Guanajuato companies stand out in the global market

Guanajuato

By Lizete Hernández

A more dynamic 2021 is expected in the export economy, where the manufacturing sector leads in the auto parts industry

 

International trade went through various modifications during 2020 and in 2021 the activities related to exports , imports and new investments in Mexico have been reactivated. For Guanajuato, the outlook looks encouraging, as was announced by Luis Ernesto Rojas Ávila, general director of the Coordinadora de Fomento al Comercio Exterior de Guanajuato (Cofoce), who said that the speed with which companies adapted to the challenges set the pandemic caused that exports did not stop.

He said that to mitigate the effects of Covid-19, during the second half of 2020, it was necessary to review and monitor how the international economy was evolving to implement local actions that would support investment and limit the shortage of basic supplies, that is, achieve resilience in value chains, as supported globally for the recovery of the economy.

According to information from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi), Mexican exports accelerated at the end of the previous year and totaled 43.163 million dollars in December 2020, driven by sales from the manufacturing industry, mainly to the United States.

Exports grew 11.5% in December 2020, their biggest advance since October 2018.

Manufacturing exports stood out , with 38.702 million dollars, representing 90% of total sales abroad.

According to Cofoce estimates, with information from the Tax Administration Service (SAT), from January to December 2020, Guanajuato recorded exports of 20,004 million dollars, through 1,088 companies from various sectors and the work of 164,162 employees.

Regarding these figures, Luis Ernesto Rojas mentioned that only in December 2020, exports were 1,716 million dollars, that is, an interannual variation of -12% compared to the same month of the previous year. He said that today 33 of the 46 municipalities of the entity export and it is likely that more municipalities that traditionally were not engaged in this activity, will begin to do so, because during 2021 various companies will be joining online marketing platforms .

He recalled that during December 2020 the panel "Exporting is reinventing oneself" was held, where companies from various sectors met such as: packaging, leather production, textiles, engineering services, auto parts, agri-food, chemical specialties, fashion, supply , footwear, handicrafts and metal-mechanics, who opted for the diversification of their products and services with which, they managed to adapt to new sales channels and begin to export.

"We have been working on three key factors, which is renewal, reinvention and resilience, as it is the only way to adapt to the demands of the global industry and we will continue to work on attracting, training and accompanying more companies so that in 2021 they acquire knowledge enough and start exporting ”, he commented.

 

EXPORT, KEY TO ECONOMIC REACTIVATION

Luis Rojas Ávila mentioned that 2021 is looming as a year of challenges for Guanajuato companies; however, reinvention and digitization will continue to be the path to export and thus rapid recovery.

He said that the limitations brought by the health contingency triggered the purchase of inputs that benefited certain sectors such as agri-food, but also handicraft and decoration workshops registered high sales in 2020.

"The reconversion of the industries was important for many companies to temporarily change production, even many will leave these lines permanently, the situation of last year led to these reconversion schemes and many are here to stay," he commented.

He asserted that, during this year, measures such as the Economic Axis Plan, which was formed in 2020, will continue to be applied by 2021 to boost companies and that production plants remain in force, and thereby maintain the expected export rate increase in this year.

“Currently, we must continue working on what is determined by the Mexico, United States and Canada (T-MEC) Treaty, as they will continue to be present throughout the year, but there is something, without a doubt, that will also be present: that Mexico will it will position itself with the export of auto parts, manufactured products and especially with value-added products ”, he said.

He said that they are currently establishing alliances with internet commerce companies such as Alibaba and Amazon, in addition to exploring new markets such as China, where differentiated products were exported during January and February of this year.

 

 

GROWTH OUTLOOK IN 2021

Francisco Méndez, director of the Mexican Business Council for Foreign Trade, Investment and Technology (Comce) in Bajío, announced that due to the anticipated closure between April and May 2020, many industrial plants were left without a raw material supply, therefore that a critical year-end was forecast; However, in the second semester the reactivation of economic activity began and the search for local suppliers began .

He reported that in Guanajuato the agribusiness sector grew 13.5%, automotive 5%, construction materials 27%, which is why they were the sectors that pushed the economy forward in much of the Bajío.

He estimated that this 2021, in the Bajío, it is expected to close above 450,000 million dollars, close to the levels that were registered before the pandemic.

"This year will be crucial for exports, since sectors that did not have a rebound at other times will now benefit and those activities that regularly exported will remain at the same numbers," he commented.

He announced that Comce has the E-business portfolio in which solutions for electronic commerce are integrated in subsequent years, in addition to having an agenda of B2B meetings and virtual fairs.

"It is all a preparation for companies developing a business certification to analyze each one through a diagnosis of the strategic areas of the organization by a multidisciplinary team," he said.

 

INTEREST IN DIGITAL COMMERCE GROWS

Previously, companies barely ventured into the digital world, those that had been working in this field for years or months were the ones that managed to adapt their products and their operation faster to the new normal; However, interest has been triggered by Guanajuato companies, mainly micro, small and medium-sized companies, to position their products outside the entity.

According to Gerardo Torres, Cofoce's Global Marketplace advisor, digitization was essential for companies to adapt to consumer needs and habits , but above all to turn to foreign trade. 

“Today the companies that are really successful in the market are not the largest, they are the most agile; the size of the industry does not matter, but rather the ability to adapt to changes, to understand the consumer and, above all, to offer added value ”, he commented.

He said that at the national level, only 52% of small and medium-sized companies have a foreign trade department and 82% do not market their products online, which says a lot about the areas of opportunity that should be exploited this year. .

He considered that the next step for companies that are already interested in electronic commerce, is to receive advice to review the maturity and feasibility of the product, in order to use a strategy according to their needs; later, the type of appropriate platform is defined, it can be a B2B or B2C.

He reported that in Cofoce the Business Plan tool is made available to companies where the company is positioned, the brand is recognized and its sales increase both nationally and internationally.

He announced that in 2020 they served 203 companies in sectors such as footwear, food, supply, construction, agro-inputs, industries and services, fashion and clothing, construction and handicrafts; Of these, 84 were supported with economic resources, 20 are new exporters and 10 were internationalized.

"The tool guides companies to make a better decision based on numbers, in addition to taking care of their capital, since sometimes they do not take into account all the hidden expenses that the digital commerce operation has," he commented.

Finally, he said that it is estimated that by 2040 95% of purchases will be made through online commerce, and the sale of products and services in this way is increasingly common; However, there are many brands that fail because they do not have a strategy that positions and consolidates them as a digital brand.