mexican design: adding value across sectors - gob.mx · proméxico francisco n. gonzález díaz ceo...
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| Negocios ProMéxico
July 2015
VII - 20
15
Negociospara exportadores
Special reportPueblaCID
Towards a creative ecosystem of productive design
Guest OpinionMIND
Reinventing creativity
MexICaN DesIgN: aDDINg value
aCRoss seCToRs
Table of Contents April 2015
Cover Feature
DesignA generAtor of
ADDeD vAlueBy Marijó Padilla
From ProMéxico
Creative industries of Jalisco, on the rise
By OswaldO santana COrOna and nOeMí PizanO Olvera
PueblaCIDinterview with MiChel Chaín CarrillO
MINDinterview with sara MarOtO
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Briefs08
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Guest Opinion
Mexico in the World
Mexico’s Partner
figures5507
Special ReportGuest Opinion
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14 Smart Textiles interview with PaulinO vaCas jaCques
16 VW México Troqueles interview with rOBertO Márquez
18 GEIQ Center of Advanced Engineering
interview with vladiMirO de la MOra
20 Machina interview with antOniO MaChina
22 Art Center interview with luis javier Padilla
24 Rosemary Martínez Art Design interview with rOseMary Martínez
26 Colectivo 1050º interview with Kythzia Barrera
28 Dink.Imagina interview with Miguel Calderón aguilar
30 Honeywell Aerospace interview with riCardO garCía Ojeda
44 IDIT interview with javier sánChez díaz de
rivera
46 Abracababra By BenitO CaBañas
48 Design Added value By jaBín MOra esPinOsa
53 Mexican boots By PrOMéxiCO
58 Fashion Consulting Network interview with anna FusOni
59 Daniel Espinosa Jewelry interview with daniel esPinOsa
60 Sara Galindo interview with sara galindO
68 A Giant to Conquer By Chantal aBrajan Peña
50 Diseña México By juliO Frías
51 Fashion Council of Jalisco interview with Miguel COterO OChOa
61 Pop Up Store Paris By tania liBertad MOsquera gOnzález
32 Diagonal/Laboratorio de Ideas interview with alBertO gutiérrez
Pastrana
34 Colectivo Tomate interview with tOMás daríO
36 Escato Escenógrafos Corporativos
interview with gaBriel gadsden CarrasCO
Special Report
ProMéxicoFrancisco N. González Díaz
CEO
Karla Mawcinitt BuenoCommunications and Image
General Coordinator
Felipe Gómez antúnezDirector of Publications and Content
Jorge arturo Morales Becerra ContrerasEditorial coordination
Cover Photoarchive
Negocios ProMéxico es una publicación mensual editada por ProMéxico, Camino a Santa Teresa número 1679, colonia Jardines del Pedregal, delegación Álvaro Obregón, CP 01900, México, DF Teléfono: (52) 55 5447 7000. Portal en Internet: www.promexico.gob.mx; correo electrónico: [email protected]. Editor responsable: Felipe Gómez Antúnez (alta en trámite). Reserva de derechos al uso exclusivo No. 04-2009-012714564800-102. Licitud de título: 14459; licitud de contenido: 12032, ambos otorgados por la Comisión Calificadora de Publicaciones y Revistas Ilustradas de la Secretaría de Gobernación. ISSN: 2007-1795.
Negocios ProMéxico año 8, número VII, julio de 2015, se imprimió un tiraje de 8,000 ejemplares. Impresa por Cía. Impresora El Universal, S.A. de C.V. Las opiniones ex-presadas por los autores no reflejan necesariamente la postura del editor de la publicación. Queda estrictamente prohibida la reproducción total o parcial de los contenidos e imágenes de la publicación sin previa autorización de ProMéxico. Publicación gratuita. Está prohibida su venta y distribución comercial.
ProMéxico is not responsible for inaccurate information or omissions that might exist in the information provided by the participant companies nor of their economic sol-vency. The institution might or might not agree with an author’s statements; therefore the responsibility for each text is the writers, not on the institution, except when stated otherwise. Although this magazine verifies all the information printed on its pages, it will not accept responsibility derived from any omissions, inaccuracies or mistakes. July 2015.
Download the PDF version and read the interactive edition of
Negocios ProMéxico at negocios.promexico.gob.mx.
eDitoriAl council
consejo eDitoriAl
Ildefonso Guajardo villarreal
Francisco de rosenzweig Mendialdua
enrique Jacob rocha
Francisco N. González Díaz
embajador alfonso de Maria y Campos Castelló
Luis Miguel Pando Leyva
Francisco Javier Méndez aguiñaga
rodolfo Balmaceda
Guillermo Wolf
Jaime Zabludovsky
Gabriela de la riva
adolfo Laborde Carranco
Silvia Núñez García
María Cristina rosas González
ulises Granados Quiroz
Karla I. Mawcinitt Bueno
This publication is not for sale.
Its sale and commercial distribution are forbidden.
The Lifestyle ThE COmPlETE GuIDE TO ThE mExICan Way OF lIFE
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Slow FoodSlowly and carefullyBy alFOnsO rOCha
Organic agriculture
A growing businessBy luis FernandO teCa
VenuesSpaces for culture
By ósCar hernández
La MatatenaCinema for childrenBy liset COtera
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Fromproméxico
Tim Brown, one of the most important contemporary in-dustrial designers worldwide, wrote: “Design is a space where art and technology
interact.” In that sense, there is a close re-lationship between art, design and innova-tion in every field, from culture to industry. Design—just like trade—builds bridges be-tween different cultures and languages, pro-moting an exchange that enriches the global-ized world we live in.
Today, design is a factor that adds value to exports and strengthens global value chains. Therefore, it has acquired the status of economic development engine, and has stood out as a key link for prosperity.
In this sense, Mexico is a unique coun-try, with incomparable opportunities and competitive advantages; all product of its great talent and creativity. Today, Mexican design can be found in high-tech sectors such as aerospace, automotive and bio in-dustries. Two cases that illustrate this are “Innovation Campus”, a project in Puebla in which Mexican engineering students de-
velop solutions to the technical challenges of vehicles; or the light train for Minneapo-lis, Minnesota in the USA, which was de-signed in Mexico. The challenge is clear: to convert the brand “Made in Mexico” into “Created in Mexico”.
With this goal in mind, ProMéxico has launched several actions that enable Mexican design to successfully reach in-ternational markets, like the pop up store Di.Me installed in Paris, offering Mexican designers’ products; or the Puebla Capital of Innovation and Design road map, which through the interaction of the elements of the triple helix—academia, industry, and government—marks the way towards the strengthening of the institution based on high value-added activities.
The aim is to think outside the box, find-ing new opportunities, solutions, and con-nections through innovation. Just as design is born from an alliance between art and technology, at ProMéxico we promote part-nerships with companies so that they cross borders, establish in new markets and take what is created in Mexico to other latitudes.
Welcome to Negocios ProMéxico!
Francisco N. González DíazCEO
ProMéxico
Para exportadores
De ProMéxico
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Misión de bebidas espirituosasPOr Martha jaraMillO
TechbaInnovación y diseñoPOr negOCiOs PrOMéxiCO
OPORTuNiDaDES DE NEGOCiOMéxico-Alemania
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BRIEFS BRIEFS
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ENERGY
ENGiE GROuP iNVESTS uP TO 3 biLLiON DOLLaRS
The French group Engie reported that, after its energy reform, Mexico has become the most important country for new investments. The consortium said it will participate in tenders proposed by the Mexican government, and could invest up to 3 billion dollars. The company is one of the largest producers of electricity and operates natural gas distribution networks in 70 countries. Currently, the French firm is preparing to participate in tenders of the Federal Electricity Com-mission (CFE) for three power plants, with an investment of approximately 1 billion dollars each.
www.gdfsuez.com
AUTOMOTIVE
auDi WiLL HiRE 900 PEOPLE THiS yEaR iN PuEbLa
Audi, the luxury car manufacturer, announced a training program for 900 people that will be hired this year for its plant in Puebla. Mattias Rust, Audi’s Vice-President for Human Resources, explained that about 700 of the new workers will be devoted to the production of the Q5 vehicle, and by the end of 2016 they expect to employ a total of 3,000 new workers. He said that new spaces would be opened for dual system professional training and apprenticeship in Mechatronics, Automotive Mechanics and Bodywork, in collaboration with the Technological University of Puebla (UTP).
www.audi.com.mx
DESIGN
MExiCaN DESiGN bECOMES GLObaL
Mexican designers are beginning to take off by de-veloping furniture, clothing, telephones and homes, among others. They have also begun activities to ex-port, while achieving international recognition, says Álvaro Rego García de Alba, director and founder of the Mexican Design Museum (Mumedi). Design, from graphic to industrial, is present in each aspect of everyday life, but in Mexico there is still a wide range of opportunities, according to the head of Mu-medi. That is why Mexican design is now at its best and should be used, since the government is creating new opportunities and supporting creative designers through ProMéxico. According to the director, Mexi-can design has formally consolidated itself. No longer are informal designers dominating the catwalks and specialized exhibits; now more professional designers have begun to transcend internationally.
www.mumedi.mx
CREATIVE INDUSTRIES
QuEbEC WiLL SuPPORT MExiCaN TaLENT
The government of Quebec invited the producers of the FashionTV Mexico program—a franchise of the Mexican company Look TV—to produce televised capsules for the Jazz International Festival of Montreal. This Canadian city is not only home to this important musical event, but it has a cluster of creative businesses, like Techno Montreal, Frame Store, Moment Factory and Ahuntsic-Cartiervielle, among others. In total it includes 4,700 companies in the creative industry sector that generate 93,000 jobs, according to data by Techno Montreal. In Mexico there are more than 1,500 companies that offer production, post-production, animation and digital services. The country is the sixth largest world exporter of animation, video games, software and digital content. Fash-ionTV is a channel that was created in France and has been on the air for 15 years, with 300 million subscribers worldwide.
www.fashiontv.mx
CHEMISTRY
DEVOx-GENERaL PaiNT SETTLES iN Cuba
For the second time a Mexican company has been au-thorized by the government of Cuba to develop a project in the Mariel Special Development Zone (ZED Mariel). Devox-General Paint plans to install a manufacturing plant for household paints and anticorrosive paints for industrial use, for both the domestic market and for export.The ZED Mariel authorities recognized that this second project by Mexican investors shows the country’s interest in actively participating in the ongoing development of the Cuban economy.
www.general-paint.com.mx
TECHNOLOGY AND SECURITY
iNaOE HaS DEVELOPED 40 PROjECTS FOR SEMaR
Researchers at the National Institute of Astrophysics, Op-tics and Electronics (Inaoe) have developed 40 applied technology projects for national security. These developers represented about 50 million dollars in savings for the Ministry of the Navy of Mexico (Semar). The aim of these developments—among which are radars and consoles—is to achieve technological independence and replace this equipment with national projects. For example, Semar used to purchase technological equipment from Sweden and Israel for its fleet, but now does so through the Inaoe. Foreign companies would sell the equipment to Mexico, but not the manuals and source programs, so they decided to better develop them in Mexico.
www.semar.gob.mx
www.inaoe.gob.mx
98 July 2015 July 2015
BRIEFS BRIEFS
CREATIVE INDUSTRIES
CiNéPOLiS PuRCHaSES THE SPaNiSH CHaiN yELMO CiNES
The Latin American entertainment giant acquired Spain’s second largest cinema group, Yelmo Cines , with its 414 screens, in order to have access to the European market, where it plans to expand via Spain. Cinépolis already has cinemas in several countries on the American continent: Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Peru and the USA, plus India in Asia. With this acquisition, the powerful Mexican group will increase its number of screens from 3,934 to 4,348, and will occupy first place in Latin America and fourth place worldwide in exhibition chains.
www.cinepolis.com.mx
FOREIGN TRADE
WiDE FiNaNCiaL POTENTiaL
The Pacific Alliance, composed of Chile, Colombia, Peru and Mexico, is a “true giant in Latin America”, according to Luis Robles Miaja, president of Mexico’s BBVA Bancomer Financial Group. This trading bloc will be established as the fourth economy that will contribute most to global growth, only behind China, India and the USA, and ahead of Indonesia and Brazil. Mexico’s contribution will be decisive. The country occupies a leading position in advanced manufactur-ing as the first exporter in Latin America, and the third exporter in the Group of 20 (G20) in medium and high technology products, while the Mexican automotive and auto parts industry occupies fourth place in exports of light vehicles and eighth in terms of world production. Also, the Mexican peso is the currency with the highest number of transactions in emerging markets, and also the least volatile.
www.bancomer.com
www.alianzapacifico.net
CHEMISTRY
baSF WiLL iNCREaSE PRODuCTiON iN PuEbLa
The German company BASF aims to produce catalytic paint for automobile radiators. To that end it would invest 8 million dollars in the state of Puebla. The German corporation is conducting a study to develop this product, which would be marketed worldwide. Catalytic paint helps convert ozone to oxygen, which would eliminate the gray dust that radiators generate. The company has products such as automotive coatings, foam chemicals, catalysts and mining chemicals. Currently, BASF employs 200 workers at its facility in Puebla, and for each one it generates 12 indirect jobs. It exports 60% of its plant’s produc-tion to the USA, 20% to Europe, 10% to Asia and 8% to Latin America; the remaining 2% goes to various domestic states.
www.basf.com.mx
www.puebla.gob.mx
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ENERGY
ibERDROLa WiLL buiLD a SOLaR POWER PLaNT
With an investment of 102 million dollars, the Spanish company Iberdrola is planning the construction of a solar power plant in the municipality of Galeana, Nuevo León, which will become the sixth development of its kind in the region. The plant will supply electricity to private enterprises, as well as the surrounding community. It will be located at kilometer 180.5 of the Matehuala-Saltillo highway in the town of El Castillo, from where it could produce up to 876 gigawatts-hour per year, enough to serve about 24,000 social housing units. Iberdrola’s solar project is one out of four projects that will involve a budget estimated at 875.5 million dollars in the next three years, which are part of a package of plants that will provide electricity to the states of Nuevo León, Sonora and San Luis Potosí.
www.iberdrola.es
AUTOMOTIVE
RaSSiNi aLLOCaTES 25 MiLLiON DOLLaRS FOR iTS SuSPENSiON aND bRakES PROjECT
Rassini inaugurated the enlargement of its suspension and brakes plant for the automotive industry in San Martin Texmelucan, Puebla. The Mexican group earmarked 25 million dollars to increase its production capacity in this market segment, and improve its share in North America and Brazil, where at present it is a major supplier. This project is part of a 900 million dollar investment that the company allocated two years ago to improve its installed capacity and take advantage of the positive outlook for the Mexican automotive industry.
www.rassini.com
FOREIGN INVESTMENT
PuEbLa, aN aTTRaCTiVE DESTiNaTiON FOR GERMaNy
The state of Puebla has become one of the most attractive destinations for German investment. In 2014 the state attracted 839.9 million dollars from Germany, representing 98.1% of all foreign investment in that state. While most of the German investment corresponds to the automotive and auto parts industries, the German business community is also interested in participating in other sectors, such as the food and textile industries, as well as commerce, according to Dirk Petersen Widmayer, president of the Mexican-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Camexa).
www.audi.com.mx
www.puebla.gob.mx
http://mexiko.ahk.de/es/
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| Negocios ProMéxico
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DESiGNa generatOr OF added value
“The economic and social dimension of design as a conceptual style is marginal
in comparison to the economic and social contribution of design in systemic innovation, as integrator of emotions,
actions and experiences.”—Barcelona Design Center, 2014
By its nature, design is a generator of added value in the economy of many countries. It works as a differentiation strategy in a highly competitive and globalized environ-ment. Many companies reflect their local and national identities through the design of products and services, and achieve a po-sition in the market from innovation and their ability to adapt to change.
Traditional definitions of design often focus on the creation of conceptual solu-tions, either of a product, a structure or a service. However, design—in a broader sense of the word—applies the principles of traditional design to other aspects of
daily life. It covers the conceptualization of goods and services, selection of materi-als, imaging, branding, and the production line for processing and reducing waste ma-terial, applied to all kinds of activities such as health, education and climate change, to name a few examples.
DesIgN Is TheReDesign is a decisive factor in most devel-oped economies in the world, and will become a stakeholder of great power and influence over time. The versatility of its application improves living conditions, ranging from the smallest everyday detail to sophisticated and exclusive aspects that human beings interact with, thereby achiev-ing a very wide scope of application that involves us all.
Through cooperation with the triple propeller, Mexico has learned how the application of design has become a trans-versal axis of development, providing the
Cover Featurephoto archive
Design is a decisive factor in most developed economies in the world, and will become a stakeholder of great power and influence over time.
bY MARIjó pADILLA, DIRECTORA DE pROYECTOS ESTRATéGICOS, UIN, pROMéxICO
community with a great opportunity for sustained growth in order to turn Mexi-co—according to its current potential— into a country recognized as a creator and exporter of design—through ideas—for the transformation and generation of add-ed value in services and products.
At ProMéxico we have undertaken the task of understanding and promoting de-sign as the global trend that considers it an axis of transversal economic develop-ment, which adds value, differentiation, branding and product positioning over the competition.
When analyzing profit margins in the production line of most value-added prod-ucts, the largest margin of value can be found in design and engineering activities. Mass production, while generating facto-ries and creating jobs, has gradually been losing value against most intellectual activ-ities. It is time to focus on differentiation and providing greater value to products, which will be a determining factor in con-sumer decision-making and the national and international positioning of Mexico.
MexICo, aT The foRefRoNT of DesIgNProMéxico understands this great detonator. The agency has developed a comprehensive promotional strategy for implementing de-sign from the very essence of the company, and the link between them for generating a greater community. It is a large network
of designers whose goal is to add value to the economic activities of the country. This will increase the profit margins of Mexican companies and offer products and services abroad with higher added value and com-petitiveness in international markets. It will also be a benchmark for international com-panies that produce in the country to invest in the creation of national design, and thus put Mexico on the forefront.
The strategy developed to promote the sector, its components, projects and strategic milestones can be found in the document Ecosystems of Design, in the Road Maps section of the ProMéxico official website.
The main points of the strategy are:• Createanationalcouncilandregional
councils of Mexican designers• OrganizeitinerantexhibitionsofMex-
ican design in different ProMéxico lo-cations abroad
• Open a network-directory (a virtualcommunity of Mexican designers)
• DesignatePueblaas the capitalof in-novation and design
• LaunchthebrandDesignedinMexico• EstablishtheNationalDesignAward
Each of the above projects are devel-oped according to the time and scope de-fined by experts from academia, industry and government who participated in the design, planning and implementation of the strategy.
Mexico encourages and promotes the generation of value under the viewpoint of innovation and value creation shared by the three levels of government. It is important that government authorities are aligned to the requirements of the industry (which is the economic engine of the country) and strengthen the Mexican talent (in academia) to converge on a shared vision of growth and projection of a business-oriented, in-novative, solid Mexico that develops value proposals for the world of tomorrow. N
www.promexico.gob.mx
Cover Feature
Through cooperation with the triple propeller, Mexico has learned how the application of design has become a transversal axis of development, providing the community with a great opportunity for sustained growth in order to turn Mexico—according to its current potential—into a country recognized as a creator and exporter of design—through ideas—for the transformation and generation of added value in services and products.
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| Negocios ProMéxico
July 2015
MoTeBo specializes in the de-velopment of smart textiles using a Motherboard (TMT) created in 2015 as a techno-logical base. With it, applied research in the textile industry can be developed, approaching all sectors of the population with mass production and cost reduction.
“These textiles can serve as a platform to monitor, control and report on parameters of interest, either of the carrier or a third party. For example, a textile in-corporated with a TMT is ca-
pable of monitoring parameters such as temperature, sun expo-sure, pulse, etc. on its bearer,” ex-plains Dr. Paulino Vacas Jacques, Founder of the company.
There are currently two important areas of technology development within the world-wide industry: Wearable Tech-nology (WT) and Internet of Things (IoT). The value of the WT area is estimated at around 20 billion dollars by the end of 2015, while the market for IoT is expected to reach 196 billion dollars by 2020.
“To generate competitive advantages in the textile and clothing industries, it is essen-tial that products have a tan-gible added value. With this in mind, and by taking advantage of the country’s infrastructure in the textile industry, this ini-tiative has been developed,” says Dr. Vacas Jacques, creator of the Motherboard.
MoTeBo has excelled in the field of intellectual property, as it has two national phase pat-ents in Mexico, Uruguay and Argentina, was well as two Pat-
ent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) procedures pending for its tech-nological base. Derived from this, different brands, logotypes and industrial designs revolv-ing around the various develop-ments applied by this technology have been registered. “The com-pany is mainly engaged in study-ing, researching, generating and applying all kinds of technology, inventions and methodologies for innovation in science and in-dustry,” says the researcher.
MoTheRboaRD usesThanks to the TMT’s versatil-ity of applications, it can inno-vate in different sectors. Vacas Jacques uses an example from the education sector: “The way of learning by playing has changed with the garment worn by the child. Products of the Wear & Discover brand, owned by the company, bring together clothing, gadgets and techno-logical applications that support children in their discovery and development of skills.”
At the Innovation Park at the Bajío Branch of Universidad La Salle (La Salle University)—where the founder of MoTeBo has developed the TMT tech-nology—a great variety of intel-ligent textile products have been conceived and developed. Two representative examples of these products are an interactive gar-ment for learning stimulation, and an intelligent sheet that de-tects presence and moisture; the latter is specially targeted for sick or elderly adults.
The development of the TMT started at a conceptual level in 2012, when Vacas
thanks to the versatility of textile motherboard applications, it is possible to innovate in different sectors.
Mexico’s Partner photos courtesy of naxo jim
INTERVIEw wITH pAULINO VACAS jACqUES, FOUNDER OF MOTEbO-SApI, bY RAqUEL RIVAS
SMaRT TExTiLESteChnOlOgy and innOvatiOn everywhere
MoTeBo specializes in the development of smart textiles using a Motherboard (TMT) created in 2015 as a technological base. With it, applied research in the textile industry can be developed, approaching all sectors of the population with mass production and cost reduction.
Mexico’s Partner
Jacques was at Harvard work-ing with a research group from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). “At that time I asked myself: ‘How can we bring technology to the ma-jority of the people?’ Hence the idea of using textiles as a basis for developing technology that can reach the majority.”
The implementation of smart textiles based on TMT favors many diverse sectors, such as health, home, tourism, and en-tertainment. “Particularly in the hospitality industry, we have designed a number of interest-ing products for efficient mar-keting. We have a textile prod-uct that can be used to form a database on user preferences. It can be manufactured in the form of a table runner, a rug or even a carpet. The main idea of this development is to generate reliable databases for decision-making and efficient market-ing,” adds Vacas Jacques.
MexICo’s Role IN sMaRT TexTIlesAccording to the researcher, the country has launched sev-eral initiatives in the textile field. One of the most important is the creation of the Innovation Pole: the National Center for Innova-tion in Textiles and Clothing, which is under consolidation in the state of Hidalgo.
“An objective of this initia-tive is to promote the transfor-mation of the chain of the textile and clothing industries towards higher value through research, development and knowledge creation. We’ve been invited to
take part as experts in the cre-ation of smart textiles in the country,” said the interviewee, who also points out the highly skilled workforce in the textile area, the strategic location of the country in respect to the USA,
and the zero rate for exports in the NAFTA region, among other advantages of developing these types of textiles in Mexico.
Currently, MoTeBo is work-ing on the development of other technology products that are innovating different sectors and achieving transfer of technology. These initiatives have been established with the support of the Innovation Park at the Bajío branch of Universidad La Salle, under the philosophy of generat-ing value through innovation that improves people’s qual-ity of life.
“Our plans in the short and medium terms are focused on creating a groundbreaking smart textile laboratory, an idea that we are developing in collabora-tion with ProMéxico,” says the Founder of the company. N
Thanks to the TMT’s versatility of applications, it can innovate in different sectors. Vacas Jacques uses an example from the education sector: “The way of learning by playing has changed with the garment worn by the child. Products of the Wear & Discover brand, owned by the company, bring together clothing, gadgets and technological applications that support children in their discovery and development of skills.”
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| Negocios ProMéxico
July 2015
Volkswagen de México has de-signed a strategy that capitaliz-es on its staff’s experience and ability to broaden its skills and meet the needs of design and construction of these devices. The concept-based tool man-ufacturing process involves several phases. In general, we recognize four fundamental stages:
• themethodplan—orMeth-odenplan—is the design of a series of steps that will be taken for a part to be trans-
formed into a flat sheet of a finished geometry. From the outset, it seeks to en-sure the quality of the final product.
• inthedesignstageitdevel-ops and builds each of the parts and the whole three-dimensional model of the dies in a modeling soft-ware.
• in the machining and as-sembly stages, die-casting and assembly activities are grouped as set forth in the design stage.
• Try-Out refers to thephase in which the dies are mounted on a press and set; this is done by running die-casting tests to develop prototype parts, where points are analyzed to ad-just them, so that the die remains in optimal condi-tion prior to its release, and then delivered to the corre-sponding area.
TRaININgThe dies used at Volkswagen de México are developed and built mainly at VW AG, Audi AG, VW do Brasil and Autoeu-ropa in Portugal. The cost of building and importing these dies, as well as the technol-ogy involved, was increasingly high.
In 2006 the project to cre-ate a Die Design and Construc-tion Center at Volkswagen de México was born, in order to provide the tools for shaping sheet developed and manufac-tured on the same premises. The implementation of this initiative consisted of several stages, including training, new personnel and investment in equipment, among others.
The training of person-nel involved in the design and construction of the dies was a key factor in the implementa-tion of the center. And with efficient training and transfer of technical know-how, com-pliance with the norms of the Volkswagen group for certi-fying processes implemented at the development center for
the challenge of designing tools for manufacturing die-cast parts.
Mexico’s Partner Mexico’s Partnerphotos archive
bY LUIS RObERTO MáRqUEz, SpECIALIST IN GOVERNMENT pROGRAMS AND INCENTIVES AT VOLkSwAGEN DE MéxICO
VW MéxiCO TROQuELESCustOM tOOls
the manufacturing of dies was guaranteed.
An important factor is training of the staff at the cen-ter. After initial training of the technical staff at Volkswagen de México, specialized train-ing took place at Ingolstadt, Germany, at Audi AG. The per-sonnel was involved in the die workshop at the Audi training school. This process was com-plemented by a special Volk-swagen de México program for engineering students aimed at attracting and developing talent.
beNefITs of IN sITu DeveloPMeNTToday the Die Design and Con-struction Center has specialists in method planning, special-ists in design, and technicians focused on the manufacture, adjustment and maintenance of tooling.
The new challenges facing the center are the introduction of new stamping technologies and the use of new materials for manufacturing stamped parts, such as aluminum and highly resistant steel. The use of design tools and simulation software are also very supportive.
By using these software tools, complex problems that occur during the early phases of die development were iden-tified, therefore reducing the number of press testing events, the number of optimization cycles and, consequently, total delivery time to the production process.
The design methodologies developed and the set of soft-ware tools used offer the fol-lowing advantages:
• theysignificantlyreducethetotal delivery time and phys-ical implementation, due to the validation and compen-sation of the recovery.
• they guarantee the qualityof tools and parts.
• they allow the final vali-dation of the tool and process design, including springback simulation and compensation, and ensure maximum robustness of the sheet shaping process.
• theyreducecosts.• theydeterminetheoptimal
protection against wear and tear of the formation tools.
• andtheyprovidemoreac-curate results in setting-up the process with the fastest response rate.
INTeRNal aND exTeRNal ClIeNTsThe creation of the center has promoted the development of the supply chain of compo-nents required for manufac-turing dies, as well as machin-ing centers. The facility also provides support to suppliers of sheet parts in solving prob-lems that arise in the process of mass production or in adjust-ing and releasing dies.
Since mid-2013 to date, Volkswagen de México is re-sponsible for the design, con-
struction and implementation of die-casts. At the center, the manufacturing feasibility analy-sis has been developed, as well as the digital models of dies for new parts. This means that with this center Volkswagen de Méxi-co already has both the techni-cal capacity and the resources required to fully develop a die. Market demands and the com-petition that characterizes the automotive sector makes it nec-essary to generate the resources to produce new models more ef-ficiently and quickly.
This center has supported achieving lower costs in build-ing dies, by made-in-Mexico technological integration and innovation. With this result, besides bolstering its develop-ment at Volkswagen de Mex-ico, the development of the necessary suppliers is encour-aged, to manufacture dies with a high degree of complexity, which requires a highly spe-cialized supply chain.
Currently at the Die Devel-opment and Construction Cen-ter, where 38 technicians special-ized in manufacturing, adjusting and maintaining tooling, plus 26 specialists in design and method planning, investments worth over 32 million dollars have al-ready been exercised.
The center gathers experi-ence by participating in the manufacturing process of:
• JettaA6GP• GolfA7• GolfA7Variant• TiguanLWB• AudiQ5
In the future, once the center is consolidated, it will be defined as an area of specialized develop-ment for designing and building tools for the Volkswagen group, and will also be able to design, build and manufacture tools for others companies. N
www.vw.com.mx
Today the Die Design and Construction Center has specialists in method planning, specialists in design and technicians focused on the manufacture, adjustment and maintenance of tooling.
The creation of the center has promoted the development of the supply chain of components required for the manufacture of dies, as well as machining centers.
19
Negocios ProMéxico |
18 July 2015
| Negocios ProMéxico
July 2015
GE Infrastructure Querétaro (GEIQ) is a Center of Ad-vanced Engineering in the city of Querétaro, which began operations in August of 1999 with the aim of providing en-gineering services and devel-oping drafts and sketches for one of the GE Power Systems divisions (in Schenectady, NY, USA). For 15 years the team
has demonstrated a high intel-lectual capacity to deliver re-sults at the highest level.
This center began with 50 engineers and today the figure is over 1,800. “At GE one of our most valuable assets is our people. In the countries where we operate we are always on the look out for talent to help us grow, innovate and meet the
challenges of the world,” says Vladimiro de la Mora.
This center focuses on de-signing engines for the energy, aviation, gas and oil industries. “At GEIQ we are very good at making configurations and designs. Mexico has a lot of talent in its universities; this country’s engineer graduates are among the best for applied energy.”
MexICaN PoTeNTIalThe development and growth of the Querétaro plant is also based on the potential and ex-isting talent in Mexico. De la Mora stresses that GEIQ has demonstrated that Mexico can develop state of the art technology and that Mexicans have the technological capabil-ity to compete globally. “That’s why the country continues to grow,” he says.
GEIQ is one of the coun-try’s most important engineer-ing and technological develop-ment centers that is a part of the Mexican Federation of the Aerospace Industry, and in re-cent years it has positioned it-self as the largest GE aviation industry outside the USA, and
the second largest generator of industrial power. “Every two seconds an aircraft takes off with GE engines. Every two seconds Mexican talent takes off somewhere in the world,” says De la Mora.
It should be noted that, thanks to its good work, in the past three years GEIQ has registered more than 300 in-vention disclosures, published eight patents 100% made in Mexico, and almost 40 of these invention disclosures have been accepted as patent applications.
CoMMITMeNT To INNovaTIoNThe GEIQ is the only technol-ogy development center of its kind in Latin America. At the same time, and according to figures from the multinational giant, GE technologies gener-ate a quarter of the electricity produced on the planet. At the global level, GE invests 6% of its revenue to research and development. In the case of GEIQ, this is the first center outside the USA to sign a blue-print for aviation.
“The engineers at the cen-ter have participated in de-
a center focused on designing engines for the energy, aviation, gas and oil industries.
Mexico’s Partner Mexico’s Partnerphotos courtesy of geiq
INTERVIEw wITH VLADIMIRO DE LA MORA, GENERAL DIRECTOR OF GE INFRASTRUCTURE qUERéTARO (GEIq)
GEiQ CENTER OF aDVaNCED ENGiNEERiNG at the FOreFrOnt
signing more efficient aircraft engines such as Lap and GEnx, among many other projects. In the power generation industry, the center has developed ca-pabilities to design aero de-rived marine packages, using aviation industry technology for generating electricity. The Querétaro center is respon-sible for regional support as well as applications and requi-sitions of GE projects in Latin America for the gas and vapor turbine industry. At present, different activities, such as thermo-structural finite ele-ment analyses are performed, as well as design for assembly, manufacturing and different mechanisms of mechanical design,” says Vladimiro de la Mora.
GEIQ has a quality assur-ance system under the ISO 9001:200 norm, and AS9100, a strong 6 Sigma culture. Also, it belongs to the National Reg-ister of Institutions for Re-search and Technological De-velopment of Conacyt (Renie-cyt), and in 2003 it received the National Technology Award.
ChalleNges aRe oveRCoMe wITh woRkDuring 119 years of presence in this country, the company has had to innovate and recog-nize the solutions and technol-ogy that both Mexico and the new players in different mar-kets need, always taking into consideration Mexican’s eco-nomic and social development. “This has not been a minor task, since staying in business for all these years and recogniz-ing the country’s requirements has been a big challenge,” says Vladimiro de la Mora.
Today the executive notes that the challenges for 2015 can be solved, “keeping simple
to move faster, continue learn-ing and adapting to win, and continue developing products and innovative solutions.”
De la Mora says that success is due to the great work done by the engineers at this center. “We have to understand that we can be as competitive as any country developing technology, so the experience and level of competition that exists in this country allows us to have a very wide range of talent that attracts companies like ours.”
exPeRTIse IN DesIgNINg TuRbINesGEIQ has dedicated many hours to designing turbines, as
the center daily monitors the performance of thousands of aircraft engines, at each takeoff and landing, and in all types of environmental conditions: hot or cold, at high elevation or at sea level.
“We have the ability to perform diagnostics while air-planes fly. In the performance of engines, we can see small things during the fight, which can be corrected in the next airport. The GEIQ is a source of pride for the US company’s top executives, and is taken as an example on a global scale as a generator of advanced knowledge.”
Finally, Vladimiro de la Mora states that the relation-ship with ProMéxico has been positive, especially for its ef-forts aimed at promoting the Mexican Federation of the Aerospace Industry, where GE demonstrates its confidence in the sector, by being one of the companies that have assembled a cumulative 19 billion dollars in investment in recent years. N
www.ge.com/latam/company/mexico
21
Negocios ProMéxico |
20 July 2015
| Negocios ProMéxico
July 2015
It is expected that more that 64 million devices with “wearable” technology will be released in 2017. Already companies like Samsung and Google are of-fering them. For four years, Machina, a Mexican company, has also ventured successfully in this field. This company’s his-tory consists of several failures, some unsuccessful attempts and a great deal of perseverance.
RouND oNeWhen he was 17 years old—before creating Machina, a company that designs and pro-duces “wearables”—Antonio started up his first company: Tijuana and Mariachis. The entrepreneur lived in Newcas-tle, England. “I was bored of waiting tables, and a friend of mine asked me to help him de-sign masks for wrestlers for a match with the Mexican team. I designed them, we had them assembled and we sold them in Los Angeles, California,” he recalls.
Antonio thought that this same idea would stick very well in England, so he de-signed masks with the logos of the Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United teams. He assembled them in Mexico, and packed five hundred units in a suitcase, that he started selling by himself in soccer stadiums. Given his success with these first masks, he de-cided to produce five thou-sand more, and then 25,000 for the World Cup in Germa-ny, in 2006.
The acid test came that same year, during the final games of the Champions League in Paris. Machina sold some of his masks, but ended up in jail for selling the products without permission. He was only able to sell 2,000 masks at 5 euros each. “Then we tried to get per-mits in Germany, without suc-cess.” And that was the end of Tijuana y Mariachis, but not the end of this young entrepre-neur’s momentum.
RouND TwoAntonio decided to study fashion design. The classes he took were on textiles, seams and patterns. However, what always attracted him were electronics, programming and interactive 2D and 3D plat-forms. The problem was that he didn’t know how to join these two apparently different approaches.
The first “wearable” he de-signed was a pirate-radio-jacket. The garment had a small ruck-sack on the back, adapted for altering FM radio signals in a range of five kilometers. When you turned the jacket on, you could illegally transmit messages to FM radio stations that were in range. Antonio thought it was a funny experiment, without thinking that this would mark the beginning of his own com-pany. “That’s how I got involved not only in clothing patterns but also in electronics. I really liked the product, but there wasn’t really a market for it, and the ‘wearable’ was illegal.”
the partners of this company developed their own electronic platform that will serve for the next five years.
Mexico’s Partner Mexico’s Partnerphotos courtesy of machina
INTERVIEw wITH ANTONIO MACHINA, CREATIVE DIRECTOR AND CO-FOUNDER OF MACHINA, bY LUIS FERNANDO TECA
MaCHiNathe Fruits OF PerseveranCe
Shortly before founding his company, Antonio was study-ing design at a center where he met his future partner, Linda Franco, with whom he set up a company to create web pages. “In this project we learned to deal with customers, make con-tracts, fulfill orders and work under pressure,” he recalls.
RouND ThReeIn 2012 Linda and Antonio de-cided that Machina was the company of their future. The first product came after an accident. Antonio is an urban cyclist and one day he was hit by a car. He held his temper and went to work, designing a backpack with blinking LED lights that flag the turn signal and make the rider visible. The product had relative success, but the founders found a way to outshine it.
A month after releasing the backpack, they introduced
a MIDI jacket in the market, a garment that “makes music” when you move your arms. The market did not respond. The timing wasn’t ripe. Linda and Antonio spent a lot of time developing the electron-ics for both products. The challenge was to follow the line of the backpack with music. From there they made the decision of designing a technological platform that became the electronic heart of future “wearables.”
The partners learned their lesson: for a brand to achieve technological innovation with textile proposals, it was nec-essary to have a technological platform that would allow de-velopment in both directions. The backpack for cyclists and the music-making jacket quickly became obsolete be-cause their technological devel-opment was still incomplete. Antonio and Linda realized
that this was the key issue to be resolved.
Electronics is what would make the difference. They spent almost a year designing the motherboard (the electronic brain) of the garments. While their sales were rising—the first year they sold products for 70,000 dollars and by the sec-ond year they reached 240,000 dollars in revenue—, they stopped in their tracks, in order to concentrate on that part and, incidentally, accumulate funds.
To weaR a gaRMeNTIn order to resolve the tech-nological issue in the simplest way, they developed their own electronic system, which served them for the next five years. Still, there was a point to be re-solved: the textile assembly. A point, by the way, not easy to resolve in Mexico.
“Besides quality and the fear of working for a company
like ours, any provider needs to develop specialized proce-dures, like sticking a cable in a garment and verifying with the computer that the clothes does what it promises (turn on, turn off, make sounds, shut up and blink, among other functions) at each stage. It was a chal-lenge to convince the assem-bler, and then to guarantee that he would deliver on time and respect the price agreed upon. That was the hard part. It took us more than two years to find the right provider as we de-veloped our own technology,” says Antonio.
Today, Machina sells its garments in Mexico, the USA and soon they will reach Ja-pan. Innovation and taste for design is what distinguishes the company. For example, the “wearables” come in spe-cial packages: they are metal garment storage bags. In ad-dition, the MIDI jacked in its new version can be recon-verted into a horn. “Some people don’t believe that we are Mexicans,” concludes the entrepreneur. N
www.machina.cc
Antonio decided to study fashion design. The classes he took were on textiles, seams and patterns. However, what always attracted him were electronics,
programming and interactive 2D and 3D platforms.
23
Negocios ProMéxico |
22 July 2015
| Negocios ProMéxico
July 2015
Art Center began operations in 1977 and specialized in handling sheets of various metals—stainless steel, zinc, copper, and so on—for manu-facturing and selling ashtrays, fire extinguisher holders, trash cans, garden planters and bas-kets. “In those years we served the needs of an untapped mar-ket,” explains Luis Javier Pa-dilla, Commercial Director of the company.
Indeed, Art Center pio-neered the manufacture and sale of these products in Mex-ico. But the company has also been characterized by continu-ous innovation in its designs and the high quality of its ma-terials, and has therefore been rewarded with a significant competitive advantage in the marketplace.
MaRkeT INNovaTIoNsThroughout more than 35 years of existence, Art Center has obtained more than fif-teen industrial design patents and registrations. It has also expanded rapidly in the inter-national market thanks to its competitive prices and the high quality of its products. The crown jewels are the develop-ments of architectural finishes for facades, true icons in sev-eral parts of the country. For example, Padilla cites the San José María Escrivá Church in Mexico City, designed by the renowned architect Javier Sordo Madaleno; as well as the Corona Stadium, the Nazas Theater, the Arocena Museum
this company’s savoir-faire has been made possible by its ability to cover different fields of activity, and by promoting alliances with several other companies.
Mexico’s Partner Mexico’s Partnerphotos courtesy of art center
INTERVIEw wITH LUIS jAVIER pADILLA, COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR, ART CENTER DE MéxICO, bY NEGOCIOS pROMéxICO
aRT CENTER at the FOreFrOnt OF MexiCan design
and the Municipal Palace, all located in Torreón, Coahuila.
Also, the company con-tinues to invest in innovation, and the development of tech-nology products for educa-tion has become a recent line of business. “We’ve developed projects for educational sys-tems through accessories and furniture components that facilitate the collective use of tablets for educational pur-poses. To date we have sold more than 4,000 units, and not only in Mexico: we’ve also exported to Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecua-dor, Panama, Peru and Spain,” says Padilla, and adds that Art Center’s most important chal-
lenge is to affirm itself as a vi-sionary company with a high social profile. “We not only design and provide solutions; we also are a second home for our workers.”
DesIgNINg PaRTNeRshIPsThe company has established strategic alliances with other companies, such as Peñoles, for the promotion of architec-tural finishes and zinc. It also
has agreements with Mexican architectural firms and some of the leading firms such as Santil-lana, HP and Apple, in the edu-cational technology market.
“Design is a creative tool that allows us to physically embody the dreams of our cus-tomers. That’s how we trans-form our environment in a pos-itive way.” Padilla says that Art Center’s savoir-faire has been made possible thanks to its
ability to cover different fields of activity, by establishing al-liances with other companies. “We are convinced that there is always more than one way to solve a problem, and that two heads think better than one. Thanks to this philosophy we can anticipate market needs and generate satisfactory solu-tions in a timely manner.” N
www.artcenter.com.mx
Throughout more than 35 years of existence, Art Center has obtained more than fifteen industrial design patents and registrations. It has also expanded
rapidly in the international market thanks to its competitive prices and the high quality of its products.
25
Negocios ProMéxico |
24 July 2015
| Negocios ProMéxico
July 2015
Rosemary Martínez Art Design (RMAD) is an interdisciplinary firm that merges conceptual in-terior design and branding with an artistic touch. With 30 years of experience, RMAD makes alliances with architects, design-ers, artisans, chefs, strategists, managers and publicists. Rose-mary Martínez, its founder, has a Masters degree in Innovation by the Design Center of Monterrey (Cedim), which has given her the
tools to use strategic design as a detonator of the businesses she works with.
A characteristic of this group is that the design and business areas work holistically, never separately. But it wasn’t how they started out from the beginning. This vision was cata-lyzed by a design success story that failed as a business.
Rosemary Martínez Art Design designed an innova-
tive bar called the “Re Bar” in Metepec, Estado de México. On completion of the de-sign project, the firm received nine international prizes that recognized the bar’s design, sustainable concept and the innovation expressed by it. However, over time the busi-ness went bankrupt. “What a contradiction—say Rosemary Martínez—. This was my best and worst hit!” From this ex-perience, Rosemary decided to work only for customers who were big entrepreneurs. “If our customer has dreams, we help him weave them.”
DIagNosIs as The basIs of a sTRaTegyThis is Rosemary’s philosophy: the customer knows about business, but he doesn’t always know how to reach his market, or how to make his product stand out in the market. RMAD is devoted to building that bridge, matching the customer’s needs with those of his market.
“Our customer’s dreams are like a ball of wool, and we weave the sweater. We shape those dreams. When the cus-tomer knows his business and we can support him with the knowledge of our interdisci-plinary design, extraordinary success stories happen,” she says with enthusiasm.
In 2007, “Mi Gusto Es” was a small chain of four res-taurants in Mexico special-izing in Sinaloa style seafood. They contacted Rosemary con-cerned with growing and uni-fying their overall image, but didn’t know where to start. “It
was a very small business that didn’t communicate its poten-tial”, recalls the creative direc-tor of the firm.
The partners of “Mi Gus-to Es” hired the services of RMAD. “The customer accept-ed our advice and we adapted to the way they handle their business. At that time they ca-tered 40 diners daily; now they serve over 2,500 each day at 12 branches.”
RMAD’s job consisted of, first, making a diagnosis to discover what the restaurant’s customers really needed, and who their competitors were. “You have to know very well what your market expects from you. The analysis we do is com-prehensive: not only is it about qualitative marketing, but also about the overall perception of the customer’s experience as a human being, not as a statistic.”
This diagnosis must tie with what the entrepreneur wants to achieve with his busi-ness. “Mi Gusto Es” is an ex-traordinary success story that shows how a great creative project in the hands of great businessmen can achieve in-credible results.
RMAD analyzes the global perception of the user, it re-views the operation and the physical spaces, it observes the internal life experience of the customer, as well as the overall management and con-sistency of the brand.
The diagnosis provides the foundation upon which the strategy to create the overall project is based. RMAD helps its customers organize their ideas.
a great design with a great business project that gets success.
Mexico’s Partner Mexico’s Partnerphotos courtesy of rosemary martínez
INTERVIEw wITH ROSEMARY MARTíNEz, FOUNDER OF ROSEMARY MARTíNEz ART DESIGN, bY NEGOCIOS pROMéxICO
ROSEMaRy MaRTíNEz aRT DESiGNweavers OF dreaMs
“Sometimes stakeholders want expensive things that are inef-ficient. Once, after a diagnosis, we recommended our custom-ers to strengthen their manage-rial and operational structure before investing in design—says Rosemary—. We suggested they invest their money wisely by fo-cusing their resources on areas where they could achieve bet-ter results as an overall brand. As we are interdisciplinary, we are not interested in working on isolated parts of a project, but to propel them towards success in a holistic way. We are like a mys-tery shopper with overall experi-ence,” she says.
The diagnosis serves to know more about the customer. “I’m like a doctor. You come to see me because you want to run a marathon, but you’re not prepared. The analysis tells me how you are doing physically, and where your areas of oppor-tunity, change and action are.”
That is, with the diagnosis, work ceases to be a matter of perception and it becomes a list of strengths and weaknesses, which will lay the groundwork for the strategies and actions to follow. The diagnosis also helps us measure our custom-ers. “I used to think that design solved everything, but no. And a business doesn’t also solve everything. We have to work hand in hand. A great design and a great business project succeed together,” insists Rose-
mary. The diagnosis detects what it takes to change at the architectural, interior, brand-ing and communication levels.
holIsTIC DesIgN as a DeTo-NaToR of gRowThRMAD works in an interdis-ciplinary way on four levels: architectural space, interior de-sign, brand design (branding), and communication strategy.
“I am closer to the cus-tomer, I can understand him better at the business level, and I know how to make him more competitive.” Design, ap-proached from this perspec-tive, becomes not only some-thing beautiful, but a detona-tor of growth. RMAD favors that architects, interior design-ers and graphic designers work in harmony so that the results become “a soul that beats in all elements of the project”.
At “Mi Gusto Es,” for ex-ample, they developed the restaurant chain’s identity; they defined the voice of the company and how it would be articulated in different me-dia. Then they developed the interior design: the furniture, uniforms, and outer and inner walls. RMAD created the lan-guage of the brand, guarding the architectural aspect of each branch, as each required a dif-ferent treatment. The interven-tion began in 2007 and contin-ues today with much success and continued growth.
In addition to specializ-ing in the hospitality segment, RMAD has created success stories by developing added value in real estate. It has worked with several real estate projects, creating capital gains and generating value by mak-ing architectural adjustments, strategic interior design and branding, which has resulted in increased sales.
“El Gran Roble (The Great Oak) in Metepec had an ex-hibition house that they were unable to sell for three years, although it was at a premium location. We remodeled the house, we refocused the in-terior design to the potential market, and we developed a sales and branding strategy. The house had a 30% increase in capital gains, and in less than two years the whole proj-ect was sold, in the middle of
a crisis. It’s not about decorat-ing with nice furniture. Design must be articulated in a way that channels the business to its maximum while knowing who the project is destined for,” explains Rosemary.
She is very clear that de-sign is vital to be competitive. “You can’t have a great design if you don’t have a great prod-uct. Sometimes I tell my cus-tomers: ‘Leave it to me to have your customers come and meet you, at least once; for them to return is up to you.’ If a prod-uct, service or operations are not good, and the customer feels cheated then they won’t return. Only innovation and conscious design centered on users will be the new currency of the economy,” concludes Rosemary Martínez. N
www.rosemarymartinezartdesign.com
27
Negocios ProMéxico |
26 July 2015
| Negocios ProMéxico
July 2015
With over 15 years of expe-rience, Colectivo 1050° is formed by potters, designers and artists whose common de-nominator—besides their pas-sion for working with clay—is creativity and entrepreneur-ship, which they use to create functional and beautiful ob-jects of high quality and with great tradition.
“The group was integrated with the interest of making the most of the riches of the state of Oaxaca and the talent of its arti-sans. To achieve this, we under-stood that we should join forces
and work on a long-term proj-ect,” explains Kythzia Barrera.
faCTs ThaT leD To suCCessBarrera recalls two moments that triggered the group. The first took place in 2008, with the cre-ation of an experimental training workshop for designing objects in clay, to which designers and craftsmen were invited to devel-op products. “So many people signed up, and the results were so successful, that we decided to form the group,” she recalls.
The next impulse came about through a request order
on behalf of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) in New York. “Although we had been working for the past fifteen years, someone found us and contacted us with the MoMa. In 2011 we exhibited our products there and, although the museum’s order was small, being such an important insti-tution, we started to receive or-ders from other parts of Cana-da and the USA,” adds Barrera.
Today, the civil associa-tion has trained more than one hundred artisans, while 45 artisans from seven com-
munities in Oaxaca form the group. Barrera enthusiasti-cally explains that they have been able to work as a team in creating products that manage to satisfy the needs of today’s consumers. These products are made with traditional crafts-manship, which conserves the cultural legacy and heritage of the state.
“Historically, the women of Oaxaca have worked with clay and therefore they are the main bearers of the tradi-tion,” says the Co-Founder of the group. This has represented
Based in the state of oaxaca, Colectivo 1050º is a group that works as the commercial branch of the civil association Innovando la tradición (Innovating tradition), devoted to clay based handicrafts in oaxaca.
Mexico’s Partner Mexico’s Partnerphotos courtesy of colectivo 1050°
INTERVIEw wITH kYTHzIA bARRERA, CO-FOUNDER OF INNOVANDO LA TRADICIóN AND COLECTIVO 1050°, bY RAqUEL RIVAS
COLECTiVO 1050°innOvative design OF traditiOn
an advantage in view of male migration to the USA with the resulting economic impact. “Oaxaca is a state where the men in 90% of the families are living and working across the border. Women are in charge of the economy here,” says the designer. And they have managed, she continues, be-cause they are strong, brave, hard working, and they have a great management and domes-tic savings capacity. Thanks to this, they have preserved and consolidated the tradition or working clay.
ColeCTIvo 1050° abRoaD In addition to serving the or-der for New York’s MoMa, the group realized the importance of attending social entrepre-neurship conferences in the USA. “That allowed us to have access to investors and philan-thropic funds, that helped us build and consolidate a firm base,” explains Barrera.
To date, the group has placed products in Belgium, Canada, Finland, Germany, Japan, Sweden and the USA, among others. “We have seen that there are many expecta-tions abroad about what is happening in the field of Mexi-
can design. The last five years have been decisive in terms of recognition, not only in design but also in many creative ar-eas. Mexico is becoming well known internationally, and that benefits all of us who be-long to the creative industries.”
To continue our interna-tionalization, the group is cur-rently devoted to the itinerant exhibition called “Clay and fire: the art of pottery in Oaxa-ca,” which is already scheduled for display in Germany, Bel-gium and Finland. According to Barrera, their next goal is to enter the European market.
“We want to have a pres-ence in Europe, make ourselves known, and promote the crafts-manship of Oaxaca. We are looking for partners and, ide-ally, a distributor who we can send a considerable volume of products to, and from there, ac-cess the rest of Europe.” N
www.1050grados.com
“The group was integrated with the interest of making the most of the riches of the state of Oaxaca and the talent of its artisans. To achieve this, we understood that we should join forces and work on a long-term project,” explains Kythzia Barrera.
29
Negocios ProMéxico |
28 July 2015
| Negocios ProMéxico
July 2015
The new commercial name, Dink-Imagina was introduced in 2008. Miguel Calderón Aguilar—creator and founder of Dink—started the com-pany under the name Vintage Design Studio, a couple of years earlier. At that time he left designing cars for Gen-
eral Motors, after a decade of hard work at that company. He formed Vintage Design Studio with the idea of stay-ing in the automotive envi-ronment. He began design-ing sports accessories for the Chevrolet Vectra model and later for the Chevy C2.
“In 2008 I realized that the name was too long and difficult to pronounce and remember, so I changed it to Dink, which means ‘imagine’ in Afrikaans, a Germanic lan-guage derived from Dutch, spoken mainly in South Africa and Namibia.” Thus arose Dink.Imagina, formed by a group of creative professionals with ex-tensive experience and fresh ideas in the areas of graphic and industrial design, photog-raphy and video production.
Dink started out its busi-ness activity in the automo-tive world, “just not in the big leagues, as we didn’t have the means to produce with quan-tity, timing and ISO quality standards,” states Calderón, general director of Dink.Ima-gina. So they entered the world of tuning—the after market
segment for cars—by designing equipment and extra accesso-ries for any brand. “In Mexico the automotive market is huge and very important, more so in the case of people who don’t necessarily purchase the car they want, but the one they can afford,” says the founder of Dink.Imagina.
ChaNge of skINThe company has been con-stantly changing, adapting to trends and customer and market requirements. Eventu-ally, Dink left the auto tuning business altogether to venture into new challenges and proj-ects like photography and pro-duction of commercials, which later became the core business of the company.
The most innovative thing Dink.Imagina has done—in Calderón’s words—is that their designs and creative ideas have always been updated with the trends and requirements of the moment. “I’m always studying and researching what’s going on in other places, to keep my ideas fresh. Twelve years as a professor at different universi-
Dink changed its name and its line of business, and learned to meet the needs of its customers. today the company is focused on photography, graphic and web design, and digital marketing.
Mexico’s Partner Mexico’s Partnerphotos courtesy of dink.imagina
INTERVIEw wITH MIGUEL CALDERóN AGUILAR, GENERAL DIRECTOR OF DINk.IMAGINA, bY pROMéxICO
DiNk.iMaGiNaadaPt and COnvinCe
ties has allowed me to keep in touch with young people, and that keeps me up to date,” says Calderón, who in 2013 was recognized by ProMéxico in its Design Ecosystems publica-tion as one of the promoters of design and creative areas in Mexico.
Among the biggest chal-lenges that Calderón and Dink.Imagina have faced was the 2013 crisis. That was when he decided to change the line of business, remaining in his cus-
tomer’s top of mind by trying to convince them that the best way to surpass the economic downturn was not by cutting advertising and promotional budgets, but on the contrary, to succeed by remaining in the top of mind of their own cus-
tomers, looking for better op-tions at a lower cost, such as social networks.
Dink.Imagina changed its name and its line of business, and learned to adjust to the needs of its customers. Today, the company is focused on pho-tography, graphic and web de-sign, as well as digital marketing for SMEs and entrepreneurs.
Dink.Imagina will mount a studio open to other photogra-phers and creative people that need a space to work, as one of its stronger future projects. On the other hand, “teach-ing is one of the areas I most enjoy, so I will develop digital or classroom courses, online (streaming) or published tu-torials, to share knowledge,” concludes Miguel. N
www.dink.com.mx
The most innovative thing Dink.Imagina has done—in Calderón’s words—is that their designs and creative ideas have always been updated with the trends and requirements of the moment. “I’m always studying and researching what’s going on in other places, to keep my ideas fresh,” says Miguel Calderón.
Dink means ‘imagine’ in Afrikaans, a Germanic language derived from Dutch, spoken mainly in South Africa and Namibia.” Thus arose Dink.Imagina, formed by a group of creative professionals with extensive experience and fresh ideas in the areas of graphic and industrial design, photography and video production.
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Negocios ProMéxico |
30 July 2015
| Negocios ProMéxico
July 2015
The MRTC is comprised of four centers of excellence. The first focuses on product devel-opment and design; the second on design and development of testing solutions; the third is a global business center; and the fourth is a highly ad-vanced laboratory of systems integration with state of the art technology. The infrastruc-ture of this laboratory involves a highly innovative operation. Honeywell has only one such center in the world.
In an interview with Nego-cios ProMéxico, Ricardo Gar-cía Ojeda, director of the Hon-eywell Engineering Center in Mexicali, says that “for over a
decade Honeywell has no lon-ger seen Mexico as a manufac-turing hub, but as a center of engineering and product devel-opment. The corporation views Mexico as a market where our products are aligned to the country’s needs. That’s why we have a corporate office in Mexico, to give the region this sense of business and market.”
ProMéxico (PRMX): Is the MRTC focused only on the aerospace industry?Ricardo García Ojeda (RGO): Yes. In fact, while at the cor-porate level this segment also includes the automotive in-dustry, the MRTC is exclu-
sively focused on the aero-space sector.
Honeywell has more than 16 thousand employees in Mexico, serving the three busi-nesses that define the company: aerospace (including its auto-motive part); control and auto-mation solutions for industries that require these capabilities; and, finally, technology and ad-vanced materials.
(PRMX): How important is design to Honeywell?(RGO): Honeywell is char-acterized by innovation and technology in any division in which we operate. It is very important to generate innova-tion and new products because that’s what allows us to be successful. In the case of the MRTC, the range of products and components we offer is ex-tensive. Although it accommo-dates various engineering func-tions—such as design, project management, structural and thermal analysis, and materi-als, among others—, the center is mainly represented by the development design group, for both products and testing.
In the case of products, the group is involved in designing and developing components for the environmental control system, such as heat exchang-ers, ozone converters and water extractors that are incorporated in the environmental control system of airplanes. We are also involved in designing and devel-
Honeywell’s Mexicali research & technology Center (MrtC) operates in a unique fashion within the aerospace industry. It was designed to develop and test the world industry’s new generations of technology. It officially started in 2007, and to date has scored several successes.
Mexico’s Partner Mexico’s Partnerphotos courtesy of honeywell aerospace
INTERVIEw wITH RICARDO GARCíA OjEDA, DIRECTOR OF THE HONEYwELL ENGINEERING CENTER IN MExICALI, bAjA CALIFORNIA, bY óSCAR HERNáNDEz
HONEyWELL aEROSPaCEMexiCali, a develOPMent POle FOr engineering design
oping pneumatic systems and components, such as valves.
With regard to propulsion, we work on designing auxil-iary power turbines and also function engines (such as the turbo fan, a propulsion tur-bine, or the turbo prop, a pro-peller based engine).
(PRMX): What kind of em-ployees work at the MRTC?(RGO): The site employs around 400 people, of which 75% carry out engineering roles; the rest are devoted to business, sales, marketing and customer sup-port; 90% have bachelor’s de-grees in engineering; of these, over 30% have postgraduate studies. The engineering special-ties are diverse; some of them fo-cus on mechanical engineering; but we also employ specialists in mechatronics, electro mechanics and electrical engineers, among others.
(PRMX): How do you measure the MRTC’s performance and efficiency?(RGO): There are several inter-nal ways to measure efficiency and performance. For example, when in 2007 we won the con-tract for market development and support for the Airbus 350 XWB—an aircraft that was launched in December 2014—the engineers at the MRTC worked hand in hand with the worldwide engineering group and Airbus on the design, de-velopment and testing of the mechanical systems applied on this platform.
Honeywell in Mexicali was instrumental in the testing campaign for this new aircraft, where the auxiliary power unit and the generating and air con-ditioning systems were tested to ensure that they worked as one without failures.
It was the first time that these mechanical packages were integrated into a labora-tory and worked together in a
way that they assimilated into a single system, allowing both Honeywell and Airbus to reach a maturity that previously was only achieved once all systems were installed in a real aircraft.
The MRTC played an im-portant role on this platform. Now that it is in service we give it support. This represents a milestone for the country’s industry due to the important contribution that the center’s engineers made to the program. Airbus feedback has been posi-tive in all respects and, to date, I think it’s the best way to mea-sure the efficiency of the center.
(PRMX): How do summer in-ternships at MRTC work, and how do you link with aca-demia?(RGO): A critical component of the operation is to gather tal-ent, attracting young engineer-ing students as an important source to ensure future talent. A resource that has been success-ful for this purpose, so far, are the summer internships. Each summer the MRTC offers 15 to 20 positions to engineering stu-dents —who are in the fifth to
seventh semester of their stud-ies— to join the company. Inter-ested students must necessarily cover the recruitment process we have for any position.
Once selected, each stu-dent is assigned a working team with real activities and projects. A critical part of the program is that students must face real engineering problems. There is an intense training system to guide and provide adequate mentoring. The stu-dent who is admitted learns and develops.
(PRMX): How many positions are open for design students?(RGO): Between 70% and 80%, and they span multiple products, depending on the current needs at the MRTC.
(PRMX): What important re-sults of the summer program would you highlight?(RGO): A very important one is that between 70% and 80% of our students receive a job offer to join the MRTC as em-ployees once they graduate. N
www.honeywell.com
33
Negocios ProMéxico |
32 July 2015
| Negocios ProMéxico
July 2015
Alberto Gutiérrez Pastrana is an artist and transport de-signer. Diagonal/Laboratorio de Ideas began to take shape in early 2004, due to Alberto’s restlessness. He wanted to take advantage of the time and tools he had acquired during his years at school, and began ex-perimenting with the creation of objects applied to solving
problems, requirements or specific concerns, not only his own, but also of his colleagues, family and friends.
“I needed a space to ex-periment and develop anything with a personal interest, differ-ent to what I was doing as an artist or sculptor. I realized that all my creative concerns were valid and could be developed
in the same space, and could become a source of work for me and others like me, with whom I share the desire to make a positive impact in the time and space we live in.”
Eight years later—when his agency specializing in designing projects for the footwear, trans-portation, innovation and toy industries, as well as consumer
products—the company was able to maintain a rather stable position in the market. “It has been a story of much sacrifice, but also of many satisfactions. In the beginning, growth was quite slow, but as time went by we were able to establish our-selves better, keeping customers we started out with, but gradu-ally increasing their number, and thanks to that we’ve man-aged to discover other opportu-nities of research and growth,” says Gutiérrez.
“The idea of developing our own products or brands sound-ed far away, but now it’s closer than what we ever imagined at first—he says—. The stabil-ity we have today allows us to identify other business opportu-nities. It has been complicated to get ahead, but fortunately we’ve found some companies willing to invest in their own products as a way to save on their production costs.”
DesIgN booMFor Alberto Gutiérrez Pastra-na, the coming of age of Mexi-can design has made businesses increasingly rely on Mexican talent, which is located in all corners of the country. “The culture of design is boom-ing and we are confident that companies increasingly dare to trust in their own country’s tal-ent, and see the successful re-sults of these decisions.”
“Some time ago—he adds—I decided to stop looking at the limits between drawing, making attempts at sculpture or shap-ing and making illustrations for
Mexican design culture is booming, and companies are increasingly relying on Mexican talent from all corners of the country.
Mexico’s Partner Mexico’s Partnerphotos courtesy of diagonal/laboratorio de ideas
INTERVIEw wITH ALbERTO GUTIéRREz pASTRANA, FOUNDER OF DIAGONAL/LAbORATORIO DE IDEAS (LAbORATORY OF IDEAS), bY NEGOCIOS pROMéxICO
DiaGONaL/LabORaTORiO DE iDEaSsPeCiFiC sOlutiOns
products. Design is a lot bigger than just solving a specific prob-lem or need by different means, in a creative or innovative way.”
The agency also seeks to improve, both internally and externally, the aesthetic, func-tional or productive reach of each project. “It has been easier to achieve aesthetic im-provements in relation to the products of our customers’ competitors, as functional and productive improvements take longer; now, the conceptual development with our custom-ers is taking less time”, the de-signer says.
“For most of us, what we do is largely what we are, and keeping up to date in terms of information and tools is as important as the economic benefits of each project,” says Gutiérrez Pastrana. That’s why almost half of the company’s
revenue is spent on research and development.
The ChalleNgeThe executive and artist added that the company’s current chal-lenge lies in both increasing the number and capacity of its members to support the amount of work they are generating, as well as increasing the quantity and quality of the services they offer. “We started offering only consulting and design services
in general, and although we’ve always worked on our personal or internal projects, it was only last year that we could formalize our intentions of not only sup-porting others but to become our own customer and investor, developing design proposals in three different sectors that we’re interested in, so that we can have a presence in those markets in the near future.”
According to Gutiérrez Pas-trana, “we’ve had very interest-
ing proposals from our clients to solve everyday problems (such as wheel chairs), as well as other projects for social and environmental improvement. I think that with every project our clients have been pleased and we have achieved at least a minimal improvement in addition to the projects originally requested or required, which is at least what we’re looking for.” N
www.diagonal-lab.mx
It has been complicated to get ahead, but fortunately we’ve found some companies willing to invest in their own products as a way to save on their production costs.”
For Alberto Gutiérrez Pastrana, the coming of age of Mexican design has made businesses increasingly rely on Mexican talent, which is located in all corners of the country.
35
Negocios ProMéxico |
34 July 2015
| Negocios ProMéxico
July 2015
Colectivo Tomate (The Tomato Collective) emerged in 2007 as an architectural firm seeking to tear down the boundaries between different artistic dis-ciplines. It was conceived as a multidisciplinary workshop that gradually focused on so-cial projects and set aside pri-vate endeavors.
When asked, why Tomato? Tomás replies: “The architec-ture of a tomato is as impor-tant as that of a stadium. We look for creative solutions that interweave dance with space, art with objects, people with time, lines with bodies, mu-sic with math, and lights with stages,” he explains.
“Colectivo Tomate is a multidisciplinary and inde-pendent group, made up of citizens/agents-of-change, that seek to inspire and empower
those who are actively in-volved in transforming, uniting and strengthening their com-munities. We promote linking tools through art, the culture of peace, citizen participation, confidence building and eco-nomic empowerment,” says Darío.
The group developed the “Ciudad Mural” (Mural City) idea in Puebla, as a pioneering project that saw the culmina-tion of the concerns for social justice that the group aims to promote.
The MuRalsThe Xanenetla district retained the historical stigma of being separated from the downtown area of the city of Puebla by the San Francisco River. In the 1500’s, natives lived on one side of the river, and Spaniards
lived on the other. The logic of separation evolved as the years went by, yet today noticeable elements of this division are still there. The project consist-ed of painting 15 murals. To-day there are 56 murals in the community, all of which were painted in three years.
“We sought to show people their identities; to make them visible. Many people from Xanenetla participated in the project. It was beautiful. We tested what we wanted to do and how we were going to do it,” recounts the founder of the group.
Colectivo Tomate sought sponsorship via social net-works, like Kickstarter, and also local support from com-panies like Pintumex, that donated the material. Besides, various artists, not only from
the state of Puebla but from other regions, joined in the effort. The people of the com-munity are the characters that appear painted on the walls, and as these paintings portray a part of their microhistory, they are also the caregivers of the work.
oPeRaTIoN ToMaToCurrently, there are five mem-bers that make up the group, and they meet virtually. None of them make money from this activity. It’s pro bono work. “We love to empower commu-nities and people,” says Tomás Darío, who is a lawyer that devotes his free time to this activity.
The way the Colectivo To-mate works is by knocking on doors of the people in the com-munities they choose to work with, inviting them to a meet-ing to explain why they want to paint murals, how their sto-ries will be captured, how their neighborhood will be beauti-
art as a social bridge, as a means of social transformation, as a setting for storytelling.
Mexico’s Partner Mexico’s Partnerphotos courtesy of colectivo tomate
INTERVIEw wITH TOMáS DARíO, CO-DIRECTOR OF COLECTIVO TOMATE, bY RODRIGO CANSINO
COLECTiVO TOMaTEPutting COlOr where there was nOne
fied, and how they will generate a healthy living environment.
In these talks the members of the group trace the route of the mural corridor, on the authorization of the commu-nity. “We always work with the consent of the people,” explains Pérez Vega. Each art-ist paints a house, based on a sketch that is drawn with each family’s feedback.
Moreover, Colectivo To-mate teaches non-violent com-munication, they give counsel to the community about how to shape the history of their fami-lies and how to leave a message of peace. They address issues that make the family proud, what they want to convey to the next generation, what the previ-ous generations bequeathed to them, what important events have occurred and information about the history of the place. Each mural is unique. This is part of the group’s methodolo-gy. It’s not just about painting a place for aesthetic reasons; but to inspire.
eveRyboDy DaNCeColectivo Tomate organized a flashmob in 2012. It was an exercise in citizenship move-ment. In a plaza in Puebla, at a certain time, they gathered 200 citizens who at the signal began dancing for three to
four minutes. “This was done to show that people from dif-ferent backgrounds, tastes and professions can meet in a single activity,” says Tomás Darío.
“Art as a means of social transformation is beautiful and powerful. In addition to the murals, we also organize spon-taneous theater performances with the Colectivo de Artes de Participación (the Arts Partici-pation Collective). In the stage space, people can see a repre-sentation of their own reality and how to transform it.”
aRTThe murals fill with color a wall that didn’t have any, and they tell a tale. They make the members of a community vis-ible, and are a vehicle that cre-ates a connection space for a diverse group. The murals also stimulate the creativity of the people, because they want to participate and do something.
“Colectivo Tomate offers to share talent with and for each community. We never im-pose a mural or graffiti on any house. We have already painted 150 murals in different places around the country. We started
out in Puebla, then we ‘infected’ Querétaro, which now has more murals than Puebla. We’ve made an impact and we’ve stimulated citizen participation,” concludes Tomás Darío.
An important component of all activities by Colectivo Tomate is the message of non-
violence and commitment to involved citizens. Today the group is preparing and design-ing projects for “Mural Cities” in the states of Veracruz and Hidalgo, and several more in their native Puebla. N
www.colectivotomate.com
The murals fill with color a wall that didn’t have any, and they tell a tale. They make the members of a community visible.
Colectivo Tomate teaches a message of non-violence, guides communities on how to shape the history of their families and how to leave a message of peace.
37
Negocios ProMéxico |
36 July 2015
| Negocios ProMéxico
July 2015
Since 1988, the Escato group of Corporate Scenographers was formed as a company de-voted to designing, manufac-turing and selling fiberglass products, which was the basis of its evolution within the field of corporate scenography.
The company’s mission is to care for and properly implement brands and communicate their philosophy at the point of con-tact with its customers, through industrial products that “em-body and shape the corporate image of our clients, through comprehensive equipment,” says Gabriel Gadsden Carrasco, who believes that, beyond offer-
ing a product, “we are a service company focused on connecting brands with their end consumers through retail outlets.”
In the process of material-izing a brand in a certain space, even before devising any proj-ect of proposal, the main thing is to understand the customer’s philosophy, his operational re-quirements and his differentia-tors. “Our philosophy is to be intimate with our customers to foster long term relation-ships, where you become more of an ally than a supplier,” says Gadsden; thus the whole process flows more naturally. “They are the experts in their
business, and we only help them with the better presenta-tion of their products.”
aDaPTINg To TeChNologICal TReNDsThe goal is to position Escato as a leader and a reference in corporate scenery design. By the nature of the markets it serves and the commercial ap-proach of the service it offers, the company is constantly changing and adapting to new trends and technologies, so that innovation is essential in ar-eas such as conceptual design, the use or application of new materials designed for specific
a scenario that gives body and shape to the corporate image is key in linking a customer with his brand.
Mexico’s Partner Mexico’s Partner
INTERVIEw wITH GAbRIEL GADSDEN CARRASCO, pRESIDENT AND GENERAL DIRECTOR OF ESCATO ESCENóGRAFOS CORpORATIVOS, bY NEGOCIOS pROMéxICO
ESCaTO ESCENóGRaFOS CORPORaTiVOSCOMMitted tO innOvatiOn
solutions, processes to enhance production timing, quality and durability, and even in logis-tics and financial solutions for project implementation.
“Innovation applied to proj-ects has enabled us to transcend borders and help our interna-tional customers solve global applications and image make-overs through specific products with international standards and certifications,” says Gads-den. Now, for example, they are developing furniture for POP displays, with a highly sustain-able approach in terms of us-ing recycled materials, reduced packaging, less waste of mate-rials, as well as more efficient production processes.
Also, the integration of digital technologies in Escato’s service portfolio has opened new communication possibili-ties for the over 180 custom-ers they service in retail outlets and other points of contact.
Escato’s big challenge has been to sustain its growth while being able to respond and adapt to the changing mar-ket needs, as well as to avoid
dependence on third parties in the industrialization process. Globalizing its service offerings has been another challenge, such as overcoming cultural and technical complexities in foreign markets.
The company is currently seeking to diversify into the SME market, which represents a major challenge in terms of investment, management and internal paradigm changes. “This project also implies dig-nifying and improving the im-age of Mexico, as it is a huge market in terms of number of
outlets and, therefore, expo-sure,” say Gadsden.
esCaTo CITyThe company is immersed in a medium term project of growth that will encourage the integration of its four produc-tion plants and logistics ware-houses in a single industrial complex. This will give them “more operational control, thereby improving our process-es. It will become Escato City,” concludes Gadsden. N
www.escato.com.mx
photos courtesy of escato
39
Negocios ProMéxico |
38 July 2015
| Negocios ProMéxico
July 2015
the importance of creative industries in our country is not a recent or passing trend, but the result of years of effort and a continuous generation of innovative ideas.
Creative industries are the ideal stage for developing a thriving entrepreneurial force in Latin American countries. According to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), this sector offers the possibility of creating 107 million jobs for young people in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Over a year ago, in Jalisco, México In-novación y Diseño (Mexico, Innovation and Design, or Mind) commenced opera-tions, where the Innovation and Design Promotion Council launched the Design Innovation Center (DICENmx), the first business ecosystem of creative industries in Latin America.
Composed of eighteen companies and four entrepreneurs, DICENmx provides design and marketing services, audiovisual production and software development, among other fields. In addition, another thirty companies are involved in the initia-tives, projects and models developed there, always in a collaborative context.
DICENmx is a bridge that links busi-nesses, projects and ideas to ensure the participation of companies from the most
representative and strategic sectors in the national creative industry.
Any entrepreneur will find integrated solutions in DICENmx to initiate, acceler-ate, internationalize or consolidate their businesses. They also have at their dispos-al a statewide, national and international network of creative entrepreneurs to solve any needs, thanks to a directory of con-tacts and links to the Innovation and De-sign Promotion Council.
The eighteen companies that have formed this innovative center are:
3MB - Virtualization consulting www.3mb.com.mxIt specializes in virtualization consult-ing. With over fifteen years of experience implementing solutions for information technology, 3MB is supported by a team of professionals that fosters the growth of their customers and associates.
ATI - Center of innovation and educational technology experienceswww.tecnologiaintegrada.com.mx
It transforms the learning process by de-signing and implementing educational tech-nology projects at various academic levels. It offers counsel for integrating technology in academic processes, as well as training and certification programs for teachers.
Big Elephant - Design and communicationwww.bigelephant.mxSince 2008, Big Elephant specializes in de-signing corporate identities and web devel-opment. It uses technology for developing communiqués in a practical and innova-tive way to generate action in the target audience.
Bodega 12 - Consultingwww.bodega12.com Management consulting services for inno-vative businesses.
Change Innovation - Strategic innovationwww.changemx.comStrategic innovation is the revolution of the 21st century. It is the only way compa-nies can succeed in generating and deliver-ing value through user-centered design.
Clúster de Robótica - Association for technology and innovationwww.clusterobotica.mxA network of companies, organizations, research centers and institutions of higher education that encourage technological in-novation and increase the competitiveness of its associates.
Dagaa Development - Design, development and product engineering www.dagaa.mxA multidisciplinary team passionate about design, development and product engineering. It works with service, metal-working, automotive, food, electronic and entertainment companies, among others.
Special report photos courtesy of dicenmx
by OSwALDO O. SANTANA CORONA, CEO OF FOLLOwAR (AUGMENTED REALITY), bUSINESS REpRESENTATIVE OF DICEN.Mx, CENTRO DE INNOVACIóN Y DISEñO (INNOVATION AND DESIGN CENTER), AND NOEMí pIzANO, CEO OF THE CONSEjO pROMOTOR INNOVACIóN Y DISEñO DE jASLICO (INNOVATION AND DESIGN pROMOTION COUNCIL OF jALISCO).
CREaTiVE iNDuSTRiES OF jaLiSCO, On the rise
Special report
It participates in all stages of designing a product or service.
DBI Institute - Training in disruptive innovation www.dbi-institute.com It provides training in disruptive, relevant and high impact innovation in different social, economic and technological sectors in the region.
followAR - Augmented realitywww.followAR.comIt offers customers the opportunity to in-teract with their brands, providing experi-ences and emotions in innovative and sur-prising ways to create branding. followAR develops neuromarketing solutions that help companies increase and measure their advertising reach, improve the percep-tion of the price of a product, increase a brand’s exposure, and positively affect the buying decision: before, during and after purchase.
Hadron - Dissemination of science and talent management www.hadron.mxIt promotes scientific communication through its main areas: scientific literacy, scientific culture and social appropriation of science, technology and innovation.
iCrea nonsuch - Creative Industry Consortiumwww.icreamexico.com
This first business consortium of creative industries in Mexico generates compre-hensive communication strategies and designs of high value. It integrates the necessary tools for inserting products and services in new markets, both domestic and international. It also refreshes brands, strengthens distribution channels and cre-ates experience based marketing projects.
Imágenes Latentes - Strategies for audiovisual communication www.imageneslatentes.comThrough technology, innovation and so-cial analysis, it develops high-impact au-diovisual contents that serve as social media campaigns, sales tools and product presentations that are distinguished by their narrative quality and aesthetics.
Internet of Things - Development of technological projects www.agilgob.com It designs and implements technological projects to improve people’s quality of life through the internet of things and plat-forms for automating processes and mak-ing government processes more efficient.
Ping Pong Branding - Editorial, communication and advertising www.ppb.mxA group of young creative people with ex-perience in editorial communication and brand activation. It generates communica-tion strategies aligned to new trends.
Plug Design - Development of products, design and engineering for manufacturingwww.plugdesign.com.mxIt is a company that develops products, design and engineering for manufacturing, from the stages of conceptual sketching and 3D CAD modeling to mass production.
Pragmatec - Technology transfer and saleswww.pragmatec.com.mx It is a knowledge and sales transfer com-pany with a mission to strengthen the inno-vation ecosystem of Mexico. It offers iden-tification, development and sales of tech-nological solutions with global impact by analyzing the company and its technology.
Sofía Films - Knowledge in cinema and television [email protected] to technology transfer, research and knowledge applied to cinema, televi-sion and the Internet. It offers its custom-ers training workshops in post-production, content production and 4K post-produc-tion services.
StakeWare - Sustainability on demandwww.stakeware.comIt helps companies manage their share-holders. It conveys the impact of its sus-tainability initiatives and focuses on areas of greatest value, making sure that sustain-ability remains engraved in their DNA.
www.dicen.mx
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Negocios ProMéxico |
40 July 2015
| Negocios ProMéxico
July 2015
The Secretariat of Economic Develop-ment and Tourism (SDEyT) of the City of Puebla began working with ProMéxico in 2011 in order to develop the first Road-map, which was published in May 2012 with the goal of positioning the region as a center for innovation and design. Last year the initiative was restructured, to strength-en its links with the productive potential of the area, and spur a new, more flexible and participatory scheme of governance.
“It is important to stress that the proj-ects involved in PueblaCID seek to ben-efit all sectors by strategically linking the
industry with human capital of Puebla, in fields related to architecture, textile, indus-trial and automotive design, among others, adding value to products, and strengthen-ing Puebla’s economy,” says Chaín.
The PlaCe ThaT Puebla oCCuPIesThe PueblaCID project will enable the re-gion surrounding the capital of the state to have better tools for the development, retention and growth of talent, while in-creasing the competitiveness and position-ing of the state’s companies in the national and global economy, and placing Puebla
on the global map as a region of conceptu-alization and creation of added value.
According to the Venture Institute’s first National Innovation Index (INI), Puebla is the fifth state with the highest score, while the city of Puebla is the third best positioned. The indicator of technolo-gy and knowledge places Puebla in second place nationally, and in first place com-pared to the country’s largest cities, while the index of creative goods and services classifies it as “very high.”
It is noteworthy that there is a close correlation between the INI and the state GDP, as states that generate greater wealth are also the most innovative.
Thanks to the PueblaCID project, the region is on track to become the first successful case of a productive creative design ecosystem in the country, whose objectives are centered on: harnessing of the innovative and creative potential of universities, companies and civil organi-zations; linking developers and designers with established industries to strengthen their productive potential; attracting in-vestment and creating jobs; adding value to products and services in the region through innovation and design; and po-sitioning Puebla as the Capital of Innova-
Special report photos courtesy of sdeyt
INTERVIEw wITH MICHEL CHAíN CARRILLO, SECRETARY OF ECONOMIC DEVELOpMENT AND TOURISM OF THE CITY OF pUEbLA, bY pROMéxICO
PuEbLaCiDtOwards a Creative eCOsysteM OF PrOduCtive design
Special report
tion and Design at the national and inter-national levels.
“Puebla CID works through a scheme of governance in which over a hundred ac-tors at the three levels of government, academia, industry and civil society have contributed their knowledge and ideas for the development of the project,” explains Chaín. He says that the agents who con-tribute to PueblaCID are talented, creative, innovative, and have a global vision of the future. What is sought is ultimately to im-prove the quality of life of citizens and to detonate economic development by gener-ating more added value.
The CReaTIve eCosysTeM gaINs sTReNgThIt is crucial that Puebla, as a capital city with universities, can translate the critical mass of knowledge and research that is generated in innovation for the regional productive apparatus. One of the main achievements of the project lies in the active participation of all sectors of society, allowing them to lead projects in the direction that really find solutions to current problems.
“Task forces established nine mile-stones, out of which 26 projects were de-veloped, including the Roadmap for the first Design Center that includes design engineering, advanced manufacturing and industrial design,” says Chaín.
Furthermore, in order to link developers and designers with established industries to strengthen their productive potential, at-tract investments and create jobs, a direc-tory of poblano designers was developed; the directory of schools related to design, architecture and gastronomy in Puebla was updated; and a list of design-related events was concocted to define the observatory of design with specialized benchmarking.
According to the Secretary of Econom-ic Development and Tourism of the City of Puebla, the important thing now is to change paradigms and make more people understand and assume the importance of moving from assembly and manufacturing, to processes that involve much more added value, based on the conceptualization, de-sign and execution of new goods and ser-vices, as well as equally innovative and creative means to reach consumers.
“Societies that have bet on creativity and innovation are in a better position to compete in the dynamic and changing en-
vironment of the 21st century, where it is essential to satisfy increasingly demanding consumers,” says Chaín, for whom Puebla has the potential of generating and capital-izing on its talent to accomplish this and, from the “Angelópolis” (“City of Angels”), radiate it to the rest of the country.
According to the Ministry of Public Education (SEP), the metropolitan area of Puebla has 203 institutions of higher edu-
cation. These universities offer more than 100 specialized programs in architecture, industrial, graphic, fashion, textile, auto-motive, digital, artistic and image design, among others. “Universities play an essen-tial role in PueblaCID, both in its gover-nance as in regard to the creation of spe-cific projects,” concludes Chaín. N
www.pueblacapital.gob.mx
“It is important to stress that the projects involved in PueblaCID seek to benefit all sectors by strategically linking the industry with human
capital of Puebla, in fields related to architecture, textile, industrial and automotive design, among others, adding value to products, and
strengthening Puebla’s economy,” says Chaín.
Puebla Innovation and Design Capital (CID) is defined as a social, economic and cultural project in which government, academia, business and civil society participate in promoting creative thinking, innovation and design as strategic assets for Puebla and the central region of the country.
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| Negocios ProMéxico
July 2015
Mexico is the 30th of 50 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Develop-ment (OECD) countries in terms of pat-ents, scientists, technology-based busi-nesses, research, job sources for scientists, and percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) applied to research and develop-ment (R&D). The country shows a large backlog in this regard even relative to other developing countries such as Brazil and China. According to the Scientific and Technological Consultative Forum (FC-CyT), Jalisco occupies the fourth place in the list of Mexican states with the highest development in innovation.
“We must reinvent Mexico’s tradition-al industry to achieve more innovation,” says Sara Maroto Pérez, General Director of México Innovación y Diseño (MIND, Mexico Innovation and Design), the “clus-ter of clusters” that brings together seven
different sectors. MIND was created to support improvement and competitiveness in the industry by promoting innovation and design.
MIND is the innovation ecosystem that consists of seven strategic clusters with national impact, but located in the state of Jalisco. It is the point where the industrial sectors and creative industry firms meet, relate and come together, fo-cusing their combined talents on devel-oping ideas, turning them into processes and integrating them with the industry, making innovation and design key parts of the strategy to develop new and better products and processes, and increasing the value of the state’s industry.
“MIND is a bridge of creativity that links, connects and guides the actions of all stakeholders towards development and evolution. The difference between ideas
and reality is the point where they con-nect,” explains Maroto.
MIND is the linchpin between innova-tion and the industry, where the so-called triple propeller is linked by offering high quality service to businesses:• Innovationmanagement(MINDinno-
vation lab cells)• Marketanalysis(Intelligencecenter)• Accesstomaterials(MINDMaterfad)• Specializedtraining(MINDclassroom)
The seven MIND umbrella sectors are: fashion, furniture, high technology, food (gourmet), logistics, transversal construc-tion and housing. These distinct segments share common needs (design and innova-tion, information and intelligence, regula-tion and legislation, internationalization, development of value chains and clusters, and staff training).
The PuRPoseThe goal is to generate a competitiveness program that relies on a system of inno-vation and industrial development based
MIND is a bridge of creativity that links and guides the actions of all stakeholders towards development and evolution. MIND is the linchpin between innovation and industry.
photos courtesy of mind
INTERVIEw wITH SARA MAROTO péREz, GENERAL DIRECTOR OF MIND, bY LUIS FERNANDO TECA
MiNDreinventing Creativity
on the organization of industry (cluster) by integrating value chains. The idea is to strengthen the industry through innova-tion and design tools for improving the MIND project as a leader in the develop-ment of innovation in Mexico.
In one year, MIND has received an aver-age of over 6,000 monthly users, who per-ceive the benefits of the technological tools and other MIND services, such as: 3D print-ing, prototyping, intelligent and innovative materials, MIND classroom training, inno-vation cells (MindLab), forums, workshops and lectures.
The followINg PRojeCTs aRe INsTalleD aT MIND
MindLabBased on the methodology of innovation cells, MIND generates a system for sup-porting industries and SMEs in devel-oping and scaling new and innovative products.
These innovation cells form multidisci-plinary teams that analyze the idea and the problem to resolve, generating an innova-tive solution with a market approach. This solution is scaled in prototype and tested in the market.
The result is the development of new products or the improvement of existing ones through the intervention of multidis-ciplinary teams. Besides, the employment of engineers, marketers and designers, among other specialties, is achieved. Innovative so-lutions to problems arising in the industry with a market approach and patent genera-tion are also created. Twenty annual cells are created per incubation period.
The information center“MIND ensures that all clusters receive an individualized analysis in innovation, business development, access to financing, competitive behavior and market analysis, among other services.” The MIND infor-mation center provides situation statistics and information relying on official sources and generating specific information re-quired by the sectors.
The information center will impact the entire industrial fabric of Jalisco, rep-resented by more than 33,000 industries, by generating information of interest and the model for its use. “Information is ac-cessible to everyone. At MIND we turn it into a practical system for making strategic
decisions,” says the director of the “cluster of clusters”.
The information center started with the fashion industry and is generating an impact of more than 1,850 beneficiaries per month, who receive bulletins with trends and sectorial information. This center was developed with the support of the Mexico-European Union Competitive-ness Program (PROCEI), with a budget of 1’560,000 pesos, of which PROCEI con-tributed with 50%.
Materfad Guadalajara, the MIND mate-rials centerThe materials library was put together based on the Materfad model: the Materi-als Center of Barcelona. Its purpose is to facilitate technology transfer between dif-ferent sectors that are part of MIND. The Barcelona library in the European network also has a presence in Colombia and Chile.
It is not a common library. It is a library of innovative and technological materials, which has a physical and virtual space, al-lowing SMEs to access materials around the world as a source of innovation and creativity. Over time it will improve. In the meantime, “we are seeking to represent all families of materials (biomaterials, ceramics, composites and polymers),” explains Ma-roto. The materials center opened in March and has received more than 300 visits from all over the country. The project started with
an investment of 1’650,000 pesos, of which PROCEI contributed 50%.
MIND resides in a building with 17,000 square meters of space, where several innovation and design companies are installed, as well as industrial cham-bers and their clusters. Thus, the building comes alive by generating—through the mentioned projects—synergies and strat-egies that benefit the industry and design companies by generating improved com-petitiveness. MIND is the seat of innova-tion in Mexico.
MIND became the only global coordi-nating entity, which integrates in the same space seven ecosystems, made up of twen-ty six industrial chambers—fashion, furni-ture and decoration, gourmet food, global manufacturing and logistics, high technol-ogy and construction and housing—, after the success, it opens up to new ecosystems: design, forestry, health, biotechnology, and others.
Throughout the first year of MIND, the entity has accomplished the comple-tion of the building, which is 95% oc-cupied. MIND has created the Material Center, the Business Information Center and MindLab.
MIND achieved the bronze cluster man-agement, a certification seal granted by the European Cluster Excellence Institute. N
www.mindmexico.com
The idea is to strengthen the industry through innovation and design tools for improving the MIND project as a leader in the development of
innovation in Mexico.
MIND is the innovation ecosystem that consists of seven strategic clusters with national impact, but located in the state of Jalisco.
Guest opinion Guest opinion
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| Negocios ProMéxico
July 2015
The Instituto de Diseño e Innovación Tec-nológica (IDIT, Design and Technological Innovation Institute) is an organization at the Universidad Iberoamericana (UIA) Puebla whose goal is to work together with private and public companies, partic-ularly with SMEs and social organizations, through the professional contribution of its academic faculty and researchers, from a social responsibility perspective.
“The IDIT not only serves its own stu-dents at the UIA Puebla, but is also open
to professionals of all kinds, artisans and students from other universities and com-panies,” explains Dr. Javier Sánchez Díaz de Rivera, director of the academic body, adding that about 60 small businesses are tended to with a focus on social and coop-erative economy, as well as several other projects of innovation together with com-panies and the National Council of Sci-ence and Technology (Conacyt).
The four-year-old institute is framed in a space that occupies 8,000 square meters in which diverse disciplines coexist. Sán-chez says that technological development design services are offered today in several areas: food, electronics, mechatronics, au-tomotive, digital animation, textile and in-dustrial design. “We start from the design and innovation idea, and emphasize digital manufacturing from digital design.”
IDIt is a space for creating companies and technological development, open to all professionals, craftsmen and university students.
Guest opinion Guest opinionphotos courtesy of idit
INTERVIEw wITH jAVIER SáNCHEz DíAz DE RIVERA, DIRECTOR OF THE DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION INSTITUTE (IDIT) OF THE UNIVERSIDAD IbEROAMERICANA (UIA) pUEbLA, bY NEGOCIOS pROMéxICO
iDiTan institutiOn at the FOreFrOnt
The fuTuRe of eDuCaTIoNStudents who attend the IDIT know that this in an unprecedented habitat in the country. Thanks to its multidisciplinary composition, it is a unique space, where technologies in various fields of knowl-edge converge in carrying out specific projects. “There are laboratories with good standards in many universities, but they are isolated or separated, and they don’t coexist in the same habitat. What sets us apart is our multidisciplinary combination in a single physical space and the possibility for companies to in-cubate and develop their projects with us in the same place,” adds the director of the IDIT, who describes his students as youngsters who are interested in devel-oping projects, eager to join in resolving concrete problems, plus they are charac-terized by going beyond the traditional classroom. “In fact—he says—they come to the IDIT because they feel suffocated in a traditional classroom.”
The IDIT has some of the best equip-ment in the country. Students have at their disposal 3D printers, laser cutters, high resolution scanners, water cutting machines, looms and numerical control lathes that are digitally controlled, a ma-chining center, a pilot food plant made un-der health specifications, a laboratory of microbiology, a chemical lab, an area for digital interaction, a photo lab, an area for traditional industrial design and ceramics,
and—the crown jewel—an area for state-of-the-art motion pictures for making ani-mated short films.
suCCessful PRojeCTsAs an educational institution based on ap-plied research and the development of con-crete and real projects, the IDIT is credited with several success stories. “One of our greatest achievements that we have recent-ly developed is our ‘Cinema for Imagining’ project, which helps people with blindness and visual impairments to experience cin-ematographic arts.”
This accessibility is achieved with a transmission and reception device that synchronizes audio descriptive scripts, short films and feature films made by the Inclusion Cultural Association with the audios from movies, allowing visually im-paired people to enjoy cinema.
Also, the IDIT developed its own 3D printer, it has developed prostheses for special needs and has participated in prod-uct innovation projects with internation-ally recognized food companies. N
www.iberopuebla.edu.mx
Students who attend the IDIT know that this in an unprecedented habitat in the country. Thanks to its multidisciplinary composition, it is a unique space, where technologies in various fields of knowledge converge in carrying out specific projects.
“The IDIT not only serves its own students at the UIA Puebla, but is also open to professionals of all kinds, artisans and students from other universities and companies,” explains Dr. Javier Sánchez Díaz de Rivera.
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| Negocios ProMéxico
July 2015
As the head of Abracadabra Design Studio, based in the city of Puebla, for the past 11 years I’ve witnessed big changes that have transformed the industry and have made clear the benefits and innovations of prop-erly linking businesses to the creative sector.
Recently, in England, the Design Council conducted a revealing study whereby “every £1 (pound) spent on design led to more than £20 in increased revenue, £4 in increased profit and £5 in increased exports.” Since then, several countries have conducted simi-lar studies with results that prove that design in a sine qua non condition for increasing return of investment (ROI).
The 2014 analysis published by the De-sign Management Institute defines several common points that summarize why design is the means to achieving a good deal.
1) The WOW factor. In a world that seems to change rapidly, design makes servic-es and products aesthetically pleasing, compelling to use and relevant.
2) Brand expression. Today people want to connect with brands that reflect their lifestyle. We see brands, we hear them and we interact with them. This way of connecting with customers and users has dramatically changed with the advent of the Internet, digital me-dia and social networks. Business, cul-tural or governmental initiatives must respond to this change.
3) Ability to recognize and resolve. Un-derstanding the needs of the consum-ers, although it may seem trivial, is one of the hardest things to achieve in Mexican industry. Many business-
men—especially the representatives of family owned SMEs—are often surprised by the results of analyses of their businesses from the design point of view. Our firm offers design solu-tions centered on the user, based on re-search that allows us to see the world as their customers see it. This trans-lates into new business opportunities.
4) Experience design. We can’t forget that all elements of a sales and communi-cation strategy (printed materials, web pages, applications or even the prod-uct or service that our customers offer theirs) are summarized in a positive or negative experience. In other words, without a good experience there is no good business.
5) Strategy. Or, rather, rethinking strategy. Using design methods for innovation allows us to understand the real roots of dysfunction, in order to propose non-standard solutions that lead to an efficient implementation of innovation.
today, design is no longer seen as an aesthetic endeavor. It’s a business, and Mexican businessmen are increasingly aware of its possibilities.
Guest opinion Guest opinionphotos courtesy of abracadabra
bY bENITO CAbAñAS, AbRACADAbRA DESIGN STUDIO
abRaCaDabRadesign is gOOd FOr Business
The development of a product, service or successful business is often the result of a learning process that includes a number of failures. The key is to fail fast, and fail cheap.
However, classical thinking in the world of business implies reaching 95% completion of the plan before design strategy and communication. This seems all right in theory, but why does it rarely work? It turns out that the planning phase fails because as soon as the product or ser-vice reaches the market, we find that the real consumer needs and habits were never addressed. And, as often is the case, it is already too late to change the package, the communication and marketing strategies and, even, the product itself.
The communication of the project is only one of the parts of the business that any businessman must face, and it is cru-cial, given the ability of design to visualize possible scenarios, uses and applications, analyzing and offering clear and specific solutions, thereby saving time and money.
Design has in its DNA the dynamic ability to adapt innovative solutions to the existing resources. It is the strength and ad-vantage we offer our clients at Abracadab-ra. Our principle is to partner with our cus-tomers. We learn together, discussing their needs, socializing the design in any of their disciplines, and evaluating all the problems they face. Finally, we reach a result that re-
spects their decisions and understands the market in which they compete. We have found that this is the way to reach truly in-novative and lasting solutions.
A good design project begins by ques-tioning the current situation, and by taking steps to approach the service or product considering the user’s experience, by ana-lyzing how they interact with the brand. The strategy of communication, the inno-vation in the business model and the imple-mentation of outreach materials are results of this process, in which the design stands as the transversal axis of the solution.
We must recognize that, ocasionally, our industry uses terms that do not favor this process. Design is a matter of business and innovation. It is not an art, but a solution to problems. It is a matter of better products and services, of competition of Mexican companies in a global environment.
Design studios and free-lance design-ers in Mexico have the responsibility of developing projects that can allow compa-nies to gain competitive advantages. This involves the development of reasonable, timely, sustainable and, above all, func-
tional concepts that lead to better prod-ucts and services.
On the other hand, industry must be convinced that investing in design is profit-able. Such is the challenge of the Mexican creative sector and the organizations fo-cused on developing competitiveness. It is also one of the objectives of the Asociación de Diseñadores en Puebla Coordenada 21 (Coordinate 21 Designer Association of Puebla), which I have been in charge of since 2012.
This group of design professionals from various backgrounds works to high-light the value that design adds to the eco-nomic, social and environmental develop-ment of Puebla, through a series of activi-ties and projects. For many companies, hiring a design studio represents revolu-tion and change; that is why design is vital in any business plan. Since companies are like living organisms, design is exactly the element that feeds it, and it will make the difference between a company’s failure or success. N
www.abracadabra.com.mx
Today people want to connect with brands that reflect their lifestyle. We see brands, we hear them and we interact with them.
Design has in its DNA the dynamic ability to adapt innovative solutions to the existing resources. It is the strength and advantage we offer our clients at Abracadabra. Our principle is to partner with our customers.
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| Negocios ProMéxico
July 2015
Design is a factor of development that triggers local and regional economies, making an impact on a global level, as it expands the range of products in a com-petitive market. From the differentiating aspects it contributes, to the optimization of costs—by translating aesthetic and for-mal requirements of a product in order to improve its acceptance in a given con-text—the importance of design is reflected in sales, by offering solutions that translate into successful products.
Design adds the maximum possible value to a product in economic, cultural and social terms. The process involved in this activity enables needs detected in dif-ferent environments to take shape in or-der to transform or evolve products and services, anticipating scenarios of usage,
production, technology, as well as social and cultural aspects that will determine the characteristics of the final product.
A designer is part of a team of profes-sionals from different disciplines and must be clear that his role within this group is that of a translator: the responsibility of dealing with concepts arising from dif-ferent points of view is in his hands and mind, and his challenge is to find a clear process that will result in a viable, feasible and desirable solution. He is a problem solver, an observer whose most powerful tool is knowledge, information, and every-thing that provides strength to the project at hand.
ResPoNsIble DesIgNDesigning with responsibility is think-ing before you act, reflecting on who you are designing for, how and where will this “something” be used to change an aspect in the life of the person who uses the object, image or service. Participa-tion and collaborative design are the new paradigms in design, as a discipline that is strengthened to the extent that it joins oth-ers in a common project.
Responsible design implies designing in collaboration with the entrepreneur as an ally, considering the benefits of this alli-
ance and the value awarded to the product and, consequently, to the company.
Last March the Second International Congress of Schools of Industrial Design DI-Integra, A. C. was held at the UIA Puebla, with the participation of almost 900 students and faculty from around the country and others countries as far away as India. One of the topics discussed was responsible design, which in essence can be defined as design that plans and anticipates scenarios where prod-ucts must generate the least possible negative impact on the environment, by considering the selection of materials and manufacturing processes, and even the duration of the prod-uct before being replaced.
evoluTIoN: New Tools To geNeRaTe beTTeR PRoPosalsUndoubtedly, industrial design has evolved. Current technology allows printing three-dimensional models in a matter of min-utes or hours to make tests of usage, as-sembly, and even for a customer to decide on changes of a container or product. However, industrial design, like other disciplines, has benefited in recent years from reflection and evolution of the cre-ative process and methodologies that al-low us to be more assertive when generat-ing proposals.
By approaching representatives of various productive sectors you can discover industrial design—and design in general—as an option to add value to your products and services.
Guest opinion Guest opinionphotos courtesy of jabín mora espinosa
DESiGNadded value
Currently these design proposals are better grounded in user research, and we have found the fundamental strengths for a successful proposal in the analysis of de-velopment processes of products and ser-vices. For many the well known term “de-sign thinking”—or “strategic design”—shows that design has evolved by using research tools to define and foresee before proposing, while for others this term only labels something that has always been present in the creative environment: think-ing before you act.
MexICaN aCaDeMIC offeRINgs IN DesIgNAcademic training in the field of design is determined and limited largely by local realities or the productive context. For ex-ample, the way in which the Bachelor’s de-gree is taught at the Universidad Autóno-ma de San Luis Potosí differs greatly from the curriculum at the Universidad Autóno-ma de Colima. While retaining similarities, each program includes aspects that define its own character, in accordance with its context.
Puebla is no different: the industrial design university programs taught there strive to connect to the productive reality of the region. A profession such as design cannot dispel with local productive reali-ties that allow it to be in touch with the reality of the entrepreneur and the local dynamics.
The most important universities are represented in Puebla, and are traditional-ly recognized by their high academic stan-dards; the state’s schools of design often attract the best faculty to the city, and this experience has been instrumental in train-ing high-level professionals.
Currently, five universities in the capi-tal of Puebla offer programs of product design, and is one of the main reasons why businessmen from several productive sec-tors—not only the automotive industry, which is the largest in the state—are aware of the value that design adds to their man-ufactures and are interested in what an in-dustrial designer can provide them.
Moreover, there are some important skills, beyond the traditional ones, in the workplace of the designer, such as those concerning business strategies and entre-preneurship, to which little importance is given during their training, such as proj-ect management—which can ensure proj-ect continuity—, preparing data from the general trends in markets characterized by high technological innovation, and identi-fying project roadmaps for directing efforts more efficiently. Another area that should be further promoted by universities is social design, which can become a tool for mak-ing an impact on social change by taking into account the needs of the most vulner-able groups.
The IDIT The UIA at Puebla has managed to consoli-date the Institute of Design and Technologi-cal Innovation (IDIT), devoted to the devel-opment of technology and innovation pro-cesses, placing the institution in the research and development scene. The amount of fi-nancial and human resources invested in this institute demonstrate the relevance that put-ting the results of this center at the service of society has for the university. The technology and resources that the IDIT offers students, teachers and entrepreneurs, aims to create an atmosphere where innovation is not an end
but a means for everyone to have the oppor-tunity to interact.
Puebla: CaPITal of DesIgN aND INNo-vaTIoN The Coordination of Industrial Design at the UIA Puebla has worked on the Puebla, Capital of Innovation and Design (PueblaCID) initiative, a project that aims to familiarize and integrate the state capi-tal on these issues. We have participated in workshops with ProMéxico to provide knowledge and experience, from the aca-demic side, to help meet this goal.
As a result, a group of designers gathered and created Coordenada 21, A. C., in order to organize and divulge our activities. In Oc-tober, the third edition of Puebla Design Fest will take place, in which we intend to include businessmen from all levels to share knowl-edge about our work in the field of design. Also, we are preparing another event called Design for Puebla (D4P), where the presence of ProMéxico will help us bring together business and government audiences.
The exPeRIeNCe wITh PRoMéxICoProMéxico has given us, at Coordenada 21, the opportunity to reach out to other stakeholders and engage in efforts to dis-seminate and promote the work of creative disciplines. As a collaborator at CoreDe-sign, we participated in the ProMéxico Global Created in Mexico project, which brought together the work of local design-ers with a group of investors. This allowed us to visit different offices of ProMéxico in the world and get acquainted with the creative industry’s governing bodies. N
www.iberopuebla.mx/micrositios/DADA/
bY jAbíN MORA ESpINOSA, COORDINATOR OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN AT THE UNIVERSIDAD IbEROAMERICANA (UIA, IbERO AMERICAN UNIVESITY)
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July 2015
Diseña México A. C. was established in 2008 when a group of academics, design-ers and entrepreneurs decided to promote design as a strategic factor in business and academic development in Mexico. “That year we realized that it was very impor-tant to work with the government to im-plement the changes we needed. We also saw that many agents that could detonate those changes would do so through de-sign policies. We began collaborating with the Chamber of Deputies as well as some members of the Senate to foster govern-ment action and ensure that design would become strategic.
“Our rapprochement with Congress allowed us to participate in drafting the Law on Science, Technology and Innova-tion, as well as become members of the Intersectorial Committee for Innovation, from where we supported the develop-ment of the National Innovation Pro-gram,” explains Dr. Julio Frías, professor of Industrial Design at the Mexico City campus of the Technological Institute of Higher Education of Monterrey (ITESM),
and president of the association Diseña México.
Despite the fact that this association is located within the ITESM Technological and Innovation Park in the Mexico City campus, it is an independent association. “Diseña Mexico’s main function is to cer-tify that the products are well designed and innovative. This model had already been implemented in other countries such as Australia, Italy, Japan and even India, but was lacking in Mexico.”
Dr. Frías also refers to the Italian case to project the future of the association: “The Italian case is very interesting because they’ve been organizing the Golden Com-pass Award for 60 years, which is awarded to well-designed products that are evaluat-ed by a panel of experts. The Japanese case is similar, because if the answer is positive, the product is stamped, confirming that it complies with a series of features and, therefore, it is possible to certify that it is well designed and innovative.”
In Mexico large, as well as medium and small companies, have been inter-
ested in this type of evaluation of prod-ucts and services. The way to evaluate a product is something I learned during my stay at the Sloan School of the Massachu-setts Institute of Technology (MIT). What companies look for with this distinction is to have a competitive advantage in the market. We consider critical aspects of good design. It is of no use to make a good product if it contaminates, or if in the production process it pollutes a river. We have to guarantee that the product is functional, but it is equally important that it doesn’t pollute,” says Dr. Frías. The methodology developed by Diseña México covers ten aspects, among which functionality, quality, feasibility, innova-tion and sustainability stand out. It is imperative that a product pass all tests; otherwise it won’t get certified.
This analysis is found within the “opening innovation” concept, resulting in a third group made up of experts in the field that reveal to the creative company the results of the evaluation, thus achiev-ing higher quality in all areas. “Everyone wins with this model. Diseña México wins because we’re offering something new; businesses win because we allow them to validate what they do; and the country wins because we can present an image of innovation of a modern Mexico with good design.”
Finally, Dr. Frías mentions that “the role of ProMéxico has been crucial in the development of contemporary Mexican design. They have managed to understand the needs of designers and, as a response to these requirements, they have developed several programs to support the sector.
“While much remains to be done, it can be said that ProMéxico and designers, together, are on the right path to take ad-vantage of Mexico’s greatest asset, which is the creativity of its people.” N
the methodology developed by Design Mexico covers ten aspects, among which functionality, quality, feasibility, innovation and sustainability stand out. It is essential that the product and/or service pass them all. otherwise, it will not get certified.
Special report photo courtesy of julio frías
INTERVIEw wITH DOCTOR jULIO FRíAS, pROFESSOR OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN AT THE ITESM, AND pRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION DISEñA MéxICO, A. C., bY NEGOCIOS pROMéxICO
Pillow made and designed in Mexico. It has a sensor that detects when it is dirty and requires washing to inhibit the presence of allergens such as acarids, microscopic dust mites that cause 70% of asthma cases in children. The pillow, designed for the Mexican population, was created with original biomaterials.
DiSEña MéxiCOthe edges OF design
this council was established officially in 2012, but since 2008 it began to come together through the convergence of the textile and footwear, clothing and jewelry chambers.
The Fashion Council of Jalisco has about 3,000 members in every corner of the state, while ten universities and fashion schools make up the Academic Council of the Fashion Industry, and every year gov-ernment support to the sector increases.
“It’s been several years since we felt that we could not work alone as an industry, without close ties to academia and govern-ment institutions. We know that schools provide the fashion industry with designers of ideas, while the government is critical for fostering entrepreneurship and promoting the industry, which now records the highest growth worldwide,” explains Miguel Cotero Ochoa, President of the Fashion Council and the Chamber of Jewelry of Jalisco.
MINeRva fashIoN week As such, the Fashion Council brings to-gether the efforts of four chambers. From this convergence a unique event was cre-
ated to catapult the fashion industry: Mi-nerva Fashion Week. For one week every October, Jalisco becomes relevant within the worldwide glamour industry, with jew-elry, footwear, clothing and textile exhibi-tions, along with academic conferences and practical workshops that discuss prog-ress and trends in the industry.
Of course, the collections of well-known designers—as well as up-and-comers—are
Special reportphotos courtesy of the fashion council of jalisco
INTERVIEw wITH MIGUEL COTERO OCHOA, pRESIDENT OF THE FASHION COUNCIL AND THE CHAMbER OF jEwELRY OF jALISCO, bY RAqUEL RIVAS
FaSHiON COuNCiL OF jaLiSCOthe COnvergenCe OF ChaMBers
The Fashion Council brings together the efforts of four chambers. From this convergence a unique event was created to catapult
the fashion industry: Minerva Fashion Week. For one week every October, Jalisco becomes relevant within the worldwide glamour industry, with jewelry, footwear, clothing and textile exhibitions,
along with academic conferences and practical workshops that discuss progress and trends in the industry.
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presented at the event, and since last year the Fashion Week includes design proposals from the schools and universities that are part the Council. “We want Minerva Fashion Week to become the most significant event of its kind in Mexico and Latin America,” says Cotero. He explains that, to achieve this, the Council will continue to foster the talent and develop the skills of design students, without neglecting the business aspect. “I think we have a lot of talent in the design aspect, but we must combine it with the business aspect too. We must continue preparing designers with clear business ideas and the vision to make money. It’s time to focus on our design-ers and instill the goal of creating value for their companies; this way they will obviously also create jobs.”
Miguel Cotero says that the economic impact of the Minerva Fashion Week is extremely significant. Just in terms of au-dience participation, over fifty million dol-lars are made and, of course, that number increases significantly when you add the potential and actual business deals made at the exhibitions.
Minerva Fashion Week has positioned itself as one of the most important fashion events in the world. Just in Latin America “we are a leader in fashion,” says Miguel Cotero, who stresses the importance of working hard to make the Mexico brand a spearhead in the entire region.
In the fashion sector, Jalisco is one of the most active states and the only one that brings together the four industries. “In virtually all Jalisco municipalities, garments of some sort are manufactured. We are also the largest nationwide pro-ducer of women’s footwear and jewelry. The textile industry is very important to us,” says Cotero.
The Role PlayeD by The CouNCIlOne of the ways to support the companies that make up the Fashion Council is by offering training courses on business and marketing subjects. Cotero also empha-sizes the creation of the Business Center, an intelligence center that is responsible for studying trends and analyzing business opportunities anywhere in the world. “We periodically transmit these trends and op-portunities to our partners.”
At the same time, thanks to the cre-ation of the Fashion Council, the textile, clothing, footwear and jewelry industries have begun to synergize. “Through par-ticipation or partnership between indus-tries—for example, by becoming suppliers of one another—we have created a very significant environment for imports. The Council’s key role is to link our industries, thus generating greater strength.”
www.minervafashion.com.mx
Thanks to the creation of the Fashion Council, the textile, clothing, footwear and jewelry industries have begun to synergize. “Through participation or partnership between industries—for example, by becoming suppliers of one another—we have created a very significant environment for imports. The Council’s key role is to link our industries, thus generating greater strength.”
Brands such as Caborca, Jaca, Rudel and Vaqueras are among the companies that export cowboy boots. Their main custom-er has traditionally been the US market, but now foreign sales are increasing in the markets of Europe, Asia and Oceania.
Data by the Foreign Trade Promotion Office of the state of Guanajuato (Cofoce) indicate that the sales of cowboy boots made in that state were worth 319.4 million dol-lars in 2014, which translates into 5.4 mil-lion pairs of cowboy boots destined to 44 countries. The price of each exported pair of boots traded on average at 58 dollars.
Caborca, Jaca, Rudel and Vaqueras are among the companies that export boots
in a range from 60% to 100%, like is the case of Vaqueras, which produces 720 thousand pairs of boots and sells its whole production abroad.
Of the sector’s total production of cowboy boots, 95% is sent to the USA, and the remaining 5% goes to Canada, Europe and Japan.
This Asian country has become one of the most attractive markets for Mexican boot manufacturers. “Japanese women like cowboy boots made in Mexico. They wear them with shorts or short skirts, dresses or jeans,” says Etiopía Rodríguez, export sales manager for Botas Jaca, a Mexican company that has been export-
ing cowboy boots to Japan for four years. Japan purchases Mexican products with a high content of leather, including boots. Currently, it is the fifth largest export des-tination of Mexican footwear.
The luxury sector in countries like Ja-pan and China is becoming a good market for Mexican products, as consumers are willing to pay a premium for exotic prod-ucts like cowboy boots, especially when they’re tailored from ostrich, lizard, py-thon, alligator or crocodile skin.
The Caborca company sells 80% of its production in the USA, while 10% go to countries such as Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Norway, Japan and Guate-
Mexico has been known worldwide for its cowboy boots, a national product that has increased its presence in the international footwear market.
Guest opinionphotos archive
MExiCaN bOOTSthe wOrld’s MOst FaMOus
by pROMéxICO
Negocios ProMéxico |
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Guest opinion
mala. But now the company’s interest is focused on China, where it aims to sell a product made of leather, and also of ex-otic origin. “We’ve begun selling to China, especially since Chinese consumers now concentrate about half of all luxury shop-ping in Asia,” says Gustavo Knapp, com-mercial director of Caborca.
It is estimated that globally one in four purchases of personal luxury items are made by Chinese consumers, accord-ing to data by the consulting firm McKin-sey, which also notes that 80% of global growth in the premium market in 2015 will occur in emerging markets.
Cowboy boots have been manufac-tured in Mexico for over 50 years. Howev-er, it is only now that Mexican companies have achieved recognition in the interna-tional market, which is why today most of its production is sold abroad.
The cowboy boot has gained interna-tional recognition because in several cases Mexican manufacturing continues to rely on traditional craftsmanship, but also be-cause boot designs and materials have be-come artistically innovative.
For example, Rudel boots has been in the market for 30 years, and now has a catalog of over 400 boot styles per year.
All their designs are in leather, but they also include adaptations according to the fashion trends that arise, such as the in-corporation of buckles or synthetic details, and—as does Botas Caborca—it also has a line of production devoted to boots with exotic materials.
Another company that has gained a foothold in the international markets is Botas Jaca, a company that exports to 25 countries —including Germany, Canada, the USA, Hong Kong and Japan—, and that has finally entered the Australian market this year, which is very difficult to access because of the distance and cost in-volved in shipping products from Mexico.
Jaca has manufactured boots in Mex-ico for over 70 years, but only 20 years ago it began to export directly. “The good thing about the boot market is that they sell throughout the year. In the cowboy boot sector consumers traditionally wear them all year round, and only in the past four or five years they’re worn to make a fashion statement,” says Federico Navar-ro, export manager of the firm.
And while Jaca’s strong foreign mar-kets are Germany, France and Italy, Japan has recently become one of the most attrac-tive places to sell. “In the Japanese market
we have to adapt some of our products for fashion reasons, such as rounded tips or floral embroidery. Jaca also seeks designs that distinguish us from other brands: over a year ago we introduced a new collection with a handmade “sarape” (blanket) made in Oaxaca,” explains Navarro.
Boot manufacturers agree that the Jap-anese market is one that offers greater rec-ognition to cowboy boots. “The Japanese market pays well for handcrafted boots”, says Rubén Cabrera Gómez, director of Vaqueras.
One aspect that has helped Mexican companies to reach as far as the Asian markets is the proliferation of interna-tional exhibitions and fairs, such as Magic Market Week in Las Vegas, and MICAM in Milan, or their own showrooms.
Of course, the participation of Co-foce, together with the Footwear Industry Chamber in the state of Guanajuato, has given them a great boost, since both agen-cies have worked closer with Asian mar-kets, sensitizing the industry in the trends and tastes of Japanese culture, as well as having begun to deal with the Chinese market, where they will gradually acquire a taste for cowboy boots with the Made in Mexico label. N
Source: CICeG*, INeGI**, World Footwear Yearbook***
WaLkiNG WiTH SyTLEthe MexiCan FOOtware industry exPOrted 2.11% MOre in 2014
2014 world Ranking (Pairs) world Ranking (Dollars) volume (Pairs) value (Dollars) average Price (Dollars) % var. 2013 vs. 2014 (Pairs)
exports 26 24 26,623,979 572,470,872 21.50 2.11%
Imports 28 24 100,009,199 958,763,283 9.59 18.06%
export Markets 2014
volume(Pairs)
value (Dollars)
average Price
(Dollars)
% var. 2013
vs. 2014
% Part.(Millions of Pairs)
uSa 20,075,525 468,990,796 23.36 -5.40% 75.40%
Netherlands 1,364,561 12,710,174 9.31 278.23% 5.13%
Guatemala 757,557 8,302,106 10.96 26.01% 2.85%
Import Markets 2014
volume(Pairs)
value (Dollars)
average Price
(Dollars)
% var. 2013
vs. 2014
% Part.(Millions of Pairs)
China 61,733,915 379,318,993 6.14 43.54% 61.73%
vietnam 22,194,178 285,162,325 12.85 1.67% 22.19%
Indonesia 7,414,480 105,772,778 14.27 -21.90% 7.41%
MExiCaN FOREiGN TRaDE 2014
FOOTWEaR DiSTRibuTiON by TaRiFF HEaDiNG 2014
Source: Prepared by CICeG with General Customs administration (aGa) data
var. 2009 vs. 2010 24.32%
var. 2009 vs. 2011 16.92%
var. 2009 vs. 2012 9.68%
var. 2009 vs. 2013 8.50%
var. 2009 vs. 2014 2.11%
% variation pairs 2009 to 2014
Historical Evolution of Footwear Exports 2009 to 2014(volume: Millions of Pairs)
Historical Evolution of Footwear imports 2009 to 2014(volume: Millions of Pairs)
15.07
2009 ı 2010 ı 2011 ı 2012 ı 2013 ı 2014
18.74
21.9124.03
26.07 26.62
45.05
58.65
66.7475.54
84.71
100.01
2009 ı 2010 ı 2011 ı 2012 ı 2013 ı 2014
iMPORTExPORT
% variation pairs 2009 to 2014
var. 2009 vs. 2010 30.20%
var. 2009 vs. 2011 13.79%
var. 2009 vs. 2012 13.19%
var. 2009 vs. 2013 12.14%
var. 2009 vs. 2014 18.06%
Leather 39.22%
Leather 10.66%
Synthetic 46.32%
Waterproof 2.13%others 3.16%
textile 37.73%
textile 9.83%
Waterproof 13.36%
Synthetic 33.47%
others 4.11%
Figures
Position/world
National Production (Millions of pairs) 245*** 9
estate of Guanajuato Production (Millions of pairs) 171* -
Consumption (Millions of pairs) 304*** 12
Per capita consumption 2.7 pairs*
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Figures Figures
SHOES, jEWELS aND CLOTHiNGdesign, the trigger OF a COnsuMer deCisiOn
MExiCO’S CONTRibuTiONPosition and contribution of Mexico in areas such as the production of jewelry, footwear and garment manufacturing.
Mexico is the fourth largest supplier to the USA of textile and clothing products.1
In 2014 Mexico was the largest exporter of clothing in Latin america and the 15th worldwide.1
Approximately 245 million pairs of shoes are produced annually in Mexico.3
In 2014 Mexican exports of textiles and clothing exceeded 6.9 billion dollars.1
In 2015 the furniture industry employs around 48,000 workers.4
In 2014 Mexico exported 26.6 million pairs of shoes.1
Mexico is the 14th largest exporter of silver jewelry in the world.1
One in ten jobs in the manufacturing sector is in the textile, clothing, footwear, and leather industries.2
In 2014 Mexico ranked as the leading exporter of the jewelry sector in Latin America.1
In 2014 the textile and clothing industries contributed about 2.8% of Mexico’s manufacturing GDP.4
In Mexico there are 3,813 establishments from companies engaged in the jewelry sector.4
In 2014, Mexico recorded over 30,000 establishments from manufacuturers of clothing.4
In 2014 Mexican exports of leather, leather goods and footwear exceeded 1.4 billion dollars.1
In 2014 Mexico exported 50.6 pairs of shoes per minute.1
• Gooddesignisoftenanintangibleandindescribable value. Proper design consists of aesthetics, functionality, ergonomics, cost, and above all it must be centered on the user.
• Shoes,bags,clothingandjewelryfeaturedesign,butso does a turbine, a cabinet, a restaurant or a page.
• Theeconomiccontributionofdesigntothecountry should be seen in a crosscutting manner; that is, covering all sectors and industries.
• Thedesignofaproductdestinedforaconsumeris the trigger of the decision making process that goes into the acquisition of said product.
Design angles
MaiN aRTiCLES OF aPPaREL aND CLOTHiNG aCCESSORiESexPOrted By MexiCO in 2014*(MILLIoN uSD)
t-shirts,singlets, tank
tops and similargarments
662.96Sweaters, pullovers,
sweatshirts,waistcoats (vests)
and similar articles
137.56Women’s or girls’ overcoats,
carcoats, capes, cloaks, anoraks (including ski-jackets),
windbreakers and similararticles, other than those of
heading
84.28Pantyhose, tights, stockings,
socks and other hosiery, including graduated compression hosiery
(for example, stockings for varicose veins) and footwear
without applied soles
107.29
Women’s or girls’ slips, petticoats, briefs, panties,
night-dresses, pajamas, negligees, bathrobes,
dressing gowns and similar articles
39.24Women’s or
girls’ blousesand shirts
32.01other made-up
clothing accessories,parts of garments or of
clothing accessories
11.02track suits,
ski-suits andswimwear
25.82
Men’s or boys’ suits, ensembles, suit-type
jackets, blazers, trousers, bib and
brace overalls, breeches and
shorts (other than swimwear)
1,224.61Women’s or girls’ suits, ensembles, suit-type jackets,blazers, dresses,
skirts, divided skirts, trousers, bib
and brace overalls, breeches and shorts
(other thanswimwear)
222.17track suits, ski-suits
and swimwear;other garments
184.66Brassieres, girdles,
corsets, braces,suspenders, garters
and similararticles and parts
thereof
29.62Women’s or girls’
blouses, shirts andshirt-blouses
15.32Women’s or girls’
singlets and other undershirts,
slips, petticoats, briefs,panties, nightdresses,
pajamas,negligees, bathrobes, dressing gowns and
similar articles
5.44
kNiTTED OR CROCHETED
NO kNiTTED OR CROCHETED
*January to September. Source: Banco de México
1Source: ProMéxico con información de Global trade atlas.2Source: ProMéxico con información del INeGI. el valor exacto es 8.5% como promedio para 2014.
3Source: Cámara de la Industria del Calzado del estado de Guanajuato (CICeG).4Source: ProMéxico con información del INeGI.
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Anna Fusoni is a key part of the Mexican fashion industry. Convinced that Mexico needed a fashion consulting firm linking designers with entrepreneurs, seamstresses and suppliers, she created Fashion Consult-ing Network, a project that employs a team of specialists and experts in all topics relat-ed to fashion and clothing in our country.
“Fashion Consulting Network emerged organically because I am very connected with designers and fashion industry executives. We have identified many designers, suppli-ers and companies looking to link with other industry players,” says Fusoni, and explains that her great advantage is her extensive knowledge of the sector: “I am the vehicle. For example, they call me and ask for a de-signer, or they wonder who does embroidery, and I connect them with the right people.”
sPeCIalIzeD seRvICesThe advisory team that Fusoni has put to-gether is perfect for young designers who are just entering the world of fashion. Fashion Consulting Network advises on product de-velopment trends, recruitment of profession-als related to the sector, and rapprochement with the organizers of the main forums and fashion events in Mexico, among many other activities they carry out with the commit-ment of promoting Mexican brands.
With this objective, another organiza-tion emerged: Seamstresses to the Rescue of Mexican Fashion Now! (CARMA), a group that aims to bring professional seam-stresses and designers together so that they can have the chance of producing in small quantities with good quality at reasonable prices. “Within CARMA we have detected small assembly plants that we have gradu-ally linked with designers. We also get calls from designers who tell us their seam-stresses will be available for the next two months, for example, and we know who is looking for that type of worker, so we con-nect them,” explains Fusoni.
The fashIoN busINessAccording to Anna Fusoni, “a designer takes from eight to ten years to consoli-date his or her operation, and it is very necessary to get the resources and under-stand the business, because not everything in fashion is glamour and catwalks.”
Today Mexican fashion is in a very competitive sector because of the strong presence of fast fashion brands, whose interest is the massive sale of their prod-ucts. Fortunately, according to Fusoni, a new consumer profile has also emerged, who consumes fast fashion for his or her
basic garments, but also appreciates and acquires designer clothes, including items from Mexican firms.
“The outlook for Mexican designers is changing, but is it essential for them to take seriously that they must convert that new projection into a business. Without a good business plan, an adequate produc-tion capacity and competitive prices, it is of little use for the consumer to look for-ward to what the country is producing,” concludes the expert. N
www.annafusoni.com
Fashion Consulting Network has a team of specialists in all topics related to fashion and clothing in Mexico.
Guest opinion
pho
to
co
urt
esy
of
ann
a fu
son
i
INTERVIEw wITH ANNA FUSONI, DIRECTOR OF FASHION CONSULTING NETwORk, bY RAqUEL RIVAS
FaSHiON CONSuLTiNG NETWORkKnOwledge netwOrKs are driving the FashiOn industry
Daniel Espinosa turned his passion for de-sign into a way of life. With a 20-year career, he is one of the most famous Mexican jew-elers in the world, whose designs reflect the eternity of beauty. Design is a part of his life, his way of understanding the world in detail and knowing what goes on in it. From this knowledge—either based on ancient influ-ences or contemporary state-of-the-art—his creations influence fashion trends.
Born in Taxco, Guerrero—cradle of Latin American silver-smithing—the at-mosphere that surrounded Espinosa in his childhood taught him to admire the beau-ty and the great work of the artists that have lived there. His designs are inspired by travel, traditions, cultures, architec-ture and landscapes, thanks to his studies in countries like Germany, the USA, the Netherlands and Italy that contributed to his select training.
Today—with a brand fully positioned in the international market—he continues to grow. “We will become the pioneer-ing brand that will cover the five conti-nents with Mexican creations in jewelry for women, men and children, as well as fashion accessories and household items,”
says the famous designer, who has man-aged to achieve a balance between the creative and entrepreneurial worlds, al-lowing him to project his designs in the market within an appropriate framework and at the right time. “We believe in a personal style, on designs for cosmopoli-tan women who have access to any brand on the planet, but we also focus on the growing niche of men’s designs,” says the designer.
For Espinosa, the key to success is in creating exclusive luxury pieces with great quality and design. “We all enjoy beauty. That’s why it’s important to create pieces with dedicated craftsmanship, visual whims but at the same time accessible jewelry.”
Espinosa explains that countries like Spain, France and Italy have made an in-dustry out of creativity, which is exported to the rest of the world, with great value in their trade balances. Latin America has joined this market by fostering its history and culture in order to show the world a modern face.
Regarding Mexican design, Daniel Es-pinosa believes that the country “is a great creative hotbed”. He considers that the
level of Mexico in terms of fashion design and jewelry is emerging, since it still does not cover its share in the local market, be-cause many products and brands are im-ported. But at the same time he sees this as “a great opportunity for designers and Mexican companies, because if they apply enough resources and energy, they will see that the local market is large and, there-fore, the global market more so.”
Mexico has become a major con-sumer of fashion because of the entry of international brands for many years and, in large part, due to the trends exposed by the media: “We are a consumer of de-sign, fashion and brands. It is not coin-cidental that we have almost all interna-tional brands in our country. There is a big niche here. People in Mexico are fussy about what they buy, therefore they not only appreciate design, but also quality,” explains the designer.
“If the jewelry industry in Mexico were to apply design and creativity, there would be no borders, and international potential would be very high. It is an industry full of life and in perpetual motion, that is evolv-ing in giant strides,” he concludes. N
If the jewelry industry in Mexico would apply design and creativity, there would be no borders and international potential would be very high.
Guest opinionphoto courtesy of daniel espinosa
INTERVIEw wITH DANIEL ESpINOSA, MExICAN jEwEL DESIGNER, bY NEGOCIOS pROMéxICO
DaNiEL ESPiNOSa jEWELRyPassiOn FOr design, a Cutting-edge Business
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“Mexican design is a luxury, synonymous with authenticity,” says Sara Galindo, founder of Mexicouture, a platform for on-line promotion and sale of selected products and objects made by Mexican designers.
Mexican design does not compete, for example, with mass brands of expen-sive bags that are used around the world. “Luxury is exotic today. Those who enjoy luxury, experience it in a very sophisti-cated and selective way. Good Mexican design is unique, global and striking: it is pure luxury,” says the talent seeker.
Galindo abounds on the subject and on those who appreciate Mexican design. “Those who use a Mexican jewel do so be-cause they value craftsmanship. It is not a question of more or less money, but about knowledge of the artist and the materials he or she used to create the piece, and this involves style and sophistication,” she says with determination.
“There is a very positive perception of Mexico’s creative industries, like archi-tecture, cinema, interior design… Fash-ion should not be left behind.” Sara’s job is to promote and sell these products. “I work to achieve this goal,” and if the wind blows favorably bringing in fresh air like the efforts of ProMéxico to mount the Pop Up Store in Paris, “this indicates that we are on the right track.”
In Paris—during the days the Pop Up Store was open to the public—, Mexican design had a big achievement: it showed our creative side applied to fashion. “We came to the fashion capital—is was a very ambitious project—and we were accepted. It was an experiment and it was success-ful,” says Galindo.
The Paris Pop Up Store made it pos-sible to measure the market and know what the public likes. It was a watershed for Mexican design. “We had a great time in the most competitive fashion market in the world. It was pure pro-jection, and sales were a plus”, says the
fashion analyst. Galindo believes there is still much work to do. On the one hand designers have to improve their quality, professionalize their processes and set up websites for online sales. They must think and turn their ideas into busi-nesses, so that they may concentrate on what they know best: how to create and innovate.
And the government also has home-work to do. It should make exporting eas-ier, with less red tape and greater agility. It should take a more comprehensive ap-proach. For example, “Bancomext should take care of the VAT, while other agencies should work better together, like the tax agency (SAT), and the ministries of Social Development and Economy, among oth-ers,” Galindo recommends.
The favorable winds that drove Mexi-can designers to Paris will now reach the shores of England. In September, Sara Galindo and Caroline Issa—editor of Tank Magazine, and a woman who dic-tates fashion in the world—will set up an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, from September 12 thru 16, with the support of ProMéxico. A dinner will be offered and the magazine will publish a wide selection of Mexican designs. “This is yet another big step for Mexican design,” says Galindo.
“If I can place three Mexican designers in everybody’s top of mind, it would be a big step out of the hole we’ve been stuck in for so long,” says the talent seeker. N
www.mexicouture.com.mx
our country has a wide range of creative talent applied to fashion. therefore, it requires places to land, grow and even become international.
Guest opinion photo courtesy of sara galindo
SaRa GaLiNDOMexiCO in the wOrld
INTERVIEw wITH SARA GALINDO, CEO OF MExICOUTURE, bY óSCAR HERNáNDEz
In order to continue building the image of creative and responsible companies, it is imperative for businesses that export to care for their design and quality.
It is well known that Mexican creativ-ity and creation are internationally rec-ognized. It is part of the cultural imagina-tion that defines us as a nation and that supports and feeds the country’s image, as well as the sector’s exports. This is not a matter to be taken lightly.
The care—not only of the design but also the quality of the companies that ex-port—is imperative to continue building
the image and country brand of creative and responsible companies that not only create original products, but also do so with quality and volumes that are com-petitive on a global scale.
ProMéxico knows the importance of design and also understands its responsi-bility in devising tools that not only sup-port Mexican businesses in their quest for new export markets, but also by devising
services that fit the new realities of the pro-motion of Mexican products for export. It is their duty to generate creative and inter-esting ideas that make an impact and re-main in the minds of international buyers.
Something similar was done success-fully at the New York Museum of Mod-ern Art (MoMA) through the Destination: Mexico initiative, organized by ProMéxi-co, CENTRO and the Mexican Embassy
Special reportphotos archive
by TANIA LIbERTAD MOSqUERA GONzáLEz, DEpUTY DIRECTOR OF DESIGN INDUSTRIES AT pROMéxICO
POP uP STORE PaRiSMexiCan design tO COnquer Paris
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Although this firm is already well known abroad thanks to its ready to wear collections, the Pop Up Store Di.Me in-stalled in the Parisian neighborhood of Le Marais provid-ed Children of our town a better position in the market.
“It was a unique opportunity. We already sell in Paris, London and many other places abroad, but the Pop Up Store in Paris gave us a lot of visibility,” says Natalia Fer-riz, general director of the company.
Children of our town offers an attractive proposal based on knitted fabrics. Each collection seeks to tell sto-ries inspired by the most iconic neighborhoods in Mexico City. “We decided to take some of our not too warm gar-ments from our 2014 Fall-Winter collection to sell, be-cause it was the discount season at regular stores, and we also brought along our 2015 Spring-Summer collection,” explains Ferriz, who believes the Pop Up Store was a real chance for consumers to approach the store and get to know Mexican design.
The philosophy and success of Children of our town lies in presenting contemporary Mexico to both domestic and foreign audiences, through references to Mexican ar-chitecture, talent and galleries.
www.childrenofourtown.com
Carla Fernández is a brand of women’s clothing that of-fers a new view of Mexican textile culture. The brand was founded in 2009, although Carla has worked in the fash-ion industry for over two decades.
Cristina Rangel, partner and brand operations direc-tor, told Negocios ProMéxico that, “going to Paris gave us visibility, especially because we made contact with good designers, and because of the good company we had. Pro-México put us in touch with importers, who helped us bring the few items we carried. The Pop Up Store was set up in a season of sales and discounts, and that helped the public to find us.”
Carla Fernández presents two collections per year, and designs and manufactures clothing, ponchos, blouses, pants and bags that evoke Mexico’s historical legacy.
www.carlafernandez.com
Carla Fernández Children of our town
Special report Special report
in the USA, aimed at promoting Mexican designed products at the MoMA, which is now an essential reference for other coun-tries undertaking the same exercise.
On the other hand, exports of Mexi-can products to museums in France, such as L’Orangerie and Pompidou, not only showed the roots of Mexican design, but also its most eclectic face, with the theme of Frida as a banner. The museum stores exhibited and sold clothing items as well as gifts and decoration objects. Some com-panies have continued their commercial relation with both museums.
In 2015 the federal government has made a great effort to promote Mexican fashion and design in Paris, through the Pop Up Store Di.Me (short for Diseño Mexicano, or Mexican Design). This ef-fort responds to the changing environment regarding how to publicize and sell design on a global scale.
Pop Up Stores have been present in the market since the 90’s, and until 2007 were seen as a fad. However, due to the 2009 re-cession, new ways were sought of market-ing products in the retail world. This, cou-pled with the decline in the consumption
of these products around the world, gave greater scope to concepts that avoid—or at least diminish—fixed costs in marketing products.
Pop Up Stores seek to provide consumers with a new shopping experience. They also allow the possibility of testing products in a market without the risk of opening a perma-nent store. Also, they endow customers with novelty items that are very attractive in new markets. These initiatives are often accom-panied by a very powerful online strategy to attract new customers to these niches, with accessible costs that allow the possibility of expanding to other markets.
The Pop Up Store Di.Me in Paris—pre-sented from June 19 to July 18—belongs in the category of initiatives that explore new ways of promoting and exporting Mexican products in international markets. Fifteen 100% Mexican design companies partici-pated—Carla Fernández, Children of our town, CIHUAH, Pink Magnolia, Dalia Pascal, Lili Carrillo, Lorena Saravia, Ma-candy, Mexicouture, Pineda Covalin, Ri-cardo Seco, Royal Dalia, Sabido&Basteris, Tanya Moss, and Yakampot/Arroz con Leche—during a month in a single space
for promoting their products in the French market.
ProMéxico was the agency in charge of managing this ephemeral space, with personnel specialized in selling and pro-moting Mexican designed products. The response in terms of exports has been very good, and with respect to specialized me-dia, unbeatable, both with the Mexican and European press.
The new image of Mexican design stands away from traditional design and has become more modern, with big chanc-es of entering international markets. The Pop Up curators are looking for modernity, without losing sight of Mexican roots and national differentiators that come with an evolution both in design and its creators.
Design is an ephemeral art, and an expression of Mexican reality and senti-ments. It is not surprising that promotion and export of design must respond to cre-ativity and adapting its means of expres-sion to accommodate the message to be conveyed.
The following are some of the partici-pating brands in the Pop Up Store Di.Me Paris 2015.
PoP UP Store PariS
photos courtesy of each design company participant
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Among the companies that participated at the Pop Up Store in Paris, was one of the fashion brands that, despite its youth in the market, has established itself as one of the most important in Mexico: Pink Magnolia.
The sisters Pamela and Paola Wong are in charge of a business that is already present in China, the United Arab Emirates, and Japan, and is planning to expand its opera-tions to the USA and Europe through its own brand stores.
Among its successes, Pink Magnolia has made a Min-nie Mouse collection as well as a Barbie collection, which to date is maintained at the Pop Up Store located in the high end Polanco district in Mexico City, since the compa-ny is characterized by inspiring fun, energy, touches of ro-mance and, above all, being at the forefront of the market.
The brand was born of the passion for fashion by young designer Paola Wong and the taste for finance by Pamela Wong, and has found a place for its garments in Mexican and Asian closets alike, thanks to its ladylike style.
www.pinkmagnolia.com.mx
“In 2008 I started designing because I needed to express my taste by creating garments. I am a photographer and I came to Mexico City to work. While studying photogra-phy, I decided to produce garments and then I sold them. I had some knowledge about dressmaking because my mother taught me. I consigned my creations to a store in Polanco, first under my name, and then under the brand name Mancandy”, says Andrés Jiménez, founder and cre-ative director of the brand.
The name arises because it evokes an irresistible boy that all women and men want. “I liked what it conveys: something sweet that everybody desires,” says Andrés.
He designed and compiled a line of ten dresses that were sold very quickly. Mancandy is a brand that targets the international market more than the domestic one. Ji-ménez targets the A++ market, with high purchasing pow-er. His garments are street wear and signature clothing that can be worn in the day; there are pants, backpacks, shirts, all with a touch of luxury and exclusivity. Man-candy sells mostly unisex garments.
www.mancandy.com
Mancandy Pink Magnolia
Lili Carrillo studied art, but her jewelry arose out of her need “to create something to feel busy,” she laughs. In el-ementary school, the nuns taught her embroidery. When she was 12 she began purchasing kits to manufacture bracelets and costume jewelry. In high school she started selling bracelets and necklaces.
Then she traveled to Barcelona, Spain, to study for a degree in Illustration. “There I discovered a taste for hand-made objects, and a love for craftsmanship, and I decided I wanted to devote myself to arts and crafts.”
Lili returned to Mexico and nursed her sick grand-father. “I started combining embroidery with beads, and incorporated stones with necklaces to make accessories”, describes Lili.
“My products are for women between 25 and 50 years of age: for adventurous women who like to travel, and who like new materials and bright colors.”
Her most successful piece is a small-embroidered leaf in various colors, with sewn in golden beads. “We offer it as a necklace set with matching bracelet. It’s called ‘Turkey leaf’ of ‘Elfie leaf’. We created it over two years ago and people are still asking for it.”
www.lilicarrillo.com
Dalia Pascal has over 11 years experience, and the main banner of her fashion proposal has been to rescue artisan values by respecting tradition. When Mexican products still had no place in the international arena, Dalia broke those barriers thanks to the quality and originality of her line of jewelry and accessories.
“Mexican design is a winner, a fighter, it is more wel-come throughout the world, where Mexican culture and traditions are considered world heritage,” explains the de-signer, who has won prizes like the Quorum award and the National Silver Jewelry Award of the 21st Century.
Her collections are exhibited in Austria, Australia, the Caribbean, Central America, the USA, Canada and France, and through modern technology they are now accessible in practically any country in the world through websites such as the platform associated to National Geographic.
www.daliapascal.com
Dalia Pascal Lili Carrillo
PoP UP Store PariS
Special report Special reportphotos courtesy of each design company participant
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Concha Orvañanos took her first steps as a fashion de-signer in 2002, with the Arroz con Leche (Rice Pudding) brand, a line of luxury clothing for children, and in 2005 she opened her first store in Mexico City. Although Or-vañanos was a financial expert, she became interested in fashion when she became pregnant.
Early models did not work out perfectly, but it led her to connect with different artisans in the textile sector, and shape the idea of preserving traditional Mexican culture in her designs, with contemporary touches, while offering work to Mexican female artisans.
Once the Arroz con Leche brand was entrenched in the market, in 2001 the Yakampot brand was developed, to dress women who are both sexy and sweet. The wom-en’s line of clothing continues to maintain the taste for the quality of Mexican crafts and handwork. Both Arroz con Leche and Yakampot are characterized by launching a series of short runs in the market in order to provide total exclusivity to their buyers.
www.yakampot.com
In Mexico jewelers like Tanya Moss stand out as one of the most popular brands among consumers. Since she was a young girl, Tanya dreamed of becoming a fashion de-signer and her dream materialized when she studied jew-elry, “and landed it as a project for my university thesis. That was how the dream of my childhood took hold from the second semester at college,” says Tanya Moss.
Tanya relates how her experience was working with ProMéxico: “At an exhibition I learned of the agency’s ex-istence and I met their committed team. Their support is very important to us. Of course we have a big job ahead of us, but with the ProMéxico team it has been easier be-cause now we have the tools to do it.”
Regarding her experience at the Pop Up Store, Moss says that it was a great project and a good experience for the brand. “For the quality of Mexican design to stand out abroad is a great opportunity that opens doors to new markets and consumers, with very discerning tastes in fashion and design,” says Moss.
“We’ve always participated in international expos, but this project implied bringing a store to the public, in a con-temporary and elegant way. I’m sure that we can return to other countries and improve each time. And it could be that it becomes a business model for Mexican designers who are ready to go abroad,” she concludes.
www.tanyamoss.com
Tanya Moss Yakampot
The idea of the Royal Dalia project came in 2012, when the designers María Eugenia and Fernanda Cadena re-turned from a trip to Chiapas, inspired by the cultural, textile and historical richness of the Mexican southeast.
The girls joined together to express their creativity in a new canvas, by creating the Royal Dalia brand of accessories.
The brand searched for backing alternatives and they approached ProMéxico for information on the different options available to them. They accepted the invitation to participate in the Pop Up Store Di.Me in Paris. “The brand has a presence in some other countries thanks to our online sales, and we have an outlet in New York. But our presence in France brought us closer to the market that we’re interested in exploring,” says María Eugenia.
The brand began to make itself known through the Mexican Rebellion collection. The star of this collection is the Messenger bag, made in leather with golden chains and accessories that represents the fusion of two cultures.
www.royaldalia.com
Luck is the name of the 2016 Spring-Summer collection by Ricardo Seco, referring to the lottery. “I made certain prints based on the lottery board game”, says the designer. His approach to creating items of this collection was quite original, since he chose to work the silhouette in a style that can often be seen at major events like the Coachella Festival in California, for example.
Mexico has a fundamental influence on his creations, and Luck was no exception. “I tried, as always, to show part of my essence, which is Mexico; the cool Mexico, the sophisticated Mexico; the Mexico of today,” he explains.
The palette he used for Luck is quite colorful, unlike other designer collections. “I usually use a lot of white, black and gray. I still do, although now I’m using more color, and prints, which make the collection more fun. The garments are easy to wear and also speak of the popular Mexico. It is a design that will adapt to many people,” concludes Seco.
www.ricardoseco.com
PoP UP Store PariS
Ricardo Seco Royal Dalia
Special report Special reportphotos courtesy of each design company participant
The Lifestyle
The CompleTe Guide To The mexiCan Way of life
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The fashion market in China is relatively new and different from the rest of the world. However, it is also one of the most attractive and promising in the world. During the first decade of the 21st cen-tury, this market experienced exponential growth, to the degree of tripling its value thanks to the Asian giant’s new strategy of opening trade.
According to a study by Boston Con-sulting Group1 (BCG, 2011), it is estimated that China will be the second largest mar-ket in the fashion world by 2020, with 30% growth in global value and sales high-er than 200 billion dollars that year.
This is due largely to the rise of the middle class in the Asian country, which will reach a size of around 140 million people by 2020, who will also increase their spending.
It is noteworthy that the Chinese consumers show a strong preference for Western brands, because they believe these products are of higher quality, plus the fact that they are presented in a greater variety of designs. This consumer is also willing to pay a surplus, especially in more devel-oped cities such as Beijing or Shanghai. This is particularly evident among young people, who often resort to brokers who import brands that are hard to obtain in China.
Another noteworthy trend is the in-crease in consumption by Chinese women. In 1995 men’s products represented 90% of sales. Currently, women’s products ac-count for about 50% of sales2.
E-commerce also plays an important role. China has 600 million Internet us-ers, of which about 500 million have ac-cess to mobile phones. Thus, e-commerce has become essential for selling fashion items. The undisputed leader is Taobao, a platform through which 95% of fashion items are sold. But new competitors are beginning to emerge, such as MoguJie, a platform dedicated completely to the fash-
ion industry. In a similar way to Pinterest, users share their reviews and opinions on the website.
MexICo’s MoMeNTWhile the fashion industry in Mexico ex-perienced one of its most difficult periods in 2001 following the entry of China to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Mexican manufacturers have changed their strategy in recent years.
Over the years, Mexico has been a ma-jor player in the Western market’s fashion industry. In fact, it was the main exporter to the United States for many years.
In 20143 China imported from Mexico the equivalent of 6,484,000 dollars, repre-senting just 0.2% of the total that China im-ported from the rest of world in this sector.
Meanwhile the growth of imports from China is encouraging, in the order of 36% (2010-2014). In the area of leather goods, imports from China amounted to 1,123,000 dollars (2014), reaching just 0.1% of the total in this category, although with an interesting 18% annual growth in the period from 2010 to 2014.
This is a clear indicator that although growth in this regard is not exponential, there is a market demand that Mexican companies must address. Mexican firms have improved their processes and have included the creative factor, in addition to
improving quality in manufacturing, which has resulted in international recognition.
The fashion industry in the country has acquired great significance, to the point that every year a large number of events are held nationwide. One of the most im-portant events is the Mercedes-Benz Fash-ion Week, attended by renowned designers from all over the world.
As mentioned above, China is a coun-try that prefers Western fashion items. Po-sitioning Mexico in the Chinese market is vital not only in terms of selling products. It is also essential to arouse the interest of that country in Mexican designers of high prestige, by hosting events that celebrate these renowned artists.
As a sign of the great acceptance that Mexican fashion and design have achieved, the April edition of Cosmopolitan China magazine featured the lens of the renowned photographer Charles Guo, highlighting and gracing Mexican fashion in the beautiful city of Guanajuato4. N
México in the World photo archive
a GiaNT TO CONQuER
bY CHANTAL AbRAjAN pEñA, FIRST SECRETARY IN SHANGHAI
the growing demand from the fashion industry in China represents an unmissable opportunity for Mexican designers.
1“Dressing up”. The Boston Consulting Group. Retrieved august 7, 2015 from: http://tinyurl.com/n8rdrhh.2lin l. (2015). “Female Fashion addicts Change China’s 19 Billion market”. Bloomberg Business. Retrieved august 7, 2015 from: http://tinyurl.com/ooqy2qa3Olivier. (2015). “mogujie, a social shopping platform in China.” marketing China. Retrieved august 7, 2015 from: http://tinyurl.com/l9o2v3c4http://tinyurl.com/pnqdnap
The Lifestyle
ThE COmPlETE GuIDE TO ThE mExICan Way OF lIFE
Organic agricultureA growing businessBy luis FernandO teCa
VenuesSpaces for cultureBy ósCar hernández
La MatatenaCinema for childrenBy liset COtera
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slow fooDSlOWly anD CaREFully
By alFOnsO rOCha
For several years the international organization Slow Food has worked to increase awareness and appreciate good food: good for who eats it, for who cultivates it, and for the environment.
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Today, Slow Food is positioned as the in-ternational organization that protects the eco-gastronomic movement, aimed at the preservation of agricultural biodiversity and the education of taste. For Slow Food, “the future of food is the future.”
begINNINgsBorn in the late 80’s in the small town of Bra, Italy, Slow Food believes that quality food is a right for us all and, consequently, we all have a responsibility to safeguard the heritage of biodiversity, culture and knowl-edge passed on from one generation to the next, which make the act of eating one of the fundamental pleasures of existence.
Slow Food promotes good food (be-cause it is also healthy from an organolep-
tic point of view), clean (because it pays attention to the environment and animal welfare), and fair (because it respects the work of those who produce, transform and distribute it).
Slow Food defends biodiversity, and promotes a system of sustainable and eco-compatible production and food consump-tion; it also connects producers of quality foods with co-producers (aware consum-ers), through events and initiatives to spread sensorial education and responsible consumption. Through projects like the “Arca del Gusto” (Ark of Taste) and “Balu-artes” or Bastions (supported by the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity), and the Terra Madre network, Slow Food protects our precious food heritage.
The slow fooD NeTwoRkThe international Slow Food network is referred to as the Terra Madre network, composed of activists, youth, academics, chefs, traditional cooks, food producers and anyone interested in promoting good, clean and fair food. This network brings together more than 100,000 members of Slow Food in 1,500 local groups around the world (known as “convivia”) that pay a membership fee in order to participate in events and campaigns that are organized in their region, and in the more than 2,500 Terra Madre food communities practicing sustainable production of small scale qual-ity foods.
slow fooD MexICoThe organization’s activities began in Mexico in 1999, and since then has devel-oped a multidisciplinary network involv-ing consumers, chefs, producers, academ-ics, traditional cooks, and young people across the country.
The structure of Slow Food Mexico today has a base of over 650 affiliate partners among academics, youth, food producers, and the general public with an interest in sustainable foods.
The Slow Food network in Mexico is organized into 29 chapters located in urban centers (like Mexico City, Puebla, Morelia,
slow fooDslowly and carefullyFor several years the international organization Slow Food has worked to increase awareness and appreciate good food: good for who eats it, for who cultivates it, and for the environment.
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Oaxaca, Monterrey, Mérida and Tijuana, among others), and native communities in Puebla (Náhuatl) Chiapas (Tzotzil, Choles, Tzeltal), and Oaxaca (Chinantecos). These local groups are scattered in 15 states from Tijuana in Baja California to San Cristóbal de las Casas and Zinancantán in Chiapas. Slow Food Mexico is linked to more than 50 food communities formed by producers and processors of food.
Following the national meeting of the Slow Food network in Mexico on April 26, 2015, the 2015-2020 Strategic Plan of Slow Food Mexico was revealed. In this document, the overall aim of Slow Food Mexico is specified: to promote the right to good, clean and fair food for all, under the framework of food sovereignty.
Lines of action for the activities and projects that will be promoted by Slow Food Mexico were also defined: preserva-tion of local agricultural biodiversity with producers; market access for good, clean and fair products; consumer education; advocacy; and dissemination of Slow Food values.
As for education of taste for consum-ers, major projects coordinated by Slow Food Mexico are: “Almuerzo ConSentido” (Meaningful Lunch) in Michoacán; school orchards in native communities of Chiapas and in urban and rural centers of Tlaxcala, Playa del Carmen and Monterrey; Slow Beer Mexico—a campaign focused on link-ing Mexican homebrewed beer manufac-turers with traditional food producers for use in brewing beer (such as blue corn, co-
coa, chile and virgin honey from Mexican Scaptotrigona bees, among others).
As for the preservation of agricultural biodiversity and the link between producers and the market, a current project deals with “Alianza de Cociner@s” (Cooks Alliance) of Slow Food—which was started in No-vember of 2014 and today includes more than 20 restaurants and chefs committed to purchasing local supplies at fair prices, and organizing Slow Food events in Mexico City, Morelia, Playa del Carmen, Puebla, Querétaro and San Andrés Cholula. Also, “Arca del Gusto” (Ark of Taste) has includ-ed more than 30 traditional foods and Slow Food has created and supported five “Balu-artes” or Bastions (Seri roasted mesquite, Tehuacán amaranth, native honey from the Northern Sierra of Puebla, vanilla from Chinantla and cocoa from Chontalpa).
At meetings on biodiversity and food sovereignty with various Mexican organi-zations and members of the Slow Food and Terra Madre networks, the subject of the defense of Mexican maize and its produc-ers against attacks by the agricultural and food industries arose as a central issue. For this reason, during the development of the strategic plan for Slow Food Mexico, it was decided to place the defense of maize as a priority and to include this item in most ac-tivities and projects mentioned above.
To support the technical coordination of these activities, the civil association “Comida Lenta” (meaning Slow Food in Spanish) was established in Mexico. The organization’s first action was to sign a
cooperation agreement with Slow Food International, whereby Comida Lenta as-sumes the responsibility of acting as a sup-porting structure for Slow Food Mexico’s activities, contributing to the achievement of the global objectives set by Slow Food.
slow fooD aND exPo MIlaNoSlow Food is the only civil organization that currently participates in the Expo Mi-lano 2015—in which the issue is the future of food—, because it contributes a great deal to this debate. Slow Food proposes something different from what other mul-tinational agribusinesses and governments are promoting at the Expo.
The president and founder of Slow Food International, Carlo Petrini, has said that “Expo Milano 2015 should not be a place for consumers, but rather an op-portunity to bring together farmers, fisher-men, shepherds and food artisans, to give them the opportunity to discuss how they see the political role of food. The stars of the event should be the people who pro-duce the food.”
Slow Food is surprised that in this Expo farmers and peasants are not pres-ent, despite the issues being discussed. This is why Slow Food will bring together more than 2,000 young farmers during the clos-ing of the expo in October, to give them a place so they may raise their voices and ex-press their opinions on how to feed future generations. N
www.slowfood.mx
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Twenty years ago the area devoted to or-ganic agriculture in Mexico was concen-trated on very few products: coffee, veg-etables, herbs and sesame. Ten years later production diversified and the planted area increased. This agriculture is on the path of consolidation.
Mexico’s role as a supplier of organic products in the world market is limited to three classes: tropical products that are not grown in developed countries (coffee, cocoa, mango, banana, and vanilla, among others), winter vegetables (when there are temporary shortages for seasonal reasons in countries of mild climates), and products that require a lot of labor (such as sesame).
Exports—according to Bancomext data—are also destined to countries with the most developed markets that have experienced the highest growth rates in the area of organic production in search of self-sufficiency, at least in products they can cultivate, such as grains, sum-mer vegetables, livestock and processed foods.
Mexico has greater prospects in tropi-cal products that developed countries can-not produce. This creates opportunities for current organic tropical products and others, such as coffee, tomato, strawberry, raspberry, celery, basil, zucchini, hibiscus, peas and Ceylon spinach.
beTTINg oN The loCal MaRkeTA great opportunity for Mexican producers is the development of an organic domestic market, which would not be insignificant, especially if it meets the country’s condi-tions and seeks to lower premiums, so that products are accessible to a greater number of consumers, according to Bancomext.
The organic movement has roughly advanced through its own resources and degrees of organization. In the future, ac-cording to international experience, the participation of government will be funda-mental. Support for this movement should be through a vision and strategy that in-
orgAnic Agriculturea growing Business
Most Mexican producers are betting on exporting 60% to 80% of their production to the USA and Europe.
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a great opportunity for mexican producers is the development
of an organic domestic market, which would not be
insignificant, especially if it meets the country’s conditions.
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cludes a policy that enhances the efforts of producers and takes into account the agro-ecological, social and cultural benefits of Mexico to achieve real sustainable rural development.
Euromonitor International data show that in 2013 the market for organic prod-
ucts in Mexico amounted to 242.2 million dollars, a figure expected to grow 73% in the next five years. Most Mexican produc-ers are betting on exporting 60% to 80% of their production to the USA and Eu-rope. ProMéxico states that the total area sown for organic crops was 24,044 hect-
ares, which produced 98,480 tons with a production value of nearly 960 billion pesos.
Mexico’s most important organic product, in respect to the cultivated organ-ic area, is coffee; in second place are blue and white maize; and sesame is in third. Other products are maguey (for produc-ing honey), herbs, mango, orange, beans, apple, papaya, avocado, soy, banana and cocoa. To a lesser extent African palm, va-nilla, pineapple, lemon, coconut, walnut, lychees, safflower, peach and passion fruit are grown. Honey, milk, cheese, sweets and even some cosmetics are also produced.
Bancomext recommends that the expe-rience and know how of Mexican produc-ers in the organic methods of these crops should be taken advantage of, in order to keep ahead of other tropical countries such as Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Peru which, as Mexico, are seeking opportunities in this promising sector. N
The 10 MosT PoPulaR oRgaNIC PRoDuCTs
Source: Proméxico, 2014
Crop Planted area (hectares)
harvested area (hectares)
Production (tons)
yield (tons/hectare)
PMR or Rural Medium Price (price/ton)
Production value (thousands of pesos)
Tomato 738 687 38,810 57 8,772 340,428
Raw coffee 22,051 21,965 38,780 2 5,187 201,153
strawberry 116 116 7,192 62 22,225 159,842
Raspberry 81 81 1,069 13 119,000 127,235
Celery 200 200 6,500 33 6,738 43,794
basil 277 277 2,162 8 14,931 32,280
zucchini 108 107 1,471 14 7,693 11,320
hibiscus 81 81 221 3 49,900 11,047
Peas 91 79 450 6 19,765 8,892
Ceylon spinach 38 38 342 9 10,021 3,427
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The new buildings will house a conservatory of music, museums, cultural centers, theaters and a municipal library, among others.
“This is a program that—in cultural terms—perfectly meets the expectations, in times when we are strengthening our cultural decentralization and providing spaces for cultural activities that are con-tributing to improve the quality of free time,” says Rafael Tovar y de Teresa, presi-dent of Conaculta.
In the Casco de San Juan Cultural Center, in Toluca, State of Mexico, a new conservatory of music will be built, while San Salvador Atenco will house the mu-nicipal cultural center, and a new library is under construction in Nopaltepec. In Jalisco, there are two new cultural centers, two houses of culture and a Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Gua-dalajara, as well as a Historical Archives building in Zapopan.
Seventeen new houses of culture will be built: two in Campeche, two in Jalisco, three in Michoacán, four in Oaxaca, four in Yucatán, one in Tamaulipas and another one in the State of Mexico. Of these proj-ects, 80% are of state origin, 15% are mu-nicipal, 3% belong to civil society and 2% to public universities.
The MexICaN house IN PaRIsThe model of the “Casa Mexicana” was presented at the presidential Elysee Pal-ace in Paris. It will be located on the Seine River near the Austerlitz train station, in southeast Paris. The building will be locat-ed exactly in the so-called Port de Seine, near the fashion and design district of the French capital.
The place—property of the Paris port authority—will have cultural and com-mercial spaces for the sale of Mexican products, a coffee shop and a restaurant serving Mexican cuisine, among others.
Also, in recent years several cultural buildings have engrossed the range of cul-tural activities in the country, including the following:
The RobeRTo CaNToRal CulTuRal CeNTeRIt is a space for culture and entertainment created by the Mexican Society of Authors and Composers. Its main purpose is to promote the work of authors and com-posers through concerts, exhibitions and festivals of different genres: rock, regional
music, ballad, bolero, pop, concert music, without leaving out activities of other ar-tistic disciplines such as literature, visual arts, dance, film and photography. The cultural center was inaugurated in Mexico City, in November of 2012.
gRaN Museo Del MuNDo MayaThe Great Maya World Museum is a cel-ebration and encounter with the strongest root of identity in the Yucatan, but it is also an account of the changes and transforma-tions, the mobility and migration, the ar-rival of many other individuals and groups that have mixed and adapted to the young sap that has nourished the ceiba, the sa-cred tree of this land. The Grand Museum opened in December of 2012, in Mérida.
The juMex MuseuMThis museum houses national and interna-tional modern and contemporary art, and exhibits works by various renowned artists. The Jumex Museum, which opened in 2013, is an initiative of the Jumex Foundation for Contemporary Art, and was designed by the British firm David Chipperfield Archi-tects, in collaboration with TAAU/Óscar Rodríguez. It has an area of 1,600 square meters and a collection of more than 2,600 pieces. The museum is located on Miguel de Cervantes 303, in the Nueva Polanco dis-trict of Mexico City. N
venuesspaces for culture
The National Council for Culture and the Arts (Conaculta) has allocated over 1 billion pesos in the construction and remodeling of 136 cultural properties throughout Mexico. The new cultural sites that are being built in Mexico are a sign of the cultural development the country needs.
by óscar hernándezaND The lIghTs go ouT…In 1993 I had my first contact with the con-cept of cinema for children. Is it considered a genre or sub-genre? Is it taken into ac-count? How do I recognize film materials that try to reach this specific population? And which ones are made from the perspec-tive of adults trying to talk about children? Why are international film festivals for chil-dren important, like the International Film Festival for Children in Mexico? And what about the proposal of La Matatena, a film association for boys and girls?
Hans Strobel—a German scholar on cinema for children, who for many years
directed the children’s section at the Mu-nich Film Festival—says that “Cinema for children should be understood in a broad sense, and not just as films that underline a childish character.”
The Role of CINeMa foR ChIlDReNGood films for children are those where children can recognize their own world
and follow their dreams and desires, where they are taken seriously according to their age. These films start in the world of chil-dren and offer possibilities of identifica-tion; they conform to their comprehensive mental capacity and their specific needs. These films guide children and help them cope better with their daily lives.
When we talk about cinema for chil-dren, immediate references are Disney and Dreamworks. We think only about the cartoons and feature films we’re ac-customed to, which are reduced to four or five premieres a year. However, cinema for children is a great challenge and a re-sponsibility for film industry profession-als who have decided to tackle this genre, concerned with rescuing and bringing to the screen events that occur in children’s everyday lives.
Countries like Germany, Canada, France, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Swe-den and others in Eastern Europe produce
lA MAtAtenAcinema for children
Film festivals for children around the world play a very important role: they are like showcases that put a grand feast at the viewer’s disposal.
pho
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atat
ena
by LISET COTERA, FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF LA MATATENA, A.C.
Countries like Germany, Canada, France, Denmark, Finland,
norway, Sweden and others in Eastern Europe produce and
promote the importance of cinema for children.
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The Lifestyle
and promote the im-portance of cinema for children. Some of these countries have been able to allocate respectable budgets to ensure the con-tinuity of films targeted for children. Denmark is regarded as the “paradise of cinema for children,” because since a law was approved in 1982, al least 25% of government subsi-dies to the cinematographic industry must be destined to produc-tions for children.”
In this context, international festivals of cinema for children play an important role. In the world today as may as 64 festi-vals are devoted to this genre, whose goal is to promote and divulge recent quality films targeted for children. Film festivals for children are showcases that allow chil-dren to access a banquet where they have
a seat at the table and can have a taste of this vast vi-sual proposal.
The fesTIval TuRNs 20This year the Mexican International Festival of Cinema for Children, from August 3 to 8, will celebrate its 20th an-niversary, and will be held in several movie theaters in Mexico
City, such as the Cineteca Nacio-nal (the National Film Archive), the Julio Bracho Theater at the UNAM’s Cultural Center, the Faro de Oriente Theater and the Universidad Autónoma de Chapingo.
After two decades, this festival is a re-ality that has provided a cinematographic alternative for generations of Mexican children, and due to its high quality of exhibition and design, it has little by lit-tle achieved to open this valuable space,
which includes more viewers every year.During the six-day exhibition period,
attendance ranges from 10,000 to 13,000 spectators with 45 to 54 simultaneous Spanish-dubbed functions (the materials are not originally subtitled in Spanish). The intention is to make theses projections accessible to their natural audience.
The festival has been concerned with providing children a host of activities that allow them to approach quality produc-tions from all five continents, and promote film culture through various modalities and strategies, with activities throughout the year. N
www.lamatatena.org
la MaTaTeNa
La Matatena (a word in Náhuatl mean-ing “to fill your hand with stones”), a Film Association for Boys and Girls, was established in 1999, after organiz-ing the International Festival of Cin-ema for Children since 1995, on the initiative of Liset Cotera, its founder and director.
In addition to organizing the festi-val every year, La Matatena develops and designs workshops to bring chil-dren to the movies, transcending the border between being mere spectators and becoming creators of their own messages. La Matatena has managed to include children in processes where they are themselves stakeholders and participants of their own visual dis-course.
Currently, La Matatena has a col-lection of 155 high-quality short films made by the children of Mexico; some of them have even earned international awards, like for example the short La calaca fantasma (The phantom skel-eton), designated as the best short film made by children at the 31st edition of the Chicago International Film Fes-tival for Children, 2014.
The methodologies designed by La Matatena to promote the film among boys and girls have been recognized by UNICEF for their “good practices.”
deproméxico
México es uno de los países más innovadores en lo que a diseño se refiere. Actualmente en nues-tro país se desarrollan innume-rables proyectos que van desde
el diseño de modas hasta el diseño de piezas de ingeniería sofisticadas para industrias como la aeronáutica y la automotriz.
Las propuestas nacionales han trascendido fronteras y cruzado océanos para posicionarse en mercados de consumidores altamente deman-dantes en los que en otro tiempo parecía imposi-ble Hoy hemos logrado cristalizar las marcas de nuestros creadores en distintos ámbitos; la inspi-ración y la creatividad que distinguen a lo hecho en México destellan en las vitrinas de ciudades como Milán y París.
La transversalidad del diseño en nuestro país enriquece la oferta exportable de diversas in-dustrias y ha dado pie a que la labor conjunta de académicos y empresarios, respaldada por iniciativas gubernamentales, resulte esencial para la innovación y el desarrollo tecnológi-co que demandan los consumidores del siglo veintiuno. Hoy en día nos encontramos en una posición que hace algunos años parecía lejana: producimos piezas de consumo cotidiano –ma-nufacturas simples– a la vez que piezas sofisti-cadas de alta tecnología. Esta nueva gama de productos y servicios permite que más empre-sas se incorporen exitosamente a las cadenas de
producción cuyos mercados objetivo se encuen-tran en prácticamente todo el mundo. Esto ha sido posible en gran medida gracias a la visión a largo plazo de diversas instancias –privadas y gubernamentales– que proyectan un futuro en el que la innovación y el desarrollo a través del diseño son esenciales para incorporarse a las partes de las cadenas de producción en las que es posible agregar más valor a los productos y servicios.
En esta edición de Negocios presentamos un reporte sobre empresas mexicanas que se han introducido exitosamente en el mundo de los negocios internacionales gracias a la frescura de sus propuestas. También reportamos un logro extraordinario de productores de bebidas em-blemáticas nacionales que han logrado –gracias a la labor de ProMéxico– introducir su oferta en Ámsterdam, Londres y Milán. Así mismo, rese-ñamos el éxito de una cadena hotelera mexicana que ha crecido gracias al desarrollo innovador de un modelo de negocio y que ahora da sus primeros pasos en mercados internacionales. Fi-nalmente, ofrecemos datos de suma valía para adentrarse en el mercado alemán, que actual-mente es el séptimo comprador de productos mexicanos a nivel mundial.
Actualmente México se diseña a sí mismo de forma competitiva para alcanzar la gran meta de proyectar nuestro enorme talento humano y nuestra capacidad creativa.
¡Bienvenidos a Negocios ProMéxico!
Negocios ProMéxico
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MANUFACTURA
EMPRESaS TRaCTORaS buSCaN PROVEEDORES MExiCaNOS
El Consejo Nacional de la Industria Maquiladora y Manufacturera de Exportación (Index) informó que empresas de los sectores elec-trónico, automotriz y aeroespacial ven una alta posibilidad de hacer negocios con proveedores nacionales por 960 millones de dólares.
Cada año se importan partes y componentes en el sector manufac-turero de exportación por 170,000 millones de dólares, y no todos los insumos se pueden comprar en México. Por eso, la Index reunió a cuarenta empresas de clase mundial, también llamadas tractoras, las cuales pusieron sobre la mesa una demanda negociable por tres mil millones de dólares con proveedores nacionales, principalmente en los sectores electrónico, metalmecánico y plástico.
Durante dos días las empresas tractoras sostuvieron 1,500 citas de negocios con noventa pequeñas y medianas empresas (pymes) nacionales proveedoras de empresas de clase mundial en el país y que ya cuentan con certificación.
www.index.org.mx
COMERCIO ExTERIOR
NiGERia REFuERza LazOS COMERCiaLES CON MéxiCO
Nigeria tiene interés por trabajar con México para promover un mejor conocimiento de ambos mercados e identificar las oportunidades de ne-gocios, inversiones, coinversiones y alianzas estratégicas que permitan incrementar y diversificar el comercio entre ambas naciones.
En este contexto, los dos países formalizaron dos instrumentos de coope-ración entre ProMéxico y los Consejos de la Promoción de las Inversiones y las Exportaciones de Nigeria (NIPC y NEPC), así como uno entre Bancomext y el Banco Nigeriano para las Exportaciones e Importaciones (NEXIM).
Nigeria es la mayor democracia de África y el país más poblado del continente, con 180 millones de habitantes. Cuenta con la octava reserva probada de petróleo más grande del planeta y la novena de gas. Por su PIB es la economía más grande del continente y la 23ª en el mundo, con una tasa de crecimiento anual promedio de 6.8% durante la última década, lo que hace evidente el potencial de su mercado.
www.neximbank.com.ng
diseñO
MéxiCO MuESTRa DiSEñO
El Museo Francisco Goitia, en la capital de Zacatecas, abre sus puertas a partir del 13 de agosto para presentar México Muestra Diseño, dentro de las actividades del “Verano CreActivo”, organizadas por el Ayuntamiento de Zacatecas, con el apoyo de Conaculta, el INBA y del propio museo, entre otros.
Esta muestra abarca ramas del diseño que van desde el industrial, el gráfico, hasta la joyería, y cuenta con la par-ticipación de más de treinta destacados diseñadores de todo el país, quienes presentan ochenta piezas que representan el auge del diseño mexicano actual. Algunas de las obras han sido exhibidas en el museo Franz Mayer, de México, y el MoMA, de Nueva York.
Varios de los participantes han manifestado su interés en trabajar con artesanos zacatecanos, lo que seguramente aportará importantes resultados. La exposición permanecerá abierta hasta el 13 de septiembre.
www.zacatecasonline.com.mx
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Para Exportadores Para Exportadoresfotos archivo
“Las civilizaciones no son fortalezas, sino cruces de caminos”.
—Octavio Paz
¡Qué distante estoy ahora de la inquietud con la que llegué a Marruecos! Muy lejos estaba de imaginar que, al abrir una ofici-na comercial de ProMéxico en Casablanca en noviembre pasado, sería un oportuno paso estratégico.
Esta oficina es la primera representa-ción comercial de nuestro país en el con-tinente africano y constituye un esfuerzo de consolidación de las relaciones México-África. El acto de apertura se realizó en presencia de la ministra delegada del Mi-nisterio de Relaciones Exteriores y de Coo-peración de Marruecos, la señora Mbarka Bouaïda; del subsecretario de Relaciones Exteriores, excelentísimo señor embajador Carlos de Icaza, y del director general de ProMéxico, Francisco N. González Díaz quien expresó su entusiasmo por el inicio de las relaciones comerciales y esgrimió las razones por las que se eligió Marruecos y
la ciudad de Casablanca para instalar esta primera oficina. Factores como estabilidad política, crecimiento económico y social, y posición geográfica privilegiada como hub logístico, industrial, financiero y económi-co, fueron determinantes para considerar a Marruecos como país líder en el conti-nente africano.
Hoy podemos agregar que la proximi-dad cultural con este pueblo es una forta-leza en la estructuración de cualquier con-venio. Marruecos no es ajeno a México, nos une un lazo andaluz-árabe-islámico de histórica vinculación. En el fondo tenemos una dimensión mudéjar. Guadalupe –epí-tome de nuestra cultura religiosa– es un nombre árabe.
MaRRueCos, esTabIlIDaD y seguRIDaD ReINaNTes La elección Marruecos como nuestro pri-mer enlace con África está respaldada en el momento histórico por el que atraviesa dicha nación musulmana. La estabilidad y seguridad reinantes en estos tiempos del
mundo islámico, se conjugan con los si-guientes indicadores:
• ElpuertodeTánger–situadoenelestre-cho de Gibraltar– es el soporte logístico y de negocios más dinámico de la región, y hoy en día es uno de los doce puertos más importantes del mundo. La colabo-ración con las instituciones y asociacio-nes empresariales sectoriales es sólida y el inicio de la actividad económica entre los empresarios de ambos países será fluida, ya que se facilita la apertura de canales que van desde la importación de produc-tos frescos –pasando por los industriali-zados– hasta los de alta tecnología.
• Losdatos estadísticosdeMarruecos en2013 muestran una oportunidad para nuevos negocios: 32.5 millones de ha-bitantes, producto interno bruto de cien mil millones de dólares, producto interno bruto per cápita de 3,500 dólares, cre-cimiento económico de 4.5%, inflación de 1.9%, desempleo de 9.5%, salario promedio mensual 488 dólares, el 64%
CaSabLaNCamáS allá DEl FIlmE
Marruecos no es ajeno a México, nos une un lazo andaluz-árabe-islámico de histórica vinculación. En el fondo tenemos una dimensión mudéjar. Guadalupe –epítome de nuestra cultura religiosa– es un nombre árabe.
por danielle pellat thomé, primera secretaria de proméxico en casablanca
de su población es menor de 34 años y cuenta con dieciséis millones de usuarios de internet.
• Lossectoresqueseabrenalacoopera-ción son el agroindustrial, el de la cons-trucción, el farmacéutico, el turístico, el automotriz y el aeronáutico. La mitad de la población trabaja en la agricultura, y las exportaciones de este sector repre-sentan más de un tercio de los dividen-dos del país. En el sector farmacéutico, la necesidad de materias primas para la producción de medicamentos genéricos es indispensable para todo el continente.
• Lademandadeproveedoresdeproduc-tos de alta tecnología se presenta también como una oportunidad de mercado muy atractiva para México. Empresas como Bombardier, Boeing, Renault y Nissan –próximamente Peugeot y Ford– están instaladas en Tánger Med.
• Enelámbitofinanciero,laestabilidad,confiabilidad y extensión de su red bancaria, lo convierten también en un hub financiero. A finales de 2016 estará listo un desarrollo de actualidad, Casa Financial City, donde se tiene previsto que se instalen los bancos y financieras de todo el orbe. Hoy por hoy, la banca marroquí combina la cercanía a las po-blaciones con la calidad en el desempe-ño de los sistemas.
CaRPe DIeMLos marroquíes hacen su trabajo y cons-truyen su país, han adoptado una política de apertura, industrialización, inversión, democratización y desarrollo social.
La visión del Reino de Marruecos –lanzada al 2020 para consolidarse como el corazón de la región– se basa en la ca-pitalización de su ventajosa posición geo-gráfica, su historia y la fuerza de su nueva generación de jóvenes.
Es hic et nunc el momento de presentar un frente industrial o comercial en una na-ción que está evolucionando de manera ace-lerada. En la oficina de ProMéxico estamos al servicio de los exportadores mexicanos.
Actualmente trabajamos en la etapa inicial del proceso de internacionalización de diversas empresas mexicanas, dentro de un marco de cooperación sur-sur (inter-cambio de recursos, tecnología y conoci-miento entre países en desarrollo), en los siguientes sectores: agroindustria –Bimbo y Las Cúspides–, construcción –Meccano y Grupo Kinética–, farmacéuticos –Inter-
quim– y complementos alimenticios y pro-ductos de belleza –Omnilife.
Contamos con información de primera mano que ayudará a las empresas a diver-sificar su portafolio de clientes para expor-tar a Marruecos; el apoyo será notorio con las pymes que decidan atravesar el Atlán-tico. Nuestra labor día con día es facilitar los caminos para sus exportaciones.
La gente en Marruecos es hospitalaria, sonriente, humana y trabajadora, lo que hace que se sienta uno invitado a descubrir este país en principio como turista, de sur a norte, ya que su diversidad geográfica y cultural es fascinante, rodeado por las aguas del océano Atlántico y del mar Mediterráneo. Primero hay que disfrutar Marruecos y, después, lan-zar las lianas de la cooperación comercial. N
www.promexico.gob.mx/es/mx/casablanca
Los sectores de alta tecnología representan un mercado atractivo para México, ya que se demandan proveedores para las empresas instaladas en Tánger Med como bombardier, boeing, Renault y Nissan –próximamente Peugeot y Ford.
en el sector farmacéutico se requiere materia prima para la producción de medicamentos genéricos para todo África. Y en el agroindustrial son necesarios productos frescos desde los industrializados hasta los de alta tecnología.
MéxICo-MaRRueCos
La oficina de ProMéxico en Marruecos es la primera representación comercial de México en el continente africano y representa un esfuerzo de consolidación de las relaciones
México-África.
Estadísticas de Marruecos (2013)
Población: 32.5 millones de habitantes (64% es menor de 34 años)PIB: 100,000 millones de dólaresPIB per cápita: 3,500 dólaresCrecimiento económico: 4.5%Inflación: 1.9%Desempleo: 9.5%Salario promedio mensual: 488 dólaresusuarios de internet: 16 millones de habitantes
El puerto de Tánger –situado en el estrecho de Gibraltar– es el soporte logístico y de negocios más dinámico de la región, y está considerado entre uno de los doce puertos más importantes del mundo.
sectores con oportunidad para exportar a Marruecos:
• Agroindustrial• Construcción• Farmacéutico
• Turístico• Automotriz• Aeronáutico
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Para Exportadores Para Exportadoresfotos cortesía de hoteles city express
La cadena de Hoteles City Express es-tima impactar a más de tres millones de mexicanos en las próximas vacaciones de verano con su primera campaña digital #ConquistaMéxico. Hoteles City Express busca contribuir con esta estrategia a la di-versificación de mercados que incentiva la Secretaría de Turismo (Sectur).
Blanca Herrera, directora de Servicios de Franquicias de la cadena hotelera, de-claró que la campaña se basa en una pro-puesta de rutas que sigue guías turísticas implementadas desde hace un año.
“Los hoteles se encuentran estratégica-mente ubicados en las diez rutas turísticas que Sectur diseñó: son catorce hoteles de playa, catorce en el sureste del país, catorce en ciudades coloniales, 48 en destinos de ciu-dad y ocho más en la Ciudad de México”, dice la ejecutiva de la cadena hotelera.
los oRígeNesHoteles City Express inauguró el primer hotel en 2003 en Saltillo, Coahuila (un es-tado al norte del país) para ofrecer un tipo
de servicio que no existía en México: ho-teles de servicios limitados de bajo costo.
Los audaces inversionistas mexicanos detectaron que el rango de hoteles que existían entonces eran de cadena de cua-tro o cinco estrellas, y por otro lado había otros independientes de tres estrellas. “Ha-cía falta el hotel intermedio que atendiera a gerentes, coordinadores y supervisores de las empresas. No había ese sitio que tu-viera los estándares de un hotel de cadena a un precio accesible. Así surgió Hoteles City Express”, cuenta Herrera.
El impacto fue contundente y el creci-miento acelerado. Hoy, la marca tiene cien hoteles en veintinueve estados de México, ubicados en sesenta ciudades y dos fuera del país (Costa Rica y Colombia). “Hemos abierto, desde que inauguramos Saltillo, un hotel cada siete semanas”, dice Blanca He-rrera.
Y como resultado del vertiginoso cre-cimiento y los buenos resultados, Hoteles City Express armó la estrategia para con-vertirse en una empresa pública y está lis-
tada en la Bolsa Mexicana de Valores des-de junio de 2013.
En el reporte trimestral emitido a los ac-cionistas, Hoteles City Express informa que sin dejar de lado un entorno económico ca-racterizado por incertidumbre, recortes en las expectativas de crecimiento económico en México y alta volatilidad en las princi-pales variables financieras, Hoteles City Ex-press presenta cifras operativas récord.
Los ingresos y los resultados operati-vos continúan en el camino trazado con crecimientos superiores a 20%, con un margen de EBITDA Ajustado de 32.1% en el trimestre. Esto es relevante en el con-texto de que el primer trimestre del año es, por efecto de estacionalidad, el periodo con menores tasas de ocupación y cuando se absorbe el efecto de las aperturas que se llevaron a cabo en los últimos meses del año inmediatamente anterior.
PlaNes a fuTuRo“Latinoamérica es un mercado que ofre-ce oportunidades de crecimiento únicas.
HOTELES CiTy ExPRESSa la COnquISTa DEl EjECuTIvO
Hoteles City Express cubrió un nicho que otras marcas no atendían. Hoy son la cadena hotelera de más rápido crecimiento y en 2016 abrirá tres hoteles más fuera de México
entrevista con blanca herrera, directora de servicios de franquicia de hoteles city express, por óscar hernández
Hoteles City Express seguirá invirtiendo en donde nuestro modelo de negocios pue-da atender las necesidades de los viajeros que buscan una alta relación precio-valor, y sin duda los mercados de Centro y Sud-américa cuentan con estas características”, comentó Juan Morera, director de Pro-moción en Latinoamérica de Hoteles City Express.
En 2016 Hoteles City Express abrirá nuevas propiedades: dos más en Colom-bia, uno en la zona del aeropuerto de Bo-gotá y otro en la avenida principal de Me-dellín. Ambos abrirán a finales de 2016. El otro hotel, que ya está en construcción, estará en Santiago de Chile, y abrirá el pri-mer trimestre de 2016.
El costo de la habitación varía mucho según la zona. De acuerdo con el reporte bursátil más reciente la marca mantiene 57.1% de ocupación. La tarifa más baja es de 630 pesos e incluye desayuno continen-tal tipo buffet, internet y transportación (sujeta a disponibilidad).
Los planes para 2015 incluyen un nú-mero importante de aperturas en ciudades
como la Ciudad de México, Guadalajara y Monterrey.
En los últimos dos años la recepción del mercado ha sido favorable. “Somos la cadena con mayor crecimiento hotelero. La aceptación es buena, sobre todo en las em-presas que tienen que mandar personal al interior del país. Aunque también captamos turismo de fin de semana o ejecutivos que quieren conocer la ciudad”, dice Herrera.
Hoteles City Express tiene cuatro mar-cas: City Express Plus (que atiende a eje-cutivos de mayor rango. La ubicación es en centros financieros o comerciales), City Express Suites son suites completamente equipadas enfocadas a largas estancias, City Express (viajero de negocios) y City Express Junior (la habitación y las áreas públicas son más pequeñas).
Una ventaja de Hoteles City Express es que todos los inmuebles están estandari-zados. Los huéspedes que aloja la cadena hotelera son en su mayoría (98%) viajeros de negocio; 2% son turistas de placer. Y también casi en su totalidad la oferta de la marca es para huéspedes nacionales.
Los hoteles tienen una construcción modular, están orientados hacia la luz natural para generar ahorros de energía. Hoteles City Express tiene tres iniciati-vas para cuidar el medio ambiente: aho-rro de agua, ahorro de energía y control de desechos. Para el ahorro de agua, la marca se allega la tecnología de última generación para instalarla en regaderas ahorradoras.
De la MaNo CoN PRoMéxICo“De ProMéxico hemos recibido informa-ción relevante, nos ha conectado con las personas indicadas en el extranjero y nos ha apoyado en la promoción y difusión de la marca”, detalla Blanca Herrera.
La experiencia de trabajar con Pro-México, dice Herrera, ha sido muy buena. Y añade: “Es una relación que queremos mantener a largo plazo. En San José, Costa Rica, ProMéxico nos ayudó patrocinando un evento para promover la marca con las principales empresas de la ciudad.” N
www.cityexpress.com
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Julio 2015
Para Exportadores Para Exportadoresfotos cortesía de andy bishop/aliassmith
El relajado ambiente, la camaradería y el buen trato de los mexicanos se juntaron para presentar ante diversas audiencias las bebidas alcohólicas típicas de México. Una veintena de empresas pymes y una treintena de marcas de mezcal y tequila participaron e hicieron el road show por Ámsterdam, Londres y Milán para dar a conocer la plataforma logística que impul-sará la exportación de bebidas nacionales de calidad premium a Europa.
ÁMsTeRDaMLas pymes participantes en la plataforma logística llevaron a cabo encuentros con reconocidos bartenders y blogueros de la industria de bebidas en los Países Bajos, así como con distribuidores e importadores.
Este proyecto es una de las herramien-tas de apoyo que ProMéxico, a través del Programa de Competitividad e Innovación México–Unión Europea (PROCEI), ha trabajado en ello a lo largo de dos años en conjunto con la Cámara Nacional de la Industria Tequilera, el Consejo Regulador del Mezcal y Cerveceros de México.
El esfuerzo ya dio resultados satisfac-torios. La plataforma cuenta con más de 35 marcas de mezcal, tequila y cerveza, lo que facilitará a las pymes beneficiarias el acceso directo al mercado europeo, al ayudarles a consolidar la mercancía desde México, llevarla al recinto fiscal de una de las principales ciudades de entrada a Euro-pa y presentarla al consumidor final en un máximo de cinco días, mediante el diseño de una bien planeada estrategia de promo-ción y distribución.
El proceso de consolidar envíos, además de facilitar el transporte y los procesos de importación, gana el interés de las pequeñas empresas, ya que hacerlo de forma indivi-dual y esporádica les resulta muy costoso.
La plataforma logística es una herra-mienta única en su tipo, ya que su insta-lación ha recibido apoyo financiero de la Unión Europea, el gobierno mexicano a través del PROCEI, de las entidades líderes de la industria y de los propios productores de las emblemáticas bebidas, quienes parti-cipan en el proyecto Certificación de Bebi-das Mexicanas de Calidad; dicho proyecto
–cercano a los ocho millones de pesos– re-cibe una subvención del PROCEI de 50%.
loNDResEn la capital inglesa se llevó a cabo la Fe-ria Imbibe Live 2015, una de las ferias de bebidas espirituosas de mayor prestigio en Europa, donde estuvieron presentes las be-bidas mexicanas.
El Pabellón de México albergó a die-ciocho empresas y 71 marcas de cerveza, mezcal y tequila. Las pymes nacionales tu-vieron la oportunidad de contactarse con importadores, distribuidores, bartenders y profesionales de la industria de bebidas del Reino Unido y diversos países europeos.
El pabellón nacional contó con más de 4,500 visitantes quienes degustaron las be-bidas nacionales ya conocidas en Europa, y nuevas marcas de tequila –como Arette, Los Tres Toños, San Matías y Revolución–, mezcal –como Ancho Reyes, Burrito Fies-tero, El Rey Zapoteco, Jolgorio, Koch, Lá-grimas de Dolores, Mistique, Montelobos, El Mero Cuchillero, Sibarita, Pescador de Sueños y Zignum– y cerveza –Vida Latina, además de licores y ron.
Durante la exposición se celebraron dos seminarios; uno de ellos dedicado al tequila, con la participación de represen-tantes de la Cámara Nacional de la Indus-tria Tequilera, del Consejo Regulador del Tequila, de Tequila Arette, de Casa San Matías y de Tequila Revolución. El semi-nario del tequila fue presentado a expertos de la industria de bebidas europeos, dis-tribuidores, importadores y bartenders, a quienes se les ofrecieron datos precisos so-
MiSióN DE bEbiDaS ESPiRiTuOSaS
Bebidas mexicanas de alta calidad en tres ciudades europeas
por martha jaramillo, directora de eventos nacionales y misiones de negocios, proméxico
bre plantación del agave azul, proceso de corte, jima, cocción, fermentación, destila-ción, embotellado y etiquetado del tequila; también se mencionó la amplia difusión a escala internacional que realiza el Consejo Regulador del Tequila para la defensa de la Denominación de origen, la certificación y el cumplimiento de las estrictas normas y regulaciones para que la bebida pueda ser llevada al público consumidor.
El segundo seminario abundó sobre el mezcal y fue liderado por el experto en la industria agavera, Iván Saldaña, quien presentó una breve anatomía del mezcal y explicó las múltiples variedades de agaves y patrimonio milenario, asimismo habló de las características y sustentabilidad del mezcal, el modo de producción, tecnolo-gías y sabores.
Los representantes de las industrias na-cionales tuvieron oportunidad de conocer e interactuar con importantes distribuido-res e importadores interesados en nuevas marcas, nuevas esencias y nuevos sabores de destilados de agave.
MIlÁNDurante la Exposición Universal de Mi-lán –en las instalaciones del Pabellón de México y ante representantes de diversos países de África, América Latina y Euro-pa– se presentó una detallada descripción de los destilados y bebidas de agave, de la contribución que las industrias del mezcal y del tequila aportan a la economía na-cional y del favorable impacto social en las regiones productoras en la República Mexicana. Participaron Ramón González Figueroa –Director del Consejo Regulador del Tequila– y Karina Ley –representante de la Cámara Nacional de la Industria Tequi-lera– quienes manifestaron el compromiso del gobierno federal mexicano y de las ins-tituciones de la industria de bebidas para continuar apoyando las actividades que ayuden a posicionar el reconocimiento como Denominación de Origen, tanto del mezcal como del tequila, y otras bebidas nacionales como el sotol y la bacanora. En el marco de este evento se distinguió como Embajador del Mezcal y del Tequila al afa-
mado bartender italiano Luca Pirola, gran promotor de las bebidas nacionales en Europa. Fueron presentadas más de vein-ticinco marcas que tuvieron oportunidad de encontrarse con distribuidores de bebi-das, importadores, dueños de restaurantes y bartenders. Se realizaron muestras de coctelería a cargo de los afamados barten-ders mexicanos, José Luis León y Araceli Carvallo.
Los resultados de difusión y promo-ción del proyecto Certificación de Bebidas Mexicanas de Calidad en el mercado eu-ropeo, es ya tangible con la apertura de la plataforma logística, que representa una ventana de oportunidades para la incur-sión de nuevas marcas, posicionar las ya existentes, reducir el tiempo para acercar el producto al paladar europeo y consta-tar que diversas marcas de bebidas nacio-nales se pueden encontrar en prestigiosos bares europeos. N
www.promexico.gob.mxwww.procei.mx
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Negocios ProMéxico |
86 Julio 2015
| Negocios ProMéxico
Julio 2015
Para Exportadores Para Exportadoresfotos cortesía de techba
TechBA es una aceleradora internacional de empresas mexicanas de base tecnológi-ca que opera la Fundación México-Estados Unidos para la Ciencia (FUMEC) con sede en Vancouver. El proyecto Innovation by Design de TechBA introduce a las compa-ñías a los métodos y sistemas más inno-vadores de Diseño Estratégico, que hacen posible minimizar en una organización el riesgo de fracaso asociado con la creación y desarrollo de productos o nuevos servicios.
Entre las empresas mexicanas que han sido parte de Innovation by Design se en-cuentran Xinka Systems, Jaguar Lab Mo-bile Developers, La Caja Creativa, Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo Coatl, Man-tiz Game Studios, Digital Experiences, Fo-mento Geek, Ironbit, Manuvo de México y Digono Aplicaciones.
El propósito de TechBA consiste en apoyar a las empresas mexicanas en el de-sarrollo y comercialización de nuevos con-ceptos para hacer negocios en el mercado global.
Participan también con TechBA, la Sauder School of Business, la Escuela de
Negocios y Alta Dirección de Empresas de la Universidad de Columbia Británica.
La metodología permite la inmersión a un novedoso sistema de diseño y colabo-ración que maximiza la creatividad de los equipos de trabajo de las organizaciones y facilita el orden de ideas relacionadas con el desarrollo o implementación de un proyecto. También identifica y soluciona problemas, realiza pruebas de concepto y apoya el incremento de la comunicación interna o externa de una organización.
Entre las empresas mexicanas que han sido parte de Innovation by Design están los siguientes ejemplos.
MaNTIz gaMe sTuDIosCon el objetivo de facilitar la vinculación de jóvenes mexicanos con expertos en la industria cinematográfica, tanto nacional como internacional, esta empresa creó FA-CET, una escuela de efectos visuales con sede en Pachuca –la Bella airosa– en Hidal-go. Camilo Islas y Freddy Chávez –funda-dores de la escuela FACET de efectos visua-les– explicaron que esta nueva institución
ofrece los últimos métodos de producción de efectos visuales (VFX) a un selecto grupo de alumnos en sus instalaciones.
Esta escuela –afirman los fundadores– concreta la colaboración de jóvenes em-presarios mexicanos con la industria que genera los efectos para las producciones de Hollywood. Esto permitirá ofrecer un plan de estudios moderno con un nivel de especialización nunca antes visto en nues-tro país.
La conceptualización de esta escuela tuvo lugar en 2013 en Vancouver, Canadá, donde Camilo Islas realizaba el proceso de internacionalización de su empresa de vi-deojuegos, Mantiz Game Studios, a través de la aceleradora TechBA Vancouver.
“El valor agregado de este programa radica en la vinculación y oportunidades de negocio que se abren a partir de estar presente en otro ecosistema empresarial (Vancouver). FACET es resultado de ello,” declaró Camilo Islas, director y socio fun-dador de dicha escuela.
En los últimos tres años la compañía ha crecido más de 250%, y cuenta actual-
TECHbaInnOvaCIón y DISEñO
TechBA introduce a empresas mexicanas a las últimas tendencias en el mundo de los negocios
por negocios proméxico
mente con quince desarrolladores en pro-gramación, arte digital, negocios interna-cionales y administración.
Especializada en el desarrollo y co-mercialización de videojuegos, realidad aumentada y aplicaciones para dispositi-vos móviles a la medida, Mantiz ha desa-rrollado el posicionamiento de sus capa-cidades en marcas líderes a través de so-luciones interactivas con una distinguida creatividad y el uso de tecnología digital más innovadora. Entre sus clientes se en-cuentran Liverpool, Sony Ericsson, British American Tobacco y Coca Cola. Cabe des-tacar su reciente contrato con Plaza Sésa-mo en EUA –logrado mediante licitación internacional– para la conceptualización y desarrollo de dos videojuegos educativos bajo la coordinación de los especialistas de TechBA Vancouver.
IRoNbITDedicada al desarrollo de aplicaciones y tecnología móvil, Ironbit presentó a ini-cios de 2015 la pulsera inteligente llamada Bitbrick Band en el marco de Consumer Electronics Show (CES), el evento de tec-nología más grande en el ámbito mundial.
Bitbrick Band cuenta con más fun-ciones que otras pulseras inteligentes que existen en el mercado, ya que permite mo-nitorear actividades físicas (registra pasos, distancia recorrida y calorías quemadas, además de crear misiones), controlar dispo-sitivos –como tabletas, teléfonos inteligen-tes, computadoras, televisores inteligentes–, e incluso permite publicar estados en Face-book con ciertos movimientos de las manos y responder una llamada telefónica.
“Esta pulsera está hecha para las per-sonas de la vida moderna, que siempre están conectadas y en movimiento. Quisi-mos que nuestro producto ofreciera más funciones comparado con las que exis-ten en el mercado y permitirle al usuario controlar sus dispositivos con un simple movimiento del brazo de tal forma que la tecnología funcione a favor de la vida pro-fesional, la vida social y la salud de quien la use”, comentó Ricardo Arriaga, director general de Ironbit.
El desarrollo de esta pulsera es resul-tado de dieciocho meses de trabajo en los que Jorge Armando Cano y Erick Rivera –desarrolladores de Ironbit– analizaron y experimentaron con decenas de sensores de desplazamiento tridimensionales hasta lograr la codificación de un determinado
número de movimientos intuitivos de brazos y muñecas que generan órdenes específicas a dispositivos electrónicos, per-mitiendo a los usuarios interactuar con los mismos y logrando su control mediante gestos sin ayuda de las manos.
MaNuvo De MéxICoLa oferta de valor que ha permitido a Ma-nuvo posicionarse internacionalmente en países como Canadá, Colombia, Gran Bre-taña, y países de Latinoamérica, consiste en el diseño, programación y publicación de libros y espacios interactivos, así como experiencias digitales para dispositivos electrónicos inteligentes, particularmente tabletas.
Las capacidades que ha desarrolla-do con dicho apoyo son: producción de contenido cultural, audiovisual, editorial, lúdico y de entretenimiento, así como de-sarrollo de negocios y comercialización, incluido finanzas, mercadotecnia digital, manejo de activos intangibles, propiedad intelectual y contenido.
Manuvo –como parte del Grupo Di-gono– se asoció con Pug Pharm Produc-tions Inc. –empresa canadiense con sede en Vancouver, líder en gamification, retención y activación de clientes. El crecimiento de Manuvo es patente, ya que la empre-sa cuenta con una subsidiaria canadiense, Digono Media Inc., y logró su primer con-trato comercial en Canadá en agosto de 2012, con una subsidiaria en Gran Bretaña con sede en Londres, y otra en Colombia, que tiene su sede en Bogotá.
www.techba.org
bREVES
PoSICIóN eN La eCoNoMía MuNDIaL
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OPORTuNiDaDES DE NEGOCiOméxICO-alEmanIa
PRiNCiPaLES PRODuCTOS ExPORTaDOS DE MéxiCO a aLEMaNia
PRiNCiPaLES PRODuCTOS iMPORTaDOS POR MéxiCO DESDE aLEMaNia
automóviles de turismo 45%Máquinas automáticas para procesamiento de datos 7%Partes y accesorios de vehículos automóviles 5%Máquinas y aparatos eléctricos con función propia 3%Mercancía sujeta a tratamiento especial 2%otros 38%
Partes y accesorios de vehículos automóviles 9%automóviles de turismo 6%Medicamentos 4%Interruptores, clavijas, enchufes y demás conectores 3%Máquinas y aparatos eléctricos con función propia 2%otros 76%
Infografía
agroalimentos alimentos frescos Las Consejerías de ProMéxico han
identificado ciertos productos que cuentan con un nicho de mercado. Destacan: mangos, limas y limones, toronjas, aguacate, papaya y frutas exóticas. alimentos procesados
Los principales productos importados fueron las preparaciones de frutos de cáscara y papas, tomates en conserva, confituras, jaleas, mermeladas y purés.
bebidas alcohólicas Los productos más demandados
fueron vino de uvas frescas, bebidas
espirituosas y cerveza de malta.
Confitería Chocolate y sus preparaciones,
manteca y grasa de cacao, artículos de confitería sin cacao, jarabes de glucosa y azúcar de caña fueron los
productos que alemania importó.
aeroespacial Las oportunidades de inversión se
centran en completar el ciclo terminal de una aeronave, atraer pequeños y medianos proveedores que ya estén asignados a programas específicos, y expandir las actividades de las empresas que ubicadas en el país, fomentando I+D, diseño e ingeniería y transferencia tecnológica.
Electrodomésticos enseres mayores, menores,
laminado y componentes para electrodomésticos ofrecen excelentes oportunidades de inversión para empresas de alemania.
Dispositivos médicos Hoy veinte de las treinta empresas
de dispositivos médicos más importantes del mundo tienen operaciones en México.
Metalmecánico México ofrece excelentes
oportunidades de inversión para empresas de alemania en procesos como estampado, fundición, forja, maquinados y die casting.
automotriz México ofrece excelentes
oportunidades de inversión para las empresas alemanas en segmentos como: estampado, centros de I+D, motores, vehículos de lujo, talleres de State of the art, vehículos pesados y vehículos ligeros.
SECTORES CON OPORTuNiDaDES
Negocios ProMéxico |
88 Julio 2015
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