Alto Shaam Ramping Up to Manufacture in Saltillo

Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin - based Alto-Shaam has announced plans to establish a manufacturing facility in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico.  The company is a global supplier of premier commercial kitchen primary cooking equipment.

Alto-Shaam has contracted with The Offshore Group for 35,000 square feet of industrial space at La Angostura Industrial Park.  A first quarter 2007 start-up is planned.  Forty workers are expected to be employed at the facility at the project's maturity.

According to James Baka, the company’s Senior Vice President and CFO, “Because of our continuing growth and the increase of new product offerings, we clearly see the need to expand our manufacturing infrastructure on a global basis.  Hence, after much analyses, we decided to also manufacture in Mexico , as well as, selecting The Offshore Group to be our shelter program service provider”.

Vermillion Inc. is a Wichita, Kansas based manufacturer of custom cable and harness assemblies for applications in the aerospace and aviation industries.  In June of 2004 the company signed a contract with The Offshore Group for the provision of outsourced manufacturing support or “shelter” services in Mexico .  Today Vermillion’s facility occupies 11,300 square feet in the Offshore Group’s Bellavista Industrial Park in Empalme, Sonora, Mexico. 

Although the company principals were reluctant at first to operate outside of the U.S., they were driven to do so because of strong price competition in their market. Vermillion started out with a very small core group of Mexican employees and began to successfully bid jobs as a result of its newly installed low cost country capacity. 

According to Fred Hunt, director of the company’s business development efforts, “As a result of the work that we captured for our Mexican plant, we were obliged to add personnel at our Wichita plant in the areas of engineering and planning.  Being in Mexico now affords us the flexibility to retain certain core functions in the U.S., while shipping other work south of the border.  In Wichita we process mostly short-run custom cable assemblies that demand heavy communication between our engineers and the customer.   Work also done in Wichita includes cable assemblies that are built to military specifications.  We send high labor content and long-term, mature product lines to Mexico .  This is where we experience a significant cost savings”.

At present, Vermillion employs 63 individuals at its Mexican plant.  Due to pending contracts the company’s leadership expects this number to increase to 100 by the end of 2007.   Hunt also asserts that “Although we were reticent at first to make the leap across the border, today we wish we had done it sooner.  Since doing so, we have been able to leverage resources both here in Wichita and in Mexico to enhance our ability to compete successfully”. 

Those interested in learning more about Vermillion, Inc. and its services may contact Fred Hunt at 316.524-3100.

Improving Customer Service Through Education

The Offshore Group provides critical human resource and personnel management services to its clients. Some of the tasks performed include: the recruitment and selection of both direct and indirect labor; the screening, testing and hiring of applicants; worker orientation and employee record maintenance, and labor statistic reporting and analysis. 

An In Plant Human Resource Coordinator, is assigned to client company plants, and is The Offshore Group staff member that is at the center of managing the relationships that exist between the manufacturer, its workers and The Offshore Group. 

Recently twenty-eight professionals at The Offshore Group's Maquilas Tetakawi manufacturing location received Master's Degrees in Organizational Management, with a focus on Human Resources through the Technological Institute of Sonora (ITSON). The purpose of undertaking this two year course of studies  was to give Maquilas Tetakawi HR staff members the tools to improve the quality of day to day customer service.

ILS provides Warehouse Management Inventory (WMI) services to Ford's Tier 1 suppliers, while it lends Vendor Management Inventory services to the company's Tier 2 suppliers.  ILS facilities currently occupy 36,000 square feet of industrial space.  It is planned that this number will double in 2007.

In addition to the aforementioned services, ILS Hermosillo also offers multi-modal transportation options, as well as assistance in the area of import/export management.

For more information related to International Logistic Solutions, visit their website at: www.ilscompany.com

This year's successful Manufacturing in Mexico Summit featured a roster of noteworthy speakers.  Their presentations are now available for download on this site.  They include:

Baker & McKenzie's, Moises Curiel on The Mexican Tax System and the Shelter Plan; Focus Solutions', Steve Haywood on The Basics of International Trade; Northern Galaxy's, Michael Hetzel on Global Manufacturing: Myth, Reality & Strategic Options; Argo Inc.'s, James Guyette's Improving Competitiveness on a Flat Earth; Eva Kras' Managing in Two Cultures; and Mexican Law's, Glenn McBride's  Mexican Legal Update.

Those wishing to review the materials should click on the Press Room tab found at the top of this page.  Once in the Press Room, the presentations can be found under the Articles heading.

Vangtel Prepares for January Consultant's Forum

Vangtel, the newest member of The Offshore Group, will hold a "Consultant's Forum" on January 15th & 16th in Guaymas and Hermosillo, Sonora for the purpose of  familiarizing consultants that serve the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Call Center industries with the Shelter Plan services that it offers to companies seeking to reap the cost benefits of conducting back office operations and customer service functions in Mexico.    

Those with questions regarding the event may contact Tom Rocca at trocca@vangtel.com.

Visit Vangtel at www.vangtel.com to learn more about the company and its service offerings.

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