Colombian Industry Research Articles

Motor de la economía solidaria para fomentar una cultura de emprendimiento sostenible

Los emprendedores tienen dos factores que los caracteriza que son: la educación y la formación, pero de igual manera es importante establecer hábitos, actitudes con un sentido ético, responsabilidad social y desarrollo sostenible; en este sentido, la economía solidaria impulsa el bienestar y la justicia en la sociedad, con el fin de permitir el cumplimiento y la promoción de derechos sociales. Teniendo en cuenta que esta economía solidaria tiene unos principios que orientan los principales enfoques sociales lo cual se puede implementar con organizaciones comunitarias y asociaciones, la industria colombiana genera una perspectiva para que los nuevos líderes busquen generar no solo utilidades sino un beneficio en común y organizaciones sostenibles y socialmente sostenibles.

Exploring governance for sustainability in contexts of violence: the case of the hydropower industry in Colombia

BackgroundThe hydropower industry in Colombia is developing in contexts of violence because of armed conflict. The companies that drive hydropower development are usually large and benefit today from lessons that have been learned around the world. However, there is little understanding of how these good management practices are addressed in contexts of violence. This paper contributes to the filling of a knowledge gap between the energy business practices and the local implications of the armed conflict. Large companies would have to incorporate a holistic view of the power generation business that connects financial performance with both environmental protection and social equity. The governance of business sustainability is analyzed within violence, drawing upon a case study from the hydropower industry to explore emergent issues, dominant players, and tools that may provide solutions.MethodsThe case study method is based on the hermeneutical analysis of 16 in-depth interviews with employees from the energy sector, the public municipalities, and local leaders. The interviews were coded and occurrence rates were used as ranking criteria. Two co-occurrence matrices were constructed in order to estimate the ranking of the interests of the players and the tools of action they prefer.ResultsThe results exhibited conventional problems such as climate change, dwindling biodiversity, and the deteriorating condition of natural resources, in addition to the characteristic difficulties of armed conflicts, such as illegality, distrustfulness, and lack of opportunity for local populations. In view of both the weakness of the state and the scarcity of social capital, energy companies emerge as a central player in association with nongovernmental organizations. The tools used are more geared toward planning than they are toward joint action and evaluation.ConclusionsIt was concluded that the management of hydropower stations in the contexts of violence requires companies to orient their actions toward results and evaluate the impact of its management. Such management must be based on transformational relationships aimed at reducing the existing asymmetry between players and distributing the costs and benefits of the hydropower station more equitably.

Exploring the Potential of CO2-EOR as a Mitigation Strategy in the Colombian Oil Value Chain

CCS is considered a primary strategy to curb CO2 emissions. In many models, CCS is an essential technology to meet the 2C target. Drastically reducing GHG emissions in the oil and gas industry will be needed to reach the 2C target as this industry is one of the five most energy and GHG intensive sectors. The implementation of CCS technologies has been widely studied for the refining stage of the oil value chain. According to Berghout et al., between 80 to 90% of GHG emissions in the refining industry could be reduced using CCS. However, the cost involved for its implementation, make it an unattractive pathway. CO2-EOR is currently a promising alternative to reduce CCS costs, and would be able to produce an oil with low-associated emissions during its recovery. This paper aims to estimate the techno-economic potential of CO2-EOR for reducing GHG emissions in the Colombian oil industry. For this purpose, the supply and demand of CO2 are studied by including the CO2 capture potential of the oil industry, cement, power generation and bioethanol, as well as the storage potential of CO2 through the oil recovery miscible process. The state-owned oil company Ecopetrol S.A. was taken as a case study, which represents the oil value chain in Colombia, with about 70% of crude oil produced and 100% of oil transported and refined in the country. A total of 193 Mt CO2 between 2025 and 2040 could be stored through CO2-EOR. As the projected emissions of the oil and gas industry in Colombia from 2010 to 2040 are estimated at 570 Mt CO2, this is equivalent to a potential 34% reduction in CO2 emissions. This mitigation represents approximately 20% of the total reduction under the INDC target for the period 2025 to 2030.

La industria de sensores en Colombia

Contexto: Colombia es un consumidor masivo de productos electrónicos y, en especial, de elementos primarios como sensores; sin embargo, no posee las herramientas para su producción. Los sensores, al ser los elementos necesarios para la realimentación de un proceso, se vuelven imprescindibles para la instauración de cualquier iniciativa de producción.Método: En este trabajo se realiza un diagnóstico y perspectiva de la industria de sensores en Colombia, enmarcada en la primera etapa de la tesis de maestría titulada “Estrategia de producción de sensores para el sector industrial colombiano”. Para tal fin, se hace un breve análisis de entorno (Román, 2016) y se establece su relación con la fabricación de dispositivos electrónicos en Colombia.Resultados: Se logra identificar algunos aspectos distintivos de la industria, como los sectores económicos donde se ubican las empresas que utilizan sensores, reconocimiento de las variables más medidas y, particularmente, qué sensores son los más utilizados para medir dichas variables. Además, se determinaron las principales compañías proveedoras de sensores en Colombia.Conclusiones: A partir de la indagación realizada, se concluyó que los sensores que miden temperatura y presión son aquellos con más demanda en la población de la industria nacional, y que el sector al que pertenecen la mayor cantidad de empresas consumidoras de sensores es la manufacturera.

Building institutions: the film industry in Colombia

Building institutions: the film industry in Colombia

Innovation in Companies operating in the Foodstuffs Sector of Colombia. An analysis from the perspective of open innovation

his study explores the characteristics of open innovation within the foodstuffs industry in Colombia, contrasting the importance recognized by its actors of this way of generating innovations with the spontaneous and incipient nature of the process, in a sector of vital importance for the economy and a valuable growth potential in line with the new dynamics and trends of the globalized world with highly demanding consumers in terms of health, well-being and improvement of quality of life and in a highly competitive environment (Traill and Meulenberg, 2002; Costa and Jongen, 2006; Trienekens and Zuurbier, 2008; Schiefer and Deiters, 2016). As a paradigm, open innovation is determined by the complex interaction of actors whose synergy projects the innovation system onto a given region. This context makes it essential to identify the main actors involved in the process and their form of interaction. By developing the proposed qualitative analysis exercise, the characteristics of the actors and their relationships in four production lines of the foodstuffs sector in Colombia (the meat sector, the dairy sector, the milling sector and the confectionery sector) are investigated. These sub-sectors were selected according to their degree of participation in domestic production. Through in-depth interviews, some companies in the Colombian food sector fall under the initial stage of open innovation. Additionally, the results suggest that companies acknowledge the importance of developing strategies with external actors, oriented according to public policy guidelines on innovation in Colombia.

Expansion assessment of the sugarcane and ethanol production in the Llanos Orientales region in Colombia

AbstractThe Cauca River Valley region has traditionally been the main sugarcane production area for the sugar and ethanol industries in Colombia. This area is not expected to expand its agricultural frontiers, mainly due to social, geographic, and water limitations.This study is part of the Bioenergy Contribution of Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa to the Global Sustainable Bioenergy Initiative (LACAf) project, which assessed potential regions for the expansion of ethanol production in Colombia and Mozambique. Studies linked to the LACAf project have identified the Llanos Orientales (eastern savannas) region as the most appropriate option for sugarcane expansion in Colombia, due to its favorable climate and a significant amount of arable land available for agriculture. The main goal of this study was to assess the economic benefits and environmental impacts of several simulated ethanol biorefineries in the Llanos Orientales region. The study was performed using the Virtual Sugarcane Biorefinery, which allows the evaluation of integrated new alternatives for sugarcane and ethanol production. The results of this research showed that all the first‐ and second‐generation biorefineries assessed were profitable and attractive. Furthermore, the results of the simulations for the Lanos Orientales region have shown great potential for reducing environmental impacts compared to the current production in the Cauca River Valley. Consequently, the ethanol produced could qualify as ‘advanced’ in terms of the US Environmental Protection Agency criteria, and it meets the requirements of the European Parliament, representing a business opportunity to enter into the largest ethanol markets, and increasing biofuel production in Colombia. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Genetic, host and environmental factors associated with a high prevalence of Anaplasma marginale

Anaplasma marginale is the most prevalent vector-borne pathogen in the livestock industry in Colombia, causing economic losses of approximately USD 4.2 million per year. The present study reports the seasonal transmission patterns, genetic diversity and phylogeographic traits of A. marginale strains in cattle and buffaloes from Colombian livestock areas. A three-point longitudinal survey was designed to evaluate the above characteristics of farms in the Caribbean and Orinoquía regions. The A. marginale prevalence was evaluated in 1432 cattle blood samples, 152 buffalo blood samples and the hemolymph of 439 ticks using semi-nested PCR (sn-PCR) targeting the msp5 gene. The molecular prevalence in cattle and buffaloes was 54.8% and 13.1%, respectively, with higher values during the wet and late wet seasons. Factors such as age and production system were significantly associated with the infection. Rhipicephalus microplus was the only carrier of A. marginale DNA, with an infection rate of 17.2%. On the other hand, the tandem repeat and microsatellite analyses of the msp1α gene showed high genetic diversity and new tandem repeats that suggested strain adaptation to different transmission modes. Phylogeographic analysis using the msp4 gene showed a relationship between Colombian isolates and Mexican, Brazilian, Venezuelan, European and Asian isolates, as well as two worldwide haplogroups that were associated with the geographical origin of each isolate. In conclusion, this study shows that A. marginale occurs under enzootic stability in both hosts, with a high prevalence of infection during wet months and in animals dedicated to beef production. The genetic variability analyses suggest that a high strain diversity is associated with multiple selective pressures in the study area, while phylogeographic traits suggest a high genetic similarity between Mexican and South American strains.

Diseño de un plan estratégico para un laboratorio orientado a la revitalización organizacional

Con los constantes avances tecnológicos, mercados cambiantes, nuevos canales de distribución y de comunicación, las empresas hoy en día necesitan herramientas que les permitan marcar una diferencia con respecto a las demás, obligándose a generar estrategias eficaces que sirvan de base para alcanzar los objetivos empresariales. Esto sucede con Laboratorios S.A.S; es una empresa con un largo recorrido en la fabricación y comercialización de productos farmacéuticos, pero que hoy en día, por distintos factores como la falta de innovación, de metodologías y procedimientos adecuados, gestión de mercadeo y entre otros factores, se encuentra en una etapa de declive, en dónde sino toma las medidas necesarias para atacar la problemática, se podría desmoronar definitivamente la organización. Es por esto que se propuso un diseño de plan estratégico, que permita encaminar a la empresa a la revitalización organizacional deseada según las necesidades del entorno. Por eso se utilizaron herramientas de diagnóstico, análisis, prospectivas y propuestas de modelo de seguimiento, que le permitirán a la organización responder a los retos generados por la industria colombiana, que le permitirán así mismo entrar con fuerza al mercado y seguidamente aumentar sus ingresos.

Metodología de la indagación aplicada a la enseñanza del diseño de intercambiadores de calor tipo Coraza-Tubo usando un OVA

Los intercambiadores de calor son comúnmente usados en diversos procesos térmicos en la industria colombiana, el estudiante de ingeniería mecánica, aprende los conceptos básicos de estos dispositivos, en la asignatura de transferencia de calor. Por tal razón, los autores del presente estudio propusieron un nuevo método de enseñanza-aprendizaje, basado en tres conceptos, la metodología de la indagación, el diseño térmico de intercambiadores de calor tipo coraza-tubos y la aplicación de un objeto virtual de aprendizaje. El objetivo de este nuevo método, fue que el estudiante adquiera un rol activo en su formación y el profesor sea una guía en dicho proceso. En la primera parte del artículo, se definió la nueva metodología propuesta; luego se explicó los tres productos obtenidos, a saber, dos guías de enseñanza, una para el estudiante y otra para el profesor, y un programa de diseño de intercambiadores. En la sección de discusión, se explicó la importancia de la nueva metodología y de la herramienta computacional.

Internal Communication Issues in the Firms: Does It Affect the Productivity?

Communication is born as a response of the human being to interact with other people in companies to motivate human resource and obtain the expected results and work with the best workers in an increasingly competitive market; internal communication plays an important role in improving the working environment and an excellent performance of workers. The constant change brought about by world globalization, forces organizations to apply methods that organize the means to lead the company to obtain better performance and make full use of all its resources; without it, it is created an environment of instability and uncertainty among its members. Business communication can be seen as a strategic tool in relation to the organization with the environment and interaction with the staff, showing the results expected by the company analyses by empirical data. The research is developed through a descriptive and empirical methodology to identify through surveys to workers from different companies, the current problems presented by organizations in internal communication; thus establishing the consequences of poor organizational communication; finding the real problems that affect the companies of the Colombian industry and of the world, to find possible solutions.

Economía naranja colombiana en tiempos modernos

El presente artículo tiene como protagonista al concepto de economía creativa, como un sector que se ha abordado muy poco en Colombia. La industria creativa a lo largo de los años ha presentado altos niveles de crecimiento, teniendo en cuenta que no cuenta con un apoyo real por parte del gobierno, sin embargo, cabe destacar que, si se apoyara esta industria naciente en Colombia, se generaría una participación económica significativa, que resultaría en un ingreso de diferente proveniencia para el país y en general para la región, hablando específicamente de producción de materias primas. Se pretende, por tanto, dar a conocer los posibles cambios que tendrían que darse en Colombia, de índole tanto económica como cultural, para comprender que los bienes y servicios culturales no están exclusivamente dirigidos a grupos de personas de alto nivel socioeconómico, noción que favorecería el incentivo directo a este concepto y con ello traería beneficios en diferentes aspectos para el país.

Feasibility evaluation of the use Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) technology for energy production from exhaust gases recovery: a case study of local industry in Colombia

Feasibility evaluation of the use Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) technology for energy production from exhaust gases recovery: a case study of local industry in Colombia

Genetic variation and genetic structure of Caranx hippos (Teleostei: Carangidae) in the Colombian Caribbean

Studies based on molecular genetics offer the possibility to understand the structure of populations and provide data to implement measures designed to protect them. Caranx hippos, is a fish with a wide distribution in the Western Atlantic, becoming one of the most economically important species in the artisanal fishing industry in Colombia. However, little is known about its biology. The present study aimed to evaluate the variation and genetic structure of C. hippos in the Colombian Caribbean by analyzing the mitochondrial DNA region control and cytochrome oxidase subunit (COI). We sequenced the DNA of 153 muscle samples collected from specimens obtained from six fishing ports. The results showed 21 haplotypes for COI and 116 haplotypes for the control region, divided into two lineages that do not exhibit a pattern of geographical distribution. For mitochondrial control region, the estimated haplotype diversity (Hd) presented relatively high values (Hd = 0.99 and = 0.1), while for COI results were Hd = 0.68 and = 0.01; the relationship between haplotype and nucleotide diversity and the neutrality test revealed that C. hippos experienced bottlenecking and a subsequent rapid population expansion. Estimates of genetic structure were low and insignificant, indicating no differentiation between samples collected from geographical isolation. This suggests that for the Colombian Caribbean there is a panmictic population of C. hippos. However, variations were found at population levels, especially in La Guajira, Turbo and San Antero, which, when compared to those included for Brazil and México, demonstrated that unique haplotypes in La Guajira are more aligned to the Brazilian populations, by means of the influence of the Caribbean Current, whilst those from Turbo and San Antero are more frequent in haplotypes originating from Mexico. Future studies should focus the understanding of these processes.

Use of thermal energy and analysis of barriers to the implementation of thermal efficiency measures in cement production: Exploratory study in Colombia

The cement industry is one of the world’s largest energy consumers. In this work, a walk-through study of representative cement companies was carried out to characterize the energy profile of the cement industry in Colombia, with emphasis on evaluating the degree of obsolescence of the technology used in the processes, as well as identifying the main barriers that prevent the adaptation of more efficient technologies. Perception-surveys were performed among the energy managers to determine the barriers that hinder the implementation of energy efficiency measures. A factor that quantifies the influence of each type of barrier was defined according to the results of the survey. The results show that the Colombian cement industry has a specific energy consumption that is competitive with the largest cement producers in the world, while the technological obsolescence found is at a medium - low level. Furthermore, the main barrier to the penetration of energy efficiency technologies and measures is identified as the hidden costs associated with the implementation of these technologies. Finally, some conventional and emerging technologies are proposed to improve the efficiency of thermal energy use in the processes studied.

The Effects of Climate on Output per Worker: Evidence from the Manufacturing Industry in Colombia

This paper quantifies the effect of an increase in temperature and precipitation on the average output per worker in the Colombian manufacturing industry. In order to approach this issue rigorously, a methodology is developed with a theoretical model and an empirical estimation. The estimation of the empirical model is done with economic data from the Annual Survey of the Manufacturing Industry, the Monthly Manufacturing Sample and climate data from IDEAM. The results do not allow to reject a negative effect of temperature and a positive effect of precipitation on average output per worker.

Innovation, Public Support, and Productivity in Colombia. A Cross-industry Comparison

Summary We investigate the association between perceived barriers to innovation and the allocation of public support for innovation in manufacturing and service industries in Colombia, as well as the potential heterogeneity of returns to innovation across the firm-level productivity distribution. Extending the CDM recursive system, we include an equation for the allocation of direct support and use quantile regression methods to estimate the productivity equation. We find some differences across manufacturing and service industries. Financing constraints are correlated with obtaining public support in manufacturing and in some services, but in knowledge-intensive services (KIS) barriers associated with regulations are more significant. The introduction of innovations increases mostly the productivity of firms below the median of the productivity distribution, especially in services. Increasing human capital would boost productivity of firms in all industries, providing support to the hypothesis that human capital is indeed a bottleneck for productivity growth across the board in Colombia. We conclude that addressing factors that hinder innovation by low-productivity firms in all service industries could significantly contribute to increasing productivity and reduce its dispersion.

Biomass densification: A review of the market and recent R&D trends

The steady increase in the world energy demand and the objectives defined in the COP21 to decrease the GHG´s emission have been the fundamentals of the development of energy industries that harness renewable resources. Biomass pellets have become into valuable alternatives due to their physic-chemical characteristics and their multiple advantages over traditional wood. This document aims to review the performance of the international pellets market focusing on the main producers and consumers, the wood pellets prices, and the major trends about R&D. The European Union is the most remarkable biomass pellets market growing more than 94% the last decade with wood pellets prices in the 200-250 €/ton range and an even higher necessity of imports from non-UE countries. Research is mainly focusing on four significant areas such as pellets characteristics, new raw materials, market analysis and pellets combustion performance. Understanding these trends of R&D and the performance of the pellets market could support the development of the pellets Colombian industry which is nonexistent right now.

Pulvimetalurgia: Proceso sostenible para la fabricación de carburos cementados en Colombia

En este trabajo se da a conocer la oportunidad de impulsar la industria colombiana hacia el desarrollo de nuevos materiales de altas prestaciones fabricados por vías pulvimetalúrgicas (PM) como alternativa a los procesos de fabricación convencional, generando nuevas necesidades para la industria nacional. El objetivo es describir el proceso de fabricación de materiales compuestos, tipo CERMET, formado por una fase CERámica la cual es carburo de wolframio (WC) y una fase METálica que es el cobalto (Co) y analizar los cambios a nivel microestructural de los materiales fabricados utilizando el proceso de sinterización en vacío. La aleación diseñada fue una mezcla de 88%WC y 12%Co de designación ISO K40; el proceso involucró el control de los materiales precursores que se encuentran en forma de polvo, seguido de los procesos de mezcla y molienda, para luego realizar la compactacióny sinterización. Se estudian las microestructuras y composiciones químicas obtenidas mediante microscopía electrónica de barrido (SEM-EDS); con el fin de evaluar el comportamiento mecánico del CERMET fabricado, se realizaron ensayos de microdureza alcanzando valores de 1289HV0.5 que se correlaciona con los bajos niveles de porosidad obtenidos de tipo A02, B00, C00, y tamaño de grano medio de 1,14 μm. Estos resultados indican que es posible fabricar materiales con altas prestaciones de resistencia al desgaste en el país. Se resalta la importancia que tiene potenciar la sinergia entre entidadesgubernamentales como SENA-Colciencias –Universidad Nacional para generar investigación aplicada en el país.

Alternativas productivas para la industria de biodiésel en Colombia

a industria mundial del biodiésel tiene como desafío identificar materias primas alternativas y desarrollar tecnologías, que permitan disminuir costos de producción de este biocombustible, haciéndolo más competitivo frente al derivado del petróleo y garantizando el cumplimiento de especificaciones técnicas exigidas por normativas nacionales e internacionales. El presente trabajo, presenta una reflexión sobre alternativas comerciales de tres materias primas consideradas en los procesos de producción de biodiésel: aceite de soja, sebo animal y aceite de cocina usado. El objetivo de la investigación, es identificar las ventajas y desventajas asociadas con dichos productos y su potencial uso como alternativa para la industria colombiana de biodiésel. Para ello, se revisa la evolución de la industria del biodiesel en Colombia y se seleccionan productos que por propiedades pueden ser alternativas al país. Se concluye, que el aceite de soja y el de sebo animal tienen precios desventajosos frente al aceite de palma, además de su baja disponibilidad lo que haría al país dependiente de importaciones. Por su parte el aceite de cocina usado, pese a requerir un proceso químico complejo, la disponibilidad y las posibilidades de hacer economías a escala a partir de él, lo hacen la alternativa más promisoria para Colombia.