Product details

Cemex, based in Mexico, has grown through acquisitions from a local cement producer to the world''s third largest. Over the last 20 years, the company has been a consistent leader in using IT and managing business information in innovative ways in the cement and ready-mix concrete business. Cemex has also accumulated knowledge about integrating acquired companies across the world and developing business processes that incorporate best practices in diverse countries and regions. In 2000, CEO Lorenzo Zambrano decided to codify best practice knowledge across the company around 8 key global business processes through a three-year project called the Cemex Way. Although implementation cost $200 million, the company could save over $120 million per year in IT and procurement costs. In 2004, the project became a permanent part of Cemex''s approach to doing business globally, but had to be modified to incorporate more local innovation and flexibility as well as to capture best practice changes more rapidly across the company. How can Cemex align the behaviours and values of its people and strike the right balance between local business flexibility and global standardisation to grow in the future? A video ?IMD-3-1341-V? is available to accompany this case.