As part of our 20th anniversary, we spoke with José Navarro, General Manager of Herbolario Navarro — a family-owned company with over 250 years of history, offering organic food, herbal medicine, natural cosmetics, and nutritional supplements, all guided by the values of honesty, closeness, and continuous improvement. He shared how implementing Lean helped them improve operational efficiency, engage all levels of the organization, and take a qualitative leap toward a more agile, sustainable, and customer-focused way of working.
What made you decide to implement Lean in your company?
The decision to implement this methodology came during a period of expansion — in 2019, we had 35 stores, and the need to improve operational efficiency was a top priority to enhance the value we deliver and the satisfaction of both our internal and external customers.
We carried out an organizational diagnosis with the support of SGS Productivity and realized that we needed a structural change. Our goal was not to implement isolated improvements, but to transform the way we worked—engaging all levels of the organization and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
We started the project in Logistics in 2019, although we had to slow down progress due to the pandemic, as the diagnosis had shown that the most significant improvements could be achieved in these centers. We then continued the implementation in Central Services and eventually extended it to all stores. Today, the methodology is maintained across all areas of the organization.
Ultimately, the decision to implement this methodology was driven by the need to become more competitive, agile, and sustainable in the long term.
What results have you achieved through the implementation of Lean?
With this methodology, we’ve managed to unify the way of working across the different areas of the organization. This has helped us become more efficient and transform the way we think and act—by identifying and reducing waste and non-value-added activities, making data-driven decisions, and encouraging cross-functional teamwork, planning, and focus.
What was the key moment or highlight of the project?
The key moment was the first workshop we conducted in Logistics, focused on a specific company process.
Previously, whenever a problem arose, we acted quickly—“we were a bit impatient”—without considering all the departments involved. As a result, an improvement in one area could end up worsening others, and the problem wasn’t solved holistically.
The first workshop was the turning point, where we realized that Continuous Improvement wasn’t just a theory, but a participatory, practical, and effective tool.
Why did you choose SGS PRODUCTIVITY?
At first, we had chosen another company, but after meeting SGS PRODUCTIVITY, something made us change our minds—the values they conveyed, their professionalism, honesty, and experience.
Can you share an anecdote you’ve experienced with SGS Productivity?
It happened during one of the workshops we held to improve the merchandise restocking process in stores. At first, the solution we considered was purchasing new equipment to speed up the work, which implied a significant cost for the organization. However, by applying the Lean methodology and involving the operations team—those who experience the process firsthand—we managed to simplify something complex and use a system tool that allowed us to clearly visualize the actual situation by recording key process data. This way, we found the root cause and solved the problem without the need for any investment.
This experience taught us something fundamental: “the hardest thing is to make things simple,” and without data, any decision is just a guess. As SGS PRODUCTIVITY says, “what isn’t measured can’t be improved.”
In what ways has your team evolved over the course of the project?
The evolution of the team has been significant. At first, there was some resistance to change, as the methodology was perceived as an added workload. However, over time and with visible results, we achieved everyone’s participation and commitment, strengthened ourselves as a team, and improved communication.
In fact, the improvement system is now so deeply integrated that it has its own identity, recognized throughout the organization as “Valor 3.”
If you had to sum up your collaboration with SGS productivity in just one sentence…what would it be?
A close partnership that combined SGS PRODUCTIVITY’s expertise with the company’s internal knowledge to generate sustainable improvements.