Byron Alvarez brought massive improvements to Upfield’s supply chain, and now he’s ready to keep expanding with a brand-new distribution center

Byron Alvarez, Director of North American Supply Chain, Upfield

BY BILLY YOST, HISPANIC EXECUTIVE

When Byron Alvarez was coaxed to Upfield in 2021, he didn’t know it would be the toughest nearly three years of his career. But the director of North American supply chain isn’t complaining.

“It’s been the most challenging, but it’s also been the most rewarding,” Alvarez explains. “When I arrived, our supply chain operation was struggling from a lot of different angles. But at the core, I saw incredibly hardworking people that could be so much more successful with a cohesive vision and path forward.”

Alvarez is young, but his credentials already made him an ideal candidate for the role. The director professionally rose up through four roles at a massive Procter & Gamble (P&G) organization where he would leave after nine years after starting up its North East Mixing Center. Prior to coming to Upfield, Alvarez spent five years at P&G divestiture company Coty, helping a new company find its own identity while drawing best practices from its former parent company.

At Coty, Alvarez got his first crack at true change management and with far more attention on his division due to its importance in the new company. Alvarez engaged in a complete redesign of Coty’s North American distribution footprint. The change was constant, and Alvarez had repeated success building small, nimble teams that could help get the company settled and thriving.

Byron Alvarez. Upfield; Photo by Francesco Salomoni

Change Before Change

That distribution center experience will no doubt come in handy at Upfield as Alvarez prepares for one of the biggest projects of his career. But before the promise of the future, the director had to create some change in his supply chain operations.

Upfield was struggling with high attrition, and Alvarez says it was important to sit down with employees to understand their pain points and what they wanted out of their careers.

“We took the time to really listen to people and see where they were coming from,” the director explains. “We needed to help them connect their objectives with their motivations. We’ve worked through a lot of strategies and projects to get us where I want us to be.”

There were other challenges that needed addressing. Its service results weren’t where Alvarez believed they should be. Logistics seemed to be more of a loose collection of best practices than an implemented strategy. Alvarez and his team were determined to create a best-in-class organization, one with benchmarks, KPIs, and zero waste.

Alvarez implemented a change in the renewal of Upfield’s sales and operations planning, the backbone of how the company runs its business. The director says that working cross-functionally with its sales, marketing, and finance teams has helped create more collaboration in the organization.

Additionally, Alvarez’s team rebuilt its entire logistics platform, creating a serious portfolio of cost savings along the way. Those massive changes have cleared the runway for Alvarez’s biggest challenge yet.

New Year, New Challenge

New Century, Kansas, will be the site of a new Upfield distribution center that will be co-located with its factory. The goals are multifold.

“This will connect us directionally to our factory. It will fit right in with our sustainability goals of reducing our carbon footprint and gain access to more direct rail,” he explains. “This is sort of the culmination of everything we’ve been working toward and the start of a really great future for the company.”

Byron Alvarez. Upfield; Photo by Francesco Salomoni

The multimillion dollar build will be done in conjunction with a developer and third-party logistics provider that will build the distribution center and provide future warehouse services. The technological advances will be noticeable immediately.

“We’ll be able to transfer product from our factory to DC via an elevated conveyor,” Alvarez says. “We’ll be streamlining our supply chain and the automation evolution is really next level.”

The project is slated to be completed by the middle of 2025. Upfield will move into the execution phase of their build in short order. The eighteen-month build will require significant contributions from Alvarez’s vendor partners.

“Byron Alvarez has successfully led significant improvements across Upfield’s teams, and the new distribution center will propel the supply chain to the next level,” says Neil Thielen, key account manager at C.H. Robinson. “C.H. Robinson is proud to support Byron and Upfield in these efforts.”

That relationship management is on Alvarez’s shoulders, and he says highlighting the interdependencies between all parties is crucial to keep the complex project moving smoothly.

When There Are Challenges at Home

Alvarez is no stranger to navigating complex situations, both in his professional life and his personal life. His second son was born with a congenital heart disease that required three different open-heart surgeries. The director’s move to Coty was made, in part, because of his family’s need to be closer to their broader family in the Baltimore area.

“My job at Upfield presented itself at a really perfect moment,” Alvarez says. “My wife and I had committed to not making any serious moves until after his third surgery was finished. Two weeks after that successful surgery, I got the call about coming here. I wasn’t looking, but it seemed a little opportune.”

The past three years may have been professionally challenging for Alvarez, but they pale in comparison to the life of his son, who is now able to live a full and happy life.

It’s going to be an incredible year for the director, one full of growth, challenges, and new beginnings. The landmark project will be a high point in Alvarez’s already stellar career.

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