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CMPC Drives Program to Strengthen Local Suppliers

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14 small and medium-sized enterprises completed their training in the first edition of the Local Supplier Development Program, promoted by CMPC. By the end of the year, it is expected that 100 suppliers will have been trained through this initiative.
"We have extensive experience in the field; I started with my mother at the age of 8. We are located in Mininco, which allows us to respond quickly. Our tools have become increasingly modern and are also environmentally sustainable," says Patricio Sperje when talking about his business "Sperlimp," which supplies CMPC by providing cleaning and sanitization services at the paper mill.
Like him, 14 small and medium-sized enterprises from the Biobío and La Araucanía regions participated in the first edition of CMPC's "Local Supplier Development" Program, an initiative aimed at boosting the growth and strengthening of transportation companies and industrial maintenance and cleaning service providers.
Thus, 14 SMEs from the municipalities of Nacimiento, Laja, Collipulli, and Loncoche—all local suppliers for the pulp businesses—were part of this first "pilot" stage of the program.
"I highly value this because it’s a great help for us. Although I am a professional with my own education, over time some practices fade. In my case, they helped me refresh my knowledge and modernize. What this program contributed most was the ability to reach clients and seek more work opportunities," says Patricio.
The initiative, launched in 2021, consisted of four stages: diagnosis, gaps and improvement opportunities, strengthening, and follow-up. Over six months, the theoretical and practical program was executed by the Industrial Corporation for Regional Development, Cidere Biobío, covering topics such as competitiveness, new businesses, managerial skills, financial management, communication, sustainability, and more.
CH Industrial is a company that performs industrial mechanical maintenance, working with CMPC Celulosa Laja, Pacífico, and Nacimiento. Its owner and manager, Carlos Hidalgo, was part of the program's first edition. "We reinforced our knowledge and applied new techniques for tasks we regularly perform. It helped us organize ourselves as a company. I greatly value and appreciate the invitation to this program—I really enjoyed learning, identifying my shortcomings, and improving," he shares.
The closing ceremony, held in Los Ángeles, was also attended by CMPC's General Manager, Francisco Ruiz-Tagle. On the occasion, he stated, "As we’ve said, CMPC has defined as part of its sustainability and community engagement strategy to be a driver of development impact, and I believe this is being fulfilled. This type of work adds value and vitality to a company; CMPC needs the community, entrepreneurship, innovation, and local development. I believe this is a shared-value management model, which is what we value most as a company."
Finally, due to the success of this initiative, the expansion of the program was announced, with expectations to train 100 suppliers by the end of 2022.