People at ALPLA – Interview with Isabel Villarreal

Isabel, where were you living before joining SUMINCO, and why did you decide to move?

I had been living in England for many years. After 17 years abroad, I decided to return to Spain for personal reasons. I started looking for a job while still in the UK because I wanted to move back with a position already secured.

How did you find the opportunity at SUMINCO?

I found the role through a recruitment company. The position seemed like a great match, and the location worked well because I’m originally from a city about half an hour away. After two interview rounds, I received the offer. About two and a half months later, I moved from England to Spain with my two-and-a-half-year-old child.

What originally motivated you to live abroad?

I’ve always been fascinated by languages and other cultures. After spending time in the United States and several summers in England, I knew I wanted to live in the UK. I even received a government scholarship to study English in London for three weeks. That experience confirmed my decision to apply for jobs there.

How did your career develop in the UK?

After graduating, I first worked in the pharmaceutical industry, but I quickly realized it wasn’t the right fit for me. I then moved into the automotive sector, starting in quality control and later becoming Quality Manager for a car paint company. My work included audits, quality systems, laboratory supervision and collaboration with customers and suppliers.

What attracted you to SUMINCO and the ALPLA Group?

Honestly, it feels like a dream. I wouldn’t have expected to work with so many people from all over the world in a small, regional company like SUMINCO – it really shows how globally ALPLA is positioned behind the scenes. Over the past two and a half years I’ve worked with colleagues from Austria, Brazil, Germany, Liechtenstein, Sweden and other countries. I interact daily with colleagues, suppliers and customers from different locations, and I really enjoy that international environment.

What does your role at the plant involve?

I’m the Quality Manager at the plant. My responsibilities include managing the quality management system – such as internal, customer and supplier audits – and overseeing operational quality control. Every day we analyze samples from raw materials through to the final product to ensure everything meets specifications before reaching customers.

What are the biggest challenges in your day-to-day work?

The plant runs 24 hours a day, while quality coverage is around 16 hours. When we arrive in the morning, we sometimes don’t know exactly what happened overnight. There could be contamination issues or other unexpected situations, so we need to catch up quickly and spend time in the plant to understand what’s happening.

How do you ensure communication across shifts?

We use internal communication groups and end-of-shift reports. In the morning, the first thing we do is read the night report to understand the situation, and then we go to the plant floor to monitor it closely.

What is the most important “tool” in your work?

The team. More than any device or machine, my colleagues are the key. They are proactive, highly skilled and helped me learn the job when I joined.

What do you enjoy most about your responsibilities?

I enjoy audits. They require careful preparation and documentation, and the months before an audit can be demanding. But strong audit results reflect the work of the entire team and help us improve as a company.

What improvements have had the biggest impact at the plant in recent years?

There have been major investments to separate piping systems, equipment and production lines to prevent contamination. When I joined, the plant was transitioning from producing lower-value material to higher-value products such as natural and white colors, which initially led to contamination challenges and customer complaints.

The investments in separate lines, tanks and storage became a turning point, and complaints dropped significantly afterwards. Today the process is much more controlled: we check incoming trucks, bottle sorting, flakes and pellets from extrusion and deodorization, and conduct analyses during loading – whether the product goes into cisterns or big bags.

How do you motivate your team?

I focus on positive feedback, not only when problems occur. For example, during corporate quality meetings I highlight achievements such as trucks analyzed and rejected to protect product quality. I always mention the colleague responsible for the work. Internally we also celebrate when reports or projects are successfully completed.

What is the biggest strength of the plant?

The people. The plant’s greatest strength is its team, and it’s important that they are well supported.

If Netflix made a movie about your life, who would play you?

Penélope Cruz.

Do you have a favorite saying?

Yes: “El que la sigue, la consigue.” It means perseverance pays off – if you keep trying and working hard, you will eventually achieve your goals.

What motivates you every morning?

My child. I have a five-year-old, and that’s my biggest motivation.

What do you find most interesting about working at ALPLA?

No day is boring. Every day I learn something new about different areas of the business and how everything connects to product quality. We have a very experienced team, and it’s great to learn from them while contributing my own experience.

What advice would you give to new employees?

Beginnings can be challenging, but with hard work and supportive colleagues it becomes rewarding. My advice is to learn from people who have been working at the plant for many years.

Describe SUMINCO in three words.

Quality. Innovation. Trust.