Two decades of transformation have taught us something essential: the companies that evolve are the ones that never stop improving. Today we see it with Rogelio Vila, CEO of Equipe Cerámicas, who has made Lean a real driver of change.
Specialized in small-format ceramic wall tiles, Equipe Cerámicas stands out for its design, agility and strong international presence. Its recent growth has gone hand in hand with a firm commitment to efficiency and continuous improvement.
What led you to implement Lean in your company?
In line with our strategy of pursuing continuous improvement, we were looking to increase the productivity of our ceramic manufacturing plants, in order to adapt production to the growing demand we were observing.
What have you achieved thanks to Lean?
The most visible aspect has been the results: productivity increases of over 30%. But the real change has been cultural. We have transformed the way the team thinks and works. Now everyone literally everyone is fully committed to continuous improvement, with a constant mindset of seeking and applying improvements.
What was the key moment of the project?
We started with very modest expectations, convinced that we were already doing things quite well and that the room for improvement was limited. We launched a pilot in just two production lines and, within a few weeks and with minimal investment, we realized that we were much further from excellence than we had thought. That realization made us see how dangerous complacency can be and pushed us to completely transform our production organization, based on the Lean philosophy.
Why did you choose us?
Equipe is a company backed by the fund Miura Partners. It was them who recommended working with you, given the excellent experiences they had had in similar projects in other portfolio companies.
Tell us an anecdote you experienced with SGS Productivity
The beginning was complicated. As with any deep change, there was skepticism and some resistance at all levels, from operators to managers. From management, we had to push hard at the beginning. The interesting part is that now it is the team itself that pushes. Not because we have slowed down, but because they have made the Lean system their own and want to keep moving forward even further.
How have you seen your team evolve throughout the project?
The evolution has been spectacular. The team has grown in technical skills, commitment and leadership. At the beginning, everything felt like an imposition. Today, improvement is part of their daily work. They have understood the “why” and have taken ownership of the “how”. That is, without a doubt, the greatest guarantee of the sustainability of the change.
Finally, if you had to define the collaboration with SGS Productivity in one sentence, what would it be?
Obviously, I would define it as VERY PRODUCTIVE