Argentine SMEs dedicated to electronics recognize that they are in times of crisis, due to the sharp rise in the dollar that makes them more expensive inputs and high rates that complicate access to credit. But they also know where the opportunity is: the Internet of Things.
So they left it raised in an event held this Thursday in the association that brings them together: the Argentine Chamber of Electronic, Electromechanical and Light-engineering Industries (CADIEEL). There they highlighted the strong focus on being protagonists in IoT in the region. And they synthesized it referring to the fourth industrial revolution: CADIEEL 4.0.
"We see an industry in crisis in its traditional model and an opportunity for hardware and electronics production skills, with the added value of design and programming," said Guillermo Freund, member of the CADIEEL board of directors, in a press conference of which iProUP participated.
"The human resources capacities are very good and they have to be taken care of, they are also very demanded, as well as the modern equipment and facilities that exist today, because in the last 10 or 12 years the companies have been equipped thanks to the industrial production programs".
The vision of the camera is to stop selling "irons" to start selling "solutions". This includes the design, development, programming, installation, implementation and after-sales, among other factors that delineate a "complete product".
"We have many well-equipped companies with excellent professional staff, but today they have a large idle capacity, where we identify an attractive opportunity to get on a wave and add value to the 'iron', which is what we basically do," he said.
The ecosystem proposed by CADIEEL is based on creating a kind of platform, a "market place", where both companies that require solutions and those that can provide it interact. This platform includes remote communication to connect the different poles of electronic companies that exist throughout the country.Claim, crisis and benefits
The chamber proposes that the State take into account the industry in the regulations that improve the quality of life (such as safety on public roads or traceability of the cold chain of medicines) generate business opportunities for the industry. In addition, they want to participate in regulatory frameworks instead of being informed by newspapers. "We want to be actors," they claim.
They also ask that they be allowed to participate in the bids, the Public-Private Participation projects and the leasing contracts. In this sense, they affirmed that the "receptivity" on the part of the Government was little and bad.
Finally, they demanded that there be an increase in public education, especially technical education. In this regard, they stated that it is a business responsibility and exemplified with courses given at the institution for UBA students.The economist Eduardo Hecker, CADIEEL associate consultant, estimated that the deployment of IoT in the entire Argentine productive network could contribute with USS7.5 billion to the gross domestic product and make the economy grow up to 3.5% annually in five years .
According to Hecker's analysis, "the investment requirements are not so bulky" in the market, since "part of that capital is human capital, which exists, but we must take care of it and develop it more".
In addition, the objective of the Chamber is to capitalize on this trend and be leaders in the region, soTo promote the sector, they ask for the participation of the State. In this sense, Jorge Cavanna, president of CADIEEL, stressed that Argentine SMEs must still compete with 47% of tax pressure, while Chinese firms receive a refund of 17% each time they export products.
He also said that they asked that 47% be broken down when competing with foreign companies, since that amount would go back to the treasury. In addition, he assured that the increase of the dollar only temporarily corrects what needs to be adjusted.
"Here we talk about the competitiveness of the little company or the national industry, we should not talk about competitiveness but about productivity, I think this is a great opportunity that IoT gives to improve productivity in many SMEs", said Cavanna.