Cristina Villaseñor, Purchasing Manager at WürthElektronik
shared that, as part of the company's philosophy regarding
supplier relations, they aim for both parties to benefit from the
relationship (having skilled suppliers and mutual commitment), as the achievements
of the Purchasing department are tied to supporting the suppliers.

She highlighted that some of the practices to achieve
this positive relationship include getting to know the supplier and ensuring that they have
the production capacity and quality standards required for the products or services. 

It's important to understand the scope of the negotiation to
share the real scenario with the supplier. These factors need to be
repetitive and implemented to ensure that any practice done
with a supplier is successful and maintained in the medium and long term
in the supply chain, explained the expert.

Cristina listed some of the personal tools that
have helped her grow as a buyer:

• Discipline: Knowing your abilities and understanding your
responsibilities.

• Personal readiness: Having confidence and self-esteem, setting
boundaries, expressing one's own opinion, learning to say no. "Breaking my own
paradigm of being a woman in an industry dominated by men",
Cristina mentioned.

• Resilience and integrity are essential aspects in
the purchasing area

Breaking paradigms
throughout an entire professional trajectory

Cristina Villaseñor studied International Trade at the
La Salle Bajio University and as part of her academic preparation, she has
completed several diplomas on various topics such as supplier development,
international business, effective negotiation, supplier management, and more.
She also studied French and English in Canada and completed an internship in Montreal
to specialize in logistics.

She began her professional career in the field of
International Trade at COFOCE, as a Market Coordinator for Asia and Oceania. In
this role, she hosted delegations of investors from these markets to promote
the industrial parks of the developing state.

Later, she joined SMC Corporation in the Marketing
department. This marked her first step into the automotive
industry. At that time, several companies were starting up in the state,
including PlasticOmnium, a French-owned company, where Cristina began
her career as a buyer.

She highlighted that throughout her career, she has been involved
in the startup of three plant launches for TIER 1, 2, and 3 companies. "Having the opportunity
to kick off operations in transnational plants contributed to understanding
different work perspectives with colleagues from various nationalities, and
these experiences have complemented the way of working in the
Purchasing area," commented Cristina Villaseñor.

In 2016, she was appointed leader of the Supplier Development
area by the Purchasing Committee of CLAUGTO, through which
she was involved in structuring the areas to be evaluated for CLAUGTO Accreditation.
It is worth noting that she was elected as the president of the Purchasing Committee
and currently serves as the honorary president.

Since 2017, she began participating as a speaker and workshop
facilitator in various events, covering topics such as "How to sell to the automotive
industry?" and "How to be an excellent supplier?" She was also invited
as a panelist for the Women's Forum in Hannover and is part of several
programs such as 10,000 Women United for Mexico, Women Leaders of Guanajuato.