With ten years of experience, María Auxiliadora Villacres, a woman trained in communications and marketing, who has earned a place in the paint industry, is our professional of the month in The Merconorte.
By Vanesa Restrepo
By the year 2000 the economic and political situation in Ecuador became complex for national companies that had to endure a dollarization of the monetary system and the paints and coatings industry was no exception.
However, this phenomenon and the subsequent economic opening made conditions more competitive, which has brought good and bad consequences for entrepreneurs in the sector. This is what María Auxiliadora Villacres believes, who for several years has served as the general manager of the Fábrica Nacionald e Pinturas, Fanapisa, which has a presence in the country with its own product line, in addition to being a licensee of the American Sherwin Williams International.
Mariuxi, as her relatives affectionately call her, assures that there are different factors, both positive and negative, that force companies to compete and constantly improve their quality standards, look for new alternatives that allow optimizing costs and offering differentiated products, with new benefits. "New brands, some very informal, continuously enter the market, which break the market with low prices but with poor quality products. But we also have other brands that have good products and are of high international recognition."
Another element that has put Ecuadorian companies to the test is the political situation that was particularly agitated in the last decade, in which seven changes of National Government were registered. "Political and economic factors are always an enigma that generates uncertainty, but we know how to adapt to these changes and we are always ready."
To all this are added global elements such as the financial crisis that had its most difficult time during the second half of 2008 and the first of 2009. "The paint market has had very good years like 2008, and very difficult years like 2009. In this year that begins we have high expectations. The construction sector has been in continuous growth, and this year it seems that it does not stop. There are public investments and opening of credits for the development of housing projects. Public sector investment in road construction is estimated to be very high, so there is high expectation," explains Mariuxi. This fluctuation in the growth of the sector corresponds to the behavior of the economy in general, which went from having a growth of 6.5% in 2008 to 1.5% in 2009, according to figures published by President Rafael Correa.
Opening doors
The dominance that Mariuxi Villacres has over the paints and coatings industry has been gained at the point of effort, since she does not have professional training in the chemical area, like most of those who move in the sector. "Fanapisa is my only experience in the chemical and painting area; I had to learn from scratch about the industry, since my academic background is in the organizational and marketing field. I have managed to learn from the production process, quality control, development and analysis, which has been key to understanding this industry. And they have not come from nowhere, but it has always been thanks to the team of people I work with. The most important thing has been the contact with customers and the market, to know the problems and needs of each one, "he said.
And it is that although Fanapisa belongs to her family, since she was a child Mariuxi forged her future outside this industry. Born in Los Angeles, California, in January 1977, our professional of the month grew up in Ecuador, where she studied her primary and secondary school. Later she graduated as an advertising technician at the Mónica Herrera School in Guayaquil. Then she professionalized as a Bachelor in Social Communication from the Mónica Herrera School of Chile and later in Engineering in Business Sciences with a specialty in Marketing from the Universidad Espíritu Santo de Guayaquil.
His first work experiences were also far from resins and pigments, but they allowed to strengthen some of the qualities that today have given him the recognition of the entire Ecuadorian industry: "I had a brief stint in a television network, advertising agencies and market studies in Ecuador. They were experiences that I enjoyed a lot but that in the end were not my main vocation. During my years in Chile (...) I learned the practice of leading teams with diverse people, with different histories and styles, developing projects, establishing connections and giving results. Make things happen and happen well."
His work has always been alternating with the family, because at 33 years old Mariuxi already has three children and a marriage of eight years. "Our priority is family. At all times we have free, we try to spend together and develop activities that strengthen ties. We travel a lot to the beach or the mountains, we love touring our country," she says proudly.
A leader with results
Our professional of the month joined the family painting company during a vacation, in January 2000 "at that time our country was very hit by the bank freeze and the beginning of dollarization. This coup in addition to economic had left a black cloud in the mood of the country, Fanapisa was no exception." Initially his work was linked to the Human Resources area, managing important changes in the team and work style, such as the implementation of ISO 9001:2000, creation of the marketing department, of which I was later manager. He became general manager of the company in 2006.
"Our brand, Sherwin Williams, is highly recognized in the world, which has allowed us to open many doors in projects of great importance. With local brands, we have managed to differentiate ourselves by our advisory service and personalized attention during all stages of the projects. We accompany the customer, and offer high quality products but tailored to the needs of our customers."
In the last five years, the company has doubled sales and today we have a network of Sherwin Williams stores in Guayaquil, which will be expanded this year in Quito. "Three years ago we started the process of implementing the environmental responsibility system, "Responsible Care", to raise awareness and demonstrate our commitment to employees, the community and the environment," says Mariuxi.
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Keys to success
Service and added value are the two elements that make the difference and make a painting company successful. This is explained by our professional of the month, who also assures that "our commitment is not limited to selling a can of paint, but in the benefits that this product can deliver to our customers. If that is not fulfilled, it does not work, even though it has the best raw materials in the world. We understand the needs of different types of customers and deliver the solutions or benefits they are looking for when they buy a paint."
With her more than 10 years of experience in the industry, María Auxiliadora Villacres recommends paying attention to certain corporate elements that can make a difference, such as technological updating and investment in human resources are also important to consolidate business success. "We must not stay in what we have already learned once, and it has always given us results," he concludes.
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