A story of growth and a commitment to internal talent

Noé Jiménez is currently Plant Manager at Teknia Azuqueca, a plant within the Plastics Business, located in Azuqueca de Henares. His career with us began over 10 years ago on the shop floor, working as an operator three days a week on the night shift. Since then, his progression within the company has been a testament to Noé’s development, commitment and professional ambition, and to Teknia’s commitment to internal talent.

After starting your career at Teknia Azuqueca as an operator, what was the transition like to other roles within the company?

After four years working in production, in 2018 the opportunity arose to work in the sales department. A colleague was taking early retirement and they decided to give me a chance. It was a big step and a bit daunting: I was going from checking and packing parts to selling them, but I had the support of the company and the experience of my colleague. He taught me how to manage customer relations and how to use the system to prepare commercial quotes. At this point, my previous experience and technical knowledge of painting and injection moulding processes proved very useful; I knew the product I was going to sell inside out. Then, in 2022, I became the plant’s sales manager, leading a team of people, until 2025, when they put their faith in me once again and I became the manager.

What has the challenge been like in taking on the management of a plant with 160 people under your charge?

Moving from leading a small team to leading 160 people across various departments is a major challenge that I accepted with enthusiasm, ambition and a great deal of respect. Ultimately, you embrace the opportunity and the risk, and you trust yourself and your team, those to whom you delegate—that is my philosophy. I like working towards objectives; it’s like having a clear target – they give direction and a clear purpose to our daily efforts. You also have to humbly accept that there is still a lot to learn; there are now new areas of management where I need to put in more effort: finance, strategic investments or communication, for example.

How has the company supported you in this professional development?

From one role to the next, I’ve always had the support of the people I worked with, my managers—who were also mentors—both when I first joined the sales department and later as I’ve grown in the role, and to whom I owe a great deal of gratitude. From all of them I have learnt not only technical knowledge, but also values and very valuable ways of working; I have also learnt to adapt and to appreciate the trust the company places in you when it offers you opportunities like these. In addition, I’ve had access to training support; for example, I recently took part in Teknia’s spokesperson training. Learning is a constant process.

Now that you’re leading the plant, what would you say to a young person starting work at Teknia today who dreams of growing?

The message is clear: at Teknia there are real opportunities for growth. They go hand in hand with commitment and hard work, of course, but if there’s talent, why look elsewhere? If we spot aptitude, attitude, commitment and enthusiasm, the company will want to promote someone from within. You have to be patient, but recognition will come.