![](/content/CO/2005/04/img/tradetalk.gif)
Colombina S.A.:
A Case Study of Colombian Progress
Lollipops production line in Colombina’s La Paila-Valle confectionery plant
Spending a couple of days
in Colombina’s manufacturing and administrative facilities gives one
a sense of the similarities as well as the differences between the business
culture in Colombia and in the United States. The most striking
characteristic of Colombina was a seemingly universal dedication to
advancing the success of the company both within its domestic market of
Colombia and around the world.
Colombina’s administrative/management and
factory employees work very hard. At the Colombina administrative
headquarters in Cali, Colombia, the workday starts at 7:30 a.m. and
formally finishes at 6 p.m., but many employees will be found still on the
job well after 6 p.m. on nearly any given evening. Yes, Colombina employees
take a two-hour lunch break, have many more holidays than we do in North
America and more vacation time. However, the dedication, pride, energy and
single-minded focus found among the Colombina staff are not found everyday
within U.S. companies.
Colombina’s manufacturing facilities are
state-of-the art, and the plant employees share the same passion and
dedication for Colombina’s success that the administrative staff
possesses.
Another striking difference
between Colombina and a typical confectionery plant in the United States
from an operational perspective is Colombina’s export dock operation
within its warehouses. Colombina is Basc-certified (Business Anti-Smuggling
Coalition). Colombina’s export docks are sectioned off and locked,
and the export dock is on camera 24 hours a day. The movement of every case
can be tracked to every individual who played a role in transporting it,
and trained scent dogs inspect every shipment
prior to it leaving the warehouse.
Last, but certainly not least, Colombina’s
dedication to producing quality products is unwavering. Colombians will not
eat highly processed foods lacking taste and quality. Fruit-flavored
candies must be flavorful and be true to life. Cookies, candies and
pastries that include a milk or a cream aspect, must contain real milk or
cream. This dedication to quality has allowed Colombina’s success
within Latin America and is providing the company a competitive edge as it
moves into markets around the world.
Like Colombia overall, Colombina’s future is
bright. Hard work and dedication to proving itself within the global
economy will fuel many years of future success. n
Colombina at a Glance
Business: Largest
food distributor in Colombia (distributors of their own products and
products for many multi-national packaged goods companies) and leading
confectionery, snack, pastry and cookie manufacturer
Customer Base: 350,000
retail and distribution customers in 26 countries around the world
Number of Confectionery, Cookie, Pastry and Snack
Plants: 5
Production Output (five confectionery, cookie, pastry
and snack plants combined): 398.7 tons/year
Products Produced: Lollipops, bubble gum, extruded corn snacks, chocolate,
marshmallow, hard candy, jellies, cookies, wafer cookies, snack cakes,
chewy candies
Key Brands: Bon Bon
Bum, Soft Mint Puffs, Soft Fruit Puffs, Tiger Pops, Coffee Delight, Snow
Mint, Snacky, Ponky, Galleta de Leche, Bridge, Squirt, ChocoBreak,
Nucita, GoLeador
Key Certifications: ISO
9002, Basc (Business Anti-Smuggling Coalition), Kosher, HACCP