The Seal of Good Design promotes the external insertion of SMEs. Photo: Press
Officials and SME businessmen highlighted the importance of the Seal of Good Argentine Design (SBD) when it comes to positioning small and medium-sized companies in international markets.
The Seal is an award that the Ministry of Industry and Productive Development gives to industrial SMEs that stand out for their innovation and design qualityin addition to its commitment to local production and market positioning.
This year, 400 products obtained the distinction, and many of them were exhibited in a fair at the Kirchner Cultural Center organized by the Ministry of Industry and Productive Development.
In dialogue with Télam, the national director of SME Policy, paul bercovichstressed that “it is no coincidence that half of the companies that are exhibiting their products this year are exporters.”
“There are more and more SMEs that sell abroad in Argentina. We have programs that promote these companies with financing, with non-reimbursable contributions. The Seal of Good Design is the corollary of a whole process,” added Bercovich.
This is how the Argentine Good Design Seal Expo is lived, a space that puts the innovation of the national industry within everyone’s reach.
This weekend come to @elCCKirchner to learn about the 400 products made by SMEs.
#IndustrialInnovation#ArgentineDesign pic.twitter.com/0qnmPmMbsz– Ministry of Industry and Productive Development (@produccion_arg) April 15, 2023
According to a study by the Center for Production Studies (CEP XXI) of the Ministry of Economy, the number of exporting MSMEs grew in 2021 to 7,960, after the fall it had experienced in 2020 due to the pandemic. The trend continued in 2022 according to preliminary figures, official sources reported.
Despite the improvements, the number is still below the peak of 10,800 MSMEs that sold abroad in 2011.
The Seal of Good Design is an award that Industry has been giving for 12 years. The award-winning products are chosen by a jury made up of 84 leaders from the productive sector, academia and the public sector.
In dialogue with Télam, the head of communication for the company Crucijuegos, María Belén Milanoindicated that “having the award is an added value for us that empowers us and gives us prestige when it comes to seeking markets abroad.”
The Seal is an award that the Ministry of Industry and Productive Development gives to industrial SMEs. Photo: Press
“There are more and more SMEs that sell abroad in Argentina. We have programs that promote these companies with financing, with non-reimbursable contributions. The Seal of Good Design is the corollary of a whole process”
Crucijuegos exports to countries such as Brazil, Chile, Spain, Colombia, Mexico, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay.
In the same tune, Legal SAT 24 project leader, Luciano Poggiaffirmed that when it comes to meeting with potential clients, showing the Seal gives the company “prestige and transmits confidence and security that behind the product we offer there was an entire organization and there was a specialized jury that guaranteed the quality”.
Legal SAT 24 is an SME originally linked to the security field but which during the pandemic partially reconverted and created the Remote Unit for Medical Assistance (URAM), an innovative service that allows videoconferences and remote measurements to obtain an accurate diagnosis.
Another case is that of Purple Tree, a company that has been producing video games for more than a decade and has already managed to position itself in regions of Europe, Asia and America.
Its co-founder, Pablo Cerrutiaffirmed that “at a global level it always adds up to have a distinction when it comes to positioning the products. It also makes users buy the games with another predisposition.”
The number of exporting MSMEs grew in 2021 to 7,960. Photo: Press
About the exhibition
The sample named “Seal of Good Argentine Design” was inaugurated on Thursday by President Alberto Fernández and the Secretary of Industry and Productive Development, José Ignacio de Mendigurenand extended until this Sunday.
The exhibition It included productions from all of the country’s value chains, grouped into five categories: Industry and Transportation, Furniture and Equipment, Clothing, Footwear and Accessories, Strategic Communication, and Home, Office, and Recreation.
The design concept considers from the gestation of a project to its completion, therefore it covers the entire production process.
So, design has an impact on improving the efficiency of processes, making better use of materials, reducing the impact on the environment or better positioning a product in a market based on its identity and brand design.
In this edition the Seal had a record number of entries and winnerssomething that for Bercovich is related to the prestige that the award has been acquiring and with the context of growth in production and the supply of local goods.
the year 2022 the industry grew 4.4% in what was its second consecutive year of growthaccording to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (Indec).
#DatoINDEC
The industry grew 4.2% year-on-year in September 2022 and contracted 0.2 compared to the previous month https://t.co/2ypjAsc5u6 pic.twitter.com/F2BFFc1reK— INDEC Argentina (@INDECArgentina) November 8, 2022
“We have a fully developed SME platform that is not common in any developing country. It is not common for a Latin American country to have such a tool and make such an investment in a strategy that is to incorporate design into companies,” Bercovich said.
And added that “We have competitive SMEs in other more demanding markets, precisely because of their quality, their innovation and differentiation, and not because of cheap labor.”
