Often the most important innovations emerge from the simplest observations. Indeed, when Gome Gomez graduated from business school?with an MBA from Harvard Business School and an abundance of experience?to join Grupo Tracsa, he set himself the task of optimizing an already efficient operation. It was clear that in order to accomplish this, he needed to learn every granular aspect of the business, from the logistics within clients’ heavy-duty industrial facilities to the CEO?s daily routine.
The task proved to be as rewarding as it was challenging: Grupo Tracsa?s breadth of industrial operations, including the provision of machinery and tactical support for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), demanded that Gomez travel throughout Mexico, surveying their services at work.
First, he visited all of Grupo Tracsa?s branches, which gave him access to tour its clients? business. He entered a precious metal mine, descending half a mile below earth?s surface to study its infrastructure; he visited several iron ore mines and a pipeline construction project that traversed a mountain range. He explored a carrot farm, one of the world?s largest egg producers, and agave plantations that seemingly extended for miles.
?It was fascinating to see our machines in action,? Gomez says of the experience. ?Of the many valuable observations I gathered, the most important was understanding our customers? priorities. I realized their need for not only efficient and reliable equipment, but also for equipment that seamlessly integrates into their broader operation through technology and with the help of peripheral services on our part.
The takeaway appears obvious, that clients shouldn?t have to waste a second thinking about managing their hardware, and yet the solution had yet to be applied. As the leader of Grupo Tracsa?s Product Support division, Gomez initiated the creation of a new IIoT department dedicated to telematic monitoring, process digitization, and data analytics. Between the formation of this IIoT department and the addition of new customer facing positions within his business unit, Gomez grew his staff size by one-fifth and rapidly expanded investment in both software and hardware capabilities.
Now operational for 47 years, Grupo Tracsa continues to provide its customers with value-add products that encourage growth and expansion. In other words, by prioritizing a lack that customers might not have even identified, Gomez was able to simultaneously optimize their businesses and Grupo Tracsa?s.
?Even though we serve disparate types of businesses across industries, we are working to create a common digital platform using various apps, telematic systems, and enterprise-grade software products that will allow both us, and our customers, to run our business in a more technified and data driven way.?
Ultimately, too, Gomez recognized that navigating Grupo Tracsa from the ground up revealed a principle that could be easily implemented in other operational areas: it?s the apparently obvious ideas that produce the most impactful technological progressions.