With strict compliance with the standard, we guarantee absolute peace of mind for everyone in this important aspect. No less important, within our ranks, the work team feels totally proud, as well as committed to having achieved this goal.
R. del A.: – For current and future BLT clients, does this mean an increase in the prices of BLT services?
J.P.: — Not at all, this certification means an internal investment for BLT Mexico and from now on a project that will continue indefinitely. This important step is owed to the effort and commitment the entire BLT team has been making, without causing the rise of our production and operating costs.
R. del A:- .:- Eng. Rendón, from what we know about these processes, from now on will they be monitored by the certifying company, is it so?
Eng. Gabriel Rendón:- The certification has a validity that will have to be constantly updated, in addition to receiving, with all openness, audits by the certifying company ensuring compliance with the standard. But beyond this, our commitment is to assume this certification as a standard of continuous work, which results in the constant satisfaction and tranquility of our clients.
R. del A.: – Does this certification also mean that your suppliers must be certified? Does this limit or expand the job possibilities?
G.R.: – The referred standards strictly and exclusively certify us as BLT Mexico. Although this scope does not fall directly on our suppliers, it does generate a domino effect that forces us to increase our standards throughout our supply chain, seeking excellence in our services.
