February 26, 2011 Leading Trends

Volume 14 | Issue 1

Since 2000, Trend Technologies de México, a company that manufactures metal and plastic components and enclosures for various industries, ha

Trend Technologies de México forms part of Trend Technologies, LLC, a worldwide company that produces metal and plastic products for the high-end computer, networking, industrial, telecom, medical, and automotive industries. With its headquarters based in Chino, Calif., Trend Technologies has facilities around the world, spanning the continents of North America, Europe and Asia.
As a global supplier to well-known international brands, Trend Technologies has the capability of meeting a wide variety of needs for its diverse client list. “Any company that wants metal or plastic parts can come to us and we will manufacture them,” says Ricardo Martínez, general manager of the company’s operations in Mexico.

For the high-end computing industry, Trend Technologies de México has manufactured products for leaders such as Hewlett-Packard, Dell and Microsoft. In the area of networking, the company has provided components for Motorola and Oracle, among others. For the telecommunications industry, Trend Technologies has worked with names such as Cisco Systems and Alcatel-Lucent.

In the automotive sector, the company has provided parts for Continental, VSO, and Hella, a Germany-based company that provides lighting and electronic components and systems for the auto industry. When it comes to consumer electronics, Trend Technologies has worked with Whirlpool, Philips and Electrolux. In addition to these, the company also works with contract manufacturers that assemble electronic products.

LARGE AND SMALL
Trend Technologies can manufacture any size part, including very large cabinet enclosures. Its product range includes high volume stamping, high volume molding, tooling, progressive stamping dies, and injection molds. From routers and switchboards to barcode scanners, Trend Technologies can cover nearly any need involving plastic and metal components and enclosures.

The management team of Trend Technologies has been together for 30 years. This experience has created the ability to help customers get products off to a good start.

As an example of how quickly Trend Technologies can get a product on the market, it once worked with Hewlett-Packard on a printer tray. Trend experts put together an 11-tool program through multiple tooling sources prior to the on-site production process. It took only 28 days from the first shots through design changes and texture to get to high volume production.

By being efficient and productive without compromising quality, Trend Technologies has been able to develop ongoing customer relationships.

A FOCUS ON TALENT
Trend Technologies de México began operations in the year 2000. At that time, the firm built a factory in the city of Guadalajara, the second largest city in Mexico. Guadalajara is located in the western central state of Jalisco. Trend Technologies has a plant that covers 150,000 square feet there.

The company currently employs approximately 750 workers. These individuals are extremely important to Trend Technologies: together, they form a pool of talent that separates the company from many other players in its field. “We are very protective of our talent,” explains Martínez. “None of the people that have the know-how leave us because we try to keep them motivated, give them a challenge, and treat them well.”

For its workers, the company has set up a continuous learning system. “With every project that comes in, we learn something else,” Martínez says. “By doing this, we’ve developed a very strong team that keeps growing in knowledge.” Having a team of experts has given the company opportunities to offer more to both its current and new customers.

While the company’s facility in Mexico focuses on keeping its workers well trained, it’s not alone, says Martínez. “The same is true for the other global sites. We tend to keep our talent; it’s the motor that drives our growth.”

When working with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), Trend Technologies gets involved early in the process. The OEMs generally have their own set of designers at work on a new part, but Trend Technologies sends over some of its own experts to help during the design process. “We get in early in the game with the designers to provide all of our knowledge of manufacturing so they can drive costs down on their designs and make the parts more effective, either mechanically or electronically,” says Martínez.

In addition to expert design and engineering teams, the company has teams of experts in the following departments: tool and auxiliary equipment development; production, assembly, and testing; logistics; and quality.

GLOBAL FIRM
Trend Technologies de México in Guadalajara forms the Mexico branch of a global company. Trend Technologies has ongoing operations in North America, Asia, and Europe. In the United States, it has facilities in Chicago, Denver, San José¸ Los Angeles, and Austin, Texas. In Europe, the company carries out operations in Mullingar, Ireland.

In Asia, the company has its regional headquarters set up in Singapore. It has seven manufacturing facilities spread throughout the Asia Pacific region. Trend Asia has three manufacturing plants in Singapore, one in Johor Bahru, Malaysia; one in Sozhou, China; one in Pune, India, and one in Chennai, India.

In all, Trend Technologies brings in approximately $150 million in sales each year. Due to its emphasis on continuous improvement techniques and lean manufacturing processes, the company has become a leader in its particular niche. “We have local competitors in areas such as Mexico, Europe, and Asia,“ says Martínez. “But with our footprint, on a global scale there aren’t any others that we’re fighting with every day.”

During the upcoming years, Trend Technologies de México has plans to continue growing, especially in the automotive sector. “We are also working on developing more automated and complex products,” says Martínez.

As the company continues to grow and evolve during the next years, Martínez notes that one thing will remain the same: manufacturing excellence. “We try to do what we do in the best possible way; that’s our strategy to keep growing the business.” Through different programs, workers continue to stay motivated and inspired to do their best. “We’re also trying to do better to remain competitive – there’s no other way around it.”

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