Celaya, Gto., May 1, 2017.- The researcher of Campus Celaya-Salvatierra of the University of Guanajuato (UG), Dr. Alejandra López Salazar, led a research to identify the strategic and operational factors that impact the development of the technological capabilities of the automotive cluster.

This project emerged due to the importance the automotive sector has in the state of Guanajuato in the contribution of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), employment generation and the number of industries in the area that have installed in the state.

The researcher specified that there has been a growth in the automotive sector, and despite the increase, not all industries have incorporated as suppliers, because they need to develop technology and innovation capacities.

The research covered 54 industries, and analyzed 10 study areas: the technological capacity, the internationalization level, information technologies, social capital, organizational development, training and incentives, strategies, entrepreneur orientation, organizational culture and performance.

One of the conclusions, was that the big industries are the ones who have developed their technological capacities, because they invert the financial resource in their development to address the demands the assemblers have.

Another result is that some industries are not developing their social capital (network of suppliers, clients, with the same competence) to the maximum and make the improvements once the client has complained. A recommendation –derived from the research—is that they can attend the observations sooner, in collaboration with the client.

This study will be useful for the industry sector, because it will allow to identify the areas where they need to make changes to establish improvement strategies and plans, with which they can increase their competitivity and incorporate as suppliers in the automotive cluster.

This research is a referent for the government to support the development of public policies that include small and medium industries.

In the academic area, these results contribute to the knowledge of technological capacities, specifically in the automotive industry, which is an important sector for Mexico.

Dr. López Salazar mentioned, that this project is part of the Research Network in Technological Innovation, Economic and Sustainable Administration, which is financed by Projects of Academic Bodies Strengthening.

Dr. Ricardo Contreras Soto, Dr. Celina López Mateo, Dr. Rubén Molina Sánchez, Dr. Sanjuana Martha Ríos Manríquez, Dr. Sergio Méndez Valencia and Dr. Johanán Zamilpa Paredes compose the Network of Professors of the University of Guanajuato through the Academic Body MIPYME Development and Management.

From the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro participated the Academic Body Technological and Financial Management composed by Dr. Denise Gómez Hernández, Dr. Julia Hilch, Dr. Ignacio Almaraz Rodríguez and Dr. Humberto Banda; and from the Universidad Autónoma de Hidalgo, the Academic Body Administration, composed by Dr. Martín Calzada, Jessica Mendoza Moreno and Blanca Cecilia Salazar Hernández.

This network is an organization developed by researchers and academic bodies with the purpose to make joint efforts that lead to the creation and divulgation of knowledge in the economic administrative areas in the central region of the country.