The country’s Secretary of Industry and Productivity Development, José Ignacio de Mendigueren, launched the Pimex Digital Transformation Competition, which will provide direct non-refundable funding for investment in digital technologies and Industry 4.0. Increase their productivity, improve the efficiency and quality of their processes, create new business models and open more export markets.
“Since the beginning of our administration, especially since Sergio Massa took over as Economy Minister, we have created an alliance with production and employment. We know the enormous production and technical capabilities that our SME production network needs to make a solid leap for growth,” Mendicuran assured, adding that “through this competition we are a Setting a clear course, we want to move to the technological frontier.Intelligent, enter the world with more innovation and added value.
PyMEX Digital Transformation is supported by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and seeks to lead MSMEs towards digital transformation within the framework of Industry 4.0 through non-refundable contributions (ANR) of up to 25 million pesos per project. 70% of the cost of each attempt.
Renewable energy equipment companies, electromobility, material recycling, direct suppliers of green hydrogen or lithium producers and technical assistance aimed at implementing ANR can increase 10 percentage points (up to 80% of the project cost) environmental improvements.
Secretary Mendiguran was accompanied by Undersecretary SME, Tomás Canosa; Undersecretary for Executive Management, Julieta Almesija; and Pablo Berkovich, National Director of SME Management and Policy.
“This will allow investment and micro, small and medium-sized export enterprises working with the projects to be implemented within the framework of the Ministry of Industry’s action plan. This work program is already giving us results, last year SME exports exceeded 13,000 million dollars,” Canosa said, adding that “this measure is their We want to reach all SMEs who want to make intelligent management of their stocks, their inputs or their data so that they can make better decisions.”
Technical assistance may be designed to integrate improvements in processes and/or products; Development and programming of solutions; development and programming of mobile applications, websites and/or e-commerce portals; in technology and digital strategy; In cyber security; costs associated with training and retraining of employees in the company’s digital transformation; Engineering, design, development and adaptation of products; Activities relating to the opening and development of new markets; and implementing management technologies for production.
The competition is open to SMEs registered in a single sector, manufacturing industry sector, with 2 years or more experience in the economic activity they are applying for, and registering a minimum export of $10,000 during the period 2018-2022. Register of Productive Matrix (RUMP).
At the meeting, five companies were recognized with projects pre-approved by the SME Digital Transformation Pilot Program, which funds technical assistance for SMEs engaged in the digital transformation process. Transportes Verticales SRL of Buenos Aires provided the design of the 4.0 lifting system; Servelec SRL of Córdoba will implement a traceability system for its energy transmission and distribution products; Prunext International SAS of Mendoza will carry out the digital transformation of the plum pitting machine they sell and export; IMMEC SA of Buenos Aires province will automate its partial cutting processes; and RyR SA of San Juan, which will automate processes and incorporate 4.0 technologies in the production of cleaning and sanitary chemical products.
“These initiatives are very important to my company and my team of collaborators. With this automation, in addition to the productivity and quality we will achieve, we will also be able to incorporate new workers. These tools should continue as they are fundamental for SMEs,” highlighted Ricardo Palacios, president of RyR.
More information about the SME Digital Transformation Competition is available at this link.
