‘Steering the ship together’

It’s a manufacturing facility that is often referred to in the Freudenberg world as a place where you could literally eat off the shop floor. This Vibracoustic manufacturing facility in Lerma, Mexico is celebrating 20 years of producing air springs. Many say it would not have been as successful without the passion and leadership from its Plant Manager Dagoberto Arturo Sánchez Martínez.

When I got here it was a new business. It was a niche market. We needed to prove our performance was excellent. We needed to ensure our customers had full confidence in the products we were providing, and we achieved that.

Dagoberto Arturo Sánchez Martínez, Plant Manager

Empowerment is key. If my employees have a good idea, I will support them and make it happen. We are steering this ship together.

Dagoberto Arturo Sánchez Martínez

Dagoberto has been at the Lerma facility since the beginning and is now celebrating 20 years of working at this facility alongside five other employees. Miguel Sánchez Sotelo, Samuel Sergio Vidal Iturbe, José Gustavo Benhumea Gutiérrez, Fernando Contreras Rodríguez, and Jesús Martín Espinoza Velázquez have also been working at the Lerma facility since it opened 20 years ago.

Dagoberto admits change can be as exciting as it is challenging but believes what helps Lerma achieve such success is the leadership remaining focused on maintaining a culture that fosters continued growth.  

“There are moments when you feel fear or are not fully confident. I have found it was often connected to my lack of trust in others. But once you overcome that fear and you place trust in others everything changes. Suddenly, a weight is lifted, and we start to develop a strong and united team,” said Dagoberto.

That culture of trust is something Dagoberto also feels from the executive leadership within Vibracoustic and Freudenberg.

I am very thankful my ideas are always welcomed. When I request support from leadership they say, let’s go for it.

Dagoberto Arturo Sánchez Martínez

“I am very thankful my ideas are always welcomed. When I request support from leadership they say, let’s go for it,” said Dagoberto. While he has the title of Plant Manager, Dagoberto says growth only happens when each and every employee has a part in the process. “It creates a fantastic energy and synergy that allows us to not only achieve our goals, but continuously set the bar higher,” said Dagoberto.

That energy and synergy is also felt outside the walls of this Vibracoustic facility where the employees often come together to improve their community. Dagoberto says initiatives to plant trees, sponsor apprentices, and support a nearby orphanage are just some of the ways his employees have chosen to give back to the place where they live and work.