The cloud infrastructure that’s redefining management at Guzmán Minerals

Since its founding in 1939, family-owned business group Guzmán Global has been dedicated to covering sectors such as minerals and food ingredients, both nationally and internationally. Today, under the brand name Guzmán Minerals, the company, with headquarters in Valencia, is focused on managing its more than 4,000 clients in 53 countries by adhering to its sustainable and human vision for continued growth and international expansion. But that would only go so far without a commitment to technology and digitalization.

“Since its beginnings, Guzmán Minerals has firmly committed to technology as a strategic pillar,” says Luis Sabater, the company’s CIO. “This has remained constant, and we always seek to adapt to changes and evolve with the needs of the market and business. This approach allows us to remain competitive and prepared for the challenges of the future.” 

At the core of Guzmán’s digital transformation, Sabater says all servers are hosted in Azure, which allows the company to centrally manage every device. “All employees have devices integrated under high security standards, guaranteeing the efficiency and protection of internal information and that of our clients,” he says. 

The company is now in the process of improving digitalization in the factory, which includes automation processes and adoption of technologies to optimize operations. “We’re working on improving commercial reporting to obtain a clear global vision of the business, and better detailed analyses to make more informed decisions in real time,” says Sabater. “These initiatives are key to advance our digital transformation and strengthen our competitiveness.” 

Striving toward digital cohesion 

This process of digitalization hasn’t been without its bumps. One of the main challenges Guzmán Minerals faced was the segregation of different businesses within the group. For Sabater, this represented a significant technical difficulty, since each business unit had specific needs that required adaptation to the systems. “But this has also allowed us to acquire deeper knowledge, which has given us the flexibility to better adjust to the needs of each business, and improve our processes more effectively,” he says.

At the moment, tech implementation at Guzmán Minerals is carried out through a series of interconnected platforms that guarantee a real-time flow of data. “Our cloud infrastructure acts as a backbone, allowing for centralized and secure management,” says Sabater. “In addition to a robust ERP system, we have a CRM designed to improve commercial management, as well as specific tools for ticket management and support. These solutions, together with mobile applications for our employees, ensure complete and efficient technological integration in all areas of the business.” 

The company is currently executing on a computer-assisted maintenance management system (CMMS) and material requirements planning (MRP) in the factory, with the aim to optimize and automate production and maintenance processes. “We’ll soon begin implementing Business Central, which will mark an important step in updating and modernizing our business management system, further strengthening our operations and improving decision-making at a corporate level,” he says.  

These projects affect all departments of Guzmán Minerals since they cover everything from the manufacturing and processing of products to their sale. Furthermore, tools such as CMMS, MRP, and soon Business Central, directly impact areas such as production, logistics, maintenance, and administration, ensuring more efficient and connected management throughout the company.  

In the factory area, the company is in the final stages of configuring and testing a CMMS and MRP to improve planning and maintenance. Plus, the CRM is already in full use by the sales team, facilitating the management of clients and opportunities. As for Business Central, the project is in its early stages and represents a major transition from its current Dynamics NAV 2017 ERP solution. 

For the greater good

Guzmán Minerals’ IT strategy is aligned with its vision of sustainability and efficiency. The adoption of new technologies not only seeks to improve its internal operations, but ensure that environmental impact is minimal, and operations are more socially and economically responsible. “We believe technology must be a tool to achieve greater sustainability and create long-term value, both for the company and society,” he says. 

To achieve this, Guzmán has a considerable annual IT budget, explains Sabater. But that’s extended further when a large-scale system such as Business Central is activated. “Investment in technology is key to staying competitive and continuing to advance in our digital transformation,” he adds. “In addition, our new facilities in Malaysia also require investments that allow for comprehensive business management.” 

The company also has been committed for years to having specialized consultants to help implement projects. “On many occasions, we take on the role of project managers, working closely with different consultants to ensure projects are tailored to our needs.” 

Collaboration with partners 

Key partnerships have been key to driving Guzmán Minerals’ digital transformation. Their experience, according to Sabater, has allowed it to keep NAV 2017 adapted to its needs over time, but looking to the future, he’s sure there’ll be a smooth transition to Business Central this year to ensure the reengineering of business processes is carried out efficiently and aligned with the company’s objectives.  

“Adopting new technologies is in our DNA, so I’m sure in the coming years, we’ll integrate artificial intelligence to optimize and automate our processes, further improving efficiency and decision-making.”