Revista Granito de Arena

In Progreso, profits are not an objective, they are the result

revista regional summa edicion 327 logros de progreso latam
The regional magazine Summa, in its 327th edition, highlighted the CEO of Progreso José Raúl González, in a publication where he commented on the achievements of the company at the regional level, the values, the innovation processes and the ethical and business priorities of a brand with more than 121 years in the market.

«Of course we are an efficient, profitable and successful company in terms of profits, but what has made its sustainability possible is the result of everything we do for our clients, communities and workers,» says González.

With these words, the CEO of the company stressed that in Progreso, profits are not an objective, but the result of a series of actions embodied in the Code of Values, Ethics and Conduct and in the Leadership Agenda that the company has.

The pillars of this success: Genuine leadership, ethical behavior, solidarity and commitment to the sustainability of the company.

Under these premises, Progreso has allocated more than US $ 1.1 million during the pandemic to combat the impacts of the health crisis (6% for prevention and 94% for mitigation). 70% of the contribution was destined to national issues, 20% was given specifically to neighboring communities and the remaining 10% was used to support actions in the capital city.

“From these great principles we build an ecosystem based on service, quality and commitment to the result, as well as in the search for the well-being of our collaborators, their professional and personal development and the recognition of those attitudes and achievements that support us all. to achieve our results ”, highlights González.

The CEO of the company, indicated that the innovative spirit of Mr. Carlos Novella has been imprinted in the DNA of the company, inviting each of its members to be with the spearhead of technology to be able to offer their customers the best product and the best possible quality.

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A company with a purpose

In the regional publication, González refers to the quality and passion that exists at all levels of Progreso. «The quality products that we sell, the solidarity that characterizes us and the care to maintain an adequate work environment, gives us the social license to operate, under the protection of corporate citizenship that we are proud to exercise. That is why this company has been become an institution at the regional level”, he assures.

And it is that in the Guatemalan market there are about 14 cement brands and within that great offer, Progreso products stand out, thanks to the people behind their manufacture, called to live the values ​​that govern the group, inside and outside of the organization.

At the regional level, the company has 3,211 employees in 2020 (1.3% increase compared to 2019). 94.4% of employees work in Guatemala, the group’s headquarters, although it has a presence in four more countries: Belize, Honduras, Panama and Colombia.

Progreso Panamá

Passion for being disruptive

One of the achievements that González highlights most in the publication is the Progreso X project accelerator, in charge of speeding up the innovation projects that are generated, in order to take them to their maximum potential. It also has a recognition program (Granito de Oro), which rewards innovation projects and the development of new products, some of which are already on the market.

Another of the group’s most important achievements was precisely the completion of the aforementioned San Gabriel Plant, inaugurated after 12 years, with an investment of close to US $ 1.3 billion. «This generation of Progreso employees had the great challenge of assuming the commitment in front of the family and our Board of Directors to make the largest capital investment in the history of the private sector in Guatemala.»

For us, the family and the country are a strategic project because cement and concrete are materials that define how effective and how efficient a nation is going to be in the future, since without infrastructure it is not viable to compete with the rest of the world. world ”, he points out.

In the publication, it is emphasized that along with the construction of the plant, the company developed a genuine relationship with nearby communities, through social, education, health and nutrition programs, among others.

“The installation of a 21st century factory in San Juan Sacatepéquez could not operate if the populations around us were in 18th century conditions. For this reason, the first thing we did was evaluate how we could raise the level of nutrition, training and dignity of the indigenous people who lived in the area, ”he said.

progreso latam - belice
Belize Cement Plant

A company with a regional presence

Summa highlights the regional presence of Progreso: In Guatemala, a lime plant, a predosed plant, 15 fixed concrete plants and 2 mobile plants; two cement plants, a paper bag plant, six aggregates plants, and an electric power supplier.

In Honduras there is a cement plant, while in Belize cement sales grew 3.4% where it began operations in 2019, with the shipment of material from Guatemala. At the end of July 2021, it inaugurated a plant with the capacity to produce 100,000 tons of cement, which in principle produces general-purpose cement.

In Panama in 2019, Progreso acquired 100% of the Cemento Interoceánico company, which had been operating in Panama for 13 years. The purchase included a cement grinding plant, with an installed capacity of 300,000 tons, and three concrete plants.

To end in Colombia In 2020, the group began selling cement to that South American country.

Be a good neighbor

Between 2012 and 2019, Progreso contributed nearly US $ 42 million in areas of influence. In 2020, the community investments of the cement and aggregates plants benefited 48,569 people directly, to which are added 218,945 indirect beneficiaries. The investments made by Progreso to mitigate the pandemic reached 64 thousand people.

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