1. Art and Diseño

Guest Opinion
Lagos de Moreno:
The Rising Star of
the Bajío Automotive
Corridor
The Lifestyle
Something’s Cooking:
Seven Magical
Mexican Restaurants
Negocios
para
exportadores
IT’S ALL ABOUT
CREATIVITY
Mexican Creative Industries
X
2014
T
he government of Mexico has set out to
transform our country based on five major national goals: to have a peaceful, inclusive, well-educated, prosperous and globallyresponsible Mexico.
In order to build the prosperous Mexico we
long for, we must generate sustained high economic growth that results in more and better jobs that
will improve the quality of life of our population.
Mexico has a solid foundation on which
to attain these goals: healthy public finances; a
manageable debt level; a budget with no fiscal
deficit; a responsible and autonomous monetary
policy, as well as adequate international reserves.
Our macroeconomic stability and institutional strength are enriched by a wide sociopolitical consensus that favors important
transformations required to boost the development of our country. Through the Pact for
Mexico, two constitutional reforms have been
approved: one in education that will enhance
the quality of teaching, and another in telecommunications, radio broadcasting and economic
competition that will open up the sector and
ensure competition throughout our economy.
Furthermore, the Congress is analyzing a financial overhaul to increase the level of credit and
make it more affordable.
Mexico offers certainty and confidence to
investments, a business climate favoring productivity and competitiveness, and an ambitious plan to further develop infrastructure.
Moreover, the country’s strategic geographic
location and optimal legal framework for international trade, through a network of trade
agreements with 45 countries, give us access to
a potential market of over one billion people.
Mexico’s exceptional economic and geographic conditions, as well as the talent and quality of its human capital, make it the ideal destination for new productive capital to flourish.
This is the time to invest in Mexico. Investors will find the government of Mexico and
ProMéxico to be allies committed to the success of projects that create quality jobs and
prosperity for the country.
Enrique Peña Nieto
President of Mexico
Table of Contents October 2014
14
16
32
Guest Opinion
Special Report
Cover Feature
Lagos de Moreno:
The Rising Star of the Bajío
Automotive Corridor
Tierra Tech Cleaning Systems:
Safe, Sure and Sustainable
Want to Film in Mexico?
Film Production Incentives
in México
cover feature
IT’S ALL ABOUT
CREATIVITY
Mexican Creative Industries
photo
archive
30
From
ProMéxico
8
10
Briefs
Mexico’s Partner
figures
34
Ánima Estudios
36
Pimienta Films
38
Weeping Willow
40
Atmósfera Producciones
Boletia,
Ticket to Expand
42
Come Sesos
44
Dubbing House
Special Feature: E-commerce
E-commerce and
Entrepreneurs:
Mexico’s New Economic
Partnership
24
26
Money in Movement
46
Kokonut Studio
20
A Safe Door for E-commerce
28
99 minutos,
Faster than the Internet
48
Mantiz Game Studios
22
Online Avenue
for Mexican Fashion
50
Chico Chihuahua
52
Mexico at MIPCOM 2014
18
The Lifestyle
The Complete Guide
to the Mexican Way of Life
56
Teodoro González
de León,
photo
the Man Who
Transformed
Mexico City
photo
archive
photo
archive
The
Lifestyle
Briefs
omar bárcena
58
photo
courtesy of pujol
Arty Accessories
photo
courtesy of ficg27 / gonzálo garcía
60
Something’s Cooking:
Seven Magical Mexican Restaurants
“What’s Important is That
a Film Elicits a Reaction in You”
Kenya Márquez, filmmaker
62
More a case of living to eat than eating to live,
we bring you seven restaurants that tantalize
the taste buds, some of which even feature on
San Pellegrino’s list of The World’s 50 Best
Restaurants.
65
ProMéxico
Para exportadores
Francisco N. González Díaz
CEO
Karla Mawcinitt Bueno
Communication and Image
General Coordinator
Sebastián Escalante Bañuelos
Director of Publications and Content
[email protected]
Innovación:
motor de la industria
en México
Copy Editing
Felipe Gómez Antúnez
Jorge Morales Becerra Contreras
84
Advertising
[email protected]
Cover Photo
Archive
Editorial Council
consejo editorial
Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal
Francisco de Rosenzweig Mendialdua
Enrique Jacob Rocha
Francisco N. González Díaz
Embajador Alfonso de Maria y Campos Castelló
Luis Miguel Pando Leyva
De
ProMéxico
72
breveS
Francisco Javier Méndez Aguiñaga
74
México
76
en el mundo
Rodolfo Balmaceda
Guillermo Wolf
Jaime Zabludovsky
Gabriela de la Riva
Adolfo Laborde Carranco
Puebla:
Las estrategias
de apertura comercial
capital de la innovación
y el diseño
en Medio Oriente
75
Los centros de datos
y su importancia
en una economía digital
archivo
fotos
Ulises Granados Quiroz
Karla I. Mawcinitt Bueno
82
Innovación
y comercio electrónico
en México
Tendencias y oportunidades de
negocio en México
78
y América Latina
86
El pulso
de una industria
De México
para el mundo,
de tradición
orgullo que se exporta
80
Silvia Núñez García
María Cristina Rosas González
Negocios ProMéxico es una publicación mensual editada por ProMéxico, Camino a Santa Teresa número 1679, colonia Jardines del Pedregal, delegación
Álvaro Obregón, CP 01900, México, DF Teléfono: (52) 55 5447 7000.
Portal en Internet: www.promexico.gob.mx; correo electrónico: [email protected].
Editor responsable: Gabriel Sebastián Escalante Bañuelos. Reserva de derechos al uso exclusivo No. 04-2009-012714564800-102. Licitud de título:
14459; licitud de contenido: 12032, ambos otorgados por la Comisión Calificadora de Publicaciones y Revistas Ilustradas de la Secretaría de Gobernación.
ISSN: 2007-1795.
Negocios ProMéxico año 7, número X 2014, octubre 2014, se imprimió un tiraje de 14,000 ejemplares. Impresa por Cía. Impresora El Universal, S.A. de C.V. Las opiniones expresadas por los autores no reflejan necesariamente la postura del editor de la publicación. Queda estrictamente prohibida la reproducción total o parcial de los
contenidos e imágenes de la publicación sin previa autorización de ProMéxico. Publicación gratuita. Está prohibida su venta y distribución comercial.
ProMéxico is not responsible for inaccurate information or omissions that might exist in the information provided by the participant companies nor of their economic solvency.
The institution might or might not agree with an author’s statements; therefore the responsibility of each text falls on the writers, not on the institution, except when stated otherwise. Although this magazine verifies all the information printed on its pages, it will not accept responsibility derived from any omissions, inaccuracies or mistakes. October 2014.
88
Download the PDF version and read the interactive edition of
This publication is not for sale.
Negocios ProMéxico at negocios.promexico.gob.mx.
Its sale and commercial distribution are forbidden.
From
proméxico.
Mexico is one of the most
relevant exporters of creative
goods in the world and the
leader in Latin America. According to recent findings,
creative industries in Mexico represent
around 7% of the gross domestic product.
Our country is a strategic platform
to reach the industry’s largest market in
the world, and a perfect gateway to Latin
American countries. Every year, Mexican
audiovisual content is watched by over one
billion people worldwide, and has transcended geographical borders in over 100
nations. The country offers competitive
costs, specialized public funding, and government incentives to develop film projects.
In addition to its solid domestic market,
state-of-the-art infrastructure, and innovation leadership in several industries, Mexico
has internationally renowned technicians
and creative professionals, as well as worldclass film studios to boost any project.
Besides showcasing a variety of settings
for filming locations, our country has been
recognized as a leading location in Latin
America for content production development. Mexico has the largest water set in
the world and more than 1,500 companies
to provide the wide range of services required by the industry.
Creativity and innovation has made our
country the most important talent pool in
Latin America. The efforts of the Mexican
government, in coordination with the private sector and academia, have focused on
boosting film and creative content projects
in the country.
Being named country of honor this
year for Mipcom –the world’s greatest
international TV and film market– acknowledges our competitiveness, quality,
talent and creativity. During the event,
Mexico shared its success stories, led by
the largest Mexican business delegation
in the industry, comprising more than 100
companies.
In this issue we also include content
related to Mexico’s booming e-commerce
opportunities. Several local and international entrepreneurs are increasing their
participation in this important sector due
to the relevance of Mexico’s internal market –the second largest in Latin America–
and considering consumer trends based
on digital and electronic platforms, and
the many companies that offer innovative
services by Internet.
Mexico is seeing significant expansion
of firms that are promoting e-commerce
with accessible and highly reliable solutions. The country is ideal for developing
attractive business projects, supported by a
positive consumer attitude and interest in
e-commerce. Lights, camera and action for
the Mexican creative industries.
Welcome to Negocios!
Francisco N. González Díaz
CEO
ProMéxico
9
BRIEFS
BRIEFS
automotive
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Business is
where clients are
wind harvest continues
Spanish power company Iberdrola has
begun construction of the 66 megawatts
(MW) Pier II wind farm in Esperanza,
Puebla, Mexico.
Located in one of the windiest regions
in the country, the wind farm will feature
33 turbines to generate enough renewable energy for about 25,000 households
and help reduce around 55,000t of CO2
emissions a year.
Iberdrola estimates to spend 120 million usd on the project. The Pier II farm
is expected to create 400 local jobs during the construction and the subsequent
operation and maintenance work.
Spanish auto parts maker Gestamp inaugurated a new production plant in the state of Puebla. The new site, built at an estimated cost of 70 million usd, will produce metal components
and structural systems for regional automotive OEMs.
photo
archive
www.gestamp.com
Mexican company Impulsora Latinoamericana de Energías (Iler) is supporting
Iberdrola in building the Pier II project,
which will be constructed at an altitude of
2,500 meters. Iberdrola and Iler have also
signed an agreement to jointly build up to
366MW of projects in the future.
Once the Pier II project is commissioned, Iberdrola will manage a wind power capacity of about 600MW in Mexico.
Iberdrola already has an installed wind
power capacity of 230MW spread across
three wind farms in Oaxaca.
www.iberdrola.es
archive
ENERGY
courtesy of gestamp
www.swiber.com
photo
US auto parts maker Stant Corp. will invest 100 million usd to establish a manufacturing plant in the central state of Guanajuato.
The new site is expected to produce fuel caps, capless refueling
systems, filler pipes and related products.
photo
Singapore-based offshore services provider Swiber is projecting investment of
approximately 700 million usd in Mexico
through 2017. Plans include adding six
additional marine crafts to the company’s
Mexico operations for offshore rig and
pipeline installation.
automotive
Fueling investment
courtesy of iberdrola
photo
preparing to seize new
opportunitieS
www.stant.com
German auto parts manufacturer Witzenmann plans to build a new production plant in the state of Guanajuato.
The 12 million usd facility is expected
to produce metal hoses for regional automotive OEMs.
www.witzenmann.com
AUTOMOTIVE
courtesy of gkn driveline
from germany
to mexico
photo
photo
courtesy of vitsenmann
AUTOMOTIVE
growing is the goal
UK-based auto parts manufacturer GKN
Driveline projects investment of 300 million usd over the next three years in its
Mexico operations. Plans include a new
plant to produce sideshafts for clients
such as Nissan, Ford, Volkswagen and
General Motors.
www.gkn.com
BRIEFS
BRIEFS
MEDICAL DEVICES
FORESTRY
growing as lush
as a forest
US medical device maker CareFusion
inaugurated a 6 million usd expansion
to its production facility in the northern
border city of Tijuana, Baja California.
The project includes an additional 14
million usd investment in acquisition of
equipment for the site.
Mexican forestry company Proteak
will invest 200 million USD to build a
new production plant in the southeastern state of Tabasco. The new facility
is planned to produce medium density
fiberboard (MDF) from its eucalyptus
plantations in the state.
www.carefusion.com
www.proteak.com
photo
courtesy of carefusion
GREEN LOGISTICS
incorporated advanced energy saving technologies projected to reduce the site’s energy consumption by 60%.
Facing new Business advantages
Mexican chemical and plastics maker
Alpek is projecting investment of up to
4 billion usd in energy projects under
Mexico’s recently implemented energy
reform. Plans include the construction of
photo
The international terminal at the northwestern coastal port of Ensenada, Baja
California inaugurated a new administrative building at a cost of approximately 3
million usd. The comprehensive remodel
ENERGY
www.puertoensenada.com.mx
archive
INFRASTRUCTURE
at least two combined heat and power
(CHP or cogeneration) plants on Mexico’s Gulf coast.
photo
photo
césar bojorquez
courtesy of alpek
taking good care
of business
www.alpek.com
AUTOMOTIVE
RETAIL
www.nidec-tosok.co.jp
archive
Japanese auto parts manufacturer Nidec
Tosok Corp. will build a new production
facility in the northeastern state of San
Luis Potosí. At a cost of 16 million usd,
the first phase of the complex is planned
to produce automatic transmission control
valves for the North American market.
Making of mexico
a good home for business
photo
photo
archive
Investment bound
to san luis potosí
US hardware and construction materials
retailer The Home Depot inaugurated a
new store in the southern state of Oaxaca
at a cost of approximately 20 million usd.
The site becomes the chain’s 108th sales
location in Mexico.
corporate.homedepot.com
Negocios ProMéxico | Guest Opinion
photos
archive
open in October 2014, with an area of 280
hectares and international standard infrastructure. That will allow Lagos de Moreno to take a leading role in the Mexican
Bajío Automotive Corridor.
This public-private partnership will
invest 60 million usd that, according to
official estimates, will trigger the creation
of 25,000 jobs across 50 companies in the
automotive sector.
Interest from investors is palpable and
the word has spread quickly among foreign companies planning to settle in Mexico to the extent that today, 10 automotive
companies have already decided to establish their investments in Lagos de Moreno.
A labor pool of approximately
800,000 people within 30 minutes; the
most accessible land prices in the Bajío;
a prime location in the middle of the corridor, and a good quality of life make Lagos de Moreno a very attractive city for
new investments.
Lagos de Moreno:
The Rising Star of the Bajío
Automotive Corridor
This city was founded 451 years ago, and the upturn in the economic fortunes
of Lagos de Moreno has surprised many.
by josé palacios jiménez*
A key town in the history of the state of
Jalisco and of Mexico because of the leading figures it contributed to the Cristero
Revolution and the Mexican independence
movement, Lagos de Moreno has traditionally been known for its prominent role
in contributing to the economy of Jalisco
as one of the leading producers of milk
and dairy products.
However, close coordination between
the three levels of government over the last
two years, combined with socio-demographic characteristics that mean a large available
workforce and the prime location of the city
in the Bajío automotive corridor mean that
the economic vocation of Lagos de Moreno
has taken a promising new direction.
Its location at the epicenter of the automotive corridor is precisely its main
competitive advantage. Lagos de Moreno
is emerging as the new emerging industrial
city in central Mexico, given its strategic position at the junction of two major
highways: the Pan-American Highway
45 which connects the town with Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Torreón, Zacatecas, León, Irapuato, Celaya, Salamanca,
Querétaro, and Mexico City, and Highway
80 which links it with the ports of Tampico and Manzanillo.
This geographical position has led
world-class companies such as Nestlé,
Dräxlmaier, Mexlub, Bachoco, and Global
Ends Metallic Parts, among others, to seek
business opportunities in this active participant in the country’s central industrial
area, comprising the states of Guanajuato,
Querétaro, Aguascalientes, and Jalisco.
14
Lagos de Moreno is located within the
industrial triangle formed by the country’s three most important cities: Mexico
City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey. Thus,
around 80% of the Mexican market, 70%
of industrial facilities, 70% of the country’s international trade, 70% of Mexico’s
exports, and 60% of the total population
can be found in a radius of 400 kilometers
around Lagos, as it is commonly known.
The potential of Lagos de Moreno to
be a strong competitor in the Bajío corridor is also underpinned by an infrastructure of services and urban and industrial
facilities that is backed by the federal and
state governments.
Guest Opinion | Negocios ProMéxico
In that regard, the federal government
is modernizing and upgrading the Lagos
de Moreno-León highway from two to
four lanes.
The construction of a rail link to directly connect Aguascalientes with Guadalajara is anticipated, saving about three
hours in freight transport times. The project will benefit not only the region where
the city of Lagos de Moreno is located but
also the entire state of Jalisco.
Furthermore, the strategic partnership
between the state government and Lintel,
a leading developer of industrial parks in
Mexico, is at the origin of the Colinas de
Lagos park, a project that is expected to
October 2014
The potential of Lagos de Moreno to be a strong competitor
in the Bajío corridor is also underpinned by an infrastructure
of services and urban and industrial facilities that is backed
by the federal and state governments.
Tradition and Magic
as Added Values
The interesting thing about Lagos de
Moreno is not only that it is discovering its
new economic calling as an industrial city
but also that it is a city where both locals
and foreigners find a good quality of life.
Its historic center is noted for its architectural value and is home to the stateliest
civic and religious buildings in the area,
mostly built during the 18th and 19th
centuries. The richness of its buildings and
traditions led to it being declared a World
Heritage Site by UNESCO, a “Magic
Town” by the Ministry of Tourism, and an
Area of Historical Monuments by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).
Culture, sports, restaurants, ecotourism activities, a strong traditional cuisine,
and folklore that can be seen on almost every corner, together with the new business
opportunities that are emerging in Lagos
de Moreno with its new industrial park
and strategic location, make this city one
of the rising stars in the Mexican Bajío automotive corridor. N
*Secretary of Economic Development, Government of the State of Jalisco.
October 2014
15
Negocios ProMéxico | Special Report
photos
courtesy of tierra tech
Tierra Tech Cleaning Systems:
Safe, Sure and Sustainable
Tierra Tech’s innovative ultrasonic cleaning system has positioned it as a
leader in its field in Mexico, while its products have cleaned out markets in
America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
by antonio vázquez
In just four years, Tierra Tech’s ultrasonic
cleaning systems have left the Mexican
market spick and span and gone on to
sanitize foreign lands.
Founded in Celaya, Guanajuato, in
2010, the company came into being in
response to the need for highly effective
cleaning processes in certain industrial
sectors.
According to Tierra Tech CEO Arturo
Gil San Román, at some point in its processes, every industry needs to clean the
pieces it manufactures or the machinery it
uses to produce them but ordinary clean-
16
ing processes aren’t always efficient, and
that is where Tierra Tech comes in.
“Traditional cleaning processes have a
lot of cons: they take a long time, leave water residues, and employ aggressive chemicals and pollutants. And as if that weren’t
bad enough, they don’t always produce the
best results,” says Gil San Román.
From the very basic need to clean a
piece of machinery, Tierra Tech developed
a type of ultrasonic technology that cleans
on “a molecular level.”
“There are several advantages to ultrasonic cleaning: it’s a green system that
October 2014
Special Report | Negocios ProMéxico
intensifies the action of a chemical. We use
soft chemicals in low concentrations to
achieve better results.”
Amazing results. Parts cleaned using
this process are left “like new,” says Gil
San Román. “During the process, the water molecules implode a certain number
of times a second, turning each one into
a ‘hoover.’ Cleaning takes place on a molecular level. It’s the best cleaning system
currently available.”
Tierra Tech’s ultrasonic technology
allows for the repeated reuse of water,
which translates into water savings of up
to 80%, as well as reduced consumption
of detergents and energy, not to mention
fewer toxins.
The company makes standard products for the automotive and industrial
sectors, although it has the flexibility to
manufacture technology that meets the
customer’s specific needs, with capacities
that range from 30 to 7,000 liters.
“That type of equipment, made to the
customer’s specifications, is what we sell
most,” says Gil San Román.
October 2014
“Traditional cleaning processes
have a lot of cons: they take a
long time, leave water residues,
and employ aggressive chemicals
and pollutants. And as if that
weren’t bad enough, they don’t
always produce the best results,”
says Gil San Román. From
the very basic need to clean a
piece of machinery, Tierra Tech
developed a type of ultrasonic
technology that cleans on “a
molecular level.”
Tierra Tech’s products can be found
in the pharmaceutical, hospital, food,
plastics, cosmetic, automotive, aerospace,
and chemical sectors, among others, and
its customers include big names like CAT,
Michelin, Metro Bilbao, TRW, Alcatel,
Heineken, Renault, Volkswagen, Nissan,
Iberia, and Bosch.
Through its branch in Dallas, Texas,
Tierra Tech has been carving out a niche in
the US market and already sells its products in Australia, Bolivia, Canada, Costa
Rica, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, the European Union, Panama, Peru, South Africa,
and Venezuela.
“We have a presence in several countries, either through distributors or our
own offices. It’s costly to develop international markets, which is why it’s advisable
to pinpoint the sector you want to target
and focus all your resources on it, both financial and human,” says Gil San Román.
In its move to sound out international
markets, the company has leaned on the
advantages of operating out of Mexico,
such as the country’s geographical location
–its proximity to the US–, its talented human capital that makes for highly skilled
labor, stable macroeconomic environment,
clear legal framework, numerous trade
agreements, and well-developed infrastructure and logistics.
With a workforce of just 35, Tierra
Tech now sets the bar in its market niche
in Mexico and in less than five years has
earned certifications like the ISO 90012008 quality management standard.
“For an export company like ours, certifications are of the utmost importance
because they require we comply with the
highest of quality standards that are standardized in several parts of the world.
That, in turn, has forced us to improve our
own standards across the board.”
Gil San Román is optimistic Tierra
Tech will come to spearhead markets
in Mexico, the US and the rest of Latin
America in the next five years at most
and, with this goal in sight, has come up
with a strategic business plan for the coordination of its offices in Mexico and the
US, and its distributor network throughout the rest of the continent.
In Europe, for instance, Tierra Tech
leads the way in its chosen technology and
has a presence in virtually every European
Union member country.
“In the future, we see ourselves cleaning up a much bigger share of the domestic and international markets. Over the
last three years we’ve posted phenomenal growth and our goal is to consolidate our presence in markets where our
products have already made their mark,”
says Gil San Román. N
www.tierratech.com
17
Negocios ProMéxico | Special Feature: E-commerce
photo
archive
E-commerce and Entrepreneurs:
Mexico’s new economic partnership
Conditions for a major development of e-commerce are being brewed in Mexico. The combination of
factors such as logistics services and infrastructure of the highest quality, reliable payment systems,
and the confidence of investors in the country, along with a culture of online shopping that grows
stronger every day, are resulting in interesting success stories that allow an optimistic perspective of
the future development of e-commerce in the country.
by chris dalby* and jeroen posma**
Beware, all of you who still cling to an image
of Mexico as an unsophisticated e-commerce
market. As Internet penetration has skyrocketed, a report by the Mexican Internet Association (AMIPCI), e-commerce rose by 42%
in 2013 to reach a value of 9.3 billion USD.
Federico Antoni, Founding Partner of Venture Partners, a venture capital fund specializing in early stage investments, confirms this
by stating that Mexico is catching up with
other markets. “Product e-commerce penetration remains moderate but we are seeing
steady progress in three areas that concern
every e-commerce endeavor: logistics and
delivery, payments, and cultural barriers.
When online retailing began to emerge,
companies did not understand e-commerce
which harmed delivery systems, Mexico had
very few options for online payments, and
people did not trust online services. All these
have evolved over time.”
18
Due to the presence of international
leaders, such as FedEx and DHL that have
a strong line in e-commerce, delivery and
logistics has rapidly matured in the country. Such giants have brought devoted operations from the US and Europe to bear in
Mexico, while smaller, nimbler companies
are also developing their own logistics networks. This part of the equation has essentially been solved in Mexico, as next-day or
even same-day deliveries are now a reality.
Mexico has a range of payment options
from paying for deliveries at convenience
stores, through PayPal or by credit card,
and this evolution has seen banks pushing for better payment systems. Although
traditional banks dominate the online payment landscape, certain smaller, private
efforts are making themselves known. Already well-established in Brazil and now
focusing on the broader Latin American
market, Allpago entered Mexico in July
2014 to provide an alternative to handle
online transactions, acting as a payment
gateway and seeking to bring the latest
technology solutions to the country.
The third aspect for e-commerce, culture,
has been transformed by the importance of
online shopping for the popular tourism sector. This industry contributes almost 7% of
Mexico’s GDP and 64% of Mexican tourists have bought services online. Purchasing
plane tickets and making hotel bookings
are well-established as being easier online,
avoiding the hassle of logistics. The maturity
of the tourism industry in terms of e-commerce has helped Mexicans become used to
such developments.
International companies coming to Mexico and looking to develop the e-commerce
side may be reassured about successes in delivery and logistics but outstanding gaps in
October 2014
Special Feature: E-commerce | Negocios ProMéxico
payment methods and consumer culture will
remain real concerns. One aspect that can go
some way toward relieving such concerns is
the amount of investment flowing toward
Mexico’s e-commerce sector. “The internal
market in Mexico is very big. It is the second
largest in Latin America and claimed 18%
of the region’s e-commerce activity in 2013,
making it of great interest for American,
Brazilian and European companies. As such,
we have already seen foreign operations become successful in the Mexican e-commerce
sphere,” explains Antoni.
Although the vast majority of Mexican online retail activity concerns groceries, with Walmart and Superama claiming
92% of that market, Brazil’s Netshoes and
Spain’s Privalia stand out by how they
have gained ground here. This reality has
also sent shockwaves through the Mexican
commercial sector as retailers begin to realize just how far behind they have fallen
in terms of e-commerce, simply by comparing themselves to their American counterparts. Antoni estimates that e-commerce
represents no more than 1% of the sales of
a large Mexican group such as Liverpool.
However, this is set to change as retailers’
growth strategies are restructured to look
beyond just building stores and extending
their physical footprint.
Given its position between the US and
Latin America, Mexico is indeed catching up
but which model should it follow? Does the
sophistication and breadth of e-commerce in
the US give Mexico the chance to shoot for
the moon, or should it follow in the footsteps
of Brazil, whose reality is closer to Mexico’s
own? For Antoni, the country should simply build on the journeys forged by both of
its neighbors, allowing it to pick and choose
what suits it best from both models.
Antoni points to Brazil’s great postal service as giving it a strong platform to build
on. “Historically, the Brazilian Correios
has been fantastic. Letters arrived on time,
with great infrastructure and cheap prices.
So when e-commerce was born in Brazil
through the rise of companies like Submarino, the postal infrastructure was right
there,” he explains.
Concerning the US, the sophistication of
the financial sector is where Mexico can really stand to learn. “The proliferation of venture capital funds investing in e-commerce
since the late 1990s has translated to a better
and wider variety of services, as well as a lot
of marketing expenditure. This changed the
country’s culture and made e-commerce sim-
October 2014
ply the best option in many commercial categories. This amount of investment and the
peerless consumer culture it created should
be applied in Mexico,” confirms Antoni.
The influence of venture capital funds
on the development of e-commerce makes
the presence in Mexico of specialized funds
very important. Aside from channeling investment and indirectly helping to shape the
consumer culture, such funds develop another major component of online retail: the
entrepreneurs themselves.
“Mexico has a firm entrepreneurial spirit, it is traditional, low-tech and un-scalable,
but it is there. This is not a barrier to online
commerce. Ten years ago, young, well-educated Mexican people did not think of entrepreneurship as a career path. Today, people
see this as an option to create value and have
a meaningful life. The entrepreneurial spirit
that existed in traditional areas is just starting to awake in the more educated segments
of society,” he says.
Due to the presence of
international leaders, such as
FedEx and DHL that have
a strong line in e-commerce,
delivery and logistics has rapidly
matured in the country. Such
giants have brought devoted
operations from the US and
Europe to bear in Mexico, while
smaller, nimbler companies
are also developing their own
logistics networks.
An evidence of this blossoming entrepreneurship is Atomika, a Mexican provider of
specialist triathlon equipment and nutrition
products, “A company like Atomika does
not need to educate its clientele, so much as
position itself as the go-to place for triathletes. Ricardo Godinez, the founder of Atomika, brought a passion for sports, a deep
understanding of the need of triathletes in
particular, and saw the opportunity to provide the best assortment of equipment to a
niche market. However, in such a market,
the barriers to entry are much lower, which
is why speed and scale are very important.
With Atomika, we have brought something
that we do not recommend to all our entrepreneurs, the need to become much bigger
and to grow much faster. Since the space
that Ricardo is seeking is not occupied, Atomika needs to occupy it and make it big.”
Another reason for this rapid scalingup, according to Antoni, is to help create a
community of athletes around Atomika in
a way which only online commerce allows.
“Having a community associated with the
brand,” explains Godinez, “acts as an extra
layer of protection from the competition.
Even if Decathlon, Walmart, or even a local competitor launches a rival line which is
5% cheaper, people will stay with us out of
a sense of loyalty to the brand.”
The e-commerce business development done with Atomika varies widely
from that done with Carrot. As Mexico’s
first car-sharing company, its vehicles are
strategically placed around the country’s
major cities with reservations and bookings done online. This has made its online
presence all the more vital but it has been
so successful that Carrot now dominates
the whole market, despite still being a
small company. “The impact of Carrot’s
successful e-commerce forays allowed it to
scale up fast in a niche industry. Furthermore, due to its partners, its time, its strategic alliances, and its work with the local
government, the company has really created a service that did not exist in Mexico.”
In April 2014, Carrot received confidence from investors as it raised 2 million USD in a Series B capital round, with
its CEO, Diego Solorzano, saying that this
amount would allow Carrot to reach 300
cars and 10,000 users by 2016.
The final phenomenon that is boosting
the advance of e-commerce in Mexico is the
quantity of foreign entrepreneurs trying their
luck here. The financial problems in Argentina or the small size of Chilean market have
led certain bright sparks from such countries
to start online retail companies here. Antoni
has even said a growing number of Europeans coming here, escaping the administrative
hurdles France places on business owners or
high unemployment in Spain. “Spanish venture capitalists are looking at Mexico as an
option for investments. This influx of foreign
talent will soon become pretty meaningful.”
But as online commercial practices become commonplace outside the realms of
tourism and general retail, and as Mexican
and foreign investors and entrepreneurs increasingly team up, full-blown success stories cannot be far away. N
*Senior Editor of Mexico Business Publishing.
**Director of Mexico Business Publishing.
19
Negocios ProMéxico | Special Feature: E-commerce
A safe door
for e-commerce
The growth of electronic commerce in
Mexico and around the world depends
on the trust of users in the websites to
which they provide personal information.
The trust seals are placed as an essential
element to give certainty to electronic
commerce.
photo
archive
by omar magaña
Who is behind an online transaction?
Who do we provide our personal data to?
Are those handled confidentially or, conversely, are they distributed and sold?
The trust seal, a badge issued by the
Mexican Internet Association (AMIPCI)
that is published in web sites and email,
aims to give a reliable answer to questions
that every user of the Internet has asked
themselves when filling out forms, entering
A password or clicking the buy button.
Special Feature: E-commerce | Negocios ProMéxico
Through that label, AMIPCI identifies,
reviews and certifies companies or institutions that have some form of interaction
with Internet surfers and voluntarily adhere to the ethical commitment to protect
the data provided by their users.
Organizations that meet the requirements set out by AMIPCI and acquire the
trust seal are distinguished by their legitimacy. The user enjoys the certainty that
there is a legal entity behind the website
that publicizes its privacy notice and is
committed to following standards over
and above those stipulated by law.
“We have had a very high level of acceptance from the start from the entities
that have been certified,” says Rafael Contreras, manager of trust seals at AMIPCI.
When AMIPCI started this program
in 2007, Contreras adds, there was no
law compelling online service providers to include a notice of responsibility.
The first entities that sought to obtain
the trust seal –to date a total of 600– did
so by choice, in the understanding that
demonstrating their responsibility towards their customers or users enhances their status in the industry and their
competitiveness.
The achievements in that regard were
the “spearhead,” in the words of Contreras, for bringing about the Federal Law
on Protection of Personal Data Held by
private parties in Mexico, which contains the guidelines that require companies to present to their users a privacy
notice which indicates how their personal information will be used.
“We have a very robust law that is internationally recognized not only for its
novelty but also because it incorporates
many rules and regulations, mainly from
Europe and North America,” says Rafael
Contreras.
Secure sites
Although the law and trust seals concern
institutions of all types that store data provided by third parties, the AMIPCI initiative has a particular impact on the companies that every day are joining the growing
online market. Industry and institutions
that promote e-commerce in Mexico and
other Latin American countries recognize
that the first strategies to favor the sector
20
October 2014
October 2014
Organizations that meet the requirements set out by AMIPCI
and acquire the trust seal are distinguished by their legitimacy.
The user enjoys the certainty that there is a legal entity behind
the website that publicizes its privacy notice and is committed to
following standards over and above those stipulated by law.
include the construction of legal and ethical frameworks that inspire confidence in
users of online services.
Studies by AMIPCI indicate that, currently, 20% of the activities performed
by Internet users in Mexico are related
to electronic commerce. In 2013, the
value of transactions in the sector totaled almost 9.3 billion USD, up 42%
from 2012. “It is an established market
but much remains to be done,” concedes
Contreras.
Today more and more companies
decide to sell their products through
the Internet and every day there emerge
new online buying and selling websites
and mobile applications designed for the
same purpose. Internet users require sellers to be clear about their security policies and the protocols that ensure that
exchanges of information and money
will be protected.
“We are at an important moment of
consolidation for the continued growth
and strengthening of this market,” says
Rafael Contreras. The country, he points
out, has the characteristics to become
a major player in e-commerce in Latin
America.
Welcome to the network
“We’re approaching different, clearly
defined chambers of commerce and associations of economic activities that
have long been marketing products and
services but do not necessarily do so online,” says Contreras.
AMIPCI makes various efforts to
integrate the productive sectors in the
digital race and to professionalize the
entities that are already part of it. The
E-Business Week conference in Mexico
City, for example, becomes an excellent opportunity to add suppliers of
goods and services to the trend and raise
awareness among them of the benefits of
having the backing of the trust seals.
Stamps without borders
The trust seal initiative emerged in 2005,
within the forum of the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC). At that
time, the Mexican delegation to the international organization took up the
concerns of experts to create “a mechanism to procure greater ethical and professional commitment from those who
offer services, in order to generate trust,”
recounts Contreras.
AMIPCI took responsibility for designing the model now known as trust
seals, like those that other countries
around the world have created, with the
same objectives.
Nine years later, the APEC assesses
the Cross-Border Privacy Rules (CBPR)
“for strengthening the exchange of ecommerce between the countries in this
region and Mexico,” as the Ministry of
Economy of the Mexican government
has announced.
Contreras is confident that the agreements resulting from this new strategy will
allow full entry to different economies. The
goal is to expand e-commerce, beyond borders, through the certification of websites.
AMIPCI is working so that in the future trust seals provide comprehensive
services to organizations that are certified; including the generation of metrics
to identify the behavior of the market
and to understand the behavior of Internet users, while maintaining the privacy
and security of their data.
“We are working on a new seal that
allows us, precisely, to have certain metrics that are useful both for the recipient
of the seal –enabling them to identify, for
example, what parts of their website they
need to make improvements to– and for
the industry itself, to understand where
we are going and what the requirements
are,” concludes Contreras. N
www.amipci.org.mx
21
Negocios ProMéxico | Special Feature: E-commerce
photos
Online Avenue
for Mexican Fashion
Mexico lacks a physical space that brings together Mexican fashion
designers and offers them somewhere to sell their wares. But a new web
portal has come online to fill this gap and already has the global market
in its sights.
by omar magaña
Since September 1, 2014, Mexicouture.mx
has been selling clothes and accessories designed and created by young Mexican designers from various Mexican cities which
have become fashion hubs, such as Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey, and Puebla.
The driving force behind the development of this e-commerce web portal is a
business development specialist, María José
Hernández, and her business partner, Sara
Galindo, former executive fashion editor of
ELLE magazine during 12 years, who have
been using a number of global initiatives
and platforms to promote the new wave of
Mexican fashion designers.
Since the idea germinated, Hernández and Galindo saw the opportunity
for Mexicouture to position itself as a
courtesy of mexicouture
specialist fashion e-commerce site that
would “set precedents in the history of
Mexico.” On the one hand, it meets the
need to bring together, on a single website, creators whose work is widely dispersed, either in their own showrooms or
in certain department stores; on the other, it helps export Mexican talent. “Together we’re going to reach every single
corner of the planet,” Galindo says.
In fact, the target market –according
to their own description– is made up of
Mexican women with a global vision and
unique style, who are proud of their country and its products. “It is [also] for the international set,” adds Galindo, “those who
live in London, Paris, New York, Dubai,
Sao Paulo. Professional women who look
after their families and have fantastic jobs,
who love showing off their beauty every
time they get dressed.”
Special Feature: E-commerce | Negocios ProMéxico
This is the season to roll
out a digital tool that closes
the gap between designers
and fashionista consumers.
“E-commerce has huge growth
potential,” says Hernández, “and
in Mexico that opportunity has
not yet been fully seized; there is
an important market that is not
so competitive, especially in the
world of fashion.”
An Echo Abroad
With their sights set on international markets, the information on Mexicouture will
be available in Spanish and other languages. The website seeks to promote its name
abroad at creative industry fairs that other
Mexican companies already visit alongside ProMéxico representatives, as well as
through the publicity that Hernández and
Galindo, as fashion agents, will attract at
industry-related meetings.
The Perfect Season
Hernández and Galindo are confident that
this is the perfect moment to start up the
business. Despite limited start-up funds,
they have worked flat out to get the project off the ground after its conception just
eight months ago.
During that initial stage, the portal
has benefitted greatly from the support
of Aura Comunicación, as the agency responsible for developing the online platform, and from La Colectiva, which has
worked to spread news about the site in
the run-up to its launch.
This is the season to roll out a digital
tool that closes the gap between designers
and fashionista consumers. “E-commerce
has huge growth potential,” says Hernández, “and in Mexico that opportunity has
not yet been fully seized; there is an important market that is not so competitive,
especially in the world of fashion.”
The fashion world, according to
Hernández and Galindo, has its own
channels to reveal the season’s latest designs but catwalks and fashion shows
have not had sufficient reach, at least not
in the case of new Mexican design, to
build up a profitable industry through its
close proximity to the consumer.
22
October 2014
October 2014
“Beyond Mexico’s borders, few people
realize that this country’s designers are
producing some amazingly avant garde designs,” Galindo says.
Mexicouture faces the challenge of
generating new buying habits in Mexico
and therefore it will be essential for the
site to present itself as a reliable platform
that gives users a pleasant online shopping experience.
Hernández explains that the platform
complies with the protocols to protect and
manage personal data, and has the right
security certificates for online shopping.
In terms of Mexicouture’s product
offer, Galindo explains that everything
marketed on the portal will undergo a
selection process carried out by a fashion
council and an expert every six months,
who will look out for designers and
items that best communicate what the
team considers as a trend.
That process will take into account the
fashion designers’ talent, as well as their
business approach. Only the most outstanding creations of each designer, their
most select work, will be chosen. The designers, Galindo explains, must continue
to meet the highest quality standards while
their work remains on the portal.
“We are acting as fashion stylists;
Mexicouture acts as a clothing guide for
women,” says Galindo.
Mexicouture was launched with curated pieces from the 2014 fall-winter
collections. The site displays waistcoats,
trousers, shorts, tops, jackets, overcoats,
skirts, dresses, bags, accessories and jewelry by designers such as Alejandro Carlín,
Yakampot, Lorena Saravia, Daniela Villegas, José Sánchez, and Sandra Weil, among
others.
The portal already has a delivery service in place for Mexico and the rest of the
world, using two logistics companies.
Hernández and Galindo expect to see
the first signs of change in consumer habits
of Mexican e-shoppers by the end of 2014.
By 2020, they aim to have become the leading company in promoting and marketing
fashion created by Mexican designers.
“This is the business of the future and
we definitely have the best designers on
board, on an exclusive basis,” Galindo
concludes. So far their list includes 33 designers, but the number could vary from
one season to the next. N
www.mexicouture.mx
23
Negocios ProMéxico | Special Feature: E-commerce
Boletia,
Ticket to
Expand
They saw the opportunity and went
for it. Four young entrepreneurs
have developed mixed on and
off-line strategies to expand their
e-commerce business.
photos
courtesy of boletia
by omar magaña
With audacity, a good ear for advice and
enough flexibility to change course when
necessary, entrepreneurs Arnoldo Rodríguez, Alfredo Canales, Jyr Gaxiola, and
Joshua Francia are strengthening their
ticketing company Boletia.
It took less than two years to get
where they are today. All across the country, promoters of sporting and entertainment events and organizers of congresses,
university reunions, fundraisers, and
gourmet fairs are wakening up to the benefits of Boletia’s online ticket booking and
payment services.
During that period, the platform has
proven its reliability at some 800 events.
“We expect to triple this number in 2015
and sell over a quarter of a million tickets,” says Francia.
The way Boletia works is pretty
straightforward. The customer –promoter
or organizer– logs on to the website, creates an event and selects the type of ticket he wants to issue, booking terms, and
method of payment (generally credit card,
debit card, deposit, PayPal or convenience
stores). Meanwhile, the user is directed to
a microsite where he can book his ticket
and choose a payment option, while the
customer can keep track of reservations
and payments in real time.
“We’ve sold tickets for events in
practically every big city in Mexico, although we have a stronger presence in
Monterrey and other cities up north,”
says Francia.
It was the product itself that determined the strategy the company was to
follow. Boletia’s founding premise was to
gain recognition as a reliable service for
customers who want some certainty as to
whose pockets any profits end up in and
for users who want to be sure they’ll get
what they’ve paid for. The strategy also
provides for offline promotion, a sales
team, and alliances with event-related
agents and establishments that host them,
such as hotels and convention centers.
Special Feature: E-commerce | Negocios ProMéxico
That, says Francia, fueled rapid growth
in the north of Mexico and right now the
company is “adding to its sales team to
provide better coverage of Central Mexico.
We’re also making the necessary adjustments
to the platform so it’s a valid, recognized option on other Latin American markets.”
Boletia is currently negotiating with
PayPal in order to include it as a payment
option for global currencies and is smoothing out some finer details of a strategic alliance with Innovasport that will turn it into
a base platform for the booking and sale of
tickets to the chain’s sporting events.
In August 2014, Boletia implemented
a referral program with individuals and
corporations linked to the organization of
congresses, concerts, and sporting events.
The program has helped attract more customers, with whom the company has set
up a commission-based reward system.
What started out as a three-man business has nine people working for it one
and a half years later. That number is expected to rise to 20 in the last four months
of 2015, including customer support, sales
personal, and the developers so essential
to keeping a technological-based company
like this on the cutting edge.
A new chapter in e-commerce
Mexico is seeing the expansion of startups
that are promoting e-commerce with accessible, reliable solutions. The Mexican
market is huge, which “makes it ideal for
starting an attractive business. This is a
new chapter in e-commerce in which the
government is cooperating with industry
to catapult high-impact enterprises to success and there is plenty of human talent
available,” says Francia.
It is estimated that e-commerce in
Mexico could grow as much as 200% over
the next three years, thanks to newcomers
like Boletia that are breaking down the
barriers and closing the gap between sellers and potential buyers.
Rodríguez, Canales, and Francia realized Mexico lacked an integrated online
ticketing platform for medium-sized events
and took the initiative. Along the way, they
had the support of 500 Startups, a venture
capital fund that got Boletia launched.
Today, they continue to receive guidance
from institutions and seasoned entrepreneurs. “We belong to a non-profit organization that ‘mentors’ high-impact companies
like ours and we have investors with a lot of
corporate experience,” says Francia.
24
October 2014
October 2014
Rodríguez, Canales, Gaxiola, and
Francia are always open to a word of
advice and are prepared to adjust their
strategy to ensure the continued growth
of the business. In the future, they aim to
consolidate Boletia as Mexico’s top online
booking service and offer the user a complete experience before, during and after
purchasing a ticket.
That means offering the user options and
complying with legal and fiscal regulations.
“The time will come when the broadening of the platform leads us to compete
for mass entertainment events and large
congresses, but for the time being, there’s
a lot to be done in the market niche we cater to and there’s always room to negotiate
and share,” says Francia.
“Instead of competing with them
[planners of congresses with over 5,000
attendees], we are forging alliances with
those that have the vision to hire the services of a company like ours that renders
technological support in the ticketing department,” he concludes. N
Boletia is currently
negotiating with PayPal
in order to include it as
a payment option for
global currencies and
is smoothing out some
finer details of a strategic
alliance with Innovasport
that will turn it into a base
platform for the booking
and sale of tickets to the
chain’s sporting events.
boletia.com
25
Negocios ProMéxico | Special Feature: E-commerce
photos
courtesy of pago fácil
Money in Movement
“How do you want to be paid?” is the only question you have to worry about answering when you use PagoFácil, a
startup that designs safe, user friendly online payment services to smooth transactions between buyers and sellers.
by omar magaña
In its value proposition, PagoFácil says
that adopting its tools for fast, easy and
safe online transactions does away with
the consumer’s reluctance to pay and the
obstacles to a seller’s collecting.
To the extent that smartphones and
other mobile devices become more popular and we gain a better understanding of
and trust in the financial applications of
these technological tools, more and more
people, in Mexico and Latin America will
be making online purchases. This market
is potentially huge and will confirm that
value proposition.
PagoFácil –a startup initiated by Javier
Rincón Perezsandi, Luis Fernando Huerta
and Pablo Hernández O´Hagan, founder
and CEO of Ingenia Group, who were later
26
joined by banking expert Eugenio Perea–
introduced online payment tools and bank
card readers for smartphones to Mexico.
Similar to Square in the US, they adapted
their system to the Mexican market.
There are now 1,710 customers answering the question, “How do you want
to be paid?” They come in all shapes and
sizes and deal in the most diverse products and services, from “companies that
organize expos, sell juice and health
food, jewelry and second hand clothes
to people who teach online Master’s
Degrees and car sharing companies like
Carrot,” says PagoFácil CEO Eugenio
Perea. So far this year, these companies
and individuals have made transactions
valued at 43 million pesos (around 3.3
million USD), according to the most recent figures divulged by Perea. And if
we consider that in 2013 the total value
of transactions was 11 million pesos
(almost 830,000 USD), the company’s
growth has been exponential.
Getting back up
What we see today –a company capable
of generating an incredible 1 million pesos (75,000 USD) in transactions in just
three days– didn’t happen overnight but
was the result of a long and occasionally
painful process.
It was Hernández, Huerta and Rincón
who originally had the idea to create a
web-based payments system. Hernández
and Huerta financed Rincón’s work on the
October 2014
Special Feature: E-commerce | Negocios ProMéxico
project between 2009 and 2010 and by
2011 the platform was up and running as
an Internet payment option, with Banorte
acting as the financial go-between.
In 2012, when the platform began
marketing bank card readers, PagoFácil
took its first fall. Its acquiring bank pulled
out of the game for a time, leaving the
company with no customers.
Rincón met Perea at the offices of the
Venture Institute accelerator in October
2012. The two shook hands and immediately began working on getting the startup
back on its feet.
“We gave a PowerPoint presentation
and in six weeks managed to raise 1 million USD in seed capital,” says Perea. It was
a lot easier than they’d thought because
“the market was right. Latin America is
the perfect market for this. Online payment services are new, but have potential.”
Perea and Rincón came to the conclusion that they were in the right place at the
right time for a solution like PagoFácil. It
was then or never.
Part of the seed capital was used to
restructure the company from the bottom
up. Perea and Rincón modified the platform’s technological profile, regained the
trust of their acquiring bank, got their customers back on board and designed a system that was to enable them to post steady
growth over the next seven years.
From that moment on, PagoFácil started registering growth as high as 78% from
one week to the next and hit its first million in transactions a mere 22 weeks after
the relaunch of the platform.
The company’s core staff has grown
too, from two to nine employees in 2013
and from nine to 16 so far this year.
Like Mexican rock music
Perea compares PagoFácil to the Mexican
rock movement of the 1990s. The bands
that were most successful and that have
managed to survive to this very day are the
ones who had a keen grasp of American
and British musical genres and fused them
with their own identity as Mexicans and as
Latinos, in a broader sense.
“We look for mechanisms that are compatible with the cash flows of a Mexican corner store or a drycleaners,” says Perea.
Success, says Perea, has depended on
understanding the market’s strengths and
opportunities. “In Mexico, only 22% of
the population owns smart phones and
October 2014
From that moment on, PagoFácil started registering growth as
high as 78% from one week to the next and hit its first million in
transactions a mere 22 weeks after the relaunch of the platform.
The company’s core staff has grown too, from two to nine
employees in 2013 and from nine to 16 so far this year.
only 33% have Internet access, so we can’t
apply Silicon Valley models.”
Still, the projections point to a potentially strong market. Micro companies –just over 4 million of them– play
a significant role in the Mexican economy, while there is a large sector of the
population that requires non-banking
payment services. The coming together
of these factors and technology herald
a lot more opportunities for businesses
like PagoFácil, both in Mexico and other
parts of Latin America.
“The cake is so big that we work side
by side with our competitors without worrying about stepping on each other’s toes,”
says Perea, who believes the time has come
for the industry’s players to work together
to familiarize Mexico and the region as a
whole with e-commerce and develop antifraud technology.
“The biggest challenge Mexico faces
in this area is the integration of payment
mediums. The more cooperation there is,
the more information we can share and the
better equipped we will be to deal with organized crime,” says Perea.
Paying it forward
PagoFácil expects to experience “meteoric
growth” from now through 2020.
Investors are banking on the consolidation of the platform in Mexico and its
expansion to Southern Cone markets.
The company’s internationalization
strategy consists of first entering the
Pacific Alliance region (Chile, Colombia and Peru), then medium and smaller
countries in Central and South America
before finally taking on Argentina, Brazil
and Venezuela.
At the same time, the startup is preparing for technological changes as more people start making payments via their smart
phones. That will be determined by innovations in the US, the last country to substitute bank cards with magnetic stripes
for EMV cards with chips.
“It’s exorbitantly expensive for the
US to adopt chip technology,” says Perea,
adding that “2014 has been the year in
which the most has been invested in online payments initiatives. My theory is
that the US is waiting for what’s around
the corner.”
Meanwhile, PagoFácil will continue
to provide safe, accessible online payment tools that facilitate life for users
and help save them a penny or two in the
process. N
www.pagofacil.net
27
Negocios ProMéxico | Special Feature: E-commerce
photos
courtesy of 99 minutos
99 minutos,
Faster than the Internet
A young startup, but one with a very clear vision of its role in the e-commerce industry, 99 minutos aims to become
an agent of change and a catalyst for economic growth.
by omar magaña
You work from home and are short on
time, only to discover you’re all out of
dog food. So you log on to the pet products e-commerce site and place your order. 99 minutos takes it, a delivery service picks the product up from the company’s in-situ warehouse and you get an
e-mail confirming it’s on its way. And if
you want, you can track your order with
a smart phone application.
In a matter of minutes, you get your
order and pay for it on delivery. As a user,
you can say this particular logistics startup
has remained true to its value proposition:
the product purchased online has been de-
28
livered to your home quickly, in one piece,
and you’ve been able to keep track of every phase in the process.
“One of the reasons people were reluctant to purchase online was because
they were afraid they would never get
their product or that it would take a long
time,” says José Antonio Salomón when
asked what motivated him and his partners, Alexis Patjane and Pablo Erreguerena, to develop this exclusive solution for
e-commerce enterprises.
Founded in Mexico City in 2013 with
the support of the 500 Mexico City fund,
99 minutos has added value to the e-com-
merce chain, which, according to developers, newcomers and authorities, is already
showing the first signs of growth and consolidation. The company has since become
an essential link in that chain, helping ebusinesses sell their products and doing
away with taboos to ensure consumers
come away with a pleasant experience.
And having satisfied customers benefits
everyone. “Good service is our best publicity,” says Salomón.
A good eye
Startups are defined by their ability to
come up with fast solutions to specific
October 2014
Special Feature: E-commerce | Negocios ProMéxico
problems and cash in on them. 99 minutos
has found its perfect niche and has jumped
at every opportunity that’s come its way.
But reaching this point has required innovating, rethinking and sometimes even
getting it wrong.
The initiative started as an e-commerce
site that had a relatively diverse product
portfolio and offered express delivery services in the metropolitan area of Mexico
City. Consumers expressed satisfaction
with the reliability and speed of these services, which is when the startup realized
where its calling was.
“We realized it wasn’t the site that was
innovative but the services we were offering,” says Salomón.
A timely concept
Things couldn’t be clearer now. 99 minutos is the vehicle that delivers the goods of
some 45 e-commerce enterprises, to the
tune of 3,500 deliveries a month in Mexico
City and, to a lesser degree, Guadalajara.
“In a year’s time, we expect to have
between 200 and 300 customers,” says Salomón, who estimates that the number of de-
October 2014
The company has even
developed its own automated
order control system. When
the user places an order on the
website of one of its customers,
99 minutos is immediately
notified and collects the goods
either at the customer’s or its
own warehouse. The fact that
99 minutos has its own stock
has translated into added value
in terms of customer service,
while its tracking tool is greatly
appreciated by the final user.
liveries could rise to 6,000 or 7,000 a month
by December 2014, reason why the company has deemed it prudent to lease sufficient
fleet capacity for the remainder of the year.
Young consumers, he says, don’t need
to be persuaded of the advantages of ecommerce and in the case of customers
who are more wary of online transactions,
99 minutos has established a paymenton-delivery system. Those more reticent
customers tend to purchase wine, clothes,
accessories, membership cards, prepaid
chips, pet products, craft beer and similar
products online.
“We are a company specialized in ecommerce deliveries, this is our value proposition,” says Salomón. The company’s customers include other startups created by the
same generation of young entrepreneurs, like
Carrot and Clip, but more recently, bigger
fish have started seeking out its services.
The services of a logistics company
like 99 minutos are invaluable to startups
that are just getting their feet wet in the ecommerce industry because it allows them
more time to focus on their core activity.
“You worry about being innovative,
developing products and marketing them
on your site. Don’t waste time worrying
about how you’re going to get them to the
customer,” says Salomón.
The company has even developed its
own automated order control system.
When the user places an order on the
website of one of its customers, 99 minutos is immediately notified and collects
the goods either at the customer’s or its
own warehouse. The fact that 99 minutos has its own stock has translated into
added value in terms of customer service,
while its tracking tool is greatly appreciated by the final user.
It’s a mechanism that’s easy to replicate in other cities, says Salomón, but “we
don’t want to expand until we have a solid
structure and can position ourselves well.”
Now’s the time
Mexico and the rest of Latin America
constitute a huge playing field for online
businesses. “Now’s the time to jump on the
bandwagon. There’s a lot of government
support out there, which is a good thing.
We’re experiencing growth and investors
are cottoning on to the potential of the industry, reason why more opportunities for
the consolidation of startups are opening
up,” says Salomón.
Aware of its export potential, 99 minutos has held meetings with ProMéxico to
discuss strategies for its future internationalization, for, as Salomón says, technological-based companies are those with the
greatest possibilities of going global. N
www.99minutos.com
29
Negocios ProMéxico | Cover Feature
infographic
oldemar
Cover Feature | Negocios ProMéxico
MEXICO: IT’S ALL ABOUT CREATIVITY
18th
5th
Creative and
media industries account
for 7% of
Mexico’s gross
domestic
product (GDP).
It is the country’s
5th strategic
industry, just behind the aerospace, agriculture,
food and automotive industries.
13th
Mexico is the 18th
largest exporter of
creative goods worldwide. It is the only Latin
American country
among the world’s top 20
creative goods exporters.
The
country
is a major
power in
television
content
production.
TALENT IS THE ANSWER
Mexico produces over
100,000 hours of TV
every year. These
contents are exported
to over 100 countries
and translated into
more than 30 languages.
ON THE RED CARPET
Mexico has highly skilled
talent that is also experienced
in audiovisual production.
9th
TV content
produced in
Mexico is watched
by more than one
billion people in
more than 100
countries.
The country is the 9th
hub worldwide in terms of
IT-specialized talent (CONACYT).
It is the largest technological
talent pool in Latin America
(CONACYT).
In 2013, more than 100,000
students graduated from
engineering and technology
programs (ANUIES).
There are more than 900 graduate
programs related to engineering
and technology fields in Mexican
universities (ANUIES).
2010
PROAV
Strategy coordinated by
ProMéxico and supported by
experts from government, industry
and academia, to foster creative
industries (audiovisual and digital).
The roadmap sets out goals and
strategies for achieving them.
The program aims to boost investment in the audiovisual industry by
supporting high-impact projects
that enhance local capacities and
promote the export of Mexican
services and the country as a
destination for production.
Mexico offers a wide range
of services of international
quality. There are more
than 1,500 film production
and post-production,
software, and video game
developing companies.
Mexico is one
of the leading
markets for
creative
industries in
Latin
America.
Due to its market
value, Mexico is
ranked 13th
worldwide in the
entertainment
and advertising
industry.
It is estimated that the
entertainment and
advertising industry in
Mexico will record a market
value of over 27 billion 
in 2014 (a 9.5% increase
compared to 2013).
THE “Ñ” MATTERS
3rd
Mexican films received
127 international awards
in 2013 including the
Best Director Award at
Cannes Film Festival.
Spanish is the third most widely
spoken language in the world, after
English and Mandarin.
The Spanish-speaking population is
one of the fastest growing segments
of the entertainment industry.
In 2013, Mexican movies
were released in
commercial theaters in
over 40 countries, a
record high since 2009.
There are 400 million Spanishspeaking people in the world. By
2050, that figure is expected to
reach 530 million, and close to
one third of them will be located
in the United States.
Mexico is one of the
world’s top five film
markets for theatrical
exhibition. During 2013,
248 million spectators
attended cinemas in
Mexico (an increase of
more than 20 million
over 2012).
2011
Creative Industries Roadmap
In 2013, 1,418 economic
units that produce
channel programming
for cable or satellite
television systems,
films and video were
registered in Mexico.
Mexico produces creative content that impacts over 50 million Hispanics in the United States.
Mexico is determined to establish
itself as a leading content producer
for the Spanish-speaking market.
2012
2013
Film Friendly Mexico
www.filmfriendlymexico.com
Ciudad Creativa Digital
ccd.guadalajara.com
Electronic platform
designed to provide
step-by-step guidance
to film investors and
a unique production
experience in Mexico.
A project supported by the federal government that
combines the entrepreneurial spirit of Mexico’s “Silicon
Valley” with the unique Mexican culture and traditions.
It incorporates the creativity of Mexican human capital
and urban lifestyle in order to position Mexico as a
leading international content production hub.
2014
Second
Edition of
the Creative
Industries
Roadmap.
CCD Ventures
MIPCOM 2014
An investment
fund powered by
Ciudad Creativa
Digital to enhance
the entrepreneurial
ecosystem in the
creative industries.
Mexico is the
guest of honor
at MIPCOM 2014,
the world’s most
important
contents market.
Sources: The Orange Economy. An Infinite Opportunity (2013). Inter-American Development Bank (IADB); Creative Economy Report 2010, UNESCO; Global Entertainment and
Media Outlook 2014-2018, PwC; Spanish Speaking Market Explodes, CSN Intelligence for Global Business; ProMéxico with information from ANUIES, CONACYT, IMCINE.
30
October 2014
October 2014
31
Negocios ProMéxico | Cover Feature
infographic
oldemar
Cover Feature | Negocios ProMéxico
Want to film in Mexico?
FILM PRODUCTION INCENTIVES IN MEXICO
FOPROCINE
FIDECINE
EFICINE 189
PROAV
ATA CARNET
Grants resources through
coproduction contracts
by means of venture capital
or credit contracts.
A trust for the
coproduction,
post-production, distribution
and exhibition of fiction and
animated feature films
(75 minutes or more), which
offers support through
venture capital and credit.
A fiscal stimulus for
taxpayers granted by Article
189 of Mexico’s Income
Tax Law (Ley del Impuesto
Sobre la Renta), to support
the production or
post-production and
distribution of fiction,
documentary and animated
feature films.
Incentive program for
high-impact film and
audiovisual industries,
designed to complement
existing policies aimed at
boosting and strengthening
the film and audiovisual
industry in Mexico.
A customs document that
allows the temporary
import and export
of non-perishable goods
–for example, goods
for exhibition displays
and commercial equipment for production
and conducting professional work.
A trust for the production
or post-production of fiction,
documentary and animated
features (75 minutes or more),
in coproduction.
Candidates must be Mexican
production companies
or individuals.
Participation by foreign
directors is subject to their
association to a Mexican
production company, at least
two years of legal residence
in the country and a solid
background in Mexican cinema.
In addition, it offers other
stimuli for commercial
run and for outstanding
performance at festivals
in Mexico and abroad.
If the supported project
recovers 100% of the
amount received, there’s
a reserve equal to the sum
previously granted to carry
out the director’s next project.
Through EFICINE, taxpayers
investing in film projects in
Mexico can obtain a deductible
tax credit equal to the sum of
their investment.
Each project cannot
receive more than 1.5 million
 or maximum 80% of the
cost of the project.
A comprehensive,
three-pronged support
mechanism:
Goods must be re-imported
to the country of origin in the
maximum period of one year.
0% VAT
INCENTIVE
FOREIGN
PRODUCTION
WORK
Foreign productions are
entitled to claim back the VAT
(Value Added Tax) at the end
of the shooting, as long as the
project is registered with
the Ministry of Finance
through a legally established
Mexican company that is up to
date with its tax payments.
Direct financial reimbursements
of up to 7.5% of the budget spent
in Mexico:
Available for Mexican and
foreign films and audiovisual
projects with a minimum expenditure of 3 million  in production costs or 700,000  in
post-production expenses.
Foreign productions
are entitled to apply
for a value-added
tax (VAT) refund*
THIS SUPPORT CAN BE COMBINED WITH EFICINE 189
A specialized service
platform including all the
government agencies at the
federal level that are
involved with the film and
audiovisual industry at some
point or another.
THIS SUPPORT CAN BE COMBINED WITH EFICINE 189
This incentive is available for
all types of productions
regardless of budget. Not all
expenses are subject to VAT
in Mexico.
Usually, VAT refund will
represent approximately
9-12% of the total expenses.
A combination of both production
and post-production costs may
apply, in which case the minimum
will be 5.3 million .
The sum of both the fiscal
(VAT refund) and financial
incentives (cash reimbursement)
will be capped at 17.5% of the
budget spent in Mexico. Therefore, the difference between the
VAT refund and the 17.5% cap will
come in the form of a cash
rebate from an independent
fund managed by ProMéxico.
*In Mexico VAT rate is 16%.
For more information visit www.imcine.gob.mx
32
October 2014
October 2014
33
Negocios ProMéxico | Mexico’s Partner
photos
courtesy of ánima estudios
Ánima Estudios,
Artistic Heritage
Transformed into Animation
Almost 15 years after it was founded, this Mexican creative company has made around
10 films and several animated episodes for television that have been shown and
broadcast in countries in the Americas and Europe.
by antonio vázquez
With a grandfather and father who were filmmakers
and an actress mother, an artistic legacy runs through the
veins of Fernando De Fuentes, director of Ánima Estudios, that has him focused on
the field of animation.
With nearly 10 films and
several episodes of animated
series, De Fuentes has created an audiovisual product
that has been seen in several
countries in Latin America
and Europe.
Before the end of the 90s,
Fernando De Fuentes was a
young engineer who joined
34
the ranks of a small electronic website. There he focused
on animation with characters
parodying personalities in
Mexican sports, such as footballer Cuauhtémoc Blanco
and commentator José
Ramón Fernández.
By 2000, the media company closed its doors but De
Fuentes and 15 other partners
decided to start a company
100% dedicated to animation.
Ánima Estudios was born.
Supported by 20th Century Fox, in 2003 Ánima
Estudios created Wizards and
Giants, its first animated film
that produced just enough
profit for the creative studio to
undertake other productions.
In 2006, Televisa –Mexico’s main television network– and the family of actor
Roberto Gómez Bolaños asked
Fernando De Fuentes’s company to embark on a challenging
task: to create the animated
version of El Chavo, a character created by Gómez Bolaños
himself which for decades had
enjoyed great success throughout Latin America.
The animated series El
Chavo was released after 18
months of work. It featured
October 2014
Mexico’s Partner | Negocios ProMéxico
135 episodes of animation
–including the leading roles
of the original TV program–
and aired in 16 countries
in Latin America, as well as
Spain and Canada.
The first episodes of the series were adaptations of some
of the scripts from the original
series. But for the second season, the Ánima Estudios and
Roberto Gómez Bolaños teams
worked on new stories for the
animated character.
Throughout its career,
Ánima Estudios has chosen
to inject a touch of Mexico
into each of its productions.
Each project has portrayed
stories, legends, and ways of
life from Mexican society but
at the same time has made
them universal, to make them
understandable in other parts
of the world.
“We saw two aspects to
the business: one was to attack the local market, with
the traditions and customs
that identify Mexicans, but
we also wanted to create films
with an international reach.
That is why we did Don Gato
(Top Cat), with different
partners, which in the end has
been shown in more than 60
countries, both in film theaters and on video and television,” says De Fuentes.
Top Cat, the Hanna Barbera character, was made
into a film in 2011 by Ánima
Estudios. The movie has been
screened in cinemas in 27 different countries; in England it
was among the top 10 movies
for almost four weeks.
La leyenda de la Llorona
(The Legend of La Llorona)
and La leyenda de las momias (The Legend of the Mummies) –to be premiered in
2014– are some of the classic
movies by Ánima Estudios
that incorporate Mexican
traditions and myths.
Another of the company’s
major projects is Teenage
Fairytale Dropouts, a series
October 2014
made with investment from
Australia and Ireland, which
has been shown in over 20
countries. The animated series deals with the story of
three teenagers whose life unfolds in a world of wizards,
giants, and fairies.
Over 14 years, Ánima Estudios has partnered with companies such as Warner Brothers,
Cartoon Network, and Nickelodeon, among others.
According to Fernando De
Fuentes, animation is an industry that provides significant dividends to the Mexican economy.
The creator notes that, due to
the economic importance of the
sector, agencies like ProMéxico
have focused their efforts on
promoting Mexican creative
companies in different countries. Proof of that, he says, is
that this year Mexico is the
guest country at the MIPCOM
international television festival
in Cannes, France.
“It has been up to us to
demonstrate that this industry
generates many jobs and exports to many countries. We
are continuing to grow and I
think in 10 years the outlook
will be much better for this
industry,” he concludes. N
www.animaestudios.com
Throughout its career,
Ánima Estudios has
chosen to inject a touch
of Mexico into each of
its productions. Each
project has portrayed
stories, legends, and
ways of life from
Mexican society but at
the same time has made
them universal, to make
them understandable
in other parts of the
world.
35
Negocios ProMéxico | Mexico’s Partner
photos
Pimienta Films,
independent films
made in Mexico
Though a relative newcomer, Pimienta Films, a Mexican
film producer, is encountering success, with coproductions with other countries and its own catalogue
of independent films.
by antonio vázquez
Founded in 2008, Pimienta
Films began as an independent
production company, with a
single guiding principle: to
create short films, documentaries and auteur independent
feature films.
“I started in those years
with a first project as a producer. I traveled to festivals
and I realized I needed a back-
36
up, not only to be the producer, but to have a company
as a calling-card when making
international co-productions.
That was how the need to
formally set up Pimienta Films
arose,” says Nicolás Celis,
founder of the company.
Nicolás has enjoyed the
support of his brother Sebastián Celis to take the produc-
tion house forward. In these
six years, Pimienta Films has
made its mark on more than
16 feature films and four
short films, many of them
screened at major film festivals in Europe.
For television, Pimienta
Films has been involved in
series for channels like ESPN
and HBO.
“This is a good time for
us. People trust that we can
make movies no more expensively than other producers.
We can prepare a lower-risk
business proposal, one that
isn’t a shot in the dark” says
Nicolás Celis.
And although money in
a creative company dedicated to films is important,
for Pimienta Films still more
so is the vision and project
of each of the directors he
works with.
pimienta films
In Agua Fria de Mar, a film
by the director Paz Fabrega,
Pimienta Films participated as
co-producer in 2010. The film,
a co-production between Costa Rica, France, Netherlands,
Spain and Mexico, won the
Tiger Award at the Rotterdam
Film Festival.
The Celis brothers also
participated in 2011 providing
production services in the US
film The Broken Tower, directed by actor James Franco.
With Somos lo que hay, a
Mexican film made in 2010
by director Jorge Michel
Grau, Nicolás Celis –as its
producer– reached French
soil, since the film was
premiered that year at the
Cannes Directors’ Fortnight.
Currently, the Celis brothers’ company is working on
about eight feature film projects. It is participating in dif-
October 2014
Mexico’s Partner | Negocios ProMéxico
ferent stages of each, either in
pre-production, under development or in post-production.
Nicolás Celis says his
company has given priority to film production before
anything else. “We have a lot
of film projects right now. It
wasn’t like that at the start.
Many companies do things
like advertising at the same
time, they diversify to earn
resources, but in the long term
this means they get involved in
other things that distract them
from making films. In our case
it has been different,” adds
Sebastián Celis.
The commitment to independent cinema has proven
fruitful for Pimienta Films.
“The kind of film we do is
not very conventional, and it
is what has produced results.
We are consistent with the
cost of a movie and its potential scope. For example,
there is Heli (Amat Escalante,
2013) –on which I was line
producer– a really powerful
film that has toured many
countries around the world,”
explains Nicolás Celis.
He adds, “We try to make
movies with good scripts,
without sacrificing the quality
of a project. We work closely
with directors and more than
offering a production service,
where they come and pay for
what they get, our work is
100% committed.”
The cinematic touch of the
brothers Celis has also been
injected into television projects, such as the ESPN series
Capitales del futbol, in which
they participated in 2012, and
production of the program The
Road to South Africa, an HBO
special on the 2010 World Cup.
Sebastián Celis stresses
that Mexico offers a wide
range of funds to filmmakers,
plus several advantages for the
production of films, at competitive prices, and a great range
on offer in terms of locations
and skilled personnel.
October 2014
The Celis brothers argue
that 2014 is a key year for
Pimienta Films. The company
has diversified and consolidated, and is working on a French
and German co-production of
a film by an Iranian director.
“It is always a pleasure
to discover a project that we
like, meet a director with great
ideas, and raise and build the
project from scratch,” concludes Nicolás Celis. N
www.pimientafilms.com
The commitment to independent cinema
has proven fruitful for Pimienta Films.
“The kind of film we do is not very
conventional, and it is what has produced
results. We are consistent with the cost
of a movie and its potential scope. For
example, there is Heli (Amat Escalante,
2013) –on which I was line producer– a
really powerful film that has toured many
countries around the world,” explains
Nicolás Celis.
37
Negocios ProMéxico | Figures
photos
courtesy of weeping willow
Weeping Willow,
art and passion
with a bicultural flavor
Mexico and Canada are at the roots of Weeping Willow, a film and television production company that seeks to
establish itself in the quality content market in North America.
by antonio vázquez
Passionate is the right word
to describe Weeping Willow, a
film and television production
company that contains the
best of two countries: Mexico
and Canada.
Andrea Martínez Crowther
–who has both Mexican and
Canadian roots– heads up the
company that has been involved in co-productions that
cross borders.
One of its most notable
movies is Ciclo, filmed in 2009
but released in 2012. The
movie was the first with the
seal of the Weeping Willow
production company, though
years earlier, Andrea Martínez
had already filmed another
movie whose rights were sold.
“When Ciclo premiered,
so did Weeping Willow. The
English name is not meant to
be anti-Mexican but is because
of my bicultural origin. One of
the goals of the company is to
export content. I am bilingual,
I am bicultural, I know how
to speak to audiences outside
of Mexico, to speak culturally. They love the things we
have done for Canada,” says
Martínez Crowther, who is
strongly attached to her cultural and family roots. That
38
October 2014
Figures | Negocios ProMéxico
passion for her two cultures
and her family history was
captured in Ciclo.
The film documents the bike
trip made by Arthur and Gustavo Martínez (Andrea’s father
and uncle) to Canada. Fiftythree years earlier, the brothers
had made the same 5,600-mile
journey between Mexico City
and Toronto, mounted on their
two-wheelers. On their first trip,
they left only with bikes, 100
usd and two changes of clothes.
This time, they were accompanied by a whole production
team that recorded each push
of the pedals as they visited
the same points they did half a
century before.
“I grew up with this
story; it is part of my family,
of my own bicultural origin.
My father met my mother
in Canada and returned to
Mexico,” says the filmmaker.
For the production of
Ciclo, Andrea Martínez had
access to funds from both
Mexico and the US. The story
of the two men, who are now
over 70 years of age, drew attention in both countries.
The film allowed the head
of Weeping Willow to explore
other fields, such as television
content. Thus, the production
company has mixed the two
media in order to create quality productions.
The company’s first television project is called Ingredients for a Good Life. It is a
series of programs presented
by Amanda Martínez –a
Mexican-Canadian singer
and cousin of Andrea– who
travels through different
regions of Mexico analyzing
the local culture.
“It is about presenting
the lesser-known regions
of Mexico to the Canadian
public. We wanted to build
confidence among Canadians
that they can eat anywhere in
Mexico and feel safe, that they
can travel to Mexico safely,”
explains Martínez Crowther.
October 2014
Ingredients for a Good
Life now has six episodes
that capture the richness of
San Luis Potosí and another
six addressing the beauty of
Baja California.
Another project is Bicycle
Diaries, a production broadcast
by TV-UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico) that recounts the experience
of people who use bikes to commute to work, home, school, for
exercise or just for fun.
“Bicycle Diaries is a great
product for export, since
people from France or the US
are just as interested because it
is a universal theme. There is
a lot of material in Mexico to
export,” points out Martínez
Crowther, who has worked
in international productions
and considers that Mexico’s
film industry has some excellent talent. Mexican directors,
photographers, and crews are
acknowledged by professionals
from other countries, she says.
The producer has engaged
in dialogue with ProMéxico
to plan a marketing strategy
in other countries. For now,
among her plans is to open
offices in Canada and on Mexico’s border with the US.
“We are working to position ourselves as a producer
and exporter of quality television content; we will open
offices in Tijuana and Toronto
to generate co-productions
that are seen both inside and
outside of Mexico,” reveals
Martínez Crowther.
Currently Weeping Willow
is producing the program My
Dancing Heart for Al Jazeera’s
Viewfinder series. This documentary is an exploration of
sensuality, romance and the
possibility of love among senior citizens in Mexico City
whose passion revolves around
the danzón, a traditional slowmoving dance which is very
popular in Mexico. N
For the production of Ciclo, Andrea Martínez had
access to funds from both Mexico and the US. The
story of the two men, who are now over 70 years
of age, drew attention in both countries. The film
allowed the head of Weeping Willow to explore
other fields, such as television content. Thus, the
production company has mixed the two media in
order to create quality productions.
weepingwillow.mx
39
Negocios ProMéxico | Mexico’s Partner
photos
courtesy of atmósfera producciones
Mexico’s Partner | Negocios ProMéxico
Atmósfera Producciones,
a layer of creativity
From the Mexican border with the US, this producer of audiovisual content has created television programs
for networks such as ABC, Telemundo and CNN, among others.
by antonio vázquez
Located in Ciudad Juárez,
Chihuahua, on the Mexican
border with the US, Atmósfera
Producciones is a company
capable of creating any communication product, some of
which have been transmitted
by US networks like ABC.
The company run by Abigail Villegas and Juan Carlos
Domínguez, began operations
40
in the late 1990s, when Ciudad Juárez had about 16 local
channels in operation, generating a high level of demand for
audiovisual services for different customers.
Villegas was a great visionary and thought beyond
meeting the needs of local
television consumers. With
Atmósfera Producciones she
began creating independent
television not only for consumers in Ciudad Juárez but
also in the US.
“Being on the border allowed us to contact a lot of
producers from other networks
and generate content for the
US, mostly focused towards
the Spanish-speaking public
that lives there. We began to
build up collaborations, a network of contacts and we now
cover a high level of demand
for independent television
along the border of Mexico
and the US,” says Villegas.
The first productions by
Atmósfera were magazine and
youth programs aimed at border audiences. Social and political issues were soon added to
the catalogue of the company, in
response to the demands of its
customers in the US.
Over time, the contributions for the US gained ground
on the agenda of Atmósfera
Producciones, according
to Villegas. “We produced
content mainly for ABC that
aired nationally in the US. As
a small business, for us it has
been a great experience that
our content is transmitted over
a network like ABC in prime
time and, moreover, in another
language,” she says.
In total, Atmósfera Producciones developed over 40
programs on tourism themes
for ABC, which highlighted
the major tourist attractions
in five states of Mexico –including Chihuahua, Yucatán
and Quintana Roo.
Reforms in telecommunications approved in 2014
in Mexico will bring great
opportunities for producers
of television content, says
Villegas. For her, the fact that
competition will be opened up
October 2014
within the sector will allow
the number of television channels to increase and as a result
there will be greater demand
for content.
“In the US, for example,
the transition from analog
to digital television led more
channels to open overnight. In
Mexico something similar will
happen and that will benefit the user because there is
more competition. It will also
benefit those who work in
production because there will
be more demand for content,”
Villegas suggests.
With a team of 15 people,
in recent years Atmósfera Producciones has been focused on
creating audiovisual products
for the corporate image of companies, as well as touristic content for different customers.
“We’ve worked with
CNN, Telemundo and many
other networks that come to
Ciudad Juárez looking for information [...] Being based on
October 2014
With a team of 15
people, in recent
years Atmósfera
Producciones has
been focused on
creating audiovisual
products for the
corporate image
of companies, as
well as touristic
content for different
customers.
the border, we have the best of
both countries and understand
both sides,” claims Villegas.
Currently, Atmósfera Producciones is working closely
with ProMéxico to help its
own independent content
reach other global markets.
“We are growing and we
have plans to generate content
for social networks. Producing
content for television is expensive but the opportunities will
open up and we will be working on this because it’s what
we like. In Mexico, there are
many opportunities to grow;
there is a lot of talent and a
very positive outlook,” concludes Abigail Villegas. N
www.atmosferaproductions.com
41
Negocios ProMéxico | Mexico’s Partner
photos
courtesy of come sesos
Mexico’s Partner | Negocios ProMéxico
Ostos, who presides
over CutOut
Fest, a prestigious
international
animated film
festival held every
year in Querétaro,
says Mexico has
the talent to get
people in film and
animation circles
all over the world
sitting up and
taking notice.
Come Sesos,
a Young Mexican
Filmmaker
Headed for
International Fame
Founder and director of the Come Sesos animation
studio, Jonathan Ostos is barely 28 but is already
garnering attention at international film festivals.
by antonio vázquez
He’s barely 28 but Jonathan
Ostos Yaber is shaping up as
one of the Mexican creators
most likely to get tongues
wagging in film and animation
circles in the coming years.
Founder and director of
the Come Sesos animation
studio, Ostos’ short films have
been screened at over 130
festivals, including Cannes, Edinburgh, LA Short Fest and the
Hong Kong International Film
Festival, to name just a few.
After a lengthy sojourn in
the United Kingdom, Ostos
returned to Mexico in 2007 to
work on his pet project: Come
Sesos. He managed to recruit
a team of 10 talented professionals, who have helped him
produce everything from short
films and features to television
series and commercials.
Commercials like the United
Nations Human Rights Campaign for Latin America that
Ostos directed in 2011 and that
received over 1,000,000 hits in
just one week.
“It was a commercial on human rights; a campaign on how
to defend them. We also have
several clients in Mexico who
we do commercials for, like the
Chamber of Deputies and Cinépolis [Mexico’s largest movie
theater chain],” says Ostos.
One of his pride and joys
is La nostalgia del señor Alambre (Mr. Wire’s Nostalgia,
2009), which won Best Short
42
Film in Mexico and has been
shown at the Cannes and
Hong Kong film festivals and
the Berlin International Short
Film Festival, among others.
“Mr. Wire is a wonderful storyteller. He loves telling children stories about
his village, about aliens and
monsters. Every story, every
chapter is filled with drama
and romance. And it’s all told
through shadow theater,”
says Ostos.
The short caught the eye of
producers in Ottawa who have
decided to take Mr. Wire to
Canadian television screens.
“Of the thousands of
projects submitted, only two
were selected to be broadcast
on Canadian television and
one of them was Mr. Wire,”
Ostos recalls.
Ostos, who presides over
CutOut Fest, a prestigious international animated film festival
held every year in Querétaro,
says Mexico has the talent to
get people in film and animation
circles all over the world sitting
up and taking notice.
His most recent project is a feature called The
Morphable Man. Of a more
commercial bent, this co-production with France and the
US aims to “show the world
of conventional film that
Mexico is capable of producing quality visual effects that
entertain people.”
The Morphable Man tells
the story of a young man
who is viewed as a freak because of his ability to change
his physical appearance.
Unable to control his morphability, there is, however,
one girl who accepts and
loves him for who he is.
In 2014, the Mexican beer
brand Sol selected Ostos as the
face of its “Free Spirit” campaign and will be promoting
the work of this independent
filmmaker worldwide.
One of Ostos’ future
projects is a feature made up
of 10 short animated films
on the traditions of Mexico’s
indigenous peoples. Each story
will be directed by a different
Mexican filmmaker and will
be set to symphony music.
“In five years’ time,” he
says, “I see myself producing
a lot of films. It’s what I love
most.” N
www.comesesos.com
October 2014
October 2014
43
Negocios ProMéxico | Mexico’s Partner
photos
courtesy of dubbing house
Mexico’s Partner | Negocios ProMéxico
Dubbing House:
Mexico’s Voice AbroaD
With 80% of its annual production for export, this
Mexican dubbing company translates some of the
world’s most successful TV series and films into Spanish,
English and Portuguese.
by antonio vázquez
More than half the Spanish
dubbing of films, series and
programs that are produced
around the world is done in
Mexico, a fact that has not
gone unnoticed by Dubbing
House, a company directed
by Jorge Arregui and Paola
Felgueres, professionals with
almost three decades of experience in the industry.
Arregui began working in
the dubbing industry in the
mid 1980s, when he worked
for a company that formed
part of Televisa, Mexico’s
main television company.
In 2004, Jorge and Paola
decided to set up their own
venture and created Dubbing
House, a company that specializes in dubbing but which also
offers post-production audio
services for different entertainment platforms (film, television,
videogames), subtitling and
audio design, among others.
“Over time, our clients
have asked us to help them
dub into other languages,”
Arregui says, “and so we now
have affiliate studios in Brazil,
the US and Canada, where we
dub mainly into Portuguese
and English.”
Practically 80% of the
firm’s dubbing projects are exported to the US, from where
the television networks and
producers distribute their series, now dubbed into Spanish,
to Latin America and Hispanic
communities in the US.
Mexico’s dubbing industry is thriving; in Mexico
44
alone, around 37,000 programs are dubbed each year
by 35 fully fledged companies
using approximately 1,200
actors who offer a wide
range of voices, and generating some 3,000 direct jobs.
Where does the dubbing
voice fit into the picture?
“We are working for 20th
Century Fox on the dubbing
of the Modern Family series,”
answers Arregui, “and on
films that are being shown at
cinemas in Mexico and Latin
America, such as Don Gato
(Top Cat) and recently Boxtrolls. For a long time we also
dubbed several episodes of
Sesame Street as well as many
other famous TV series.”
The company also dubbed
into English the cartoon series of El Chavo –a character
created by the Mexican actor Roberto Gómez Bolaños,
which has enjoyed success in
Latin America for a number of
decades. The English version
of El Chavo now numbers 70
episodes, each one dubbed by
Jorge Arregui’s company.
“The great contribution
of Mexican industry to the
world of dubbing has been
that we not only translate but
also adapt. Many countries
in the region have their own
idiomatic expressions but in
Mexico we have been very
careful to neutralize the language,” says Arregui.
He adds that “Mexican
actors are creative and versatile; they can come up with a
voice for any cartoon, animal
or Disney character. They cry
with the same intensity as the
screen actor and take care
with the language so that it
can be understood throughout
Latin America. Mexican dubbing is undoubtedly the most
widely accepted.”
With 25 employees, a portfolio of more than 500 voice
actors, 25 dubbing directors
and a similar number of translators, the company also dubs
documentaries and programs
for IMAX screens.
Jorge Arregui recounts that
90% of dubbing production in
Mexico is exported to the US
and several European countries.
October 2014
October 2014
“Fortunately, ProMéxico
has created a section for creative
companies and it’s beginning to
provide support for other markets, for independent production companies, so that they can
sell their products around the
world,” says Arregui.
The firm’s president emphasizes that new technologies and globalization will
allow the Mexican dubbing
industry to grow significantly
in the coming years.
For the time being, Dubbing House is already working on its own productions
for cell phones, tablets and
other mobile devices; the Internet trend has also led to a
“The great contribution of Mexican
industry to the world of dubbing has been
that we not only translate but also adapt.
Many countries in the region have their
own idiomatic expressions but in Mexico
we have been very careful to neutralize the
language,” says Arregui.
new production line within
the company itself.
“We also work practically
hand in hand with other Mexican production companies such
as Ánima Estudios in order to
compete as partners in other
countries.” At the same time, the
company leads the market for
dubbing in Mexico. “The best
movies are dubbed in Mexico.
Major film launches by Fox,
Universal, Disney and Sony are
dubbed here, along with the
world’s best series and videogames,” concludes Arregui. N
www.dubbinghouse.com.mx
45
Negocios ProMéxico | Mexico’s Partner
Kokonut Studio:
When Everything
Aligns in Your Favor
The Mexican company Kokonut Studio has been
listed by Apple as one of the best developers of
games for mobile devices in Latin America.
46
photos
courtesy of kokonut studios
by antonio vázquez
It is possible that Benjamin
Morales, co-founder of the
Mexican creative company
Kokonut Studio, never imagined that one day his creations
would be among the best
ranked by the American company Apple.
In 2009, fresh out of college, Morales decided to start
his own project that would include four other professionals
also newly emerged from the
classroom. The group formed
Kokonut Studio and began
working on what was in vogue
at the time: multimedia.
Soon, Benjamin Morales
departed to Canada and other
partners took their own di-
rections. But in 2011, they
resumed the original project,
now with a new purpose: to
enter the world of apps and
games for iPhone, Apple’s
mobile phone.
Kokonut Studio took a
risk, creating a first game for
Apple, which led to TechBA
–a program of the US-Mexico Foundation for Science
(FUMEC) based in Seattle,
Washington, which supports
talented companies– taking an
interest in the work of Morales and his colleagues.
In Seattle, the Kokonut
team focused on learning a
business model to leverage
their creativity.
October 2014
Mexico’s Partner | Negocios ProMéxico
Then, Chillingo, a leading
global video games publishing
company, became interested in
Kokonut Studio and thus the
success story for the Mexican
company began.
“The truth is that the stars
were in alignment and we
were very lucky. From there,
we started working on a game
called Sky Hero which went
very well. In 2013, Apple selected Sky Hero as one of the
best applications made in Latin America. With that we fulfilled one of our initial goals:
to win credibility and create a
First World product,” explains
Benjamin Morales.
Sky Hero is a game based
on an episode from Mexican
history. The “Niños Heroes”
are well known in the country
as a group of young Military
Academy cadets who fought
in September 1847 during the
war between Mexico and the
US. Juan Escutia, one of those
cadets, has become an iconic
figure in Mexican history; it is
claimed he threw himself from
the top of Chapultepec Castle
in Mexico City, wrapped in
the Mexican flag, rather than
surrender to the advancing
American troops.
Sky Hero recreates the
legend of Juan Escutia. In the
video game developed by Kokonut Studio for the iPhone
screen, the character who
represents Juan Escutia throws
himself from the castle, evades
enemies and, as in any game,
collects points.
October 2014
But Sky Hero had an
added value which caught
the attention of users. “We
integrated a weather system.
If you play in a city where it
is raining, it rains in the game
too; if it is snowing, it snows
in the game also. That is what
we were looking for and do
now with our games: they integrate technology, the virtual
world with reality,” Morales
points out.
Currently, Kokonut Studio is developing a couple of
games that will be released
between October 2014 and
March 2015, for both iOS and
Android.
In addition, the company
creates applications for clients
such as McDonald’s, Playboy
and Televisa –Mexico’s leading
television company.
Benjamin Morales notes
that Mexico has a talent for
creating games and apps for
mobile devices and emphasizes
that local talent is emerging
across the country. “There is
a great development in the
industry in Mexico. Many
US companies are turning to
Mexico and see it as a good
developer, with a lot of talent.
Before we had a lot of competition with South America,
with countries like Colombia
and Argentina, but that has
been changing and will continue to change because the
world increasingly sees us as
good developers,” he says.
According to Morales, the
increasing use of mobile devices
in Mexico will further boost the
development of the sector and
open the doors for companies
in the US and Asia to settle in
the country, which will result in
increased employment.
Today, with a team of over
20 people, Kokonut Studio is
poised to become a leader in
the development of apps and
games around the globe.
Among the company’s future plans are to venture into
console games, which require
investments to multiply fivefold. “It’s more expensive, with
bigger development and there
is more risk, but we want to
stay ahead and continue to
produce first class applications,” concludes Morales. N
“We integrated a
weather system. If you
play in a city where it
is raining, it rains in
the game too; if it is
snowing, it snows in the
game also. That is what
we were looking for
and do now with our
games: they integrate
technology, the virtual
world with reality,”
Morales points out.
www.kokonutstudio.com
47
Negocios ProMéxico | Mexico’s Partner
photos
courtesy of mantiz game studios
Mexico’s Partner | Negocios ProMéxico
2014 it will attend international meetings where intellectual property and products
are bought and sold.
The Global Career
of Mantiz GAme Studios
The video games created by this developer founded in the center of Mexico are downloaded across Asia and North
America. Having understood the business to perfection, it is time to accelerate growth.
by omar magaña
Mantiz Game Studios has built
many bridges; the strongest of
them links the Hidalgo State
Science and Technology Park,
in central Mexico, with the
city of Vancouver, British Columbia in Western Canada.
The Mexican company,
which produces content for
digital platforms, operates
in both places and as a result has carved out valuable
spaces for itself in the global
market for video games and
content for the commercial
and educational sectors.
Mantiz Game Studios
aspired to internationalization since its creation in 2009.
Joining the acceleration program for technology-based
small and medium enterprises
(SMEs) from Mexico (TechBA)
in 2012 helped to clarify its
48
objectives and define the forms
and processes to be followed
to enter and survive in the
global environment.
“It has helped us a lot to
establish the global market
as our goal and to make applications and games with
the quality expected by this
market; it’s not about making
just another App but one that
makes a real impact,” says
Camilo Islas Amador, CEO of
Mantiz Game.
TechBA, the business accelerator created by the USMexico Foundation for Science (FUMEC) with the aim
of promoting Mexican SMEs
that offer innovative value
and potential to compete in
global markets, hosted Mantiz Games at its headquarters
in Vancouver.
“The dynamic and innovative digital media and
videogames industry in British
Columbia is recognized as a
leader in design, development
and animation. With more than
1,000 digital media companies,
it generates revenue of 1.7 billion USD each year and shows
annual growth rates of 30%,”
reports the TechBA website.
Two years after it began
activities in Hidalgo, the
founders of Mantiz Game approached TechBA during SME
Week 2011. “We saw that
we had the capacity to move
forward and it has been a success,” recalls Islas. “That has
enabled us to improve a huge
range of processes and develop
new products and services
demanded by the international
market,” he adds.
Since Mantiz Game joined
TechBA, it has generated
products that have been downloaded in Japan, South Korea,
China and the US. The latter
two nations have become its
two largest consumers.
An ally in the world
According to Islas, the connection with ProMéxico has
enabled Mantiz Game to get
to the places where the business relevant to its industry
is carried out. In 2012, it
participated in the convention for professionals, Game
Connection; in 2013 it also
participated in GamesCom,
in Cologne, Germany, where
the company’s delegates
conducted business with publishers who were interested
in the firm, and in October
October 2014
The Mantiz seal
The name of the company
(which refers to the Praying
Mantis) expresses its purpose: “To provide experiences
through technology, catch the
target and not let it go.” With
that premise, Mantiz Game
has developed specialized applications for major brands and
companies, including Liverpool,
Sony Ericsson, British American
Tobacco and Coca Cola.
It offers two kinds of solutions for these firms. Firstly,
advergames, a form of digital
marketing that integrates
consumers with the products
and services of a company
through playful platforms for
mobile devices, or apps, which
organizations use to offer differentiated services that are
of great value to their market.
Secondly, augmented reality,
which is another useful way
of providing the brands with
a presence in the immediate
surroundings of users, linked
to new technologies.
Mantiz Game also serves
the education sector with applications and games that bring
scientific knowledge to young
people in a fun way. Those
include Mighty Mike, which
challenges the user’s knowledge
of history; Experiments with
Liquids, which gives the player
information on the melting
point, boiling point and density
of various elements before challenging him, and others related
to health sciences.
Islas explains that there are
three ways to monetize their
products: by direct payment,
through the downloadable
content sold in the store of
each application, or with advertising that is inserted into
the free apps.
Several of its products
have achieved up to 1,400
October 2014
Several of Mantiz Game’s products have achieved
up to 1,400 downloads on the day of publication
and an average of 30,000 total downloads. Some
like PiojoGoool, available for Android devices
from June 27, 2014 –during World Cup fever–,
have come close to 100,000 downloads.
downloads on the day of
publication and an average
of 30,000 total downloads.
Some like PiojoGoool, available for Android devices from
June 27, 2014 –during World
Cup fever–, have come close to
100,000 downloads.
According to Islas, in 2014,
Mantiz Game will complete two
new games, one for a client and
one of its own. Another important challenge before the end of
2014 is to achieve CMMI Level
2 certification “and thus enter
the largest and most important
markets,” says Islas.
The company, he continues, should strengthen the
line of business related to the
development of its own video
games for various platforms,
including consoles.
As an organization, Mantiz has consolidated its hu-
man capital. That has grown
from two to 16 people, for
whom game development has
become a stable and formal
mode of employment.
That has been achieved,
according to Islas, as a result of
understanding how to capitalize
in the field. “We need to create
products, not only know how to
program,” says Islas. It is here,
he says, where the support of
experts becomes important: in
addition to promoting investment, they help generate the
context for producing, selling
and exporting. In Mexico it is
crucial to generate these synergies, insists Islas.
Opportunities for
development
“There are great expectations
for Mexico and Latin America.
In fact, large companies are
looking for intellectual property that can only be sold or can
only be understood in Latin
America,” says Islas.
Increasingly, he asserts,
multinational companies are
looking for content specific to
the region and for developers
who understand the culture
and can take charge of generating those products. However,
in a region where the industry
is still emerging, the challenge
is to understand the tools and
standards of the major economies and use those as a basis
for production.
Mantiz Game offers training workshops for young
people interested in developing
video games that are sold on
the iOS, Android and Facebook platforms. “Soon we’ll
have it online. We not only
want young people from the
region (Central Mexico) to
come to work at Mantiz but
also we want the industry to
grow, for there to be many
games companies because then
it is easier to be noticed from
abroad,” concludes Islas. N
www.mantizgs.com
49
Negocios ProMéxico | Mexico’s Partner
photos
courtesy of chico chihuahua
Chico Chihuahua,
the Cartoon Character that
Changed an Animator’s Life
Chico Chihuahua has achieved cyberspace fame though animated films, comic strips
and other creative products. As many as 70,000 users in Latin America and as far afield
as Japan and Russia visit this cartoon dog’s site every month.
by antonio vázquez
Designer and animation artist
Blanca Ruiz graduated from
the prestigious Iberoamericana University and began her
professional career in graphic
design, but in the back of her
mind she still nurtured the
idea to “create cartoon figures” that incarnated the idiosyncrasies of Mexican society.
50
And so, in 2010, she invented a character that was
to change her life: Chico Chihuahua, a cartoon dog that
gets mixed up in all kinds of
adventures, always in the company of his six best friends.
“I had a diploma from
Oxford after publishing a
bilingual Mexican cook book,
and that was when I created
Chico Chihuahua. “Chico
Chihuahua was a product of
the dissertation I did for my
Oxford diploma. I did a great
deal of market research and
realized there were no books
for children in Mexico and
Latin America that portrayed
their cultures. All the charac-
October 2014
Mexico’s Partner | Negocios ProMéxico
ters that reach the region are
imported. Not a single one
reflects our own culture. That’s
why I chose the Chihuahua,
which everyone knows is a
Mexican dog, and other characters like Pulga, a flea who
lives in Chico Chihuahua’s fur.
Both are friendly and cheerful,
which are very Mexican attributes,” says Ruiz.
Motherhood forced me to
shelve the project for a couple
of years but I took it up again
and designed a simple site for
Chico,” says Ruiz.
It didn’t take long for Ruiz’
creation to reach 20,000 hits.
Telcel, one of Mexico’s leading
mobile phone companies, saw
in Chico Chihuahua an excellent vehicle to market digital
content to younger users.
October 2014
Chico Chihuahua has managed to sustain his
popularity, receiving as many as 100,000 hits
a month during high season (between May and
November) and has just over 9,000 followers on
Facebook.Approximately 80% of visitors to the
Chico Chihuahua site are Mexican but there are
also fans in other Latin American countries and
as far afield as Japan and Russia.
By then, however, Garfield
producer Phil Roman had seen
Chico Chihuahua on the Internet and contacted Ruiz. Roman, being a Mexican-American, liked Chico Chihuahua
and gave her very good advice
on how to further develop
Chico Chihuahua.
Ruiz took Roman’s advice
and redesigned the Chico Chihuahua site in Spanish and English and in less than three weeks
she had tallied 70,000 visitors.
Chico Chihuahua has
managed to sustain his popularity, receiving as many as
100,000 hits a month during
high season (between May and
November) and has just over
9,000 followers on Facebook.
Approximately 80% of visitors to the Chico Chihuahua
site are Mexican but there are
also fans in other Latin American countries and as far afield
as Japan and Russia.
Although Ruiz has several
graphic design projects on the
go, her chirpy cartoon mutt
takes up most of her time. In
2013, she launched an online
store offering various Chico
Chihuahua gift products like
jewelry, plush toys, t-shirts and
free content like postcards,
comic strips, wallpapers, calendars and downloads for
mobile devices, among others.
“What I’m aiming to convey with Chico Chihuahua are
positive values. The content
targets mainly children aged
7-11 and tweens, kids from 11
to 13, and up,” says Ruiz, but
we can say that the property is
psicographic aiming at people
of any age and any cultural
background but share the
values of the brand.
Her cute character has
been adopted by a string of
organizations, companies and
government agencies, and
even features in a guidebook
for children on the Cholula,
Puebla archaeological site
in 2013 that reached over
100,000 kids
Meanwhile, Chico Chihuahua is rehearsing for his first
animated short film, in which
he digs to the roots of Mexico’s Day of the Dead tradition
in a funny way.
“Chico Chihuahua is an
entertainment brand. What
I want people to see in him
are the values of our own
culture, not those imposed by
others,” says Ruiz.
The content of the Chico
Chihuahua site is free but Ruiz
is working on a Premium pay
zone, where users can purchase improved subscriptionbased products.
Her plans for Chico’s future include the opening of
a store in the Magical Town
of Cholula, in Puebla, which
receives some 700,000 visitors
a year, more short films and
even a television series starring
her adorable cartoon dog.
In September 2014, the
company inked a licensing
contract with Boston, Massachusetts based Bare Tree Media for the development and
distribution of virtual products
including stickers, Emojis and
Emoticons, which will be distributed on instant messaging
platforms, social networks and
online and console games.
Bare Tree Media’s network
of social partners reaches more
than 20 billion users worldwide.
Among its portfolio of licensed
brands are Garfield, Domo,
Hello Kitty and SO SO Happy.
“The partnership with Bare
Tree Media will enable us to
venture boldly into new markets; the brand will be communicated through emotions,
using its characteristic humor.
The concept will be easily
exportable to new markets,”
Blanca Ruiz concludes. N
www.chico-chihuahua.com
51
Negocios ProMéxico | Mexico’s Partner
infographic
oldemar
Mexico’s Partner | Negocios ProMéxico
MEXICO
AT MIPCOM 2014
MEXICO IS THE COUNTRY OF HONOR AT MIPCOM 2014 AND OVER 100 MEXICAN COMPANIES AND ORGANIZATIONS
RELATED TO THE CREATIVE AND MEDIA INDUSTRIES WILL PARTICIPATE IN THIS IMPORTANT EVENT.
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Adicta Films
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Epics FX Studios México
Altea Internacional
Estudios Máquina Voladora
Anima Estudios
ETC Media Group
Argos Comunicación
Éxodo Animation Studios
Arte Mecánica Producciones
Film Tank
1
ANIAMEAD
Filmalia
Avanti Pictures
Fly & Lovestory
BluePrint
FPU Nexus
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Fremantlemedia
Bravo Films
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Habitant Productions
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Industria Digital
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IMCINE
CANIEM2
Integradora Cinematográfica
Canal 22 México
InterSAD/Red2play TV
Canal Once
Irreversible Cinema5
Caponeto Producciones
Kaxan Media Group
Caramel VFX
KW entertainment
Chamán Animation Studio
Lemon Films
Chico Chihuahua
Lemon Media
Cluster Studio
Locomoción Animaciones
Colectivo Coronel3
Los Cuates Films
Color Space
Los Ojos de mi Abuela
Comarex
Lumen Entertainment
Comtelsat
Mantiz Game Studios
Diecinueve Treinta y Seis
Mental Revolution
Dir. de Cinematografía de Dgo.
Metacube
Dir. Gral. de TV. Educativa
Mexico Channel
Don Porfirio
Mighty Studio
1Asociación Nacional de la Industria Audiovisual, Multimedia, Entretenimiento y Arte Digital / 2Cámara Nacional de la Industria Editorial Mexicana / 3Resonant TV Mexico
52
October 2014
HD
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4Economic Development Secretariat of Jalisco / 5101 producciones
October 2014
53
Negocios ProMéxico | Mexico’s Partner
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The Complete Guide to the Mexican Way of Life
The Lifestyle
Milenio Televisión
Milos Funky Studios
Minotauro Producciones
Modelarte | Efecto Secundario
Multimedios Televisión
Muv Experimento
Ocelotl Company
Univ. de Guadalajara TV6
Pisito Trece Producciones
Pixelatl
Presumiendo México
Producciones Kamaleon
Proteus International
Radio Televisión de Veracruz
Red México 7
Render Farm Studios
Sansierra Studio
Sidi Media
Sin Sentido Films
Radio y TV Mexiquense
SPREM 8
Stella Flora Films
Story: We produce 9
Sulafilms
Taller de Luz Producciones
Taller de Luz Producciones 10
The Dubbing House
Transmedia Audiovisual
Treehouse Army
TV UNAM
Something’s Cooking:
Seven Magical Mexican
Restaurants
Vision TV
Vitruvio Ingeniería Cultural
WeAreNotZombies
Z Grupo Creativo
6Operadora Sistema Universitario de Radio y Televisión/ 7Red de Radiodifusoras y Televisoras Educativas y Culturales de México /
8Sistema Público de Radio Difusión del Estado Mexicano / 9La Máquina Film and Tape / 10Efecto Luna Azul
54
HD
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Theatrical- Venture Licensing Kids & Docs &
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Capital
all rights
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courtesy of pujol
Weeping Willow Productions
October 2014
More a case of living to eat than eating to live,
we bring you seven restaurants that tantalize
the taste buds, some of which even feature
on San Pellegrino’s list of The World’s 50 Best
Restaurants.
65
56
The Lifestyle Briefs
60
Arty Accessories
58
Teodoro González de León,
the Man Who Transformed Mexico City
62
“What’s Important is That a Film
Elicits a Reaction in You”
Kenya Márquez, filmmaker
DESIGN
Museum of Modern Art’s
50th Anniversary
Design Week
Mexico 14
The Museum of Modern Art opened its
doors on September 20, 1964, aspiring to
house the biggest and most significant assemblage of art that depicts the evolution of
the visual arts in Mexico. To date, the Museum has a collection of 2,688 works comprising the painting, sculpture, printmaking,
photography and graphic art of 773 artists.
Located in a privileged wooded area of
Mexico City, Chapultepec Park, the site was
built on lands that once housed the Museum
of Flora and Fauna and later the Chapultepec Galleries and a children’s art school, the
Escuela Dominical de Arte.
The original design was the work of architects Pedro Ramírez Vázquez and Rafael
Mijares, with predominant glass and steel
and which, like the vocation that defines the
Museum, sought to illustrate the modern
side of the country.
The Museum has shown the best of
Mexican and international plastic aesthetics.
It has received exhibitions from the likes of
photo courtesy of museum of modern art
ART
sculptor Henry Moore, French painter Pierre
Soulages, the Settecento Veneziano, the Tesoros de San Marco, from Venice, and others. It
has featured an array of exhibitions that has
given millions of people access to Mexican
and universal art.
The exhibitions 50 Years/50 Works, Pedro Ramírez Vázquez. Inédito y funcional
(Unpublished and Functional), and Carteles del MAM, are part of the celebration.
50 Years/50 Works comprises 50 canonic
paintings and sculptures from 36 artists that
evoke the major art trends of the first half
of the 20th century. Pedro Ramírez Vázquez.
Inédito y funcional is the first retrospective
that focuses on architect Ramírez Vázquez’s
ability to lead interdisciplinary teams, and to
reconcile an overwhelmingly public career
and fresh artistic creativity. Finally, Carteles
del MAM outlines the cultural history of the
Museum through publicity material from its
Documentation Center.
www.museoartemoderno.com
The United Kingdom will be the guest country at Design Week Mexico 14, an event
established in 2009 to promote design and
creativity as values that contribute to social,
economic, and cultural development.
From October 14-18, Mexico City
will be hosting some 100 activities geared
toward architects, industrial, graphic and
interior designers, and students, while the
organizers are anticipating a turnout of
over 150,000 visitors this year.
A highlight of the event will be the
opening of the DWM Pavilion at the
Tamayo, where the architect Alejandro
Castro will be leading an intervention of
the museum’s back garden in an exercise
that combines art, design, and architecture.
Design House is another exercise in
which 16 architecture studios will be
putting forward restoration and interior
design ideas for an abandoned house in
the city’s Lomas de Chapultepec district.
Finally, Anna Karlín, Christopher Sharp,
ART
Huichol Rug,
A Collector’s Piece
Maya Festival
Down South
Designer Elissa Medina has launched a
series of collector’s rugs that take their inspiration from the psychedelic art of the
Huichol, an indigenous group from West
Mexico.
First shown in 2013 at the Mexican
Design Open, these brightly colored rugs
measuring 250 x 200 centimeters take the
form of animal pelts in reference to the
hunting traditions of the Huichol.
Medina’s geometrical designs are
computer-based, meticulously mapped
out pixel by pixel with mathematical precision and then hand embroidered and assembled according to the collector’s color
preferences.
These are strong pieces that lend a
room character and that are often the
lynchpin of interior design projects, serving as the focal point around which everything else in the space is planned.
of old and new has paved the way for a
reappraisal of the cultural and artistic traditions of Mexico’s indigenous peoples.
“Architecture in the Time and Space of the
Mayab” is to be the theme of the 3rd International Festival of Maya Culture (FIC
Maya), which will take place on October
17-26 in Yucatán.
Guatemala and the state of Campeche
in Southern Mexico will be the guests of
honor at the event, whose purpose is to
showcase the richness of the Maya culture,
which remains very much alive in Southeast Mexico and Central America.
Literary activities, performances, music and academic sessions look set to make
for an action-packed festival, which will
kick off at the stunning archaeological site
of Dzibilchaltún –a city founded in 500 BC
and inhabited right up until the Spanish
Conquest in 1540– before traveling on to
60 venues throughout the state of Yucatán.
www.elissamedina.com
www.ficmaya.com
56
photo santiago cassarino
DESIGN
In recent years, we’ve seen an upsurge
in the number of Mexican designers, not
just of clothes but of furniture and accessories, who are turning to their roots in
search of inspiration. The resulting fusion
October 2014
October 2014
photo archive
The Lifestyle Briefs
Matthew Hilton, Michael George Hemus,
Nigel Alkinson, Tom Dixon, Sir John Sorrell, and Russell Pinch will be giving conferences at the Tamayo and Modern Art
museums in Mexico City as part of Design
Week’s program of activities.
www.designweekmexico.com
photo ralf peter reimann
The Lifestyle Briefs
57
Negocios ProMéxico | The Lifestyle
photos
Teodoro González de León,
the Man Who Transformed
Mexico City
A man who has revolutionized Mexican architecture at the ripe age of 88,
Teodoro González de León admits it takes some effort not to repeat himself.
by
antonio vázquez
Architect, painter, sculptor, and author of
several books, Teodoro González de León
(Mexico City, 1926) is the quintessential
artist. And although his talents encompass almost every genre, he has chosen
to apply them to architecture, creating
an empire that has transformed Mexico
City’s skyline.
58
González de León has designed buildings with unmistakable lines, shapes, and
textures; grandiose, abstract, modern
buildings that lend Mexico’s capital its
unique identity.
A revolutionizing force in Mexican architecture, his faithful companion, the pencil, became an indispensable tool when he
archive
witnessed the building of artist Diego Rivera’s home and studio in the 1920s, under
the creative direction of Juan O’Gorman,
another icon of contemporary Mexican
architecture.
Later, it was the Architecture Faculty
at the National Autonomous University
of Mexico (UNAM) that was to map out
González de León’s career, while a scholarship from the French government allowed him to develop a style all his own.
A disciple of Mario Pani in Mexico and Le
Corbusier in France, he has sculpted large
sections of Mexico City’s urban landscape
with stone, walls, beams, and light.
During the two years he worked with
Le Corbusier, he claims the most valuable
lesson he learned was that “architecture is
a silent craft.”
González de León also teamed up with
another giant of Mexican architecture,
Abraham Zabludovsky, for a time. The in-
October 2014
The Lifestyle | Negocios ProMéxico
Minimalist blocks, chiseled concrete, and respect for the colossal works of Pre-Columbian
Mexico are his leitmotifs, while materials, structure, and dimensions form an equation that
always balances out perfectly in his works.
fluence of both architects can be seen in
the central offices of the National Workers Housing Fund Institute (INFONAVIT),
the Mexican embassy in Brazil, El Colegio
de México, the Rufino Tamayo Museum,
and the Nacional Auditorium, which they
renovated and extended.
The Federal Courthouse, the headquarters of the Fondo de Cultura Económica
–an important publishing house– and the
National Pedagogical University (UPN)
are other buildings that bear González de
León’s inimitable mark.
Minimalist blocks, chiseled concrete,
and respect for the colossal works of
Pre-Columbian Mexico are his leitmotifs,
while materials, structure, and dimensions
October 2014
form an equation that always balances out
perfectly in his works.
Among the many awards he has taken home over the years are the National
Arts Prize (1982), the Grand Prize at the
Sofia Biennial in Bulgaria (1988), and
Winner of the Buenos Aires Biennial in
Argentina (1991).
In interview in August 2014, on the
threshold of reaching 90 years of age,
González de León acknowledged that every project poses a challenge. The reason?
“Architecture is difficult if you want to do
something new and not repeat yourself. I
keep accumulating experience and that
makes it all the harder,” he has been quoted as saying. N
59
Negocios ProMéxico | The Lifestyle
photo courtesy of ana bárbara núñez
Arty Accessories
Georgina Treviño and Ana Bárbara Núñez are two Mexican designers who
have found in jewelry making a means of expressing their creative talents
with pieces that add a special touch to any outfit.
Georgina Treviño
Object Gems
karla bañuelos
Globalization and the growing popularity of social media have put the world at
our fingertips and fashion has been one of
the creative areas to benefit most, especially in Mexico, where access to the Internet
has produced increasingly sophisticated
collections. The craft of jewelry making
is no exception, as Georgina Treviño and
Ana Bárbara Núñez, two talented designers from North Mexico, go to prove.
Treviño has launched three collections
to date: Arquitectura, which is inspired by
geometrical lines and works of architecture;
Querida obsidiana, the product of a trip to
the Cantona archaeological site in Puebla,
where she came upon several obsidian stones,
and Somos una piedra preciosa, in which her
raw materials are the stones she has found
and collected. At the moment, she is working
on a collection that incorporates alternative
materials like cement, steel, and wood.
Working with other designers and artists has allowed her to enrich her outlook
and creative process. “My inspiration comes
from people I admire, architecture, books,
photography, art, and geometry. I’m particularly interested in spaces, shapes, lines.”
Ana Bárbara Núñez
On the Trail of Lola Bassó
www.trevinojoyeria.com
photo courtesy of georgina treviño
In the early 20th century, Marcel Duchamp coined the term objet trouvé, which
basically refers to the use of everyday objects for artistic purposes. It is a concept
Georgina Treviño appears to have discovered for herself as a young girl, when she
would play at making necklaces, earrings,
and bracelets out of stones, pieces of glass,
and bits of wood she’d found. In time, her
love of jewelry evolved into a vocation
and in 2011 she founded her own jewelry
Brand in which she combines unusual objects and materials with silver and other
metals to create minimalist, contemporary
pieces. “I’ve had a passion for jewelry since
I was a girl, when I’d make my own jew-
elry out of stones and objects I’d found.
My curiosity gradually grew and I took an
art course at the University of San Diego,
California, with a specialty in silver and
goldsmithing,” she says.
A native of Tijuana, Baja California,
Treviño is constantly on the hunt for new
techniques and materials for her creations.
Silver, gold plate, and tin are her staples
but she has been known to incorporate
stones and minerals like quartz and obsidian, whose multifarious shapes and properties she finds fascinating.
“I like to incorporate objects I’ve come
across by chance, like stones, and explore
their shapes. Manipulating an object and
presenting it in a fresh context imbues it
with meanings other to those we usually
associate with it,” she says.
by
60
The Lifestyle | Negocios ProMéxico
October 2014
Bees with bright blue, yellow, and purple bellies, petrified by delicate hands. A black pearl
engaging in dialogue with a pink amethyst. A
climbing plant that makes its way up the side
of an ear. A golden spider’s web adorning an
arm. Gold seahorses swimming up long fingers. Knives that hang alongside shiny skulls.
Those tongue in cheek pieces with a hint of
the obscure are the trademark of Lola Bassó,
a jewelry firm that is on the tip of everyone’s
tongue in Mexico’s fashion circles.
The creative force behind the company is
Ana Bárbara Núñez, who studied jewelry design in Barcelona and Milan and has earned
herself a name for the fine craftsmanship of
her pieces, fashioned out of silver, gold, and
semiprecious stones.
“Jewelry has always been present in my
life. When I was very young, my mother
showed me all the jewelry that’s been in my
family for years; pieces with sentimental
value. To mark special occasions, my parents
would sometimes give me a ring, bracelet,
October 2014
or necklace. I think a piece of jewelry helps
immortalize an important moment in life,”
says Ana Bárbara, whose collections borrow
from her surroundings and landmark moments in her life.
Born in Mexicali, her first collection
was inspired by the Baja California desert
and features figures like snakes and spider’s webs in ocher and gold, while pearls
in pastel shades are the protagonists of her
most recent one. “My collections reflect
where I’m at in my life. My style changes
with me. Right now I’m working more
with pearls, precious and semiprecious
stones; something more modern.”
A look at her catalogue reveals an interesting selection of pendants, necklaces,
rings, earrings, ear cuffs, and quirky acrylic clutches with appliqués featuring pop
icons. “Mexican design has come a long
way. There are several jewelry firms whose
good design and craftsmanship have
helped build Mexico a very solid reputation,” says Núñez.
www.lolabasso.com
61
Negocios ProMéxico | The Lifestyle
photo
courtesy of ficg28 / eugenia isfi
The Lifestyle | Negocios ProMéxico
“What’s
Important is That
a Film Elicits a
Reaction in You”
Kenya Márquez,
filmmaker
photos archive
She hasn’t yet turned 45, but already she’s
worn the hats of screenwriter, director, and
festival organizer. Polanski marked her and
Almodóvar showed her the way forward.
by
pola sáenz
Maybe it was the wig, the deep blue
shadow, the red of Roman’s lips. A deserted street in Paris. The chiaroscuro. The
blood on his hands. Or maybe there was
more to it than that. But one day Kenya
Márquez saw Polanski’s The Tenant in a
film appreciation class and it changed the
course of her life. Previously unimagined
paths opened up before her eyes. Rejected
by more than one film school, she’d turned
her hand to journalism. Years later, the
burning desire to make films drove her to
test her luck on the other side of the Atlantic, where she worked as a telephone
operator. It wasn’t until she met Pedro Almodóvar in a phone booth in Spain and
asked for his advice that she took the first
flight back to Mexico to “write her films
and get them off the ground.”
Director, producer, and screenwriter
Kenya Márquez (Guadalajara, 1972) studied Communications Sciences at the Valle
62
de Atemajac University and screen writing
at the Film Training Center (CCC). Her
first short film, Cruz (1997), won Best First
Film at the 1st Mexico City International
Short Film Festival in 1998 and the following year was nominated for an Ariel in the
category of Best Fictional Short. In 2001,
La mesa servida (2000) was chosen as Best
Comedy at the New York Shorts International Film Festival and nominated one of
the six best short films at the 3rd Belo Horizonte International Short Film Festival. In
2007, Señas particulares (2006), a prelude
to her first feature, won the Jalisco Film
Academy Award at the 22nd Guadalajara
International Film Festival and the Palmita
EFM Award for Best Short Film at the 5th
Franco-Mexican Film Festival.
Márquez made her feature debut with
Fecha de caducidad (2011), which won
more than a dozen awards in several categories –directing, photography, acting,
sound– at Morelia, Miami, Cine-Ceará (in
Fortaleza, Brazil), Moscow, Vancouver, Valladolid, Trieste, Huelva, and Marseille. She
also directed the documentary El secreto de
Candita (2001) and produced the short film
Epílogo (2009) and the feature length documentary Voces del subterráneo (2009).
At 30, she was appointed director of
the Guadalajara International Film Festival, a position she held for four years
(2002-2005). She has also sat on the juries of numerous festivals in Mexico and
abroad and taught audiovisual arts at
several universities.
More recently, she was awarded a
screenwriting bursary by the Mexican
Film Institute for her project Asfixia,
which tells the story of an albino woman
who has done time and who makes friends
with a hypochondriac. “I want to address
the subject of discrimination with a touch
of black humor,” says Márquez.
October 2014
—How did you become interested in film
as a profession?
It was circumstantial. I started out in journalism, where I initially covered police
reports and later politics and entertainment and sports too. I traveled a lot. Back
then, I realized I was constantly observing
people. I’d listen in on their conversations,
take note of their behavior. Sometimes I’d
even ask them things that had nothing to
do with the story I was covering. I found
myself writing stories about the people I’d
interviewed. It was a way of telling stories
but totally unpremeditated.
—Do you remember the first film or film
experience that marked you?
I started working as a journalist while I was
studying Communications Sciences. It was
there, at university, that I saw Roman Polanski’s The Tenant during a film appreciation class. It was a watershed for me. I left
October 2014
that class knowing without a shadow of a
doubt that I wanted to make films, a dream
that took me a long time to realize because
I was turned away by several film schools in
Mexico and abroad. I backpacked around
Europe to see if I could make it, but had no
luck. Until one day I bumped into Pedro Almodóvar in a phone booth in Spain and told
him I wanted to study film but couldn’t get
into a school. He replied categorically, “Go
back to your country.” I was working as a
telephone operator at the time and decided
to take his advice and get the first flight back
to Mexico, where I got down to writing my
films and getting them off the ground.
I started taking filmmaking more seriously while I was in journalism. I read a
lot of books on the language of film. I’ve
always been a film buff and avid festivalgoer. I’d watch movies from the Golden
Age of Mexican film with my grandmother
and international films with my mother.
“Discrimination is a
constant in my stories;
that cruel part of humans,
how we discriminate
against people because
of trivialities like the way
someone dresses, their
economic situation, their
behavior. I like to tackle
social subjects subtly, so
it doesn’t seem like I’m
lecturing.”
63
photos
archive
The Lifestyle | Negocios ProMéxico
Something’s Cooking:
Seven Magical Mexican Restaurants
I filmed my first project, Cruz, in 1997,
based on a script I’d worked on with Alfonso Suárez. The theme of the film is matriarchy and it’s inspired by several places
in Guadalajara where I once lived. The film
did really well. It was screened at some
60 festivals and won several awards. In a
manner of speaking, it was my cinematic
coming of age. It allowed me to realize that
pre-production and being on set made me
happy. I’d found my path.
—What kind of stories are you interested
in telling?
My time as a news reporter left its mark
on me. It made me who I am. My dark
side, my sense of black humor largely
stems from there.
Discrimination is a constant in my
stories; that cruel part of humans, how
we discriminate against people because of
trivialities like the way someone dresses,
their economic situation, their behavior. I
like to tackle social subjects subtly, so it
doesn’t seem like I’m lecturing.
by
photo courtesy of short shorts méxico
—How would you define your style?
Journalism gave me the sensitivity to be
a good observer. It helped me tell the stories of people who are all around us. I
like marginalized characters, the ones you
hardly ever see.
Aside from Polanski, other films and
directors that have influenced me are Tom
Tykwer’s María Mortal and Bergman, especially Cries and Whispers, the Taviani
brothers, Kaurismäki, Visconti, and Buñuel, who marked me from an early age.
Krzysztof Kieslowski, in terms of sensations and depth. He’s very incisive without
being obvious. I’m more of a classicist, although I tend to veer towards unique narratives and characters.
More a case of living to eat than eating to live, we bring you seven restaurants that tantalize
the taste buds, some of which even feature on San Pellegrino’s list of
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
“Journalism gave me the sensitivity to be a good observer. It
helped me tell the stories of people who are all around us. I like
marginalized characters, the ones you hardly ever see.”
64
photo archive
—What do you see on the horizon for
Mexico’s film industry?
Right now, comedy is the strength of the
Mexican film industry but there’ll be other
filmmakers who’ll make different kinds of
movies and I think diversity is what matters most. I think there should be films for
every audience and there will always be
films that reflect our reality. What’s important is that a film elicits a reaction in you,
no matter what that reaction is. N
October 2014
If you’re traveling in Mexico and don’t
take the time to sit down at a good restaurant and sample some regional fare,
you could almost be accused of committing a culinary crime. Mexicans love
their food and like all good hosts, love
sharing it with their guests.
antonio vázquez
The choice of dishes is endless but all
have one thing in common: their ingredients
are tied to the land, so much so that you can
practically taste the local weather and soil.
We bring you seven restaurants that can
be incorporated into a delicious itinerary.
Some have revolutionized local dishes and
brought Mexican cuisine international fame,
while others have created unique sensations
and experiences for those eager to explore
new culinary horizons, and yet others remain
true to the traditional flavors and textures
of Mexico. All, however, are guaranteed to
leave a pleasant aftertaste!
mutton mixiote accompanied with onion
and prickly pear with panela cheese; tuna
with pumpkin seeds, vegetables and a chiliinfused oil; Veracruz-style squid with beans
and guajolotas, sandwiches made with home
baked bread that are best washed down with
a tasty house mezcal.
Or how about some deep fried veal tacos
to whet the appetite? Or if you’re vegetarian,
a bowl of soup made with chipilin leaves,
purslane and other wild greens, served with
chochoyotes (balls of corn dough) and sprinkled with fresh cheese.
Limosneros
A Tradition Revolutionized
A descendent of Dionisio Mollinedo,
founder of the famous Café de Tacuba
where Mexico City dwellers have been
coming for over a century, Juan Pablo Ballesteros Canales has left his own mark on
the city’s culinary landscape with Limosneros, a restaurant where “the protagonists
are the raw ingredients and our mission as
cooks is to bring out their best.”
Limosneros reveres every ingredient
that goes into its dishes, which are served
in the perfect ambiance, in a big old house
on Allende Street in the Historic Center of
Mexico City. Boasting elements of traditional Mexican art, like blown glass from Tonalá, plates made of Talavera pottery from
Puebla, Huichol handicrafts and works by
famous Mexican artists, the sturdy walls
of this restaurant are made of a mixture of
volcanic, quarry and other stones, like the
impenetrable bulwarks of the monasteries
of New Spain, and like them, are steeped
in history. But the comparison goes beyond
that, for Limosneros is a veritable place of
worship for the gourmand.
The concept was created by Juan Pablo
Ballesteros himself, but the menu was designed with the help of chefs Lula Martín del
Campo and Octavio Figueroa, along with
food historian José Luis Curiel. Guests can
choose from a variety of traditional Mexican dishes with a contemporary twist, like
October 2014
photo courtesy of limosneros
Negocios ProMéxico | The Lifestyle
Allende 2
Historic Center
Mexico City
www.limosneros.com.mx
65
Negocios ProMéxico | The Lifestyle
photos
courtesy of angelopolitano
The Lifestyle | Negocios ProMéxico
Pangea
A Harmonious
Culinary Kingdom
Aromas, colors, flavors, textures… a
delicate mix of ingredients harmoniously
combined in dishes that leave the most
discerning of gourmands open mouthed.
This is Pangea, a restaurant in Monterrey, in the northern state of Nuevo León, owned by Chef Guillermo
González Beristáin. And according to
the San Pellegrino list, it’s right up there
among Latin America’s best
Over the course of his studies in
California, Madrid and Paris, González
Beristán has acquired both the patience
and knowledge to allow him to marry
traditional, indigenous Mexican dishes
with European haute cuisine.
Pangea’s main menu features delicacies like fresh red snapper on a bed of
red risotto with baby scallops and Moroccan crab salsa; breast of roast duck
with pumpkin raviolis, red wine salamis
and basil emulsion; crispy deboned roast
pig served with hominy stew, accompanied by a salsa of roast green peppers
and powdered beans.
This particular chef also happens to
be a big wine lover, so it should come as
no surprise that Pangea has a fantastic
selection of Mexican labels.
Angelopolitano
Simply Heavenly
There’s one thing everyone loves about
Puebla and that’s its food. And in the capable hands of Chef Gerardo Quezada, the
gastronomy of this central Mexican state
is baked, grilled, fried and roasted into
works of art. Quezada has brought a little
piece of Puebla to Mexico City with his
restaurant Angelopolitano, located in the
city’s Roma district.
Mole, a type of salsa made with chili
peppers, chocolate, peanuts and a whole
host of other ingredients, is Puebla’s signature dish but Angelopolitano has tweaked
the original recipe to produce fig, blackcurrant and guava varieties. Normally
served with chicken, here they are poured
liberally over sugar cane desserts and
chicken breasts stuffed with goat’s cheese
and green apple.
Another specialty guaranteed to send
you into raptures are the chalupas, (fried
tortillas with pork loin smothered in red or
green salsa), but nothing beats the house
specialty: champandongo, a baked chicken
loaf with mole, cheese, cream and tortillas,
served with salad.
On the ground floor is a small bar that
serves cemitas, a type of bread bun that
Puebla is famous for, made with water
and rye. Generally filled with some kind of
meat like escalope, beef in brine, chorizo
or even Biscayan-style codfish, they are
served with fresh cheese, avocado, tomato,
onion, chipotle chili and a type of leafy
green herb called pápalo.
Bosques del Valle 110-20
Colonia del Valle
San Pedro Garza García,
Nuevo León
courtesy of pangea
www.grupopangea.com
66
photos
Puebla 371
Colonia Roma
Mexico City
+52 (55) 6391 2121 / 6391 2020
October 2014
October 2014
67
Negocios ProMéxico | The Lifestyle
photos
courtesy of pujol
The Lifestyle | Negocios ProMéxico
68
photos
Pujol
World Class Culinary Perfection
Casa Oaxaca
Food and Lodgings Under One Roof
Located in an exclusive area of the Polanco district of Mexico City, Pujol was
rated number 20 on San Pellegrino’s most
recent list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Its proud owner is acclaimed
Mexican chef Enrique Olvera, who is
making international culinary history.
Attention to detail is Olvera’s signature
ingredient, and he has created innovative
dishes that blend contemporary gastronomy with Mexico’s ancestral recipes.
In its quest for perfection, Pujol is
constantly reinventing itself. The menu is
changed periodically, reflecting the chef’s
latest sources of inspiration and experiments in the kitchen.
A typical tasting menu might include
chia seed aguachile (shrimp cooked in
Casa Oaxaca is a restaurant, but it’s also a
hotel where you can chill out, get some fresh
air and revel in the irresistible smells wafting
out of Chef Alejandro Ruiz’ kitchen.
Rated one of the best restaurants in
Latin America, Casa Oaxaca seduces the
palates of its guests with the flavors of
Oaxaca, one of the Mexican states with
the most varied cuisines.
During his time as head chef of Casa
Oaxaca, Ruiz has devoted himself to enhancing the region’s traditional cuisine with
the use of organic ingredients.
For starters, crickets are a must. Or how
about shredded veal served on thin slices of
fried sweet potato? Other regional treats include cricket tacos with fresh cheese; bean
pasta; a delicious salsa made with morita
lime and chili) served with avocado and
salt, dried mezcal worms and peppers;
curly cabbage cracklings; corncobs with
leaf-cutter ant, coffee and costeño chili
mayonnaise; roast leek with escamoles
(ant larvae) and bone marrow mayonnaise; lobster and chorizo tacos; beans
and pepperleaf; barbacoa taco with marinated avocado leaves, peas, cocoa and
poblano chili, or smoked mushroom tacos with tomato seeds, cress and griddlewarmed tortillas.
Francisco Petrarca 254
Polanco
Mexico City
www.pujol.com.mx
October 2014
October 2014
chili, tomato and cream cheese, and roast
duck tacos smothered in green salsa.
Follow up with a cold avocado and
melon soup, black mole, Mixtec-style lamb
and purslane in a chili and garlic sauce or a
traditional tlayuda, which is basically a large
tortilla spread with beans and cheese, served
with barbecued rib eye. And to put the icing
on the cake, perhaps some chocolate rolls
filled with soursop mousse or a mango dessert with tree chili and goat’s cheese mousse.
Casa Oaxaca is definitely a special experience that engages all five senses.
Constitución 104-A
Centro
Oaxaca, Oaxaca
Just take a look around at the expressions on people’s faces. There’s no denying
this is food with feeling!
Presidente Masaryk 407
Polanco,
Mexico City
www.biko.com.mx
courtesy of casa oaxaca
tomato and pork cracklings; crab with
tomato and capers, or a codfish tortilla,
among other culinary delights.
And to round off, chocolate and coconut mousse; chocolate and sesame-seed
truffles; a chocolate, peanut and hominy
dessert or crunchy sheep’s cheese scented
with eucalyptus.
photo
Biko stands on Masaryk, a busy avenue in
the upscale Polanco district of Mexico City.
Here, the flavors and cultures of Spain and
Mexico come together on a small piece of
hallowed ground.
“Cocina Gachupa [in Mexico, Spaniards who have settled in the country are
referred to as gachupines] is a cuisine that
is an honest reflection of our reality. Neither traditional Mexican nor thoroughbred
Basque, it is a type of Mexican cuisine that
starts now and that is going to continue
developing freely,” reads the Manifesto of
Gachupa Cuisine written by Gerard Bellver, Bruno Oteiza and Mikel Alonso, the
trio of chefs who have built Biko into a
one-of-a-kind gastronomic nation.
After two decades wooing the most
demanding of palates, Biko’s menu has
evolved into an amalgamation of traditional Basque cuisine and Mexican ingredients adapted to modern international
gastronomic trends.
The kind of cuisine that evokes emotions and moods. Madness, freedom, passion and affection have all been known to
invade the serene atmosphere of this restaurant, where memories can be triggered
by a cotton candy foie gras with a hint of
tomato; a cream of amaranth soup with
pigweed and goosefoot; pork chops with
courtesy of biko
Biko
Food with Feeling
www.casaoaxacaelrestaurante.com
69
Negocios ProMéxico | The Lifestyle
photos
courtesy of alcalde
Negocios ProMéxico
Para Exportadores
In less than two years, Alcalde has become a culinary mainstay of Guadalajara,
known for offering its guests simple, but
sensual food.
Named after one of the city’s more famous fruit and vegetable markets near the
neighborhood where Chef Francisco Ruano
grew up, Alcalde’s mission is to rescue the
region’s mestizo flavors in dishes that incorporate local ingredients like corn, vegetables,
beans, red meats, seafood and pork.
Chefs and co-owners Ruano and Luis
González Rodríguez make it their business to enthrall their guests with beautifully presented, colorful dishes that taste
as good as they smell and that leave you
wanting to try everything else on the menu.
Home cured meat in a roast chili salsa
and powdered mushrooms; chochoyotas
(balls of corn dough) with wormseed and
almond martejada, mushroom purée and
fresh cheese; cricket sopes and marinated
prickly pear are just some of the entrées to
get you started on what, in all likelihood,
will turn out to be a long-term love affair.
One of Alcalde’s most popular dishes
is crispy roast pig covered in a thick green
chili sauce and served with baby squash
salad and spicy leaves or you can order the
catch of the day done just how you like it.
Avenida México 2903
Vallarta Norte
Guadalajara, Jalisco
Innovación:
motor de la industria en México
En la actualidad, la creación, difusión y aplicación del conocimiento son
imprescindibles para que las empresas y los países prosperen en una economía
mundial cada vez más competitiva.
84
Puebla:
capital de la innovación
y el diseño
75
MÉXICO EN EL
MUNDO
76
Los centros de datos
y su importancia
en una economía digital
Tendencias y oportunidades de negocio
en México y América Latina
alcalde.com.mx
70
foto
archivo
Alcalde
Simple, but Sensual
78
October 2014
El pulso de una industria
de tradición
80
LAS ESTRATEGIAS
DE APERTURA COMERCIAL
EN MEDIO ORIENTE
82
Innovación
y comercio electrónico
en México
86
De México para el mundo,
orgullo que se exporta
88
Negocios ProMéxico | Para Exportadores
de
proméxico.
La innovación y el emprendimiento son componentes
esenciales para afianzar el
desempeño de las empresas,
además de que inciden directamente en el crecimiento y desarrollo de
los países. En esta edición se publican algunas reflexiones sobre la importancia de
la innovación, sobre todo si alguna empresa desea extender sus operaciones a otros
mercados o está interesada en concretar su
diversificación comercial. Asimismo, se incluye un análisis relacionado con el comercio electrónico en México, en el que se destacan algunas de sus implicaciones y perspectivas a futuro. México se ha convertido
en uno de los mercados más prósperos en
América Latina, por lo que deberá seguirse
con detenimiento la evolución del comercio, así como de las transacciones electrónicas que se realizan en el país.
El Premio Nacional de Exportación es
una ceremonia anual muy importante en
la que se entregan varios reconocimientos
a empresas, instituciones y organizaciones que han destacado en el país mediante
proyectos o iniciativas comerciales de vanguardia. La entrega de premios se realizó en
el marco del XXI Congreso del Comercio
Exterior Mexicano donde se galardonaron
a los empresarios mexicanos que han contribuido a posicionar a México en el exterior,
con productos y servicios de calidad global.
También se publica una interesante reflexión sobre las oportunidades comerciales de México en los países de Medio
Oriente, sobre todo al considerar la estrategia de diversificación de mercados en la
que pueden participar las empresas mexicanas que tengan consolidada su relación
comercial en otras latitudes. El mercado
árabe está compuesto por una población
en constante crecimiento, la cual está demandando productos que México podría
proveer de forma categórica, por lo que el
acercamiento con los países de esta región
será cada vez más cercano y tenderá a consolidarse en los próximos años.
Se incluye una nota sobre la Feria Nacional para la Industria del Agave (ProAgave) en la que participarán alrededor de
100 empresas del sector. Este espacio es un
punto de encuentro para industriales, empresarios, cámaras y asociaciones vinculadas con el agave, además de promover un
encuentro de negocios, ciclos de conferencias y áreas de vinculación para el público
asistente. Por último, se publica un breve
ensayo sobre la relevancia de los centros de
datos para la economía digital en el que se
enfatizan las oportunidades de estos nodos
de información para las pequeñas y medianas empresas establecidas en México, así
como en otros países de América Latina.
Esperemos que los contenidos incluidos
en esta edición sean de su interés.
¡Bienvenidos a Negocios ProMéxico!
72
Octubre 2014
Para Exportadores | Negocios ProMéxico
BREVES
INDUSTRIAS CREATIVAS
En paralelo, se impartirá un ciclo de
conferencias sobre temas diversos, como
la moda en México. Algunos de los conferencistas invitados son Alberto Kalach,
Frida Escobedo, Mauricio Rocha, Michel
Rojkind, Tatiana Bilbao, Gustavo Prado,
Jorge Bolado, Yoshua Okón, Moisés Cosio
y Gerardo Gatica, entre otros.
capital de la innovación y el diseño
COMERCIO EXTERIOR
cortesía puerto de mazatlán
foto
Durante el XXI Congreso del Comercio
Exterior Mexicano “Evolución del Comercio Exterior Mexicano ante un Mercado
Global”, efectuado el 5 de septiembre de
2014 en Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Valentín Diez
Morodo, Presidente del Consejo Empresarial Mexicano de Comercio Exterior,
Inversión y Tecnología (COMCE), ante
más de mil congresistas, exhortó a la clase
política a trabajar unida para impulsar el
crecimiento económico, así como la generación de empresas y empleos.
Durante este evento, se destacó la relevancia del Programa Estratégico para
el Desarrollo Económico de Sinaloa, el
cual contempla crear más infraestructura
para el puerto de Mazatlán, con el propósito de impulsar su vínculo comercial
con países asiáticos, además de la costa
oeste de Estados Unidos.
Al discutir el tema de las recientes reformas estructurales, se habló sobre su impacto
archivo
Puebla:
asvoff-mexico.com
Celebra COMCE
el XXI Congreso
del Comercio Exterior
Mexicano
en el desarrollo industrial, además de resaltar el papel representativo de Sinaloa en la
producción agrícola y pesquera. Al respecto,
se analizó la evolución y las perspectivas de
la economía mexicana, considerando el entorno internacional.
También se analizó la función de las
aduanas y el programa de modernización en
proceso. Se explicaron algunos de los objetivos contemplados para las aduanas del país,
los cuales están dirigidos a facilitar el comercio exterior de México. Se analizó el impacto
y la relevancia de los acuerdos de libre comercio suscritos por México, sobre todo al
referirse a los alcances que ha tenido el Tra-
tado de Libre Comercio de América del Norte (TLCAN) a 20 años de haber entrado en
vigor. Asimismo, se hizo alusión al Acuerdo
Económico suscrito con la Unión Europea,
a los retos que propone la Alianza del Pacífico, así como a la relevancia del Acuerdo de
Asociación Transpacífico (TPP), entre otros
mecanismos comerciales y/o de integración.
Por último, se explicó cuál es la relevancia de los apoyos de instituciones que
ofrece ProMéxico y Bancomext en apoyo
al comercio exterior e internacionalización de empresas mexicanas.
comce.org.mx
foto
foto
A Shaded View On Fashion Film (ASVOFF) es un festival internacional de cine
y moda que se originó hace seis años en
el Centro Pompidou de París, Francia. Este
evento se presenta en diversas capitales del
mundo. A la fecha, ha recorrido tres continentes en ciudades como Nueva York,
Cannes, Londres, Tokio y Milán. Este año
llega a la Ciudad de México.
Este innovador festival fue fundado por Diane Pernet, conocida crítica de
moda y escritora del blog A Shaded View
On Fashion –uno de los blogs de moda
más reconocidos en el mundo.
Durante el festival se presentarán los
cortometrajes ganadores de la primera
convocatoria que ASVOFF ha hecho en
México. Diane Pernet hará una pre-selección y los ganadores serán determinados por el jurado constituido por Gabriel
Orozco, Michel Mallard, Enrique Badulescu, Zélika García, Paco Blancas, Michel
Franco y Ariadne Grant.
cortesía asvoff
ASVOFF en México
En Puebla se concertó un proyecto de innovación social, económica y cultural que nace de una voluntad común entre
los gobiernos municipal, estatal y federal –a través de ProMéxico–, universidades y sociedad civil, con el propósito de
promover al pensamiento creativo y al diseño como componentes estratégicos para impulsar el desarrollo económico.
por proméxico
Puebla es una ciudad con una gran vocación para impulsar su desarrollo económico a través del diseño. Hoy, la ciudad
busca consolidar la economía creativa
aprovechando la combinación de su tradición industrial y el potencial académico concentrado en todo el estado, para
vincular a diseñadores con empresarios
e industrias productivas y, de esta forma,
contribuir a incrementar la actividad económica y el empleo, así como a generar
mayores oportunidades.
Tal como lo ha señalado Marco Bettiol, investigador de Universidad de Padova y Jefe de la Unidad de Creatividad del
Centro de Estudios sobre Tecnologías en
Sistemas de Inteligencia Distribuida (TeDIS), el diseño se está convirtiendo en la
expresión sintética de una serie de procesos de gestión, incluyendo la innovación
de productos, comunicaciones, canales de
distribución y formas de interacción con
Octubre 2014
los clientes, y está adquiriendo un papel
central para el rediseño y la reestructura
de los productos y la generación de cadenas de valor.
A partir del segundo semestre de 2014,
se emprendió el rediseño de la estrategia
regional Puebla: Capital de la Innovación
y el Diseño –en la que participan los gobiernos municipal, estatal y federal (a
través de ProMéxico)–, con base en los
siguientes ejes rectores: talento; vocación
productiva; infraestructura; urbanismo y
tecnologías de la información; comunicación y posicionamiento.
El proyecto Puebla: Capital de la Innovación y el Diseño busca:
• Posicionar a Puebla a nivel nacional e
internacional, como una metrópoli en
la cual se vive un entorno creativo inmerso en un ecosistema de diseño.
• Fomentar el aprovechamiento del potencial creativo, social y económico de
las colectividades y fomentar la diversidad cultural.
• Incentivar la innovación, el diseño y el
desarrollo en la región –y en general, en
la región central del país– para generar
mayor valor agregado a los productos
y servicios que en ella se generan.
• Impulsar el desarrollo económico de la
ciudad de Puebla.
• Innovar y desarrollar una mejor calidad
de vida para los ciudadanos.
Como parte de las actividades que se
han contemplado dentro de este proyecto, en
coordinación con Coordenada 21 –asociación de diseñadores en Puebla–, del 1 al 26
de octubre se realizará la segunda edición del
Puebla Design Fest, que reunirá a diseñadores, empresas e instituciones con el fin de ofrecerles un espacio de vinculación, posicionar
Puebla en el mapa del liderazgo y el emprendimiento mexicano, y fomentar la innovación
y el desarrollo de la economía creativa. N
75
Negocios ProMéxico | Para Exportadores
Para Exportadores | Negocios ProMéxico
Exportaciones
MÉXICO
EN EL
MUNDO
Millones de dólares
Rubro
El comercio internacional
de México en cifras
Manufacturera
Petroleras
Agropecuarias
Extractivas
Ene.-Ago. ‘14
217,781
30,188
8,265
3,517
Variación ’13
5.7%
-8.8%
7.4%
15.0%
(Cifras oportunas,
septiembre 2014)
CANADÁ
$5,965 | 2.6%
ESPAÑA
$3,900 | 1.7%
ALEMANIA
$2,109 | 0.9%
INDIA
$1,534 | 0.7%
CHINA
$3,570 | 1.6%
JAPÓN
$1,646 | 0.7%
259,750
millones de dólares
entre enero y agosto
de 2014 (un incremento
de 4.0% con respecto al
mismo periodo en 2013).
Principales
socios
comerciales
de México
$
Exportaciones
acumuladas de
enero a julio de 2014
#2
#7
ESTADOS UNIDOS
180,230
#
#3
1
#8
#4
(79.6 % del total)
#9
Millones de dólares
COLOMBIA
$2,607 | 1.2%
%
Participación de
las exportaciones
mexicanas totales
BRASIL
$2,876 | 1.3%
#6
#5
Enero a julio de 2014
CHILE
$1,264| 0.6%
Por sector
#10
Enero-julio 2014
Variación
Millones de dólares
Mismo periodo en 2013
Productos metálicos
maquinaria y equipo
Octubre 2014
Minerometalurgia
Química
Productos de plástico
y caucho
142,221
7,970
6,570
6,360
6,094
8.0%
5.5%
-18.3%
-3.1%
7.8%
Fuente: Banco de México (cifras revisadas, septiembre de 2014)
76
Alimentos,
bebidas y tabaco
Octubre 2014
77
Negocios ProMéxico | Para Exportadores
Los centros de datos
y su importancia
en una economía digital
Tendencias y oportunidades de negocio
en México y América Latina
En la economía digital, México y América Latina están inmersos en una
plataforma de oportunidades de negocio para las pequeñas, medianas y
grandes empresas. La capacidad para aprovecharlas está directamente
vinculada con el desarrollo de los centros de datos en la región.
78
fotos
archivo
por george rockett*
La era digital es como una hidra que se
infiltra en las actividades de la vida cotidiana. Ante el creciente uso de dispositivos
móviles, el uso de Internet para gobiernos,
así como para vender, informar, interactuar, ofrecer servicios y hacer negocios, es
necesario contar con servidores y redes con
suficiente capacidad para realizar todas las
tareas digitales necesarias. Esto solo puede
proporcionarse mediante grupos de servidores soportados por centros de datos.
En México el crecimiento en los centros de datos puede vincularse con dos tendencias socioeconómicas:
Octubre 2014
Para Exportadores | Negocios ProMéxico
• El crecimiento de la clase media y del
número de consumidores digitales
que se registra en las principales ciudades de México.
• Una mayor flexibilidad y alcance en la
economía mexicana, especialmente relacionada con la capacidad que tienen los
negocios pequeños para convertirse en
empresas medianas.
En términos generales, América Latina
está compuesta por mercados con un pequeño número de centros de datos en los que
se registra una demanda energética relativamente baja, niveles mínimos en adopción de
tecnologías de vanguardia, y parámetros más
reducidos de cualificación especializada y de
mejores prácticas en comparación con otros
mercados como Estados Unidos. Sin embargo, los mercados de la región son diferentes y
presentan niveles de madurez distintos: Brasil es uno de los 12 mercados más grandes
de centros de datos del mundo, mientras que
México tiene un tamaño más parecido al de
algunos mercados europeos –por ejemplo,
los países nórdicos, Suiza o Bélgica.
Comparado con el resto de América
Latina, México es un mercado establecido.
En el país hay una mayor potencia para la
densidad de racks (un rack es un soporte
metálico destinado a alojar equipamiento
electrónico, informático y de comunicaciones, las medidas para la anchura están
normalizadas para que sean compatibles
con equipamiento de cualquier fabricante;
también son llamados bastidores, cabinas o
armarios, pero ahí es donde se instala todo
el equipo de procesamiento de un centro
de datos), niveles mayores de inteligencia
en las instalaciones, y mayor facilidad para
adoptar nuevas tecnologías y arquitecturas.
En términos de porcentajes de la base
de activos, los sectores en los que se observa una mayor demanda de centros de
datos en México son el financiero, de telecomunicaciones, de servicios de colocación
para centros de procesamiento de datos y
de servicios de TI –incluidos los proveedores de servicios de Internet (ISP).
Por lo que se refiere a los niveles de
confianza y seguridad con los que operan
los centros de datos en México –al igual
que ocurre con los data center de cualquier
otro lugar del mundo– los propietarios
y operadores profesionales establecen el
nivel de riesgo al que están dispuestos a
operar sus centros de datos, así como equilibrar dicho riesgo frente a los costos de
reducirlo. Esto tenderá a ser una comparación de instalación a instalación.
Octubre 2014
México es una de las economías de mayor crecimiento
del mundo. El sector comercial mexicano reconoce que el
crecimiento está ligado a la participación en la era digital
que es, además, un factor esencial para interactuar con
economías como Estados Unidos.
Al igual que con cualquier mercado, México tendrá una serie de instalaciones que
sufrirán solo algunos segundos de tiempo
de inactividad al año hasta llegar a instalaciones más viejas, menos críticas, capaces
de funcionar a un nivel de riesgo más alto
sin comprometer la actividad comercial y de
procesamiento. El llamado tiempo de inactividad del centro de datos puede planificarse
y estar preparado para afrontarlo, pero también puede ser accidental.
Ahora bien, es primordial que un país
tenga suficiente capacidad de centros de
datos para satisfacer sus necesidades de TI
actuales y futuras.
México es una de las economías de
mayor crecimiento del mundo. El sector
comercial mexicano reconoce que el crecimiento está ligado a la participación en la
era digital que es, además, un factor esencial para interactuar con economías como
Estados Unidos.
Pero México no puede ir solo en ese
crecimiento, sino que tiene que asegurarse que el resto de América Latina siga el
mismo camino.
En el informe del censo 2013-2014 Tendencias de los Mercados de Data Center en
Latinoamérica, Estudio de Mercado e Informe Analítico, desarrollado por el área de in-
vestigación de mercados de DCD Group, se
menciona que América Central tiene un mayor crecimiento que el resto del continente.
De acuerdo con el documento, la mayor tasa de crecimiento de América Central, como la de Perú y algunos mercados
más pequeños de América del Sur es, en
parte, por su base de activos, inicialmente pequeña. Es más fácil crecer de manera
rápida partiendo de una base menor, que
crecer rápidamente iniciando de una gran
base de activos como la de México.
Una buena parte de ese crecimiento está
vinculada a los sistemas de cableado y de redes que operan en toda la región entre las
dos economías más grandes de América. De
forma parecida a lo que representó el Canal
de Panamá hace 100 años, esto es importante
para la continuidad de los servicios digitales
en toda América conforme se avanza hacia
una cooperación económica más estrecha. Si
bien una América Central poco desarrollada no representa necesariamente una brecha
digital, el papel de las TI en la creación da
una prosperidad regional mayor, gracias a la
cooperación, funcionará mejor si todos los
países forman parte de ella. N
*Director General, Datacenter Dynamics
Group.
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queños especialistas en la transformación
de la materia prima.
“Este año contaremos con expositores de talla internacional. Hay proveedores de maquinaria agrícola con una variedad de productos que ayudan a hacer
eficientes los procesos y bajar los costos,
así como agaves in vitro para la propagación de la planta, y fertilizantes y enzimas que se requieren para mejorar los
cultivos”, abunda Santana.
El pulso
de una
industria
de tradición
El agave o maguey es un patrimonio
mexicano. De él deriva una industria
que tiene por epicentro a ProAgave, un
espacio para hacer negocios y revisar
los adelantos tecnológicos y científicos
en el ramo.
Ciencia y negocios
ProAgave también reúne a estudiosos y
científicos del ramo pues acoge al Simposio Internacional del Agave, organizado
por el Centro de Investigación y Asistencia
en Tecnología y Diseño del Estado de Jalisco (Ciatej). Esta será la segunda ocasión
en que se realice este ciclo de charlas, del
15 al 17 de octubre.
Los gestores del encuentro de negocios
han coincidido con la entidad académica
en que, además de los temas de tecnología
para la producción y desarrollo de proveedurías, la sustentabilidad de la cadena de
valor debe convertirse en el concepto rector de este año. De ello resulta un exhaustivo calendario de conferencias, 35 en total,
dirigidas por especialistas en biotecnología
de las universidades de California, Michigan y Viena, así como de la Universidad
Nacional Autónoma de México y el Instituto Tecnológico de Celaya.
por omar magaña
La Feria Nacional para la Industria del
Agave (ProAgave) es un eslabón central
en la cadena de valor de una industria
eminentemente mexicana: aquella que
transforma las variedades de una planta
multiusos en bebidas espirituosas, fibras y
materiales para construcción.
ProAgave tiene lugar en Guadalajara,
Jalisco –el estado cuna del producto más
popular derivado de la planta, el tequila–,
cada otoño. En 2014 celebrará su tercera
edición los días 16 y 17 de octubre, en un
área de 4,000 metros cuadrados dentro del
centro de convenciones Expo Guadalajara.
ProAgave convoca a toda empresa
involucrada en la producción de los destilados que se obtienen en México con la
fermentación de unas 30 especies de agave
o maguey, entre ellos tequila, bacanora, sotol, raicilla y mezcal. También promueve la
participación de empresarios que emplean
las cualidades orgánicas de la planta para
fabricar corchos de botella y útiles de escritura, entre muchos otros productos.
Vanessa Santana, directora de ProAgave, informa que en esta edición de la feria participarán 100 empresas del sector,
contarán con 90 expositores y recibirán a
unos 3,500 invitados.
“La importancia de esta expo es la funcionalidad de agrupar proveedores tanto
internacionales como nacionales que ofrecen avances tecnológicos a los productores
de la industria”, señala Santana.
La feria funciona como punto de encuentro para industriales de bebidas espirituosas, productores de plantas, proveedores de maquinaria y servicios, cámaras y
asociaciones que agrupan a grandes y pe-
80
Intercambiar conocimientos sobre nuevas tecnologías e investigaciones en torno
a la permanencia biológica y la diversidad
de una planta con fuerte arraigo en la estructura cultural y económica de México
se ha convertido en un tema primordial.
El número de hectáreas destinadas a
la siembra y cosecha de magueyes crece
conforme aumenta la producción y la exportación de destilados, en particular, de
tequila. El Ciatej informa que durante
2013, el Consejo Regulador del Tequila
reportó que se obtuvieron 226.5 millones
de litros de la bebida en 131 municipios
de las entidades mexicanas con denominación de origen. De estos, se exportaron 172
millones de litros. Con el crecimiento de la
demanda, surgen las preguntas en torno a
la conservación de una planta considerada
patrimonio natural nacional.
Así, el simposio diseñado para productores, transformadores, científicos y estudiantes, contempla discusiones en torno a
las afectaciones del cambio climático en la
cosecha de planta, la generación de biocombustibles a partir de la misma materia
prima, el aprovechamiento de las tecnologías AFEX para el uso de los residuos de
agave en la producción de bioenergéticos
líquidos, la estrategia nacional para la conservación y la sustentabilidad del maguey,
el agave en la era genómica y otros temas.
www.proagave.mx
Intercambiar conocimientos sobre nuevas tecnologías e
investigaciones en torno a la permanencia biológica y la
diversidad de una planta con fuerte arraigo en la estructura
cultural y económica de México se ha convertido en un tema
primordial.
Octubre 2014
Octubre 2014
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foto
LAS ESTRATEGIAS DE
APERTURA COMERCIAL
EN MEDIO ORIENTE
En su estrategia por diversificar mercados, México tiene enormes oportunidades
para potencializar sus vínculos comerciales y de inversión con los países de
Medio Oriente. El acercamiento con los países de esta región es cada vez más
ágil y tenderá a consolidarse en los próximos años.
por juan antonio cepeda*
La diversificación de mercados para las empresas mexicanas debe considerar dos aspectos: 1) una estrategia comercial mediante la
cual se reducen los riesgos en caso de que sus
mercados habituales (principalmente Europa y Estados Unidos) no demanden sus productos; 2) una estrategia que aproveche la
madurez de la economía mexicana, así como
de su oferta exportable, bajo el sustento de
empresas sólidas capaces de incrementar su
participación en determinado sector.
82
Asimismo, la diversificación en materia de
atracción de IED hacia México se lleva a cabo
desde un sector manufacturero de alto valor
agregado, el cual se ha respaldado por el talento y capital humano disponible en el país.
Las reformas estructurales impulsadas por la
administración del Presidente Enrique Peña
Nieto en el sector energético, financiero y de
telecomunicaciones, aunadas con los cambios
en materia educativa, de competencia económica y hacienda pública, también han conso-
archivo
lidado un ambiente de negocios propicio para
recibir más inversiones productivas.
En este sentido, durante casi dos años de
la actual administración se ha impulsado una
importante vinculación comercial con diversas regiones. En Asia y América Latina vemos con claridad esta estrategia de apertura
y diversificación. Lo mismo ha sucedido con
Medio Oriente, principalmente con los países que integran el Consejo de Cooperación
del Golfo (CCG) –Arabia Saudita, Bahréin,
Catar, Emiratos Árabes Unidos (EAU),
Kuwait y Omán–, y otros países como Jordania, Israel y, en cierta medida, Irán.
Se ha intensificado la relación no solo
comercial, sino política, cultural, científicotecnológica, así como de amistad y cooperación. Cabe destacar que el acercamiento
de México con los países de esta región
siempre ha estado latente. Sin embargo,
hasta ahora se ha avanzado decisivamente en su consolidación. La estrategia se ha
venido implementando, primordialmente,
durante lo que va de este año y tiene como
base fundamental los objetivos y líneas de
acción del Plan Nacional de Desarrollo
(PND) 2013-2018.
Octubre 2014
Para Exportadores | Negocios ProMéxico
El PND 2013-2018
y la estrategia hacia Medio Oriente
El PND 2013-2018 indica que “los procesos de cambio político y social del Medio
Oriente […] presentan una oportunidad en
términos de política exterior para nuestro
país. Ante el reto que enfrentan algunos de
los países más importantes de la región en
términos de transición democrática, México
es una referencia obligada. Por otra parte,
puesto que algunos países de dicha zona presentan sólidas tasas de crecimiento, debemos
aprovechar esta ventana de oportunidad
para profundizar las relaciones bilaterales,
establecer mecanismos de cooperación y fortalecer las relaciones económicas”.
En este contexto, se definió una estrategia destinada a “aprovechar las oportunidades que presenta el sistema internacional
actual para fortalecer los lazos comerciales
y políticos con los países de Medio Oriente
[…]”. Para lograrlo, se definieron varias líneas de acción, entre ellas:
• Ampliar la presencia de México en Medio Oriente y África como medio para
alcanzar el potencial existente en materia
política, económica y cultural.
• Impulsar el diálogo con países de especial relevancia en ambas regiones en virtud de su peso económico, su actividad
diplomática o su influencia cultural.
• Aprovechar el reciente acercamiento
entre los países de Medio Oriente y de
América Latina para consolidar las relaciones comerciales y el intercambio cultural.
• Impulsar proyectos de inversión mutuamente benéficos, aprovechando los fondos soberanos existentes en los países del
Golfo Pérsico.
La estrategia integral
Quizá el hito original sobre el que podemos
apreciar cronológicamente el desencadenamiento de acciones que han impulsado
el acercamiento con los países del Medio
Oriente fue la visita oficial del Canciller José
Antonio Meade a la región en marzo de
2014. El único precedente de una visita de tal
envergadura se registró en 1975, cuando comenzaron las relaciones diplomáticas de México con la mayoría de los países del CCG.
Como resultado de esta gira se han recibido muestras de voluntad política de Israel,
Jordania y EAU. Pasaron casi 40 años para
que este vínculo se fortaleciera. Asimismo,
se han organizado encuentros empresariales
en México con delegaciones provenientes de
EAU (junio de 2014), así como misiones co-
Octubre 2014
merciales de compañías mexicanas que han
visitado Arabia Saudita, Catar, EAU, Irán y
Kuwait. Además, la Embajada de México
en Catar ha abierto sus puertas y ya se han
instalado las negociaciones para firmar un
tratado de libre comercio con Jordania.
Esta gira dio pauta a una estrategia integral que ha involucrado a diversas dependencias del Gobierno de la República. Se han
definido caminos para estrechar los vínculos
en diversos ámbitos (político, económico,
cultural, científico, educativo, financiero y de
cooperación). En el económico, ProMéxico
tiene (y ha tenido) un papel muy importante.
Ha identificado varias estrategias de apertura comercial, las cuales en coordinación con
otras instancias del Gobierno de la República y el sector empresarial, podrán rendir frutos en un futuro próximo. Con la próxima
apertura de una oficina de representación
de ProMéxico en la región, estas estrategias
podrán implementarse de manera aún más
consistente y efectiva.
ProMéxico está
consolidando su estrategia
para que las empresas
mexicanas aprovechen
las oportunidades que les
brinda esta región. Mediante
los apoyos y servicios que
ofrece la entidad, todas las
empresas con intenciones
de exportar encontrarán
un aliado más en esta
apertura de un mercado
que puede constituirse
como una diversificación
importante dentro de sus
planes de expansión o de
internacionalización.
En primera instancia, una política de
promoción de productos con certificación halal es indispensable para acceder
a los mercados en esta región. En este
ámbito, ProMéxico impulsa las iniciativas para contar con mejores prácticas
a nivel nacional, contar con organismos
certificadores mexicanos avalados por
las autoridades competentes y, a la par,
promueve este estándar entre las empresas que desean incursionar en el merca-
do musulmán. Halal es la llave que abre
la puerta de un mercado aproximado de
2,000 millones de musulmanes. En esta
región, el tema de la “seguridad alimentaria” es una ventana de oportunidad
para las empresas mexicanas del sector
agroindustrial y alimentos.
En segunda instancia, hay que difundir las dinámicas y requerimientos comerciales de estos países. Por ejemplo, según
datos del Global Trade Atlas, entre los
principales productos que México exporta a los EAU destacan los vehículos automotores para el transporte de mercancías,
químicos como los ácidos policarboxílicos utilizados en la construcción, aparatos de telefonía, refrigeradores y congeladores, entre otros. Sin embargo, existe
un gran abanico de oportunidades para el
mercado mexicano en ese país.
El sector de la construcción y ferretería ha experimentado un rápido crecimiento en casi todos los países de la región. Existe un gran potencial para que
más empresas mexicanas participen en
estos mercados. Se estima que la industria de la construcción podría ampliar su
cuota de mercado en más de 20,000 millones de dólares. Las oportunidades de
otros sectores son igual de importantes:
manufacturas de acero (349 millones de
dólares), alimentos procesados (169 millones de dólares), químico (133 millones
de dólares), aparatos de óptica y médicoquirúrgicos (115 millones de dólares) y
agropecuario (86 millones de dólares).
De 2003 a 2013 el comercio de México con Arabia Saudita creció 373%. Los
principales productos que se exportan
son vehículos automotores, material para
construcción (ácido carboxílico), tubos
y perfiles huecos sin soldadura, así como
aparatos de telefonía. Los alimentos procesados, los muebles, productos químicos
y agropecuarios tienen un gran potencial
para incursionar en este mercado.
Las exportaciones de México a Catar
crecieron en promedio 23% anual durante
el periodo 2003-2013. En Kuwait, el sector
agropecuario representa una gran oportunidad para los productos mexicanos. Estos
ejemplos muestran la confluencia de intereses e identidades entre México y Medio
Oriente que pueden aprovecharse por México para lograr acceder a una relación mucho
más fructífera en términos comerciales. N
* Asesor de Gestión y Planeación Estratégica,
ProMéxico.
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en la exportación de bienes creativos, el ambiente de negocios, el dinamismo del comercio exterior, el número de graduados en ingeniería, el ranking mundial de universidades,
así como en la penetración de Internet.
La innovación aplicada florece en clústeres regionales que tienen lo necesario para
que una industria prospere –infraestructura, investigadores e ingenieros, entre otros
elementos. En México existen algunos casos de éxito de clústeres regionales innovadores, por ejemplo, en el sector aeroespacial. De acuerdo con cifras de ProMéxico,
México es el sexto proveedor mundial de
productos aeroespaciales a Estados Unidos, la industria aeroespacial genera más de
30,000 empleos en el país y desde 2005 la
cantidad de empresas del ramo en seis entidades federativas se cuadruplicó.
De acuerdo con cifras del Banco Mundial, en 2012 México gastó el equivalente a
Para las empresas, la innovación trae como resultado una
mayor rentabilidad derivada de la posibilidad de diseñar
y producir bienes y servicios nuevos o mejores, y de
utilizar técnicas productivas más eficientes que las de sus
competidores.
Innovación:
motor de la industria en México
En la actualidad, la creación, difusión y aplicación del conocimiento son imprescindibles para que las
empresas y los países prosperen en una economía mundial cada vez más competitiva.
por jorge vega*
De acuerdo con la Organización para la
Cooperación y el Desarrollo Económicos
(OCDE), la innovación es el detonante del
proceso mediante el cual las empresas se
desarrollan y además es un factor que proporciona cimientos para nuevas industrias,
empresas y empleos.
Según el Foro Consultivo Científico y
Tecnológico, innovar significa “introducir
al mercado un producto (bien o servicio),
proceso, método de comercialización o
método organizacional nuevo o significativamente mejorado por una organización”. Por su parte, la revista Expansión
hace hincapié en que innovar no solo involucra crear valor para una compañía,
sino también transformar el mercado en
el que dicha compañía opera.
84
El binomio innovación y emprendimiento es esencial para todo desarrollo
económico. Los emprendedores son individuos que transforman ideas en iniciativas
rentables. Esta transformación requiere
talentos especiales para crear, introducir nuevos productos y explorar nuevos
mercados. Los emprendedores prosperan
cuando el entorno económico y empresarial es favorable e impulsa los rendimientos de la innovación, estimula la productividad mediante las dinámicas de entrada
y salida del mercado de las empresas, y
promueve el desarrollo económico.
Para las empresas, la innovación trae
como resultado una mayor rentabilidad derivada de la posibilidad de diseñar y producir bienes y servicios nuevos o mejores, y de
También se está buscando implementar un sistema de incentivos que propicie
un ecosistema favorable para la innovación. Por ejemplo, hoy el Instituto Mexicano de la Propiedad Industrial (IMPI)
está haciendo grandes esfuerzos para
consolidar un sistema robusto de protección a la innovación.
Aunado a ello, desde mediados de
2013, la American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico (AmCham) fundó un
grupo de trabajo relacionado con la innovación, integrado por empresas globales como Microsoft, 3M, Alexion, Dupont, Ford, General Motors, Indra, GE
México, Pfizer y Softtek, con el objetivo
de contribuir a la formulación de políticas públicas en materia de innovación y
crear puentes entre los diferentes actores
que la impulsan como motor del crecimiento económico.
utilizar técnicas productivas más eficientes
que las de sus competidores. Aquellas empresas que generan capacidades permanentes de innovar cuentan con el conocimiento
necesario para dar respuesta rápida y eficaz
a las oportunidades que ofrece la globalización, y hacer frente de manera eficiente a las
amenazas competitivas de sus rivales y del
entorno. Todo esto se traduce en la posibilidad de crecer de manera sostenida.
La innovación en México
Según la Organización Mundial de la Propiedad Intelectual (OMPI), de 2012 a 2013
México escaló 16 posiciones en el Índice
Mundial de Innovación, al pasar de la posición 79 a la 63 de entre 142 países. De acuerdo con la OMPI, México muestra fortalezas
Octubre 2014
0.37% del PIB en investigación y desarrollo.
Al respecto, es encomiable el propósito del
Gobierno de la República de incrementar
gradualmente esa inversión, para llegar a
1% del PIB en 2018. Para que este esfuerzo
rinda frutos, el siguiente paso será establecer
criterios de aplicación de estos recursos, su
alineación con los ejes de desarrollo del país
y definir indicadores para evaluar su éxito.
Como parte de los esfuerzos para promover la innovación en México, una de las
estrategias transversales que persigue el Plan
Nacional de Desarrollo 2013-2018 es democratizar la productividad. Para lograrlo es
fundamental diseñar una política pública integral de innovación como elemento impulsor de la economía competitiva y generadora
de empleos, cuyos beneficios no solo sean
económicos sino también sociales.
Los actores involucrados en el proceso
de innovación están buscando construir una
política pública que asegure la disponibilidad de recursos, así como la consolidación
de una triple hélice, porque la innovación no
surge de forma aislada sino que es una actividad que prospera en redes que agrupan a
empresas privadas, centros de investigación
y entidades gubernamentales.
Octubre 2014
En 2014 este grupo realizó su primer
sondeo de innovación empresarial en el
que participaron 100 empresas socias de
AmCham. En este sondeo se contemplaron compañías grandes, medianas y pequeñas (nacionales y extranjeras) de 20
giros empresariales, y entre los temas que
se exploraron destacan:
• Percepción de la innovación en el sector empresarial.
• Características de la innovación empresarial en México.
• Recursos humanos, financieros y materiales que las empresas destinan a la
innovación.
• Asociaciones que se establecen entre
empresas, instituciones públicas y centros educativos y de investigación para
impulsar la innovación.
• Percepción y aprovechamiento de las
políticas públicas federales de estímulo a la innovación por parte del sector
empresarial.
Entre los hallazgos de este sondeo, se
pueden resaltar los siguientes:
• El concepto de innovación varía según
el tamaño de la empresa.
• Las empresas encuestadas revelaron
•
•
•
•
un ecosistema de innovación robusto,
pues el porcentaje de desarrollo local
de productos es elevado y la mayoría
de las empresas cuenta con capacidades locales para innovar.
Algunas empresas no innovan porque
o bien no es parte de su estrategia de
negocio, o aún enfrentan impedimentos para innovar.
Las empresas que sí innovan destinan
un porcentaje importante de su presupuesto anual a innovación.
En promedio siete de cada 10 empresas
se asocia para innovar, particularmente
con otras empresas y con universidades.
Prevalecen un nivel alto de desconocimiento y un índice bajo de aprovechamiento de los programas de innovación,
lo que ofrece una gran oportunidad para
definir mecanismos que garanticen que
la información sobre los programas llegue al mayor número de empresas y de
ese modo se fortalezcan todas las cadenas de valor ligadas a la innovación.
Cooperación bilateral
para el fomento a la innovación
Como parte de la visita del Presidente Obama a México en mayo de 2013, se creó el
Foro Bilateral sobre Educación Superior, Innovación e Investigación (FOBESII), con el
propósito transformar a América del Norte
en una región del conocimiento.
Una de las metas específicas del FOBESII es fomentar el uso del conocimiento de
la región para desarrollar proyectos productivos de innovación de alto impacto en
cadenas productivas estratégicas para el
comercio bilateral.
Asimismo, con esta iniciativa se busca desarrollar plataformas tecnológicas
binacionales a partir de mecanismos que
faciliten el diseño de estrategias de mediano y largo plazos en investigación, formación de talento especializado y procesos
de apoyo a la innovación.
De esta manera, se busca generar una
visión compartida de largo plazo en torno
a los principales retos educativos de investigación y de innovación en los temas
económicos y sociales prioritarios para
Estados Unidos y México.
Así, la innovación persistirá como un
componente clave para el despunte de la
industria, la productividad y la competitividad de México. N
*Director de Asuntos Jurídicos, Corporativos y de
Ciudadanía, Microsoft México.
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Innovación
y comercio electrónico
en México
La innovación tiene un papel crucial para desarrollar nuevos modelos de negocio, sobre todo si se consideran los
intercambios que se realizan a través de plataformas digitales y dispositivos móviles. El comercio electrónico se ha
convertido en un componente representativo en casi todo el orbe. La innovación es un elemento central que no puede
aislarse de este proceso.
por mariana morán villavicencio*
La compra y venta de productos o servicios mediante dispositivos electrónicos y
redes informáticas no es novedosa. Las
transacciones que se han registrado en el
mundo como parte del comercio electrónico muestran un enorme nicho de oportunidades para compañías de distintos
giros y tamaños, las cuales requieren instrumentar servicios, desarrollos y aplicaciones cada vez más especializados.
Las tecnologías digitales se han consolidado como uno de los motores más importantes de la economía actual. Son un
factor clave que genera crecimiento económico, inciden en la productividad nacional y promueven la generación de más
empleos. De este modo, las tecnologías digitales han impactado a las pequeñas y medianas empresas (pymes) en la expansión
de sus operaciones y en procesos de internacionalización hacia otros continentes.
Las tecnologías vinculadas con el comercio electrónico inciden de manera directa en los planos económico y social,
por lo que no es extraño que cada vez más
industrias estén apostando por impulsar
experiencias de negocio basadas en plataformas móviles, como tampoco es extraño
que exista un consenso cada vez más generalizado sobre la importancia de conocer
los hábitos de compra y las expectativas de
los “consumidores digitales” en distintas
regiones del planeta.
Según estimaciones de Euromonitor International, en 2018 el comercio electrónico
representará casi una quinta parte del valor
de las ventas del sector comercio a nivel global. De acuerdo con eMarketer, en 2013 el
comercio electrónico registró un crecimiento anualizado de 21.1% en todo el mundo;
tan solo en América del Norte, los ingresos
del comercio electrónico superaron los 1.29
trillones de dólares ese año.
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Según pronósticos de la agencia de
investigación de mercados Kantar Worldpanel, casi 50% de la población mundial
tendrá acceso a Internet en 2017. A finales de ese año, el número de teléfonos celulares conectados superará al número de
habitantes que tiene el planeta, por lo que
se puede esperar que crezcan de manera
importante las transacciones comerciales a
través de esos dispositivos.
En México, 44% de los
internautas ha comprado
algún producto y/o
servicio por Internet
en sitios nacionales y
37% gasta entre 401 y
1,000 pesos cada vez
que acceden a Internet a
realizar alguna compra.
Asimismo, según datos
de AMIPCI, los productos
que más se comercian
en línea en México son
música y películas –lo que
repercute directamente en
el posicionamiento de
las industrias creativas
en el país.
En el caso de México, según datos de la
Asociación Mexicana de Internet (AMIPCI), durante 2013 el comercio electrónico
en el país tuvo un valor de mercado de
9,200 millones de dólares, lo que equivale
a un crecimiento de 42% respecto a 2012.
Cifras de PwC indican que México tiene
más de 50 millones de usuarios de Internet,
y se espera un crecimiento importante de
esa cifra para 2017.
Respecto al uso de Internet y el desempeño de las empresas en México, según
cifras del Índice Qualcomm de la Sociedad de la Innovación (QuISI), 56% de las
compañías en México están conectadas a
la red –en comparación con 95% a nivel
mundial. Esto indica que aún hay oportunidades para que más empresas se incorporen en este modelo de negocio.
Pero, ¿cuál es la relevancia de las
plataformas digitales en México? Según
QuISI, en México se realiza un importante porcentaje de transacciones por Internet; 78% de las personas adultas realiza negocios por Internet, mientras que
66% de las empresas conectadas utiliza
la banca electrónica.
En México, 44% de los internautas ha
comprado algún producto y/o servicio por
Internet en sitios nacionales y 37% gasta
entre 401 y 1,000 pesos cada vez que acceden a Internet a realizar alguna compra.
Asimismo, según datos de AMIPCI, los productos que más se comercian en línea en
México son música y películas –lo que repercute directamente en el posicionamiento
de las industrias creativas en el país.
El comercio electrónico tiene un impacto importante en las ventas de las
empresas. Según cifras de Euromonitor
International, el comercio electrónico
representó 7% de los ingresos de las
principales cadenas comerciales durante
2013, y se prevé que esta cifra aumente a
19% para 2018.
A la par del auge del comercio electrónico, vale la pena destacar el incremento
de las transacciones bancarias y el uso
de las plataformas digitales para realizar
trámites gubernamentales. QuISI revela
Octubre 2014
que 32% de las empresas en México aún
no usan banca electrónica, pero se estima
que con seguridad comenzarán a utilizarla
entre 2014 y 2015. Asimismo, el número
de empresas que realizan trámites gubernamentales en línea asciende a 65%, pero
el resto de las empresas que aún no migran
a estas plataformas lo hará en breve. Además, se prevé que cada vez sean más empresas las que incorporen aplicaciones big
data y de cómputo en la nube.
Dada la importancia del comercio
electrónico para la economía mexicana,
se han formulado estrategias y políticas
públicas para fomentar las tecnologías de
la información (TI) y el desarrollo de mecanismos innovadores, así como el uso de
tecnologías con alto valor agregado. Desde 2002, la Secretaría de Economía (SE)
ha implementado una política pública que
permite aprovechar las oportunidades del
sector de TI, derivado del impacto transversal del sector, tanto en el mercado internacional como nacional, con el fin de
llevar a México hacia una economía basada en el conocimiento.
Asimismo, México ha participado en
encuentros internacionales vinculados
Octubre 2014
con el comercio electrónico desde hace
más de una década. Durante 2005, a través de la SE, el país ocupó la presidencia
del Grupo de Manejo de Comercio Electrónico en el Foro de Cooperación Económica Asia-Pacífico (APEC).
En el marco de las negociaciones de este
grupo, se concluyó que era necesario promover un mecanismo que brindara confianza a los internautas en México al realizar
transacciones en línea. En este contexto, la
SE en coordinación con la AMIPCI, desarrolló un proyecto innovador basado en la
generación de sellos de confianza.
Los sellos de confianza se otorgan
desde 2007 a los sitios en Internet de
empresas, organizaciones, instituciones
y personas que están comprometidas
con la generación de confianza en línea.
Tienen como propósito fomentar la confianza de los usuarios en Internet, asegurando un adecuado manejo de datos
personales, además de incrementar el comercio electrónico en el país.
Desde 2007, la AMIPCI se sumó a
la World Trustmark Alliance (WTA) que
reúne a distintos proveedores de sellos
de confianza en el mundo. Esta alianza
internacional tiene como objetivo central
contribuir al desarrollo y promoción del
comercio electrónico, de las transacciones en línea, así como de la resolución
de controversias entre los negocios realizados en línea. Los países pertenecientes a la WTA son Alemania, Argentina,
Austria, Corea del Sur, Estados Unidos,
España, Filipinas, Francia, Italia, Malasia, Malta, México, Polonia, Singapur,
Taiwán, Tailandia y Viet Nam.
Conscientes del impacto y crecimiento de este modelo de negocios en México,
ProMéxico está trabajando en el desarrollo de estrategias dirigidas a promover el
componente vinculado con el comercio
electrónico, con el propósito de impulsar
las actividades de las empresas y fomentar
su internacionalización. Esta estrategia se
enfoca a detectar oportunidades de negocios y apoyar a empresas mexicanas con
capacidad exportable con el propósito de
que adopten, incursionen o mejoren sus
plataformas de comercio electrónico. N
*Subdirectora de Innovación y Proyectos
Estratégicos, Unidad de Inteligencia de
Negocios, ProMéxico.
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Negocios ProMéxico | Para Exportadores
foto
cortesía de presidencia de la república
De México para el mundo,
orgullo que se exporta
por proméxico
El 5 de septiembre de 2014, en el marco del congreso del Consejo Empresarial
Mexicano de Comercio Exterior, Inversión y Tecnología (COMCE) celebrado en
Mazatlán, Sinaloa, se entregaron varios
reconocimientos a empresas, instituciones
y organizaciones que operan en el área de
comercio internacional en México.
El Presidente Enrique Peña Nieto entregó el Premio Nacional de Exportación
a empresas, instituciones y organizaciones que gracias a su esfuerzo, constancia,
creatividad, calidad e innovación han
logrado competir, incrementar y diversificar las ventas de bienes y servicios en
el exterior.
Las empresas, instituciones y organizaciones galardonadas son 100% mexicanas y contribuyen a la difusión global
de la oferta exportable mexicana. Las entidades que recibieron este premio son:
Empresas exportadoras
(medianas industriales)
Botas Caborca S.A. de C.V.
León, Guanajuato.
Exporta calzado a Estados Unidos, Italia
y Japón, entre otros países.
Empresas exportadoras
(Pequeñas industriales)
Dunes Relaxed Fashion
S. de R.L. de C.V.
Zapopan, Jalisco.
Exporta ropa a Estados Unidos y Canadá.
Empresas exportadoras
(grandes agropecuarias)
Exportalizas Mexicanas S.A. de C.V.
Culiacán, Sinaloa.
Exporta productos horti-frutícolas a Estados Unidos y Canadá.
Empresas exportadoras
(grandes industriales)
Helvex S.A. de C.V.
México, Distrito Federal.
Exporta grifería, muebles y accesorios
para baño a 18 países.
Empresas exportadoras (pequeñas
y medianas agropecuarias)
Alimentos Nutracéuticos La Meza
S.A. de C.V.
Corregidora, Querétaro.
Exporta frutas deshidratadas a Estados
Unidos y a Europa.
Empresas IMMEX
Rassini Frenos S.A. de C.V.
San Martín Texmelucan, Puebla.
Exporta frenos y árboles de transmisión a
Estados Unidos y Europa.
Empresas exportadoras (pequeñas
y medianas comercializadoras)
Distribuidora Hortimex S.A. de C.V.
Culiacán, Sinaloa.
Exporta productos horti-frutícolas a Estados Unidos, Canadá y otros países.
Editorial Limusa S.A. de C.V.
México, Distrito Federal.
Exporta libros a países de América Latina.
Empresas exportadoras
(grandes comercializadoras)
SuKarne S.A. de C.V.
Culiacán, Sinaloa.
Exporta carne de ganado y aves a Estados
Unidos, Rusia, Japón, entre otros países.
Empresas exportadoras
de servicios
Grupos Metales Incorporados
S.A.P.I. de C.V.
San Juan del Río, Querétaro.
Exporta servicios de edificación y desarrollo de ingeniería a varios países de América Latina.
Empresas prestadoras de servicios
Central Star Logistics Operadora
S.A. de C.V.
San Juan del Río, Querétaro.
Exporta servicios de logística a Estados
Unidos.
Instituciones educativas
Universidad Anáhuac del Sur S.C.
México, Distrito Federal.
Tiene programas sobre negocios internacionales y exporta varios programas
académicos.
www.pne.economia.gob.mx
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Octubre 2014