IBIE SPECIAL
There’s no place like IBIE After unprecedented disruptions in the industry, anticipation is high for the industry to return to the Baking Expo, which will showcase new consumer, technology and business trends.
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Expectations are very high for IBIE this year, for organizers and attendees. Given the current challenges, this is probably the most important show in the last decade, with the industry looking to IBIE for new automation solutions, equipment to help bypass supply chain issues, and training opportunities, as the workforce issues are more stringent than ever. Organization-wise, there have been significant changes in how the planning and the execution of the show were managed. Planning sessions were exclusively done remotely, but everyone is eager to meet face to face and see new solutions directly. Jorge Zarate, Global Senior Vice President of Operations and Engineering at Grupo Bimbo, Mexico City, and Vice Chairman of IBIE 2022, gave us a glimpse into the new priorities shaping the industry at present, from new consumer choices to tackling challenges related to skilled work, production and supply and the impact of the war in Ukraine. To navigate this space, everyone in the industry is eager to talk – face to face, finally – to their peers. “There is a need to share”, Zarate comments, as bakeries are
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managing their product portfolio to be more productive and avoid disruptions, as the labor shortage worsens. In North America, workers are exiting the industry seeking a better quality of life elsewhere, with a generous range of opportunities to choose from, as new businesses are growing. Similar developments are emerging in Mexico, South America and Central America,
observes the executive of the Mexicobased company. “We are expecting to show at IBIE how you can automate processes,” he anticipates, with solutions including implementing robotics in new areas, for example. This is a familiar plight in Europe, so visitors will find inspiration at the Las Vegas event. Digital solutions are bound to garner interest as well, given their recent spike in popularity, as they
Jorge Zarate Jorge Zarate Lupercio is Grupo Bimbo´s Global Senior VP of Operations. Since he joined Group in 1987, he has been in charge of different roles in Mexico and South America. He holds a Biochemical Engineering degree from ITESM (Mexico), a postgraduate degree in Strategic Marketing at Universidad Católica de Argentina (UCA) and an MBA at Escuela de Dirección de Empresas de la Universidad © IBIE
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Argentina de Empresas (EDDE).
