Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1521713
22 SMT007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2024 in the local community, and a reputation as a place where local people want to work? Stoehr: Because the country's economy is rising so fast, we have challenges retain- ing good employees. In general, we've had a pretty stable workforce, partly because of our good reputation and because of our pay struc- ture. We pay minimums, with added incentives, such as bonuses for perfect attendance and other things. A large portion of our labor force are working mothers, so we do a lot to support them. We offer bus service, so they can catch the bus about 45 minutes before their shi starts and get home 45 minutes aer their shi ends. Many of those moms get up very early to care for their children, make them breakfast and school lunches, etc., so we try to support that. Letty, our vice president of administra- tion in Mexico, has been with us for 25 years. She lives there in Tecate and has led the way in taking care of our people in a way that creates loyalty and long-term relationships. How does this work of creating a culture of self-improvement translate to better margins? Stoehr: We don't measure it directly like that. Less turnover means more consistency in attendance, and that should lead to better per- formance. An experienced employee should have a proactive effect on on-time delivery and quality. e costs of recruiting and hiring add up. If the company looks at it from a total cost perspective, it's probably competitive. Paul, what should a company pay attention to when considering a Mexico EMS channel? Forker: Size and fit are most important, regard- less of whether you're looking in your back- yard or in Mexico. If you have enough volume or overall spend to go to Mexico, you still need