Mexico presents the Professional of the Month of this edition. An experienced businessman who has more than 21 years of experience within the industry.
by Duván Chaverra Agudelo
Rafael Mora has no clients, he has friends with whom he does business. At least that's what we interpreted during the interview he conducted for Inpra Latina, being recognized as the Professional of the month of this edition.
And it is that the guest on this occasion highlights that during his 21 years of experience he understood that in this and in general all businesses, companies reach the top or fail according to the behavior they have with their customers.
"If our customers grow, so do we. Everything is based on a fair proportion of cost and benefit where the company and its customers always benefit," explained the guest.
Rafael Mora was born in Mexico on April 16, 1971. He studied international relations at the Universidad Iberoamericana and before completing his studies he received the opportunity to work in the Vitracoat business group where he currently holds the position of commercial director for Latin America for Vitracoat Pinturas en Polvo S.A de C.V.
"Being close to finishing my professional studies I was invited by Mr. Miguel Angel Marín G., pioneer of the coatings industry in Mexico and sales manager of the company at that time, to participate in this group to take charge of the export area. Then he introduced me to the current president of the group, Mr. Eduardo Moussali Stern and between them they were in charge of interviewing me and later welcoming me to the company in 1990, "explained Rafael.
Regarding his most significant achievements, the Professional of the Month says that every day he takes advantage and concludes objectives at the end of the afternoon: "The most significant of this profession occurs practically every day, developing clients or looking to exploit new market niches, having the opportunity to see our materials work in a range of uses and finishes ranging from appliances to the construction industry".
And if those are his achievements, then his long-term goals are focused on consolidating within the world market the brand he proudly represents: "Without a doubt my most important goal is to realize the consolidation and presence of the brand in the continental scope. Given the company's rapid growth and the aggressive and wise direction by Mr. Moussali, in five years I see myself participating in a continuous expansion of the market into new areas."
The market in Mexico
Despite the moment of security that the Latin American country is going through, the paints and coatings industry continues to evolve and seek stability that allows it to prepare more strongly for the coming years.
Rafael Mora has optimistic prospects for what lies ahead and estimates some modifications in the business chain: "The characteristics of the market in our country, as in the global one, are consolidation. Small manufacturers tend to disappear or are absorbed by transnational corporations. The growth prospects of the market range from 6 to 9%."
But to find a consolidation it is important to generate good value-added strategies that are convincing and effective. "In our market, added values are primarily based on service: speed of response, consistency in quality, competitive prices and 24/7 technical support service."
But a company must always keep in mind that the word "error" is pending to attack when the work is neglected. "The most frequent failures in the formulation and manufacture of paints occur in the development of new products. A poor selection of criteria can significantly affect the performance of a finishing line (curing time and temperature, particle size, transfer efficiency, etc.), "said the professional.
Rafael explains that from his experience there are positive methods that reduce the margin of error: "The technical service staff, like the sales representatives, are responsible for collecting the necessary information for the Research and Development Laboratory and there is an overview of the immediate and short-term needs of the user, which allows us to make you a "tailor-made suit" without this meaning an additional cost."
The representative for the Vitracoat region also highlights that in Mexico the use of powder coatings, due to their performance, is required for operations on heat-sensitive surfaces such as plastics or medium density panels, which replace liquid paints.
Our Professional of the Month concludes this note by again highlighting the importance of dealing with clients and constant communication with them as the key to remaining competitive in our industry.
"Both the president of the company and its managers always seek to obtain first-hand their impressions about the behavior of the materials and new levels of demand through periodic meetings of performance and requirements. We firmly believe in establishing long-term partnerships with each and every one of our clients, we provide them with the necessary tools to be increasingly competitive in the market that represent what, at the turn of the day, means more business to them", concludes the commercial director for Latin America of Vitracoat.
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