The Client

Molex Inc. manufactures electronic components for a range of industries, with 59 plants in 20 countries throughout the world. The 70-year-old company makes 100,000 products, employs 33,000 people and tops $2.6 billion in revenue.

 

The Issue

Business itself is challenging enough. But merging two cultures in one manufacturing plant — and between plant leadership and headquarters — makes for an even more complex environment. The Molex plant located in Nogales, Mexico, on the Mexico-Arizona border, wanted to improve the productivity, efficiency and competitiveness of its cross-cultural work force – to ultimately enhance profitability. And achieving clear communication between all parts of the company was critical.

 

The Solution

We worked with company leaders for 12 months, starting by establishing clear plant-wide objectives and supporting leaders in their completion. We implemented processes that streamlined communication in a way that calibrated differing cultural expectations across the organization. Numerous internal issues were addressed wherever they were found, including cross-cultural group process, management skills, and inter-departmental conflict resolution. We also coached each of the 15 leaders one-on-one on personal and professional effectiveness. Our focus was on all levels of system: organization, groups and individuals to ensure positive change took place quickly.

 

The Outcome

We helped the Nogales plant be more competitive within Molex and globally. Molex leaders attributed the following results to our work:

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• Employee satisfaction increased by 75% based on pre- and post surveys

• Profits at the plant improved by 50% following this work

• Quality issues were reduced by 50%

• The plant earned the Best in Class award for Most Improved Quality among 65 worldwide plants

• Awarded the Sonora Industry Honor, which acknowledges the “Best Place to Work” by the Chamber of Commerce for the Mexican state of Sonora