- TELL US ABOUT DAVID, WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND IN THE LOGISTICS AREA AND, ESPECIALLY, IN THE COMPANY?
The 10 years before I joined the company I worked in companies linked to the logistics sector. For 3 years I even had my own business. I have been working at Mtech for 13 years now, of which I spent a total of 5 years partially detached from this area, in commercial and customer service tasks, which allowed me to get closer to the concerns and needs of these departments. In September 2019 I assumed the position of Director of Logistics, which allows me to project and realize many of the ideas and proposals for improvement that I believe can bring us differential value.
- WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO TALK ABOUT LOGISTICS?
For me logistics is one of the fundamental pillars of any company, being able to be at the same level as other areas such as commercial or financial . To talk about logistics is to talk about purchasing, inventory value, internal and external supply, transport, packaging, cost optimization and a fundamental part in the last link of the supply chain, since is the last brushstroke in customer service. In our case, moreover, takes on such important aspects as recycling and waste management.
- WHAT HAS CHANGED AT MTECH TO NECESSITATE DRIVING THE LOGISTICS PROPOSITION INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY?
The company’s global growth has been key. The move to a new headquarters of 5,000m2 with its internal implications in terms of product transit for manufacturing and the increase in exports were the trigger to move to to the next level. It has also been fundamental the emergence of new sectors of work in our business, each with its particularities in terms logistics … Customers as important in the energy sectors, tertiary, renewable, rail … They require many things that without this step would not be possible, such as the generation of documentation for exports, calculations of packaging and loads, compliance with international regulations, etc..
- WHAT ARE THE FIRST CHANGES YOU HAVE MADE IN RESPONSE TO THE INITIATIVE TO CREATE A LOGISTICS DEPARTMENT?
The most important thing has been to take a step in the professionalization of the team, to be able to be at the height of this new stage, with the incorporations in our staff of 2 more people with experience in the sector and the creation of a administrative position exclusively for the new department. The revision of our procedures has also been very important, having adapted them to the design of our current operational flow.
Other projected issues that we are working on are the acquisition of new mechanical means to optimize times and the inclusion of new digital tools that allow us to work with Big Data to be more efficient and to be able to make corrections and improvements.
- DO YOU BELIEVE THAT LOGISTICS IS A DIFFERENTIAL VALUE IN COMPANIES? IS IT SUFFICIENTLY VALUED?
As said at the beginning, it is a fundamental pillar. Except for the companies that are dedicated specifically to transport or logistics in general, for the rest of companies the correct and careful management of logistics can affect (and much) to the income statement, as well as to the image and the valuation of the good service of these. It is useless to make a commercially excellent management with a client if the logistic aspect is not worked correctly.
I think that, although the trend is changing lately, the logistics departments of companies (when they exist as such) have been undervalued. “Logistics” has often been associated only with warehouse management and delivery, especially in SMEs like us, and it has been only recently when we are starting to talk about logistics in capital letters. The internationalization of Spanish small and medium-sized companies since the crisis of 2008 has had a lot to do with this. Models such as those that have been used for years in other countries have fortunately begun to be implemented in Spain.
- WHAT DO YOU THINK WE DO DIFFERENTLY AT MTECH THAN OTHER COMPANIES IN OUR BUSINESS?
In firstly, to give the logistics area its own entity as a department, with all the aspects that the term encompasses. The participation of the team in all the phases of the business, including that of offers. Another differential value is the training, since all members of our logistics team are trained or receive training on aspects such as international transport, means and special packaging techniques such as maritime or certain equipment … etc.. From the information that our customers give us, the presentation and follow-up of our shipments, as far as transport is concerned, is usually a value with which we make the difference.
- WHAT ARE THE NUMBERS FOR 2019? WHAT IS THE GROWTH FORECAST IN YOUR DEPT. FOR 2020?
Last year we created this department as such in September, but we finished the year loading approximately 6,000 pallets on about 200 trailers, we made about 1,500 material receptions and made about 2,000 national deliveries with our own transport, apart from having made about a thousand parcel shipments. In addition, we make about 100 special packages of wood for maritime transit.
In 2020 the forecasts say that we will double some of these figures, but at least, in others, we will grow at least around 20-25%.
- CAN YOU HIGHLIGHT A RECENT SUCCESS STORY?
I believe that the success of the logistics team is directly related to that of other departments. This is a chain in which all the links are equally important, although it is worth mentioning that during the last few months we have received several congratulations from large customers highlighting aspects directly related to our participation, such as packaging, documentation management and shipment tracking that were critical for the continuity in time and form of their projects.
- FINALLY, WHAT MESSAGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONVEY TO MTECH CUSTOMERS ABOUT YOUR DEPARTMENT AND TEAM?
I believe that our differential value is important, and that with a good logistics management you can save many euros in a project, so I would invite you to interact with us in order to contribute ideas and methods from which you will benefit in costs, beyond the value of the products you buy from our company.
