A Commitment To Training and Service
What one food company looks for in its design-build partner.
COLD FACTS magazine interviews Gerardo Cárdenas, Ing. (Eng.), Commercial Director of Mexideli, a food company based in Mexico, about customer service and what the company looks for in a relationship with a design-build firm.
Mexideli completed a new distribution center in Mexico City, Mexico, that includes process areas, storage warehouses for frozen and refrigerated products, and a warehouse for dry products and household goods – all in a single location. The distribution center was designed and built by CEBA member Sistemas de Refrigeración Totales (SRT). To learn more about this 2021 Built by the Best finalist project, see page 26.
COLD FACTS: Describe any emerging trends or pressures for your food company
GERARDO CÁRDENAS: Mexideli is a marketer and importer of gourmet products, refrigerated and frozen, with more than 30 years in the national market. The continuous growth in this sector of gourmet food in Mexico has been considerable due to several factors such as the opening of Mexico to the world and globalization. It is because of this growth that Mexideli decided to invest in a new distribution center where all the activities carried out by the company could be contained in one place. In the past, the company had rented corporate offices in the center of Mexico City, a refrigeration warehouse and freezing warehouse in the east of Mexico City and a cutting and packaging plant in the west of Mexico City. Over time, this would have collapsed our operation and rendered it inefficient because of a very expensive logistics operation, both in time and resources. We required more modern facilities, with more up-to-date quality assurance systems, ensuring the maximum cold chain. We wanted a modern, sustainable and environmentally friendly system and one where our collaborators would feel more comfortable, in a larger space, with a safe and comfortable work environment. This led us to start this great project that has also been a dream and many years of work and effort, preparing ourselves for new global challenges and preparing for longterm growth.
CF: What do you look for in a relationship with a design-build firm?
GC: For this project, we were looking for construction companies that had experience and, most importantly, were versatile. Companies that would give us the ability to be able to make installations according to our needs.
CF: What are the most important factors in selecting a design-build partner?
GC: One of the highlights of this project was a Transcritical CO2 natural cooling system— the only one in Mexico City—to offer better energy efficiency. The factors that mattered most to us when selecting the companies that participated in the project were experience, recognition in the industry, history of previous projects, availability of management and direction, fair prices, system options, the ability to adapt and preparation, especially as this would be the first Transcritical CO2 project in Mexico. We also looked for the commitment to specialize in this new system and the ability to set up a training center to train a new generation of technicians specializing in CO2 .
CF: Do you discuss long-term company plans such as inventory strategies or footprint or automation considerations with a design-build firm as part of a new build, addition or renovation?
GC: Definitely, our design-build firm knew our project was to be for the long term, and we wanted to use the latest in technology, modern, sustainable, always seeking to have a system that will no longer affect the ozone layer, always considering the use of clean, natural and renewable energies. The design-build firm also knew we wanted to take all security and efficiency measures to seek long-term savings in energy consumption, and that we always try to protect both our employees and our neighbors from dangerous situations.
CF: How do you define customer service?
GC: Customer service for us is paramount, and it is one of our most important premises since we think that our success in the business has always been based on providing quality products with excellent service and fair prices. Therefore, excellent customer service is a requirement of ours from our service providers, and with our design-build firm, this was always very evident. They responded to us in every situation that we requested. And that’s why I think that our design-build provider enjoys a reputation for high-quality customer service.
CF: Has the project improved your business and operations?
GC: This project has improved our business, making us more efficient, in a larger, more modern space, all in one place. It gives us prestige to be a totally non-polluting company and the clients applaud and appreciate this. This project has undoubtedly made us one of the most important companies in the gourmet product industry, opening additional business possibilities to us. And most importantly, this new distribution center provides for unlimited grow and will allow us to remain an industry leader for many more years.
