The technology transfer in the development of the small and medium metal-mechanic ecuadorian enterprise

Abstract

The position of Ecuador, according to indicators of innovation and competitiveness on a global scale, expose problems that in general affects the Ecuadorian industry, specifically the metal-mechanical one, that is considered an important source of employment and revitalization of the country's economy since 2010. The government has prioritized the metal-mechanical industrial sector as one of the strategic sectors for the transformation of the productive matrix of the country. The small and médium enterprises (SMEs), included in this sector, have problems associated with their technological resources, that have been turned into challenges to be faced in order to reverse the situation. This paper shows the results of a situational diagnosis aimed at identifying the problems related to the management of the processes of technology transfer in the sector that includes the analysis of the administrative, technical, technological, and economic factors involved in these processes in a selected group of SMEs, as well as their social, economic and environmental impact. The main results achieved in the design of an alternative and complementary methodological procedure are presented. The procedure is supported by a set of engineering and management tools to execute an important process of technology management, the technology transfer with strategic scope, aimed at increasing competitiveness with social responsibility.