ILO SCORE Training boost SMEs productivity of the cement sector in Colombia by 210%

Bogotá - SCORE Training is known worldwide as an ILO tool for increasing productivity and improving working conditions based on workplace cooperation. Through training, coaching, and consulting, enterprises seeking to increase their productivity in a sustainable way apply the methodology with a SCORE Implementation Partner (IP). The Boyacá Cimienta Partnership adopted SCORE Training with the support of Partnerships for Development –an IP with great experience in supply chain development– and achieved very satisfactory results in 2020.

The Boyacá Cimienta Partnership is a group of enterprises, universities, trade associations and public sector entities that have come together to develop programs and projects to strengthen inclusive business and sustainable procurement with micro, small and medium enterprises in their area of influence in Boyacá, Colombia. The lead buyer firms of the Partnership, Holcim, Cementos Argos, and Acerías Paz del Río together with the Sogamoso Chamber of Commerce, ensured, by using the SCORE methodology, that several of their suppliers improved their productivity by 13% in specific indicators. Although the initial promise was to deliver a 13% improvement, the results of this implementation far exceeded initial expectations.

Partnerships for Development worked to strengthen the capacities of ABC’s suppliers through SCORE Training. The activities were carried out in two phases: the first, face-to-face, took place from February 17 to March 12, 2020. The second, fully virtual, was held from August 23 to November 30 in the same year. Enterprises focused on improving communication with workers, measuring improvements and incentives, and implementing 5s methodology.

Cementos Argos's suppliers

Popularly known as Argos, the multinational that has a presence in sixteen countries, including in the United States, Central America and the Caribbean, has been in the market for more than eight decades. Considered Colombia's leading cement and concrete producer, the company has more than 7.200 workers across all of its regional offices and in 2020 exported to more than 30 different countries.

On average, Argos' supplier firms that worked with Partnerships for Development increased their productivity by 100.7 percent in the following areas:

The enterprise Proyectos SEI, which sought to reduce daily non-value adding times (i.e., production cycle downtime), improved this aspect by 11 percent, while improving setup time by 88 percent. All this by analyzing the time it takes the team to complete the steps involved in setup, signing off on checklists, complying with biosecurity standards, waiting for materials and tools, and taking meal breaks, among other activities. Thanks to the SCORE Training, the company was able to implement digital tools that facilitate tracking of materials and inventory, and controlling costs, and budget.

AMBITEC aimed to increase performance by getting more trees planted per person per day, improved its productivity by 50 percent. SCORE Training supported the approval and implementation of biosecurity protocols on and off the worksite, adapting areas for drinking water and having meals, and helping workers to be more proactive in their tasks.

INPROMEC LTDA, perhaps one of the best examples of improvement thanks to the SCORE Training, improved productivity by 260 percent after identifying problems in production processes, machine usage times, operator times, and production costs. In addition, the company received assistance in setting up a web page and integrating it with its respective social networks.

Acerías Paz del Río's suppliers

Known for being the second largest steel company in Colombia, Acerías Paz del Río was created in 1948 and by 1954 it started full production. It is responsible for manufacturing 30 percent of the steel produced in Colombia and employs more than 200 workers.

On average, its supplier firms have improved their productivity by 40 percent.

The enterprise MASER, which sought to reduce coking time –the transformation of hard coal and heavy oil residues into coke by applying high temperatures in a closed enclosure– was able to reduce the time [PN5] to complete this process by 9 percent. In addition, SCORE Training supported occupational safety and health measures: approval and implementation of the biosecurity protocol on and off the worksite, and daily safety campaigns.

The enterprise IC Ingeniería de Calidad worked on reducing time overruns in the execution of works and improve its productivity by 65 percent. This was possible thanks to the implementation of digital tools for detailed tracking of each process, leading to more efficient time management.

For PRONUM, improvements of up to 67 percent were gained in reducing time in the wire-rod straightening process, in addition to implementing the 5S methodology in operational and administrative areas. Partnerships for Development also guided the creation of an internal and external communication program that improved worker performance.

NSEDAGRO implemented metrics to measure, among other things, the quality and performance of a contracted service, in addition to creating operational management indicators and standardizing procedures. As a result, the company earned improvements of up to 17 percent.

HOLCIM's suppliers

With a presence in more than 50 countries, including Colombia, the Swiss company Holcim is one of the world's leading suppliers of cement and aggregates. It is currently the world's largest cement producer, followed by CEMEX. HOLCIM is known for promoting green building and enhancing the technological, environmental, socioeconomic, and cultural sustainability of the construction industry at the local and global levels.

Its supplier firms have seen improvements of up to 17.53 percent so far in 2020 as a result of SCORE Training.

MINERALES LA LUZ set out to improve its biweekly and monthly productivity indicators. Improvements of up to 16 percent were achieved through the implementation of digital productivity measurement indicators, improved communication with the operational area, and the 5s methodology.

COMSSEM sought to increase the quality of service, in addition to improving the overall quality indicator for cleanliness. The IP worked with the company on standardizing procedures, monitoring, and evaluation of workers, inventory management, and improvement of communication channels between departments to achieve a 37 percent increase in productivity in specific targets.

MCB Soluciones Industriales addressed aspects such as awards, incentives, communication channels, certification follow-up, among other processes, that helped to make the work environment more pleasant and productive.

Sogamoso Chamber of Commerce supplier

The Sogamoso Chamber of Commerce is recognized as a driver of competitiveness and productivity in the region through the promotion of sustainable business and commercial development. Its supplier firms improved their productivity on average by 22 percent.

The enterprise LADINCOL saw a productivity gain of 9 percent as a result of the standardization of layered material stacks, as well as the application of digital tools to improve tidiness and process optimization.

Lastly, PAVIBOY focused on reducing the amount of asphalt mix lost per day. Thanks to process monitoring and identifying what was causing the daily loss of asphalt mix, its productivity increased by 35 percent. It is worth noting that, together with Partnerships for Development, new lines of business were also identified, a management committee was created to supervise process control, and digital tools and new communication channels with staff were implemented.

These are just a few examples of how SCORE Training can help companies increase their productivity, no matter what aspect of the business needs to be addressed. For Carolina Trevisi, SCORE Program Coordinator, the experience with the Boyaca Cimienta Partnerships "shows how supply chain development is a triple-win scenario: both lead buyers and SME suppliers benefit from improved productivity and working conditions, and in doing so, it supports local enterprise development. Companies also learned to win, not only by competing but also by collaborating".

The above are a few examples of how SCORE Training can help companies increase their productivity, no matter what aspect of the business needs to be addressed.

For more information about the MIG SCORE, we invite you to visit the following links:

Web page: scorecolombia.org
Facebook: facebook.com/SCOREColombia
YouTube OIT Americas: youtube.com/channel/UCrlcu5KChYyHwXlIeD7oLUg
YouTube SCORE and MIG SCORE Colombia: youtube.com/channel/UCcwhS-tRn4f3XO2npcZpPKQ/videos