Embodiment of innovation and inventiveness Written by Mateo Rafael Tablado Produced by David Alarcon
Interviewee Delmy Romero, CEO for Santos Industria S.A.
Santos Industria
Construction
Construction and infrastructure development in Honduras has an important ally in Santos Industria for concrete, precast structures, blocks and aggregates. Quality from the foundations to the top
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January 2021
S
antos Industria was created in 1996 as a building materials supplier, starting with crushed rock and asphalt concrete production. The
company derived from the Santos & CĂa. group -with more than 60 years in businessand became independent afterwards.
Santos Industria
From the ADM 1 model asphalt concrete
Construction
The company operates mainly from its
plant and the first Nordberg crusher to
headquarters in Tegucigalpa, and also
the different creations from its production
has locations in Choloma, Choluteca, San
plants, it didn’t take long for Santos
Lorenzo and San Pedro Sula.
Industria to earn a place in Honduras’
Through the years, Santos Industria has
construction sector. The company is
taken part in very important infrastructure
certified under local regulations and global
projects in Honduras, including bridges
standards, such as ISO:9001, besides
and tunnels nationwide and in the Canal
receiving accolades from efforts in social
Seco highway, where 162 prestressed
and environmental matters.
concrete beams were deployed, resisting
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Santos Industria
Construction
“HONDURAS NEEDS SUPPORT IN ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE AND SANTOS INDUSTRIA RELIES ON THE BEST AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGY” - Delmy Romero, CEO for Santos Industria
recent hurricanes in Honduran territory.
team and supported by the latest
The company contributes to the country’s
technology in the industry.
development through an innovative
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“Honduras needs support in road
approach, creating a wide array of options
infrastructure and Santos Industria relies
to go beyond any limit, led by a resourceful
on the best available technology,” Delmy
January 2021
Construction
Santos Industria
Romero, commented. Romero is the CEO
to learn from basic principles to complex
for Santos Industria.
subjects,” the executive explained.
Romero graduated in accounting from the National Autonomous University of Honduras and is currently taking her MBA. Romero has also worked in the telecommunications sector for the Millicom multinational company, where she held different positions in the finance department and led the ERP (enterprise resource planning) design and implementation. She also accomplished successful mergers
PRODUCTION LINES
Santos Industria main production lines include: • Grinding. Processing of volcanic rocks, such as basalt, through different cycles with cutting-edge technology. Minimal capacity is approx. 3500 ft3 per hour. This area produces gravels, granules, sand and other mixing materials.
and IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) deployments, having completed
• Hydraulic concrete. Produced
courses for purposes of the latter as well
through a hi-tech, computerized process
as for KPI (key performance indicator)
under strict quality standards.
implementations during an internship in Europe. Romero also qualified for the
• Asphalt concrete. A 100 ton per
highest honors in the Human Relations
hour latest-generation continuous flow
course from Dale Carnegie Academy
production plant delivers the best
(Australia). Romero enjoys working at
concrete in the region, processed in
Santos Industria as well as sharing the
laboratories for quality control before
company’s vision, where it didn’t take
distribution.
her long to learn all that is related to the business. “We are in constant motion, we must possess flexibility and adaptability. I’ve had
• Small precast units. The latest technology in the region relies on a minimum capacity of 3,000 units per
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Santos Industria
Construction
“WHAT MATTERS THE MOST IS
MAKING OUR CLIENTS FEEL SUPPORTED AND ALLOW THEM TO HAVE A SATISFACTORY EXPERIENCE” - Delmy Romero, CEO for Santos Industria
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January 2021
Santos Industria
Construction
hour for production of cinder blocks,
surpassing the consequences derived
cobblestone, split-face block, filler slabs,
from the global pandemic-, the company
floor tiles and retaining wall block.
managed to finish a second concrete plant, located also in the country’s capital,
• Precast structures. This flexible
relying on a minimum capacity of approx.
production line creates large items for
1236 ft3 per hour.
different uses, mainly in infrastructure,
“We’ve been updating our machinery and
such as catch basins, manholes,
specialized equipment in order to create any
prestressed columns of any size,
product our clients need, thus adding value
column capitals, panels, and ready to use
to our company,” Romero remarked.
prefab sheds. SUPPORT FROM TECHNOLOGY
All of these products undergo strict testing in a laboratory equipped with the necessary technology to control and validate production processes before being approved by quality control management. GROWTH DEMANDS MET WITH INVESTMENT
Honduras’ infrastructure development
Both operational and management processes in Santos Industria are supported by reliable tech resources. The customized ERP for this segment speeds cost, inventory and invoicing processes, besides offering up to date financial information, which results in better decision-making. In the production areas, machinery
demands companies which are up to
is computer-controlled and constantly
the task, Santos Industria has timely
updated, it receives remote support from
foreseen this and is currently working on
Europe.
increasing its production. In 2019, the
On its behalf, the design and development
company opened its fourth block factory
department upgrades construction and
in Tegucigalpa, whose minimum capacity
production processes, reducing costs and
is 3,000 units per hour. In 2020 -and
time, a benefit for clients.
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Santos Industria
Construction
NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
beams and columns. Santos Industria
Among the newest additions to the Santos is a trend-setter in this time and Industria catalogue, prefab underpasses
cost-reducing option.
stand out during difficult weather conditions; these units possess high capacity for stormwater flow, making them
Santos Industria’s value chain is formed
more convenient over traditional sewage
by strategic partners and purveyors capable
works, having proved their functionality in
of meeting quality standards, policies and
infrastructure projects.
procedures in a number of operations,
Column capitals for girder support have
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SUPPLY CHAIN: FOCUS ON QUALITY
making quality the cornerstone from
been included recently into the product
raw material to finished product. These
portfolio as well as prefab sheds, a storage
guidelines result in the “intimacy with the
solution created with wall panels, prefab
client” value proposition.
January 2021
Santos Industria
“What matters the most is making our
Construction
was reorganized from restrictions set by
clients feel supported, that they are not
incumbent agencies, achieving continuity in
alone, allowing them to have a satisfactory
projects and client relationships.
experience with our products and services,” the CEO explained.
“We’ve learned a lot across the pandemic, we discovered new markets and ways to reach them with the products we’ve been
BEYOND THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC
As it happened with businesses worldwide, consequences from COVID19 brought Santos Industria a series of challenges which have been surpassed through intelligence and creativity. The company reinvented itself and
developing and looking to launch during 2021,” Romero commented. INCLUSION ENVIRONMENT
The human element at work in Santos Industria flourishes in an open communication environment of
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Santos Industria
Construction
collaboration, which allows easy detection for areas of improvement, new ideas and
is ‘materializing human inventiveness’.
carrying these out with a sum of efforts.
Our company’s main trait is our innovation
Staff development is a key aspect,
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“The internal motto for Santos Industria
culture, with young, dynamic, skilled
achieved through training, access to
talent, ready for multitasking with the
postgraduate studies, specialization
idea that anything can be done,” the
courses and certification.
executive explained.
January 2021
Santos Industria
LINKS WITH THE COMMUNITY
The solid relationship between Santos
Construction
support, street maintenance, reforestation and environmental workshops. The state
Industria and surrounding communities
of public school facilities within these
through neighborhood associations and
communities reflect the valuable help
churches has resulted in benefits for
received from Santos Industria.
these populations in the receiving end
Support provided by Santos Industria in
of building materials donations, logistic
these areas is not limited to material goods,
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Santos Industria
Construction
“OUR COMPANY’S MAIN TRAIT IS OUR INNOVATION CULTURE WITH THE IDEA THAT ANYTHING CAN BE DONE” - Delmy Romero, CEO for Santos Industria
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January 2021
Construction
but also through the company’s architects’ and engineers’ knowledge. NEW HORIZONS
Next steps for Santos Industria will increase the company’s distribution reach nationwide through strategic partnerships. New plans are currently in the works with Construmarket, the official FOUNDED:
1996
distributor. Other plans include strengthening the market in Southern Honduras, reaching a new customer tier with a new “VIP” product line from
INDUSTRY:
the precast production plant,
Construction
and increasing sales by 20%. These goals are foreseen to be accomplished during 2021.
WEBPAGE: www.santosindustriahn.com
“We don’t stop dreaming. Part of our vision is to expand across Honduras’ borders,” concluded Delmy Romero, CEO for Santos Industria.
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