AICC Mexico (CONT’D FROM PAGE 22)
association give suppliers a seat at the table? How did it help create synergy with the converters and corrugators? Díaz: In our case, the challenge is continuing to earn our place at the AICC table as suppliers. Our product is high-end and very good, but competition today is becom- ing increasingly aggressive. So we look for ways to par- ticipate and invest in the association in order to maintain strong relationships with our existing customers and con- tinue growing. Hughes: It became very natural to have suppliers in- volved on the board from the very beginning. In my case, I have spent all 25 years serving on the board of AICC Mexi- co, while also serving within AICC United States. It became a marriage. You could not have one without the other. And over the years we met people like José and many oth- ers who served their time on the board and later retired. But you need both sides in order to organize events like this, invite participants, spread the word, and explain what AICC is and what it offers. Yañez: From the supplier side, I can also say that for me the association created a tremendous connection with my customers. The relationships I have with customers today are largely tied to the association. Ferrara: I think one of the most valuable things the or- ganization gave us was those supplier relationships. That direct connection had been missing. For example, we once had a major issue with a candy manufacturer export-
been extraordinary in every sense. You have had the op- portunity to visit plants in Canada, the United States, Mex- ico, and many cities around the world. But the openness we have found everywhere has been incredible. You learn from everyone. Yañez: When you were first creating the association, did any of you ever think: ‘This isn’t going to work?’ Did that thought ever cross your mind? Diaz: At the beginning we definitely faced challenges. But they were the same challenges AICC United States faced during its early years. There was distrust. But with AICC’s philosophy and the way it builds relationships and shared experiences, that ice melts quickly. And doors open. Ferrara: And just to add to that, nowadays we even attend courses taught directly by competitors. Héctor González from our side has taught AICC courses. And in recent years people have opened their own facilities and machinery to others. That is not unique to us at Sultana; all the members contribute. And a large part of that growth has been because of the members and suppliers within the association. That alliance with suppliers — that direct relationship you build with them — changes everything inside your processes. Yañez: From the suppliers’ point of view, suppliers are also a very important part of the association. How did the
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