Cuba is committed to strengthening the socialist state enterprise as the driving force of the economic model the country aspires to develop, with the ultimate aim of achieving systematic growth under the principle of efficiency and productivity.
A prime example of this is the Prodal production and marketing entity, established over 50 years ago, affiliated with the Food Industry Enterprise Group (GEIA), and responsible for processing over 15,000 tons of meat, poultry, fish, and sea food, which are sold in Cuban Convertible Pesos (CUC) primarily to the country’s network of hotels and in the domestic market.
Its products: ground-meats, croquets, meatballs, fillets, and hamburgers (classified as cold cuts, formed, fresh, and frozen products) are of certified quality with a high nutritional value, hence their popularity across Cuban work places, schools, hospitals and households, providing families with a quick and easy meal.
Over 40 products are produced in Prodal’s three manufacturing plants, whose basic aims include continuously improving industrial efficiency in production processes; reducing costs; keeping equipment and facilities in full working order; developing an integrated operating system designed to improve the training, organization, and management of human resources; and continuing to develop and introduce new high-quality competitive products.
Speaking to Granma International, Maricel Torres Lorenzo, director of organization, supervision, and control explained that the main concern of managers is ensuring the daily work of its 1,368 employees during a 24 hour production cycle, with a focus on staff - who participate in production through their direct contribution as a workforce - decision making, and the distribution of revenue.
The University graduate added that the work is split into 16 hour shifts with cleaning and sanitation tasks carried out in the early morning, with the boilers and machinery room functioning all the while. Staff are also provided with food, uniforms, and personal protective gear. Morning meetings are held once a week during which basic information is shared, while union assemblies take place once a month to discuss the fulfillment of productive plans, budget implementation, energy efficiency, and work discipline and organization, among other relevant issues, with a view to involving all employees in collective decision making.
The entity has a medical station with a doctor, nurse and ambulance service as well as a dentist on duty.
Meanwhile workers are collected and taken to their home neighborhoods by the entity’s transport fleet. Operators, technicians and drivers also receive training which takes place in purpose-built classrooms with a specialized library, noted the director.
Torres Lorenzo also highlighted that among other activities, employees celebrate historic dates of the Revolution; in particular those related to martyr Argelio Reyes Aguilar, who served as director of the entity for many years and was murdered in a vile act of sabotage when a Cuban plane was blown-up mid-flight over Barbados in 1976.
This year an exposition of photos dedicated to the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution Fidel Castro, in honor of his 90th birthday, was displayed in the reception area of the facility.
Meanwhile Prodal provides workers and their families with a vacation plan to enjoy over the summer months, organizes festive activities, and has a softball team which represents the entity in various tournaments, according to Torres, who highlighted,“Our entity has occupied an important place in the national market for many years, offering quality products which have seen us become the preferred choice for many clients.”
WORK COMMITMENT AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
In regards to the educational level of the workforce, Bárbara Muguercia Correa, head of human resources noted that the staff have a high school or above educational level, and arrive at the entity either on their own initiative, or after graduating from vocational schools or universities. “Before graduating many of them do their internships here, and later decided to stay and work with us,” she stated
Muguercia also noted that after joining the company, employees are trained in hygiene and personal protection norms, as well as the tasks they will be responsible for undertaking. Then they are given a tour and detailed explanation of the layout of the facility, fire prevention measures, evacuation plans in the event of accidents or natural disasters, and finally the content matter is reviewed to clarify any issues and ensure that everything has been understood.
The director noted that several professionals working at the facility hold a Masters degree, and are primarily responsible for supporting production quality, certified and validated by ISO 9000 norms, buttressed by the implementation of the Points of Critical Auditing and Risk Analysis Systems, thus ensuring that production processes meet the legally established requirements and standardization norms.
Regarding this issue Jacqueline Esquijarosa Alvárez, director of Quality, Technology and Development at Prodal noted that the facility has “a team of workers composed of a group of inspectors located across different production lines, a laboratory to verify weight, quality of raw materials, and finished product. In particular, there’s a development group responsible for introducing variety and making adjustments to productions.”
Meanwhile, other colleagues monitor the hygiene and epidemiological situation in facilities, as well as compliance with food elaboration norms and strict adherence to personal hygiene standards, hand washing and wearing of hygienic gloves, caps, footwear and overalls, stated Microbiology graduate, Esquijarosa Alvárez.
“The entity’s inspectors also visit retail outlets and speak with consumers to gauge their level of satisfaction with the products we manufacture, while a complaints and customer service system has been set up to receive any kind of negative appraisal of our products and immediately rectify any shortcoming,” stated the director of Quality, Technology and Development.
Such rigor has seen the entity receive various national quality awards and participate in trade fairs such as those linked to the agriculture sector, the Food Convention event, and Fihav, the country’s largest trade fair held every year in the ExpoCuba fairgrounds, according to Aclaris Alfonso Hernández, head of the Various Processes Plant, and responsible for managing over 380 employees as well as the technological charts, hygiene, workplace safety, and product quality measures.
“My top priority is to provide better care to the workforce in order to generate larger volumes of products,” stated Alfonso also a Food Chemistry technician, who has worked for Prodal for over 10 years, serving as a data controller and brigade chief, then moving from shift supervisor to her current position as director of the Various Processes Plant.
She described her staff as devoted, with a strong sense of belonging and affiliation with their workplace. As such, wages are linked to monthly results and the complexity of the work, with individual and collective monetary incentives.
“Many women work in the productive processes I am responsible for, as we carry out lots of manual activities. There are various generations of workers at the plant, whom we receive starting from age 18, and the workforce remains relatively stable. Staff share knowledge, creating a productive tradition. The intensity of the work if offset by being part of the team and feeling like an active contributor to the production process. We consider ourselves a family,” Alfonso noted.
In agreement is Janet Hernández Smith, head of the cold cuts plant, who did her practicum as a Chemical Engineering student at Prodal; on which she later based her degree thesis project.
Hernández chose to join the entity after graduating, noting, “I’ve only been working for the company for a few years but I feel motivated by what I do. I have learned a lot about my profession and still have much more to learn. I have felt the support of the Board of Directors to carry out my responsibilities as a manager, as well as from my colleagues, while my subordinates share their experiences with me in order to improve the quality of products.”
In this sense, Sisley Vega Delá, head of the Elaboration Plant who noted that she feels a sense of professional fulfillment, insisted that employees are provided with training in accordance with their needs, as well as opportunities for promotion, based on their performance.
The mathematics graduate who is currently responsible for 187 employees, 170 basic staff, and four managers, started working at the entity as a wage specialist, later taking on other managerial roles. “My plant is an important productive link, connected to the rest, which is why we maintain internal communication within the entity, enabling us to identify problems and respond to work demands,” she noted.
In regards to problems, Vega Delá mentioned starting-up equipment, calling for a group of technicians responsible for the up-keep of technology, and functioning of all systems, machines, and networks. This team includes Cándido Fuente Lazaga who has been working at Prodal for 35 years. “I started here when I was 21, and I’m almost at retirement age. This is the only place I have worked.”
Fuente Lazaga is very familiar with the production process given his experience and highlights the work of innovators, who generate ideas to substitute parts or introduce changes, and thanks to whom the majority of machines continue to function.
The enterprise has also been a victim of the criminal economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed on the island by the United States for over 50 years, which suffered its effects after purchasing a micro freezer for the elaboration plant. After the device had been bought and changes to its structure, made the matting failed to arrive to the country, as some of its components were made in the U.S. The entity had to wait over a year and a half to obtain another mat.
Nonetheless Prodal has set itself various short and long term goals including, continually improving industrial efficiency; seeking out new markets in order to ensure sustainable sales increases; and developing a work strategy to enable the entity to insert itself in the international market.
WORKERS
Job Number %
Operators 985 72
Service workers 91 6.6
Technicians 187 13.6
Administrative staff 46 3.3
Managers 38 2.7
Trained personnel 21 1.5
TOTAL 1,368 100
Gender break-down Number %
Women: 584 42.6
Men: 784 57.3
