Colombian companies, an innovation model for Latin America

The First Ranking of Entrepreneurial Innovation of the Andi and Revista Dinero was measured taking into account three components: conditions, capacities and results. According to this study, the top 10 places are these companies:

1. Bayer Colombia, pharmaceutical and agriculture products
2. Digital Ware, software development
3. Procaps, pharmaceutical
4. Colceramica, manufacturing
5. Sampedro Medical Industries, specialized in solving musculoskeletal problems
6. Penagos Hermanos, specialized in producing machines for agriculture
7. Sumicol, industrial supplies, paints and building materials
8. Nalsani Totto, a fashion company
9. Grupo Nutresa, one of the region’s most important food industries
10. Cavelier Abogados, a legal services firm.

The multinational Bayer, with more than 100 years in Colombia, is in the first position, and is a reference for Latin America in the field of clinical investigation because of the high standards of the research centers it has recently created. Besides, it participates in new molecule protocols for the areas of cardiology, uterine fibrosis and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in partnership with nearly 60 testing grounds in the country,.

For Consumer Health, the transfer of technology includes:

• Giving access to innovative products in Colombia
• Implementing good international practices
• Creating value added such as services
• Improving processes and new business models that allow the exchange of ideas, knowledge and experiences for solving local problems
• Challenging the status quo

Digital Ware generates so much innovative value that for some years it has been working to obtain several patents in the United States. In the same way, it has been awarded with the last deliveries of the Ingenio awards, World Prize of Software and the Portfolio prize to the innovation, among others.

In third place, Colcerámica, a subsidiary of the Corona Group, has focused its innovation efforts on: product development and practices for a better customer service, technology development as well as production processes. The company earmarked about 1.5% of sales (last year was $ 1.2 billion) to the topic of innovation and in August will launch in US, a toilet with special characteristics, a product of a three years work which had Pan American collaboration: the concept was born from the United States subsidiary, aesthetic design was made in Colombia and hydraulic engineering in Central America.

Nalsani Totto, ranked number eight, it started in 2011 with the Innovate program to structure the theme of innovation as one of the company’s pillars. One of the most representative strategies is the Pioneers Contest based on an academic program that operates within the company and has guests from universities, experts from different subjects and business leaders who share their experiences in monthly sessions.

For its part, the Nutresa group makes possible new business models through innovation, raising the commitment of its team of collaborators to identify or improve: processes, ways of working and products that transform the various capitals of the company. The company’s commitment for 2020 is to achieve innovation sales equivalent to 15% of its total sales.

This is an example of a major plan of investment and in improving the labor conditions in a Country that is growing into a competitive nation, able to export and develop new plans for its economy to grow.