MEXICO CITY — A 75-year-old, family-owned company, Grupo Bimbo is rooted in tradition but also forward-focused in regard to the company’s culture and how it’s driving innovation. Javier Gonzalez, Grupo Bimbo executive VP, shared insights with attendees of the American Society of Baking’s virtual BakingTECH conference held Feb. 16-18, during the conference’s final keynote address.
Serving 33 countries through almost 200 bakery plants with 135,000 employees, Grupo Bimbo’s corporate culture permeates through every facet of the company, whether on a plant floor, in a distribution center or at the corporate level. It’s a key factor that leads to innovation. Accomplishing that, according to Gonzalez, begins with Grupo Bimbo’s purpose. “The purpose of our company as a whole is nourishing a better world,” he said. On that foundation, Grupo Bimbo’s philosophy is to build a sustainable, highly productive and deeply humane company.
This means living out the purpose and philosophy not only through its business and the customers and consumers it serves but also in its corporate culture.
“We are not just preparing our people for the job but also preparing them to be better persons and better citizens in the world,” Gonzalez said. “That is something that we’ve done since the beginning.”
Gonzalez noted that this concept not only applies to providing the proper work conditions to achieve the most efficiency and productivity in the business but also in how the company equips its workers to be better at work, with their families and in their communities.
“We are not just preparing our people for the job but also preparing them to be better persons and better citizens in the world,” Gonzalez said. “That is something that we’ve done since the beginning.”
“This is something that’s really important for us,” Gonzalez said. “At the center of our values, we have the people; that’s the main value for our company. That’s something that’s given us a stronger position with our associates and their commitment.”
These are the foundations of the Grupo Bimbo mission of providing delicious and nutritious baked goods and snacks into the hands of all consumers. It’s also the basis of what drives innovation for the company in regard to not only R&D but also distribution.
“How do we put our baked goods in the hands of all?” Gonzalez said. “That’s our mission.”
One path to achieving that mission is by increasing dynamism in innovation throughout the company. Some initiatives include creating targeted processes to foster collaboration through innovation frameworks in the company. And doing that means moving out of “silo” areas and creating more open networks that are cross-functional.
“This is a strong concept because anytime there’s an intensity of knowledge working in silos, it does not work well for innovation,” Gonzalez said. “Breaking the silos is important way of moving forward.”
For product innovation, Gonzalez noted, it’s important to have a broader, more diverse way of thinking to strengthen product development for the future. “It’s not only about innovation in products but also innovation in everything we do,” he said.