You can't save the world.
It's shocking how much the Covid pandemic has affected our lives; what has impressed me most is that it affects us all—it's a democratic pandemic; all countries, rich and developing, on every continent. There are countless efforts by so many people trying to remedy this situation; I think about it carefully and I'm aware that I can't do anything to save the world. Of course, I'll wear a mask and follow all the experts' recommendations. I can't save the world, I can't eliminate Covid, I can't help children and young people return to school soon, I can't change the situation we're all living through. The only thing I can do is decide how I'm going to face the most serious and complicated situation my generation has ever had to endure. The only thing we can do is decide how we're going to face this situation. This is what I think as a person, and it's what we at GDI Uniforms think: With this thought in mind, we are confident that if we take care of ourselves and apply best practices to protect ourselves, we can survive and benefit from this impactful event. At GDI, we continue to build comprehensive image and security solutions for our clients through uniforms and workwear. We want to continue working with the best companies in Mexico, Central America, and the United States. Dear reader, I invite you to get to know us; we would be delighted to offer you our support and experience. I hope you continue to take care of yourself. Best regards, Fermín Pérez Márquez – Commercial Director of GDI. Get to know us!
Blind CVs, a measure in favor of diversity.
If you work in Human Resources, you've probably asked yourself repeatedly, "Is gender, location, or age really more relevant than a candidate's professional experience?" Or perhaps, as an internal client, you've been more influenced by these factors when selecting a new team member. I'd like to tell you a little more about this topic, which, although not widely discussed in Mexico, seems to be gaining popularity. The Blind Resume is a measure implemented primarily in European countries in late 2006, where, even within their equality legislation, a clause was added stipulating that the candidate's resume information must be presented anonymously, eliminating personal details such as name, gender, age, place of residence, and including a photograph. This new resume format aims to focus solely on what's most relevant when applying for a new job: the candidate's skills and competencies. Furthermore, using this document anonymously facilitates the hiring of women, older adults, immigrants, and members of minority groups. Thanks to the diversity of our staff, high-performing teams are forming. Sharing experiences with people from different cultures, ages, professions, and even preferences enriches and strengthens our knowledge base by discussing diverse ideas and experiences to solve problems. Knowledge management theory posits that knowledge is a human act based on interpreting information to act in a given situation. Therefore, it resides primarily in people and is enriched the more it is shared. Working in an inclusive and diverse environment will contribute to achieving the organization's objectives. At GDI, we have improved our recruitment and selection strategies by focusing solely on candidates' competencies from the very first interview, fostering a better work environment and organizational culture. Would you like to work with us? At GDI, we value extraordinary effort and are always looking to work with the best people. Contact us! Sydney Velázquez Mendoza – Talent Acquisition Analyst at GDI
October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Did you know that breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women of working age in our country? Every day, between 10 and 12 Mexican women die from this disease. Although the incidence is higher after age 55, there are increasingly more cases of women between 35 and 45 years old suffering from this condition. The number of cases in our country has grown alarmingly in recent years, so, as we do every year, we dedicate a month to raising awareness and emphasizing the importance of prevention. Early detection is essential to receive the right treatments and care and to overcome this terrible disease. To detect breast cancer early, it is necessary to be attentive to different signs and symptoms in our bodies. Remember, the earlier it is detected, the better your chances of fighting and overcoming this disease. The most important signs are: To this day, the specific cause of this disease is still unclear. However, some studies show a link to smoking, poor diet, lack of physical activity, obesity, excessive use of contraceptives, and above all, a person's genetic predisposition. This is why it is extremely important for all women to be aware of the signs and maintain constant communication with their trusted doctor. At GDI, we are confident that each of us can be a spokesperson for the breast cancer prevention message. Therefore, committed to this fight, we support and strengthen this global awareness initiative through information and education on fundamental topics such as early detection, diagnosis, and appropriate treatment for this terrible disease. Through early detection, together we can save thousands of lives.
The intangible benefits of a Quality Management System
In recent years, we have heard in various forums about the benefits that a Quality Management System (QMS) brings to an organization. GDI Grupo Diamante Internacional is a relatively young organization; however, our growth has been exponential in recent years, and a fundamental part of this sustained success is largely due to the implementation of this system. It is generally mentioned that the benefits that a QMS brings to organizations are increased customer satisfaction, an improvement in the organization's processes, a reduction in internal or external quality costs, entry into new markets, and differentiation from the competition. All these benefits have been tangible for the organization, as we have been able to measure their impact over time and without a doubt, they are of great value to any company. However, have you ever wondered what the intangible benefits of a QMS are that a QMS brings to the organization internally? At GDI we have found that one of the greatest benefits is the sense of belonging that employees feel towards the processes where they interact. By implementing a QMS, our procedures or technical guides are developed in conjunction with our collaborators with the support of their leaders, thus documenting all the know-how and enabling continuous improvements. In addition, another intangible benefit is the Motivation and Collaboration that exists between the different work teams. This is reflected in the fulfillment or improvement of the different indicators that exist in the organization as the QMS has become established in the company. The sum of all these efforts is reflected in the achievement of our Quality Objectives annually. The last intangible benefit that the organization has detected is the Innovation and Creativity with which employees find the solution to the daily problems they face within their operation. This has allowed for improved job performance in all operational areas. Furthermore, to ensure that the innovation generated is adopted in our QMS and that we remain at the forefront of the market, we align everything to the requirements of the International Standard ISO 9001:2015 that governs our organization. The result of all this effort and teamwork is that we achieved the Recertification of our QMS in September 2020. At GDI we are always committed to our clients and other stakeholders, so many of our efforts are focused on continuous improvement. Constant innovation in our services and products makes us the best Business Partners for our clients and keeps us at the forefront of the market. Our Quality Management System supports us in our mission to offer image and security consulting services to our clients. We look forward to starting your project together! Roberto Martínez Calderón – Coordinator of Comprehensive Management
Innovation in times of COVID-19
Turning a crisis around opens doors to opportunities. That's why, in a time like the one we're living through, we're seizing the COVID-19 pandemic as a great opportunity to innovate. Now, when we talk about innovation in this critical era, where the health emergency has practically brought the world to a standstill, affecting companies at all levels—small, medium, or large international corporations—we find ourselves on high alert. Faced with this situation, many questions arise. How can we maximize the value we contribute to society? What are your differentiating competencies and how could they be used in new ways, creating competitive advantages? What will the future look like? These are just a few examples. In response to all these questions, at GDI we work as a team, seeking to integrate our clients' needs with the demanding requirements of a resilient environment, with our primary objective being to retain our clients. Understanding this as a significant investment in the future, we sought ways to support you, maintain active communication, listen attentively to your current needs, and pay close attention to feedback on the products and services you've already received, as well as the new ones we're offering. This allowed us to identify the ideal environment to work, renew, and innovate on technological platforms that will enable us to stay at the forefront and achieve greater market share. The evolution of these integrated platforms will allow us to automate most business practices related to the operational and production aspects of our company, facilitating and centralizing information with our strategic partners. At GDI, we've implemented several digital updates for you, our business partners. We at GDI are confident that these innovations will streamline our business relationship with our clients—our strategic partners—and strengthen it for future challenges. Now, let's remember that this crisis will end, all of this will pass. Therefore, let's not lose sight of the bigger picture and keep in mind that, while not everything is under our control, our attitude and our decisions are, and it will be up to us to make something productive out of it or not. At GDI, we aim to emerge stronger from this and be part of the solution.
GDI, one of the Best Mexican Companies
For the past 10 years, Deloitte, Citibanamex, and Tecnológico de Monterrey have promoted the Best Mexican Companies initiative, or MEM. MEM seeks to recognize and support medium-sized private companies in our country that stand out for their high level of performance in business management. Furthermore, Best Mexican Companies is part of the global “Best Managed Companies” program, which aims to recognize the operational excellence of private companies worldwide. Since our inception, at GDI we have been convinced that companies are one of the most important drivers of change in our society and our country. In Mexico, there are more than 5 million companies distributed throughout all the states of the Republic; of these, more than 4 million are small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), contributing 52% of the GDP and employing nearly 30 million people. Today, we are very proud to share that for the third consecutive year, GDI Grupo Diamante Internacional has received the Best Mexican Companies distinction. As with every edition in which we have participated, MEM was a collaborative effort across all our departments and involved a thorough analysis of our entire business model. From preparing all the necessary documentation to receiving feedback from our coaches at Deloitte, Citibanamex, and Tecnológico de Monterrey, MEM helped us reaffirm our strengths, mitigate existing threats, and develop future plans to capitalize on all the opportunities available to us. This recognition keeps us excited about the challenges ahead. In the coming years, we will continue expanding our reach and improving every day to continue offering the best corporate image and security consulting services through uniforms and workwear to the most important companies in Mexico and Latin America. Finally, in a year as challenging as 2020 and given the uncertain economic and political landscape we are experiencing, this distinction reaffirms the excellent work we have done in recent years. Being recognized as one of the Best Mexican Companies of 2020 is the result of the tremendous work and outstanding effort of each of our employees, who every day contribute their part to provide a better tomorrow for their families and build a better Mexico together. To each member of the GDI family, to our people in Mexico City and Tehuacán, congratulations on this distinction! Without you, the journey we have undertaken would not have been possible. Award ceremony video: https://youtu.be/X167Smy7r-A Fermín and Miguel Ángel, Directors of GDI Grupo Diamante Internacional
Latin American companies are committed to sustainability
In a survey of 450 CEOs, 60% said they have a strong affinity for issues such as gender equality, circular economy, climate change, and the workforce of the future. Sustainability and the circular economy, which a few years ago were almost ignored practices, quickly climbed among the priorities of the most prominent companies in Latin America and the world, and came to be among the aspects that receive the most attention today. Furthermore, 45% of business leaders in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico said they already have a sustainability strategy in their organizations; and 22% said they are working on one, placing this issue as a priority agenda among corporations in the region. The CEOs' responses suggest that sustainability is not seen as a "standalone program" but as a cross-cutting or multidisciplinary issue, a way of approaching business. Today it is difficult not to associate a company's profitability and economic development with its sustainability policy. Not only because a sustainable business is one that will be able to sustain itself in the long term, but for several other reasons: customer preference in choosing products and brands, talent attraction, and regulatory compliance. In all these areas, a sustainable company will have advantages over one that is not. In the case of the textile industry, which is the second most polluting industry in the world after the oil industry, achieving a balance between nature and textile production is paramount. The current trend is to develop textiles and materials that come from organic waste. In addition, textile companies are adopting new practices such as considering the life cycle, avoiding animal testing, and aligning their daily operations towards a sustainable lifestyle and collaborating against climate change. In Mexico, textiles are recycled at a rate of only 0.5% per year; on average, each person throws away 3 kg of clothing, of which only 15 grams would be recovered. This is why it is important to innovate with organic fabrics that reduce the pollution rate. At GDI we have sustainable projects that seek to reduce the environmental impact of our company and that of our business partners. Recycled Garments Program: They are made with fabrics manufactured from PET bottles, which is one of the most convenient ways to recycle plastic bottles. Furthermore, at practical levels there is no difference between traditional and recycled polyester. During the recycling process, the fiber is reconstituted at a molecular level, and therefore recycled polyester is just as strong, durable, and has the same properties as virgin polyester. The two polyesters differ in their environmental impact; PET has a much lower environmental impact than traditional polyester. Regenerated Garments Program: They are made with fabrics made from recycled textiles; That is, they are made from regenerated waste from post-consumer cotton garments. Natural fibers such as wool and cotton can be mechanically recycled, but the process decreases the length and quality of the fibers, which is why it is necessary to add virgin fibers. These latter serve as a supplement, since it is not currently possible to include 100% recycled materials in garments. Controlled Garment Destruction Program: With this service, we prevent post-consumer uniforms from having a negative impact on the planet and on our client's corporate image. The intention is to prevent our clients' uniforms from being discarded, polluting the environment, or from falling into the hands of someone outside the company, damaging its corporate image. The program begins with GDI collecting the uniforms or the Client sending them. Afterwards, a process of destroying garments begins, ensuring that the misuse of obsolete uniforms is avoided. Customers are given photographic evidence and a document certifying the destruction of all the garments. The resulting material is reprocessed to generate new by-products, which are used as carpet fabrics, upholstery yarns, among other things.
Innovation and sustainability at GDI
Today more than ever, it is essential to turn our attention to clean technologies, both new and established, that have the capacity to meet the growing demand for energy and contribute to mitigating climate change, as well as the professional development of the protagonists of this transformation. Today, there is a shared commitment to leave the planet better than we found it. Sustainable Development in organizations is the engine of a sustainable future that must ensure social equity, ecology and the environment. Technological advances have allowed us to improve our quality of life. Beyond economic and social resources, technology allows us to achieve sustainable global development. ICT systems and tools enable improved energy efficiency and intelligent energy management. Therefore, most companies only look for efficient products supported by sustainable equipment. Among the most prominent technologies we find: What are the advantages of sustainable development? At GDI Uniforms we create optimal processes to always obtain a high quality result. We always strive to create innovative, high-performance fabrics and accelerate our processes thanks to the new technologies we implement. We are at the forefront of developments and innovations in the textile industry, which includes various factors such as production technologies; coloring techniques; denim, dyes and auxiliaries; finishing treatments; innovative and high-performance fabrics; always analyzing the changes in the textile and clothing industry, respecting environmental sustainability at all times. At GDI we are clear that new advances and technologies will drive a new type of industry where the main characteristics will be interconnection, which will be more collaborative and automated. Since 2019 we have had the Gerber Technology Atria cutter, the most modern and efficient fabric cutter in the world. This cutter is unique in its class, as it incorporates an integrated IoT technology solution that guarantees precision, optimizes productivity, and increases material utilization when cutting fabric. This cutter, in addition to increasing our production capabilities, incorporates innovation into our organization with its comprehensive solution that ranges from design, pattern creation, mark generation and production planning, thus achieving a reduction in material costs of up to 30%, minimizing our environmental impact. Investing in innovation and sustainability brings us many advances, because in addition to improving the ecosystem it allows us to gain competitiveness and thus increase profitability. We are proud to say that we are the only uniform company in the region that has this type of state-of-the-art technology. At GDI we are convinced that by implementing these types of actions the world will be more inclusive and sustainable, improving the quality of life for all people.
GDI Uniforms joins the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol.
The US The Cotton Trust Protocol sets a standard for more sustainably grown cotton. It provides quantifiable and verifiable goals and measurements about the production of responsibly grown cotton and drives continuous improvement in key sustainability metrics. US cotton UU. has focused on sustainability for decades. According to Field to Market data, over the past 35 years cotton has increased land use efficiency by 31% while reducing soil loss by 44%, water consumption by 82%, energy expenditure by 38%, and greenhouse gas emissions by 30%. Although cotton has told its sustainability story and highlighted its decreasing environmental impact, more and more brands and department stores are demanding industry-wide standards and independent verifications. To address this growing concern, the U.S. cotton industry UU. structured and created the US The Cotton Trust Protocol defines new standards for sustainably grown cotton and the continuous improvement of that sustainability, which will be measured and verified by a third party. The cotton industry of the US UU. It invests more than $100 million annually in scientific research to continue developing the most advanced tools needed to reduce its environmental footprint. These technologies help producers save money while protecting and even improving the environment. The goal of the Trust Protocol is to help brands and department stores communicate this progress to end consumers. The Trust Protocol has a four-step process: The standards are about defining sustainability goals for the cotton industry. By 2025, the North American cotton industry aims to increase land use efficiency by 13% and soil carbon by 20%, while simultaneously reducing soil loss by 50%, water consumption by 18%, and greenhouse gas emissions by 39%. The measurement includes the voluntary affiliation of US cotton producers. UU. to measure and keep track of its environmental impact. The purpose of the U.S. cotton industry UU. It is to affiliate half of the cotton producers by 2025. Verification will involve the participation of internationally recognized external verification organizations to monitor progress towards the goals. Finally, the USCTP will be the only cotton sustainability organization able to provide annual, quantifiable, and verifiable information to track sustainability progress. Therefore, the Trust Protocol supports and verifies the progress of US cotton, through sophisticated data collection and independent third-party verification. Choosing Trust Protocol cotton gives brands and retailers the fundamental assurances they need that the cotton fiber element in their supply chain is grown more sustainably with less environmental and social risk. Finally, the US The Cotton Trust Protocol is overseen by a multi-stakeholder Board of Directors, comprised of representatives from brands and retailers, civil society, and independent sustainability experts. As well as by the cotton farming industry, including producers, ginners, traders, wholesalers and cooperatives, factories and cotton seed managers. At GDI Uniforms we are very pleased to join the US Cotton Trust Protocol. Through this effort we guarantee that the cotton used in our products comes from a sustainable supply chain. In addition to complying with environmental, labor, safety and health regulations in US cotton farming.
Appropriate attire for the automotive sector
In a business like car manufacturing, the work clothes worn by employees are important. That is why the choice of clothing and uniforms to be used within the different operational areas in automotive plants must be done with prudence, always keeping in mind the care of the employees and facilitating the execution of their activities. The automotive industry is made up of a long chain of roles and types of work. The process begins in the manufacturing environment with operators, technicians and engineers, continues with quality supervisors and ends with executives who sell the final product. Each of them with specific clothing needs. In the first instance, the mandatory complements that help mitigate the danger factor within a plant are: Within the same plants, the automotive industry has quite functional textile alternatives, from denim and reinforced cotton, to modern fire-resistant fabrics. Currently, companies have the option of choosing from a wide range of items such as industrial pants, short or long-sleeved shirts, overalls and work jackets, among others. Taking this into account, an employee cannot enter a factory wearing their everyday clothes. The clothing must be special, as it was designed to be a second layer of protection for the limbs, protecting the skin from liquids such as oil, grease or paint, as well as scrapes from metal pieces or abrasive tools. In general, the automotive trade tends to involve the handling of various substances, such as grease or exposure to molten metal residue. It is thanks to work clothes that the worker can get as dirty as necessary without it affecting his personal appearance. Some garments include resistance to industrial washing or easy stain removal, giving both the employee and the employer the assurance that the garments will be up to the task. In other words, spending hours assembling auto parts is tiring for an operator, and if what they are wearing does not allow freedom of movement, the job becomes irritating. When work gets tough, the workwear market (generic name for clothing that covers and protects the human body) offers various options that make workdays more comfortable and therefore more efficient. Another important point is that, when considering options, companies frequently wonder which clothing brands they should choose. This is because the integrity of the employees is paramount, but, without forgetting that they must have better durability than other types of clothing, since they are garments of continuous and rough use, the sense of belonging that the employees should feel when wearing the uniform is also taken into consideration. Taking this into consideration, GDI is your best option when choosing clothing for your employees, as we are experts in various sectors, and the automotive sector is one of them, making the right clothes, from administrative clothing to special uniforms for your plants. Providing a comprehensive service, ranging from safety, comfort and a design that differentiates your brand, without forgetting the care of the ecosystem. Contact us to see the catalog of garments for your sector.