A StarCorr star

Israel Vega, a talented IT leader at StarCorr de Mexico, shares insights on how he rises to challenges on both sides of the border.

Israel Vega with his wife, Abigail Martinez, and kids, Byron and Abigail

When Fernando Israel Vega de la Paz, who likes to be called Israel, joined StarCorr de Mexico in 2020, he had a sense of what he was getting into.

Israel, who was working for an IT vendor based in Mexico City, consulted with the team at StarCorr de MexicoStarCorr de Mexico — the first affiliated sheet feeder in Mexico — and his colleagues noticed something special.

When they offered him a job a few months later, Israel relocated with his family to the plant in Monterrey, a city 565 miles (909.8 km) away from his hometown of Mexico City, and began a new career as an IT systems engineer. In March, Israel earned a promotion to senior systems analyst, and he plans to keep on learning and growing.

What’s it like to thrive as a senior systems analyst on both sides of the border? We asked Israel and StarCorr de Mexico’s general manager, Willian Ortego, to share some highlights.

A warm welcome

“I’d never worked for a factory,” said Israel, who had a background in corporate jobs in office settings before meeting Schwarz Partners’ Ramon Saenz, senior operations analyst, and Chris Dickinson, director of operations, while consulting at StarCorr de Mexico. “They made me feel like part of the team, and little by little, they taught me the business,” Israel said. “Then, they offered me a job.”

Israel’s decision to join StarCorr de Mexico had a lot to do with personal and professional development. “My corporate job involved repetitive tasks,” he said. “At StarCorr, every day is different, and I’m always learning something new.”

Israel’s move — to a northern city within Mexico for a better opportunity — is pretty typical in Mexico, Willian said. Moving to a new region where you don’t know anyone, along with learning a new language and adapting to a new business, can be challenging. Israel calls it “a great adventure” and dedicates extra time to learning new technologies and strategies, as well as the English language.

Learning the job

At StarCorr de Mexico, needs change rapidly. “Every day, we have more work, which means more reports and data,” Israel said. Managing two countries’ systems and rules complicates everything.

“At the root, in the U.S. and Mexico, we have similar programs, such as Axiom,” Israel said, but in Mexico, there are extra to-dos. Every invoice must automatically be sent to the government. Israel and his team spend a lot of time creating reports, which are sent electronically to the government, a process also known as timbrado. “To avoid corruption, the Mexican government tracks every sale,” Willian explained. “It’s an extra step that makes it different for us than, say, StarCorr in Temple, Texas.”

It also created a high workload, especially for the IT department. Fortunately, Israel has help. StarCorr recently hired IT Technician Manuel Zarate, who happens to be Israel’s cousin. Manuel is following the same path as Israel, helping build an IT team that can rise to StarCorr’s daily challenges.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., a team of IT colleagues at Schwarz Partners headquarters provides support remotely. Israel mentioned Saenz, Dickinson, Operations Manager Eric Johnson, Systems Engineer Jennifer Thomson, Systems Engineer Logan Maddox and Senior Project Manager David Hughett. “We support each other daily, and we’re an excellent team, despite being at a distance,” Israel said.

Rising to everyday challenges

Israel estimates that he and Manuel spend about 60-70% of their time on compliance with systems in both Mexico and the United States. It’s a lot of extra work — and a big part of the job.

“We have to both comply with Mexico’s laws and accounting principles and covert data so we can share it with our affiliates in the U.S.,” Israel said. Accounting in the U.S. uses GAAP. Mexico uses Mexican FSR. There are different ways of calculating profit and loss and creating balance sheets.

Currency and the metric system also come into play. Every transaction in Mexico is in pesos and uses the metric system. When StarCorr creates reports for the U.S., pesos need to be converted to dollars and meters must be converted to square feet.

To help export reports or data quickly, Israel uses a systematic approach. “I focus first on the data extraction,” he said. “Then I merge data between the two systems.”

Flexing with the culture

In addition to managing different systems and reports, Israel and the StarCorr de Mexico team must adapt to the fact that laws in Mexico often change from one month to the next.

For example, one law requires that every truckload have a particular letter, known as Carta Porte, that contains specific information for the government. “Drivers who are stopped and don’t have the right paperwork could be fined, and there could be repercussions,” Willian said. This new regulation has been postponed four times, but StarCorr plans to be prepared. “This is just something that happens in Mexico that we have to deal with,” Willian said. “And Israel is the project champion.”

Customers in Mexico can be demanding, too. For example, recently, a customer requested that a quality certificate go out with every order, something that doesn’t typically happen. “Israel and Samuel Rodriguez, our scheduler, created a system together,” Willian explained. “In the tower, when we do quality checks, the shipping department automatically generates a certificate to follow customers’ shipments.”

A family focus, a personal touch

One reason StarCorr hired Israel — and a secret to Israel’s success — is his people skills. He frequently interacts with fellow employees at the StarCorr plant, colleagues at Schwarz Partners headquarters, and external vendors. “Israel has been directing things with our contractors to make sure projects stay in line, on time and under budget,” Willian said.

At the plant, strong personal relationships help when Israel needs to explain cultural differences to people in human resources, accounting, quality and shipping. Labor matters come up, too. “Getting through to all our different departments has made Israel a key employee in this plant,” Willian said. “He does so much more than generating tickets and fielding phone calls.”

Israel takes it upon himself to communicate with his colleagues across the border. He explains why Mexico is different and why StarCorr de Mexico must adapt to procedures and programs to comply with Mexican regulations.

“We’re in constant communication, helping each other out,” Israel said. “When issues come up, there’s a lot of support.” It helps that Israel has met many Schwar Partners colleagues in person during visits in the U.S. to help with other projects. So far, Israel has traveled to Flutes in Indianapolis; StarCorr Sheets in Temple, Texas; EnCorr Sheets in Ontario, California; and Independence Corrugated in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.

The appreciation is mutual. “We’re proud of Israel,” said Craig Fisher, president of Schwarz Partners sheet feeder group. “He has been a great addition to our team, both in Mexico and the U.S.”

For his part, Israel said he’s “proud to work for a company that appreciates the effort I make every day and supports me when there are challenging situations.” He appreciates his English classes, too.

Forging a future

What’s next for Israel? He’ll continue to grow as a leader, directing projects, reducing costs and learning the English language. As a lifelong learner, Israel believes: “If you don’t know something, learn it. If there’s no one to teach you, investigate it. If there’s no documentation, do reverse engineering. Never stand still.”

That ideology benefits Israel’s co-workers at both Schwarz Partners and StarCorr de Mexico. “Our plant is a mirror of the other Schwarz Partners sheet feeders,” Israel said. We’re on a good growth path. We’re trustworthy people with a great attitude.”

Israel is happy in his job — “exhausted, but with many dreams fulfilled,” he said. “There are no steps back and many steps forward,” In the future, Israel hopes to have a position as an IT leader or manager at new Schwarz Partners plants in Mexico, with more challenges, projects and opportunities.”

Inspired by family

Israel enjoys working for a family-owned company because, to him, family not only comes first, it’s his inspiration.

“My mother and two sisters have always inspired me,” Israel said. “And I”m the husband of a wonderful woman.”

When he’s not working, Israel enjoys spending time with his wife, Abigail Martinez, and their kids, Abigail and Byron, ages 11 and 12, who joined him in Monterrey two years ago.

With his wife, Israel recently opened a sushi restaurant near the family’s home, and he helps there when he can. He also makes time for barbecues, movies, games with the kids and trips to local parks.

“Thanks to Abigail, I’ve achieved my goals at Schwarz Partners,” Israel said. “Abigail and her children, who are now mine, have taught me so much.”


Interested in learning more?

Reach out to Israel Vega at ivega@schwarzpartners.com or Willian Ortega at wortega@starcorrmex.com.