Transcript
TECHNOLOGY AND COMPETITIVENESS
These were the topics that marked the first session of the IDB’s Annual Meeting, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Latin American specialists gathered to discuss the importance of change in the way business is done at the regional level... in a world challenged by the economic impact of multinational corporations.
Many of them believe that cluster models are the best way to maximize competitiveness and motivate growth in production.
According to the General Coordinator of the Competitiveness Forum in Argentina, the public, private and academic sectors must work together to obtain efficiency and collaboration in clusters.
(Alberto Briozzo, General Coordinator, Competitive Forum)
“We have to summon the public, private and academic sectors of each production sector and elaborate a strategy and action plan. There has to be an interrelated process with the three sectors, giving each an opportunity to make demands and wishes known…and the government plays a fundamental role in this discussion because it’s the one that can articulate this relationship…and make this relationship work with all parties moving towards the same direction.”
Clusters are industrial agglomerations, formed by companies that share common goals. They organize themselves vertically and horizontally to gain comparative advantage within their respective sectors.
They are guided by competition – but also rely on cooperation to increase production of their sectors in one single region.
Once united, these companies feel the challenge of innovation in order to remain competitive….
And innovation makes their individual industry grow stronger – in turn, becoming more consolidated for future investments.
Alberto Briozzo believes the spirit of innovation can only grow if a constant eye is kept on supply and demand:
(Alberto Briozzo, General Coordinator, Competitive Forum)
“It’s important to be able to articulate measures in a way that supply and demand are what lead research and cause impact.”
In Chile, one of the most successful examples of this model is the salmon cluster. Although the salmon is not native to Chile, the country has become the world’s second largest exporter of fish.
The Executive Vice President of Chile’s Corporation for Fomentation of Production says this achievement does not keep Chile from continuing to innovate.
(Carlos Alvarez, Executive Vicepresident, CORFO)
“The competition of companies changes on a daily basis. The world’s businesses are constantly searching for ways to increase productivity and competition. There are client requirements, sensitivities to environmental issues…all this presents a challenge for companies.”
Technology and competition…themes that mark the evolution of business era in Latin America.
And like Bank President Luis Alberto Moreno, said in the closing remarks of the first seminar of the IDB’s Annual Meeting, there is one tool that can help the region advance in both areas.
(Luis Alberto Moreno, President, IDB)
“The key to competitiveness in businesses of the region, before the challenges both developed and emerging nations face, is sustain and strengthen the investment in knowledge.”
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