TuboCaribe, located in Cartagena, Colombia, joined Tenaris in 2006. It produces 150,000 tons of tubes annually, 70% of which are exported throughout the Americas.
Vicente Manjarrez was in the thick of the action when TuboCaribe was integrated into Tenaris, and found the work both challenging and exhilarating. Having benefited from the personal growth attained in previous stages of his work at Tenaris, he was able to come to grips with a transition that was invaluable as a learning experience and as a cornerstone of his career advancement.
How did you come to work for Tenaris?
I had heard about Tamsa around late 2002-early 2003, when I was studying mechanical and electrical engineering at the Technological University of Monterrey. I left Mexico City for Veracruz and joined the Global Trainee Program. I was in charge of some small projects, identifying failures in the equipment as part of the maintenance engineering team. I got lots of coaching both regarding technical and managerial aspects. I like to move independently, and they gave me leeway. I’m a bit hyperactive — I can’t stand being in an office so much. I saw a chance to grow and requested a transfer.
How did that work out?
I was sent to the hot rolling mill. Seeing the day-to-day problems and the handling of daily maintenance was much better for my type of personality. As a Global Trainee, I had a new chance: I was responsible for the rolling mill’s mechanical maintenance. In late 2004 I became head of mechanical maintenance. During that time, my boss went to Canada for three months and I had to do everything on my own — and found I was a like a fish in water.
When did the shift to Colombia take place?
In June 2006 I was selected to go there, and it was a jump, a huge responsibility. I was first sent to Buenos Aires as part of the team in charge of the integration, and met everybody. The CEO, top management and colleagues from around the world that took part in the meetings, gave me a view of the entire business. Being in those meetings with top managers, I found, was better than any Master’s in business administration.
How has the integration gone so far in TuboCaribe?
The people who had been with the plant and remained with it know the equipment well. For those of us who came in, a machine may be different from another, but the principles are the same. The main thing is to change the company’s culture, while making good use of the knowledge already there at the plant. The people are really dedicated. We quickly lowered the rate of equipment incidents, reducing the hours of non-operational interruptions. We restructured exceedingly fast and in one year achieved very significant numbers. We did it by keeping our eyes and our minds set on quality all the time.
