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Throughout the year, we focused our efforts on large-scale projects, such as the expansion of the Pork Meat business, investment in technology for the DCT development, the creation of new products and presentations in Herdez del Fuerte and Megamex, as well as the generation of new applications of greater added value in the Chemical businesses.
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Kekén is the largest producer and distributor of Pork Meat in Mexico and thanks to the quality of its products and processes, it has achieved a very relevant proportion of export sales, mainly to Japan, South Korea, the United States and recently China. During the year, exports grew more than 24%, accounting for 36% of total sales.
In addition, the company offers important sources of employment and makes a constant effort to integrate and approach communities, while maintaining a strategy of sustainability, focused on responsible consumption of natural resources and on the protection of the environment, being pioneers in the development of a sustainable pig farming culture.
In 2016 we announced a plan to duplicate Pork Meat business capacity, thanks to which we have carried out the opening of a processing plant, a balanced food plant, and a breeding center, as well as new farms and increased coverage of our Maxicarne retail network. We finished the year with 530 stores in operation, representing 27 new openings, growing in sales, average ticket and market coverage.
At Tremec, we are concluding our "Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT)" project, an outstanding technological development, not only for the company, but also for the automotive industry.
DCT technology allows for high-speed shifting, offering drive and power transfer capabilities that, in conjunction with intelligent controls and proprietary software designed by Tremec, open up new drive possibilities, meeting world-class specifications required by our customers.
DCT is the result of the joint work of a multidisciplinary team and the integration of our production plants in Mexico, the United States and Belgium.
Currently, we are manufacturing the DCT for the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, however, the flexible, custom design engineering that integrates complex systems will allow the DCT to be included in a greater number of high-performance applications in the future.
During this year we celebrated the tenth anniversary of Megamex Foods, our joint business between Herdez del Fuerte and Hormel Foods.
Throughout our history, we have offered products and presentations that meet the trends of the U.S. market, taking the traditional flavors of Mexican cuisine beyond our borders.
Continuing with our positioning strategy, we launched the "All Real, No Drama" campaign, which focuses on practicality, freshness, quality, and with a special emphasis on the "ready-to-serve" feature of our wholly guacamole® products. In addition, thanks to the success of the Herdez® Guacamole Flavored Sauce, the new presentations of salsas with different intensity, and the street taqueria salsas, we increased penetrations in this category.
Today we are proud to recognize that Wholly Guacamole has become the best-selling guacamole brand in the United States, while our Herdez salsas are the fastest-growing category of its kind in this market.
Twenty years ago, we created a joint venture with Repsol, resulting in the creation of Dynasol. Thanks to the technological leadership in the production of synthetic rubber in solution and emulsion, the company has become a reference for the global market, with exports to more than 70 countries, being one of the undisputed leaders in synthetic rubber and chemical accelerators worldwide.
Considering the new industry environment, the growing demand for products and the commercial strategy to reach new markets, at Resirene we are focused on innovation for the development of specialties and applications that meet the current and future needs of the polymer market, always maintaining the high quality standards that have distinguished us for over 40 years.
As part of this innovation process, we have developed new materials for extended use applications, Biorene applications to create environmentally friendly bags and EPS applications to make construction panels.
In addition, we have participated in various industry events, strengthening our presence with distributors and building customer relationships.
Finally, we have developed a circular economy model in which, by recycling polystyrene, we contribute to the reduction of plastic waste and make better use of resources. We have stations for the recovery of reusable waste and recyclable materials, and we carry out communication campaigns in which we seek to create awareness about the use, good management and correct disposal of plastic waste.
KUO has a highly qualified team committed to the mission, vision and values of the company and is aware that success largely relies on the contributions from each of its employees.
“Premios DESC” are celebrated annually, with the aim of promoting participation, innovation and sustainability through the recognition of the ideas and projects of our team.
In this edition, the Manuel Senderos Irigoyen award was granted to KEKÉN for the project "Genetic Improvement in Breeders". As a result of the implementation of this strategy, KEKÉN produces better quality meat, in greater quantity and in less time and cost.
In order to encourage the generation of innovative ideas focused on value creation and as part of our agenda for innovation and digital transformation. During the year, we held a design thinking workshop with the participation of employees from all of the Group's businesses.
The purpose of this workshop was to develop projects originated from the client's perspective and needs, with a positive impact on profitability. We also trained the participants so that they could lead and replicate the implementation of this methodology in their work teams.
Committed to social and sustainable development of the communities in which we operate, for more than 25 years, at Kekén we have implemented a partnership model to include and engage small entrepreneurs in our productive chain.
Through this model, the efforts of Kekén and its partners are combined for the process of growth and fattening. During this period, the company gives the sharecropper a certain number of animals, food, medicine and vaccines, as well as providing adequate training and continuous technical supervision.
The sharecropper benefits from the opportunity to develop an economically profitable activity, adapting and building appropriate facilities for this process, acquiring the necessary technical and operational knowledge, while committing to work in strict compliance with current regulations, meet the highest standards in animal welfare and environmental issues, follow the business specifications, maintain the confidentiality of the processes and always operate in an ethical and sustainable manner.
