- The event is part of the official activities prior to the XXVII Ibero-American Business Summit to be held in Andorra in 2021.
- Issues of vital interest for the future of the Region in the post-Covid stage were analyzed, such as improving productivity, new business models in the new digital environment and their insertion into global value chains, among other topics.
Government authorities of Ibero-American countries, senior institutional officials and the heads of Ibero-American business organizations and companies spoke on the first day of the virtual forum: "Digital transformation, a new scenario for the future in Ibero-America." At the meeting, organized by the Council of Ibero-American Entrepreneurs (CEIB), the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB) and the Ibero-American Federation of Young Entrepreneurs (FIJE), issues of vital interest for the future of the Region were analyzed in the post- Covid, such as improving productivity, new business models in the new digital environment and its insertion in global value chains, among other issues.
The session was opened by the Ibero-American Secretary General, Rebeca Grynspan; the Secretary of State for Commerce, Xiana Méndez; the Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Infrastructure of Andorra, César Marquina; the president of CEOE, Antonio Garamendi; and the president of CEIB and of the Andorran Business Confederation, Gerard Cadena.
The day was divided into three panels, in which the Government's strategies for the digital transformation of production, industry 4.0 and the manufacturing of the future, and digital multilatinas were discussed. During the sessions, experts on the subject participated, among which authorities from the government of the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico or Chile stood out. Likewise, representatives of financial institutions, business organizations and companies from Latin America participated.
Opening
The president of CEOE, Antonio Garamendi, highlighted in his speech that one of the most important lessons that we can draw from this crisis is that digitization is not an option but a necessity. He recalled that it is an obligatory tool to be able to overcome this type of situation; and explained that the best strategic reserves in a country, and that are never exhausted by their use, are its technologies and capacities for innovation and learning. Garamendi assured that it is necessary to properly channel the resources available for reconstruction, prioritizing the digitization of companies, especially those of smaller size, taking advantage of the availability of resources from the European Union. "We must bet on the generalization of training in technological skills, digital skills and the recycling and updating of knowledge of all professionals who work," he said.
The CEOE president also insisted that it is urgent to define the mobility model that we want in our country, in which travel through technology with a digital base will have great weight; This process must reach the rural world effectively; and business digitization must be accompanied by the digitization of public administration, to streamline all kinds of procedures and promote internationalization through digital channels. To do this, he insisted, it is essential to support our companies without generating more taxes, without increasing the tax burden, without higher costs or bureaucratic burdens and creating an attractive legal framework, which includes legal certainty. “Together we have come far, but if we stay united we can go even further and overcome this crisis to emerge stronger,” he declared.
The president of CEIB and CEA, Gerard Cadena, highlighted that digital transformation knows no age and, taking into account the exponential acceleration of this process during the pandemic, we are facing an opportunity that we cannot miss. He also spoke of the importance of turning weaknesses into strengths and, in the case of Andorra, the country is excessively dependent on the service sector, especially tourism, which is why it has chosen to diversify the economy and, for this, services have skyrocketed digital. In this sense, he mentioned the alliance of financial institutions with Fintech to improve their working method and customer service. "The digital transformation involves society as a whole and not only must business models be digitized, but they must be diversified and created new ones," he stressed. Cadena also insisted on the relevance of the fourth industrial revolution and described Latin America as a leading region in social innovation. In fact, he added, the large number of SMEs is not a drawback, since nowadays investment in talent prevails and not so much in capital.
The Ibero-American Secretary General, Rebeca Grynspan, stressed that the crisis caused by the Covid has revealed both the potential of the Region and its gaps and, therefore, this space for debate is crucial for reflection and dialogue, as well as for make a call to action. In these months, technology has demonstrated more than ever its ability to open doors and build bridges, but it has also revealed the need to make a qualitative leap, without which Latin America will not be able to move forward. “We have companies transforming and others that want to transform; and we have some who have something to learn and others who have something to contribute ”, he stressed; And, for this reason, a collective effort is needed from all the actors of society at the national and regional level, especially to provide support to the most vulnerable sectors and to protect the productive fabric.
Grynspan also recalled the importance of revaluing the public, which is not limited to the state, but to the added value of the regional and multilateral. In his opinion, the economic recovery will be very uneven in the Region and many people could be left behind. "In Ibero-America there are several pandemics for which we need various vaccines, not only for the virus, but also for education, training, work, the new taxation or entertainment and, for this, we must value the digital transformation" , he sentenced. Grynspan assured that we do not need only the problem, but also the answer and the solution. For this reason, optimism and the tireless commitment to working together must be, without a doubt, the recipes to get out of this crisis, he declared.
The Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Infrastructure of the Andorran government, César Marquina, stressed that the motto of the next Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government: "Innovation for sustainable development-2030 Goal. Ibero-America facing the challenge of Coronavirus ", It is not a coincidence. In the current context, he indicated, it is crucial to put innovation at the service of sustainability, to take advantage of opportunities, be able to establish the transition to the formal economy and promote equal access to services for all. Digital transformation, he stressed, is essential to materialize innovation and to guarantee the resilience of economies and societies. Marquina highlighted the importance of cable, fiber or 5G connectivity; and it opted to promote training in digital matters, artificial intelligence, robotization or innovation, to develop skills and promote better living conditions for workers. The Secretary of State also spoke of a Digital Transformation Plan launched by the Andorran government from this year until 2023, to implement and promote projects and initiatives in digital matters, which will involve all sectors.
The Secretary of State for Commerce, Xiana Méndez, closed the opening session by mentioning the exponential acceleration of digitization during these months. For this reason, he indicated, it is crucial that Spain and Latin America collaborate together in this challenge. Méndez reported that SMEs in the Region account for 99% of the productive fabric and are the ones that encounter the most obstacles when it comes to obtaining financing and getting ahead and, for them, public-private collaboration is key to improving their conditions and achieving stay operational. Our production model, Méndez pointed out, demands a change in its patterns, in which sustainability will play a fundamental role. And, as regards digital transformation, he stressed, "we cannot tackle this challenge alone, a change in business culture is required, forging alliances and making collective proposals," he considered. Méndez also mentioned the 2021 National Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, which contemplates the allocation of funds for the modernization and digitization of the business ecosystem, given the urgent need to support the business fabric and guarantee industrial competitiveness in the post-Covid era. This process, he concluded, must be carried out thanks to the involvement of all actors in society, to emerge stronger from this crisis and look to the future with optimism.
Government strategies for digital transformation
Participants in the first panel of the day: "Government Strategies for the digital transformation of production", moderated by the head of SMEs and Entrepreneurs of SEGIB, Esteban Campero, the Vice Minister of Industrial Development of the Dominican Republic, Fantino Polanco; the Undersecretary of Mipymes and Crafts of the Ministry of Production of Ecuador, Marcela Chávez; the director of Strategy 4.0 of the State of Nuevo León (Mexico), Abraham Tijerina; and the Program Manager at the Technical Cooperation Service in Chile (SERCOTEC), Marilyn Masbernat.
During this debate, the public policies and tools that have been implemented in some of the Ibero-American countries could be learned first-hand. In the case of the Dominican Republic, a survey was conducted of 5,000 MSMEs, in which the lack of maturity of most of the companies in the digital transformation process was verified. After verifying the results, the Government designed programs and public policies aimed at improving the productive development of companies, promoting their training, better access to technology and their access to credit. A clear example of this was the Digital Productive Chain Program, so that large companies chain and drag smaller ones based on digital technologies.
In Ecuador, a digital transformation bill was approved and a strategy was created to promote electronic commerce. The main objective was to strengthen the capacities of MSMEs in banking, promoting new contracting mechanisms and developing soft skills. Virtual sector fairs and business rounds were also held to identify new market niches.
In the case of the State of Nuevo León, in Mexico, great use was made of technology for the prevention and diagnosis of the virus during the pandemic and also to recover employment in the region. In order to support economic recovery, the Government forged alliances with important technologists and experts, such as Google, in order to reconvert capabilities; it was about connecting global value chains digitally; and it worked in collaboration with industry and academia, bringing technology closer to companies.
Finally, from the Technical Cooperation Service (SERCOTEC) in Chile, programs such as "Digitize your SME" or "Digital Route" were implemented to train companies, identify their level of maturity and train them in different areas such as cybersecurity or marketing . In addition, they provided a technological toolkit so that companies could test their knowledge. In this sense, the Public Administration was also forced to modernize its processes to reach companies faster and provide them with the support they demanded.
Industry 4.0 and the manufacturing of the future
Julio Linares, president of the CEOE Digital Society Commission, acted as moderator in the second panel of the forum: “Industry 4.0 and the manufacturing of the future”, which featured prominent representatives and experts from the sector, such as Sergio Drucaroff, coordinator Centro Industria X, Unión Industrial Argentina (UIA) and Accenture; Carmen Alonso, Technology and Data expert at Global Head IOT & Big Data at Telefónica Tech; Daniel Seseña, Director of Industry 4.0 at INDRA; and Carolina Martín Gutiérrez. Head of Market Intelligence and Innovation Processes at CEREALTO SIRO.
From Argentina, the alliance between the business organization UIA and the Accenture company was highlighted through the Centro Industria X project, a center called to promote a series of initiatives that promote the adoption of technologies, with a more agile vision, and thought for SMEs that interact in global value chains.
From Telefónica Tech, the preparation of the white paper on the digital transformation of SMEs in Spain, has sought to serve as a guide for digitization processes together with an analysis of the main technologies. These must be seen as a whole and thus develop an organizational and collaborative ecosystem.
At INDRA, in turn, they have focused on four axes: savings, supply, customers and technology; in which the different technological tools have made it possible to improve practices in this time of pandemic. And it is a good time to take advantage of and promote business practices and lay the foundations for a stronger future.
In the case of CEREALTO SIRO, a company in the agri-food sector, the need to incorporate new technologies in each of the company's business units was stressed, promoting communication and adaptation between departments.
Digital multilatinas
The last panel of the day: "Digital Multilatinas", was moderated by the head of Economy and Business at SEGIB, Pablo Adrián Hardy. Representatives of prominent Latin companies participated in the meeting, such as Sergio Torres Lebrija, Director of Strategy and Innovation for BBVA's Digital Banking in Mexico; Ángeles Vela, director of the Nuevo León Software Council in Mexico; Carlos Barillas, president of Global Pay Solutions in the United States; and Rodrigo Zamora, executive director of Banco Lafise in Nicaragua.
Within the digital banking sector, in a company like BBVA in Mexico, most of the digital tools have been assimilated very successfully, due to the acceleration of this process during the pandemic, in a company where more than 60% of your customers are digital. Likewise, they paid special attention to connection, since digitization without digitization and telecommunication companies, and without data companies, would not be possible.
The Nuevo León Software Council in Mexico has redefined the concept of cluster of information technologies, where the country's technology providers are located, in order to support companies to reinvent themselves through a process of reorientation in sectors such as Fintech, agrotech or health.
For Global Pay Solutions, internet penetration has also been key in the development of its application, taking into account that 91% of users use prepaid services with a constant need to recharge. This is where the company that has developed a collaborative economy model comes into play and that has also made it possible to facilitate financial inclusion for disadvantaged sectors and marginalized social groups.
The Lafise Bank, for its part, has been affected by the different restrictions of the different governments in which its offices were located and they have been forced to adapt in order to emerge stronger from this crisis. A path to digital transformation that had already begun and that has allowed them to focus on their customers, create value, implement a more agile culture and a mindset of continuous improvement.