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Business Tips
Investment in Mexico’s
Pharmaceutical
and Biotech Industries
The Lifestyle
Mexican Refuges
of Yesteryear
Negocios
para
exportadores
HEALTHY
BUSINESSES
Medical Devices,
Pharmaceutical
and Biotechnology
Industries in Mexico
IX
2014
T
he government of Mexico has set out to
transform our country based on five major national goals: to have a peaceful, inclusive, well-educated, prosperous and globallyresponsible Mexico.
In order to build the prosperous Mexico we
long for, we must generate sustained high economic growth that results in more and better jobs that
will improve the quality of life of our population.
Mexico has a solid foundation on which
to attain these goals: healthy public finances; a
manageable debt level; a budget with no fiscal
deficit; a responsible and autonomous monetary
policy, as well as adequate international reserves.
Our macroeconomic stability and institutional strength are enriched by a wide sociopolitical consensus that favors important
transformations required to boost the development of our country. Through the Pact for
Mexico, two constitutional reforms have been
approved: one in education that will enhance
the quality of teaching, and another in telecommunications, radio broadcasting and economic
competition that will open up the sector and
ensure competition throughout our economy.
Furthermore, the Congress is analyzing a financial overhaul to increase the level of credit and
make it more affordable.
Mexico offers certainty and confidence to
investments, a business climate favoring productivity and competitiveness, and an ambitious plan to further develop infrastructure.
Moreover, the country’s strategic geographic
location and optimal legal framework for international trade, through a network of trade
agreements with 45 countries, give us access to
a potential market of over one billion people.
Mexico’s exceptional economic and geographic conditions, as well as the talent and quality of its human capital, make it the ideal destination for new productive capital to flourish.
This is the time to invest in Mexico. Investors will find the government of Mexico and
ProMéxico to be allies committed to the success of projects that create quality jobs and
prosperity for the country.
Enrique Peña Nieto
President of Mexico
Table of Contents September 2014
26
29
32
Business Tips
Guest Opinion
Mexico in the World
Pharmaceutical
The Pharmaceutical Industry
in Mexico
Mexican Medical Services
for the World
cover feature
healthy
businesses
Medical Devices, Pharmaceutical
and Biotechnology Industries
in Mexico
photo
archive
14
From
ProMéxico
Special Report
20
22
24
11
10
Querétaro Believes
in Innovation
Briefs
60
figures
Mexico’s Partner
34
Neolpharma
48
Tecnología y Diseño Industrial
36
Industrias Vepinsa
50
Atramat
Check In
and Get Checked Up
38
Laboratorios Tornel
52
Industrias Plásticas Médicas
40
Liomont
54
Becton, Dickinson and Company
Beach and Stethoscope:
Medical Tourism
in Western Mexico
42
Biograft
56
Dentalia
44
Enmex
58
Neoteck
46
Össur
The Lifestyle
The Complete Guide
to the Mexican Way of Life
courtesy of sre
Diego Gómez
Pickering,
The Ambassador
Who Loves Words
photo
photo
courtesy of hacienda santa rosa
courtesy of carla fernández
The
Lifestyle
Briefs
66
photo
photo
archive
64
72
Mexican Refuges of Yesteryear
A great way to relax and soak up some history is
to stay at one of Mexico’s stately old haciendas
turned luxury hotels.
68
Carla Fernández:
“Mexico’s future
is handmade”
Sun, Sea,
and Surgery
76
Para exportadores
94
Las reformas
y su incidencia para un
México más competitivo
breves
80
De
ProMéxico
82
Mezcal:
Servicios médicos
una bebida que ha
trascendido fronteras
de México
para el mundo
fotos
archivo
86
90
Logística y transporte:
México:
hacia una América del Norte
más competitiva
promesa mundial
para el turismo médico
88
92
ProMéxico
Francisco N. González Díaz
CEO
Karla Mawcinitt Bueno
Communication and Image
General Coordinator
Sebastián Escalante Bañuelos
Director of Publications and Content
[email protected]
Copy Editing
Felipe Gómez Antúnez
Jorge Morales Becerra Contreras
Advertising
[email protected]
Cover Photo
Archive
Editorial Council
consejo editorial
Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal
Francisco de Rosenzweig Mendialdua
Enrique Jacob Rocha
Embajador Alfonso de Maria y Campos Castelló
Luis Miguel Pando Leyva
Francisco Javier Méndez Aguiñaga
Rodolfo Balmaceda
Guillermo Wolf
Jaime Zabludovsky
Gabriela de la Riva
Adolfo Laborde Carranco
Silvia Núñez García
María Cristina Rosas González
Ulises Granados Quiroz
Karla I. Mawcinitt Bueno
Negocios ProMéxico es una publicación mensual editada por ProMéxico, Camino a Santa Teresa número 1679, colonia Jardines del Pedregal, delegación
Álvaro Obregón, CP 01900, México, DF Teléfono: (52) 55 5447 7000.
Portal en Internet: www.promexico.gob.mx; correo electrónico: [email protected].
Editor responsable: Gabriel Sebastián Escalante Bañuelos. Reserva de derechos al uso exclusivo No. 04-2009-012714564800-102. Licitud de título:
14459; licitud de contenido: 12032, ambos otorgados por la Comisión Calificadora de Publicaciones y Revistas Ilustradas de la Secretaría de Gobernación.
ISSN: 2007-1795.
Negocios ProMéxico año 7, número IX 2014, septiembre 2014, se imprimió un tiraje de 13,000 ejemplares. Impresa por Cía. Impresora El Universal, S.A. de C.V. Las
opiniones expresadas por los autores no reflejan necesariamente la postura del editor de la publicación. Queda estrictamente prohibida la reproducción total o parcial de
los contenidos e imágenes de la publicación sin previa autorización de ProMéxico. Publicación gratuita. Está prohibida su venta y distribución comercial.
ProMéxico is not responsible for inaccurate information or omissions that might exist in the information provided by the participant companies nor of their economic solvency. The
institution might or might not agree with an author’s statements; therefore the responsibility of each text falls on the writers, not on the institution, except when stated otherwise.
Although this magazine verifies all the information printed on its pages, it will not accept responsibility derived from any omissions, inaccuracies or mistakes. September 2014.
Download the PDF version and read the interactive edition of
This publication is not for sale.
Negocios ProMéxico at negocios.promexico.gob.mx.
Its sale and commercial distribution are forbidden.
BRIEFS
strong as steel
courtesy of toyota
Steel producer Ternium, a subsidiary of
Argentinian-Italian industrial conglomerate Techint, plans an investment of approximately 300 million usd to expand
its production facility in the northeastern state of Nuevo León. Plans include
an additional line of galvanized steel
sheet to supply the KIA Motors auto
manufacturing plant in development in
that Mexican state.
www.ternium.com.mx
photo
From
proméxico.
METALLURGICAL
Mexico, a higher percentage of engineering
graduates than in Brazil, Germany, Spain,
the United States, and the United Kingdom.
The country’s constant infrastructure development, positive business climate, legal
certainty, and macroeconomic environment
are competitive advantages which, along
with the recent structural reforms, will continue to drive more productive investment.
Our country is one of the most attractive countries for investment in the world
not only for its stability, talent, and other
advantages; it is increasingly well-known
for medium- and high-technology manufacturing exports and competitive manufacturing costs, among others. For the Mexican
government, innovation is the cornerstone
of our country’s economic prosperity. There
are around 7,500 researchers in Mexico in
areas related directly to biotechnology, who
participate in the development of projects
and activities in the country.
Companies established in Mexico are
ever more involved in the design of sophisticated products, as well as in research
and development processes. Health-related
business opportunities in Mexico are on the
rise. Mexico is positioned amongst the most
advanced and profitable countries in the
world, beating at the heart rate of success.
CEO
ProMéxico
new model
to be made in Mexico
photo
archive
Japanese automaker Toyota will invest
100 million usd to launch production of a
new model in Mexico in 2015. Toyota currently manufactures cars at a Mazda plant
in the central state of Guanajuato.
www.toyota-global.com
AUTOMOTIVE
speeding growth plans
courtesy of denso
Welcome to Negocios!
AUTOMOTIVE
photo
Health industries in Mexico
have a double deck of opportunities. On one side, the
country has several export
advantages compared to other countries; and on the other, Mexico has
become fertile ground for further productive investment. Mexico is earning international standing as a center for health care,
as reflected by its pharmaceutical, medical
device and biotechnology sectors.
Mexico is the second largest pharmaceutical market in Latin America and a major producer of high-technology medicines.
In addition to Mexican owned companies,
20 of the world’s top 25 multinational
pharmaceutical companies have operations
in Mexico. Their presence has increased in
recent years, placing our country as one of
the leading pharmaceutical manufacturing
centers in the world.
Mexico is also a major player on the international medical device market. It is currently Latin America’s leading exporter and
the main supplier to the United States, as
well as a major exporter of syringes, needles, catheters and cannulas, among others.
Mexico’s talent and human capital are
a crucial competitive advantage. Every year
more than 100,000 engineers graduate in
Japanese auto parts manufacturer Denso
will expand its manufacturing plant in
the northeastern state of Nuevo León at
a cost of 53.8 million usd. Denso also
has plans to construct an additional 35
million usd production facility in that
same state to produce solenoids for engine and airflow units.
www.globaldenso.com
BRIEFS
BRIEFS
MANUFACTURING
TOURISM
IHG targets mexico
Business as clear
as crystal
United Kingdom-based hotel operator InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) will
invest approximately 400 million usd in
new locations in Mexico over the next two
years. The operator of brands including
Holiday Inn, Presidente Intercontinental,
Crowne Plaza and others plans 30 new
hotels in Mexico by 2016.
Spanish glass maker Vicrila will invest 37
million USD to establish a glass factory in
the central state of Hidalgo. The plant is
planned to produce glass and tableware
for the North American market.
www.vicrila.com
photo
photo
courtesy of nissan
courtesy of bmw group
www.ihgplc.com
BMW chooses San Luis Potosi
Daimler and Nissan have finalized a
joint venture deal to build future Mercedes and Infiniti compact cars in Mexico. The companies will make a substantial investment to develop the vehicles on
Daimler’s front wheel-drive architecture
and assemble them at Nissan’s Aguascalientes site.
The new manufacturing deal will be the
largest project in the global collaboration of
Daimler and the Renault-Nissan Alliance.
Mercedes, Nissan and alliance partner
Renault have shared engines, plants and
vehicle architectures for small cars and
vans since 2010.
The BMW Group will build a new plant
in Mexico in close proximity to the city
of San Luis Potosí in the state of the same
name. The company will invest one billion USD in the new production site over
the next few years. The plant will have an
annual capacity of 150,000 and produc-
www.daimler.com / www.nissan-global.com
photo
tion is planned to start in 2019. During
that year, the workforce will reach around
1,500 people. The company will announce
which BMW models will be built at the
San Luis Potosí location at a later date.
www.bmwgroup.com
photo
The compact car plans, set out in a
previous memorandum of understanding, will help Infiniti fill a gap at the
bottom end of its range with a new SUV,
sedan and coupe sharing parts and architecture with successors to the Mercedes
A- and B-Class, GLA and CLA.
In return, Daimler gets a first North
American production line for its “MFA”
vehicle architecture, as well as development savings and economies of scale –in a
vehicle category where it has struggled in
the past with low profitability.
courtesy of vicrila
smoothly-running alliance
courtesy of ihg
AUTOMOTIVE
AUTOMOTIVE
CONSUMER GOODS
courtesy of beiersdorf
www.nissinbrake.com
photo
Japanese-owned auto parts manufacturer
Nissin Brake de México inaugurated a new
manufacturing plant in the central state of
Guanajuato. The 43 million usd site will
produce brake parts and aluminum pieces
for automobiles and motorcycles.
courtesy of nissin brake
unstoppable growth
photo
AUTOMOTIVE
a caring business
German personal care product manufacturer Beiersdorf inaugurated a new
manufacturing plant in the central state of
Guanajuato. The 130 million usd facility
will produce lotions and other personal
hygiene products. It is LEED certified and
includes a research center.
www.beiersdorf.com
Negocios ProMéxico | Cover Feature
photos
archive
Cover Feature | Negocios ProMéxico
A major player on the
international market for
medical devices, in 2013
Mexico’s exports were valued
at a total of 6.89 billion
usd, positioning it as Latin
America’s leading exporter, the
main supplier of the US (which
accounted for 92.5% of the
sector’s total exports) and the
world’s ninth largest exporter.
Healthy
Businesses
Mexico is earning international
repute as a center for health care,
as reflected by its salubrious
pharmaceutical, biotechnology,
medical devices and medical tourism
sectors. Corporations, government,
research centers and universities
are working in tandem to position
the country as a major receptor of
investment in these sectors.
14
by jesús estrada cortés
The pharmaceutical industry faces a challenging future but Mexico has a recipe for
success. In global terms, growth has declined
due to a combination of austerity policies
in countries with slow economies, the expiration of patents on top selling drugs, an
increase in sales of generic medicines and
the slimming of research and development
(R+D) budgets. Under that scenario, emerging economies like Mexico are shaping up
as the industry’s antidote, not only because
they are spending more on health care but
also because companies can diversify their
business lines and develop innovative drugs
on markets such as these.
That would appear to be the solution
to the expiration of patents. Pharmaceutical
companies are looking to diversify their business lines and drugs because most depend
largely on one or two patents. But this trend
toward greater diversity isn’t limited to new
product ranges; it also encompasses new
market niches, such as consumer health care
products and generic drugs. Mergers, acquisitions and alliances with manufacturers of
generic drugs are reshaping the industry as
it seeks out new products and technologies
that will help reduce R+D costs.
Meanwhile, some companies are addressing the problem by opting to manufacture more complex drugs, like those used
to treat oncological, immunological and inflammatory diseases. All the evidence seems
to suggest that biotechnology will be the pillar of progress and innovation in the pharmaceutical industry and Mexico has a great
deal to offer in that area.
Over the coming years, we will most
likely see a regional shift in consumption
and production. While markets that have
historically fueled growth –the US, Japan
and certain European nations– have been
forced to cut back on government spending on health, emerging economies, Mexico’s included, are investing more and more,
and business opportunities are opening up,
even for patented drugs.
Mexico has the second largest pharmaceutical market in Latin America. In addition to Mexican owned companies, 20 of
September 2014
the top 25 leading multinational pharmaceutical companies in the world have operations in Mexico, positioning it as one of the
world’s main manufacturing centers.
In 2013, the sector’s output was valued
at 13.98 billion USD and is expected to
climb to 24.21 billion USD by 2020, based
on average annual growth projections of
9.6% between 2014 and 2020.
Mexico’s exports of pharmaceutical
products were valued at 1.70 billion usd
and were shipped to the US (26.4%),
Venezuela (15.3%), Panama (11.1%),
Brazil (6.1%) and Colombia (5.6%),
among other markets.
Medicines containing alkaloids or their
derivatives account for 62% of total exports, antiserums 5.6% and medicines
containing provitamins and vitamins, natural or synthetic derivatives 3.7%.
By the same token, investment opportunities abound. According to the report Opportunities and Changes in the Life Sciences
Industry and Healthcare: Mexico’s Case
(2014) published by Deloitte, “improved
health coverage, an aging population and
medical tourism are bolstering demand.”
September 2014
In the same report, Deloitte states that
spending on health care as a percentage
of GDP has increased 15% since 2000
and that the government is focused on
improving the system so as to “create
market provisions [...] and offer consumers better alternatives, for example, public
health protection.” To that end, the Mexican government has outlined an effective
universal health coverage structure, while
taking steps to improve the quality of services and reduce costs.
That strategy has resulted in a 1.5 percentage point reduction in maternal mortality since 1990 and the government has committed to further reducing it by between two
and 2.5-percentage points each year.
The Deloitte report also highlights the
efforts being made to prevent diseases like
diabetes and obesity as an opportunity for
growth in the sector.
Likewise, consumption on the domestic market is expected to grow at an
average annual rate of 8.2% in the 20142020 period, climbing from 17.22 billion
USD in 2013 to 29.34 billion USD in 2020.
OTC drug sales were at 2.34 billion USD
in 2012. Cold and cough accounting for
27.7% of the market’s total value.
According to COFEPRIS, during the
last three years, the consumption of generic
drugs has increased from 54% to 84%.
Whether it’s to meet ever greater demand on the domestic market or for export, Mexico is a major manufacturer of
high-tech medicines, including antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and cancer treatments, among others. It has also become
more attractive to investors following
improvements to its regulatory framework and the granting of quality certifications. From 2005 through 2013, the
sector received a total of 3.46 billion usd
in foreign direct investment from companies in the US, Ireland, Spain, among
others. Most of these funds were channeled into Mexico City, Morelos, Estado
de México, Baja California, Jalisco and
Aguascalientes.
Biotechnology,
an expanding sector
Mexico has a well developed biotechnology sector that will no doubt come
15
Mexico’s exports of
pharmaceutical products were
valued at 1.70 billion usd
and were shipped to the US
(26.4%), Venezuela (15.3%),
Panama (11.1%), Brazil
(6.1%) and Colombia (5.6%),
among other markets.
to play an important role in safeguarding the health of the pharmaceutical industry, among others, while facilitating
many other activities that put biologicalbased technology and energy to the service of mankind and the environment.
According to Probiomed liaison officer Dulce Contreras, biotechnology “is
a tool that drives other activities across
various sectors. Biotechnology can be
seen at work in the pharmaceutical, food,
agricultural, energy and even the textile
industry,” yet it’s not something new.
“Several disciplines have made contribu-
16
photos
tions since the 19th Century. For example, vaccinations, serums and penicillin
are all produced by living entities. At the
time, these were considered biological
processes and now they are referred to
as biotechnological processes. Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary activity so
broad that it covers genetics, molecular
biology, agronomy, among other.”
The Mexican government, via the
Ministry of the Economy, has several instruments designed to promote innovation
in the biotechnology sector. For example,
Mexico Ventures and the Sectorial Innovation Fund (FINNOVA) provided funding
for specific biotechnology projects.
Synergies with the Association of Biotechnology Companies (EMBIOMEX),
an initiative whose roots can be traced
back 20 years, but that formally came
into existence three years ago, and the
joint efforts of government agencies, research centers and universities throughout the country have produced success
stories among the association’s 16 members and five affiliates. Stories like that
of Metco, a Mexican company that invented and patented Svetia, a natural
archive
low-caloric sugar substitute that can be
found at several coffee shops in Mexico
or Enmex, the only Mexican manufacturer of industrial enzymes.
Another example is Probiomed itself,
an EMBIOMEX founding member that
has five manufacturing plants and some
1,000 employees. One of its product lines
is a “bio-comparable” drug designed to
treat “highly specialized diseases.” Up to
70% cheaper than its brand-name equivalent, this drug translates into enormous
savings for the general public and health
institutions.
Other success stories in Mexico’s
biotechnology sector include a type of
chocolate for diabetics, developed by
the National Autonomous University of
Mexico (UNAM) using a biotechnological process. “It is a functional food that
has a series of benefits for the human
body,” says Contreras.
But it’s not just home grown companies that have found in Mexico fertile
ground for biotechnology related activities. There are more than 180 enterprises
either developing or utilizing modern
biotechnology in Mexico, 31% of which
September 2014
operate in the agriculture sector, 23%
in environment-related activities, 18%
in the health sector, 18% in the food
industry and 10% in other areas. In recent years, Mexico has become a major
receptor of foreign direct investment in
biotechnology. By way of example, in
2012, the American technology company
3M invested 15 million USD in a product
design, development and testing project,
creating 700 highly specialized engineering jobs in San Luis Potosí (Central
Mexico).
Furthermore, Mexico’s enormous
diversity of ecosystems and species, its
geographical location, varied weather
and complex topography offer endless
opportunities for the development of
commercial biotechnology. Trained labor isn’t lacking either: there are some
142 universities in the country running
a total of 169 degree courses in directly related areas (biology, biochemistry,
biotechnology, the biomedical sciences
and biochemical engineering) and some
76 institutions offering related post
graduate programs. In 2011, approximately 18,500 students obtained a post
graduate degree in areas related to biotechnology. And of the 7,500 researchers currently working on biotechnology
projects in Mexico, half are employed
in states with bio-clusters like Jalisco
(West), Nuevo León (Northeast), Morelos (Central Mexico) and Guanajuato
(Central Mexico).
Recent years have seen the creation of an
ever-expanding network of research centers
specializing in different areas of biotechnology. The three institutions at the helm of this
initiative are UNAM, the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) and the National Council
of Science and Technology (CONACYT).
According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the number of
patent applications in Mexico has increased
at an average annual rate of 9% in the last
14 years. In 2012, Mexico was among the
ten countries that granted the most patents
and of the 209,442 patent applications registered in the 1998- 2012 period; approximately 14.39% were related to medical and
pharmaceutical technology.
Mexico’s competitive costs are appealing to both national and international firms. According to the 2014 Competitive Alternatives report published
by the audit, tax and advisory services
firm KPMG, these are significantly lower
September 2014
There are more than 180 enterprises either developing or
utilizing modern biotechnology in Mexico, 31% of which
operate in the agriculture sector, 23% in environment-related
activities, 18% in the health sector, 18% in the food industry
and 10% in other areas. In recent years, Mexico has become a
major receptor of foreign direct investment in biotechnology.
in Mexico than in countries that dominate the industry in the following areas:
biotechnology R+D (35.9% lower than
in the US), clinical trials (31.5% lower)
product testing (39.3% lower) and the
manufacture of pharmaceutical products
(14.4% lower).
Add to these advantages a long list of
free trade agreements and it’s no wonder
Mexico is one of the US’ top biotechnology providers. In 2013, Mexico was the
US’ third most important supplier of life
science products, which were valued at
3.53 billion USD in the period.
Medical devices, an export asset
In global terms, Mexico is also well positioned in the medical devices industry,
where growth can be attributed to a
variety of factors, such as scientific and
technological progress, prolonged life
expectancy and, with it, a progressively
aging world population. In 2013, global
production was valued at 624 billion
USD and, based on new technologies and
demographic trends, is expected to grow
at an average annual rate of 7% between
2013 and 2020 to end the period at an
estimated of 996 billion usd.
In Mexico, the sector has posted
sustained growth over the last decade,
largely due to the development of manufacturing capacities and the commercial
facilities afforded by free trade agreements. According to ProMéxico estimates based on data furnished by Global
Insight, domestic production was valued
at 15.67 billion USD in 2013 and is expected to climb to 25.55 billion USD by
2020, while average annual growth of
7.2% is forecast, surpassing projections
for the NAFTA region (5.1%) and countries like Germany (4.3%), Japan (4.4%)
and Switzerland (2.5%).
17
archive
ical devices such as intravenous catheters
for peritoneal dialysis, anesthesia and
embolectomies, surgical clamps and scissors, tubes, needles, skin staplers, disposable medical material, scalpels, lancets,
plastic equipment, cannulas and surgical
and dissection kits to markets specialized
in the manufacture of more technologically complex devices.
A major player on the international
market for medical devices, in 2013
Mexico’s exports were valued at a total
of 6.89 billion USD, positioning it as Latin America’s leading exporter, the main
supplier of the US (which accounted for
92.5% of the sector’s total exports) and
the world’s ninth largest exporter.
Mexico is also rated the world’s third
largest exporter of syringes, needles, catheters, cannulas and similar instruments,
the fifth of medical, surgical, odontology
and veterinary instruments and equipment, the sixth of orthopedic equipment
and articles for fractures and the seventh
of electro-diagnostic equipment.
In the 2000-2013 period, the sector
received 1.9 billion USD in foreign direct
investment, mainly from the US, Germany
and Italy. Between 2010 and 2014, at least
14 companies announced investments in 16
projects related to medical devices.
There are some 2,511 economic units
operating on Mexico’s medical devices
market, 740 of which are export companies. Baja California (Northwest Mexico) is home to the largest cluster in the
18
country. These companies account for
over 33.3% of total exports in the sector
and most are engaged in the manufacture
and assembly of equipment and components. Smiths, Tyco Healthcare, Cardinal
Health, Pall Life Sciences, Medtronic,
Gambro, Medimexico, ICU Medical Inc.,
Hudson Aci, Dj Ortho, CLP, Sunrise Medical and North Safety Products are just a
handful of the 80 exporters of medical devices with operations in Baja California.
One reason multinationals choose to
invest in Mexico is because costs are substantially lower compared to countries
that lead the way in the manufacture of
medical equipment, electronic devices
and precision components, product testing and labor related operating costs at
all levels of specialization.
According to KPMG, in 2013, it was
18% cheaper to manufacture medical
devices in Mexico than in the US; 7.8%
cheaper to manufacture precision components and 39.3% cheaper to develop
and test electronic systems.
Another area where there are opportunities to be had is in the export of med-
Vacation makeovers
One of the world’s top tourist destinations, Mexico doesn’t just draw holidaymakers but visitors looking for affordable, quality medical care. According
to Patients Beyond Borders, Mexico attracts over one million foreign patients
a year, making it the world’s second
most popular medical tourism destination. The majority of these patients are
Hispanic residents in the US, mainly the
states of California, Arizona and Texas.
Once famous for its border odontology,
ophthalmology and cosmetic surgery
services, Mexico is now deemed a world
class healthcare center offering a full
range of specialty care and procedures
on a par with those available in developed countries.
The industry was valued at 2.85 billion
USD in 2013, which translates into growth
of 10% compared to 2012. That trend is expected to continue, with medical tourism in
Mexico growing at an average annual rate of
7% through 2016, when its worth will have
almost doubled to 5.01 billion USD.
Deloitte’s report underscores Mexico’s
focus on post-op procedures and drugs
to facilitate patient recovery. And since
the majority of medical tourists come
from the US, measures are being taken
to strengthen ties between Mexican and
American health centers for the coordination of proper post-op services.
Thanks to the joint efforts of the
private and public sectors, research centers and universities, Mexico has consolidated its reputation as a world class
healthcare center, as evidenced by its
flourishing pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical devices and medical tourism
industries. Government spending on science and technology stood at 4.5 billion
USD in 2012 but President Enrique Peña
Nieto has said that he intends to invest
more in the area as a means of leveraging
development and economic growth, so
we can expect to see this figure increase
to 1% of GDP by 2018. N
September 2014
A positive
synergy in
favor of
science
A reflection of the successes that can be
achieved when business, government and
academia work together toward common
goals can be seen in the experience of the
Association of Biotechnology Companies
(EMBIOMEX), which in three years grew
from five member companies to bring together 16 firms, along with five other affiliated companies.
The history of the Association of Biotechnology Companies dates back more
than 20 years, with the convergence of a
group of specialists who were beginning to
make advances in the field of biotechnology. At that time there was no “administrative organization to follow up on ideas and
policies in a timely manner. At that time everything was different, there was little control or regulation and there were not many
products being generated through biotechnology.” In 2011, the group reaffirmed its
interest in working together and the charter
of the Association was drafted.
Dulce Contreras, Liaison Manager at
Probiomed, one of the founder companies
of EMBIOMEX, says that it is an Association of Mexican companies, although
some companies of international origin
also participate: “But they must run a
productive facility generating jobs in our
country,” she says.
Organizations such as the Mexican
Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer in Small and Medium Enterprises (FUNTEC) also participate in EMBIOMEX: “The Ministry of Economy (SE)
is involved and is part of the Association
because when an idea is developed, the SE
says: ‘I have seen activity but don’t know
which one of you to approach.’ It is not the
same as companies going to discuss an issue
with SE as to go as an association. The Association has been a gateway to transmit to
the SE a sector-wide vision of the needs we
have and they, in turn, support us.”
In addition, the SE helped reach more
companies in the biotechnology sector for
them to be integrated to the Association.
September 2014
courtesy of embiomex
photo
photo
It also asked FUNTEC to: “carry out a
diagnosis of the current state of biotechnology in the country and a study that we
could use as a base,” says Contreras. As
part of that study, companies raised their
needs with the government and an industry agenda was established.
EMBIOMEX has helped to consolidate
a number of companies with innovative
features and established a feedback process
with the academic sector, allowing a wide
ranging and distinct approach. Work with
the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT), the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the
National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) and the
Center for Research and Advanced Studies
(CINVESTAV) of the IPN, have been instrumental for EMBIOMEX.
The Association also maintains an active communication with Querétaro’s Biotechnology Cluster –which has identified
about 40 companies in the sector– and
is currently in negotiations with Nuevo
León’s Biotechnology Cluster to increase
the benefits of their affiliates.
Through its links with the government,
open calls have been created to fund research
projects for the application of biotechnology within the Sectorial Innovation Fund
(FINNOVA) of the Ministry of the Economy
and CONACYT. Though the 2014 Productive Biotechnology Call has not been
launched, the Association still positive about
it and certain that the Mexican Government
will not let them down.
Dulce Contreras explains that in the
last 20 years: “A great technological resource has been generated; we learned a
great deal of expertise and how to be competitive.” Plans are in place to further advance the process. “The project for 2014
has been to expand and double the number of companies –we were five and we are
now almost 20. We want to grow and integrate the vision of others because we could
fall short if we leave out, for example, the
agricultural sector,” explains Contreras.
Together with the expansion, the Association continues a trend towards internationalization. Last May, it was introduced to the World Congress on Industrial
Biotechnology in Philadelphia, US, where
companies held meetings with players
from the sector in other countries.
In words of Dulce Contreras, the efforts
of EMBIOMEX represent: “The interests of
all Mexicans whose jobs depend on companies involved in biotechnology and the entrepreneurial spirit in research areas. It is a
very positive synergy between academia and
industry in favor of science.” N
19
Negocios ProMéxico | Special Report
photos
Querétaro Believes
in Innovation
The involvement of the Autonomous University of Querétaro as a founder
and promoter of the biotechnology cluster in the state (BioTQ) bears witness
to the importance of science and the creation of new solutions among
associate companies.
by omar magaña
In 2012, a trend emerged in Querétaro towards the unification of firms working
wholly or partially in the field of biotechnology, including pharmaceutical, agribusiness,
chemical and food companies.
At the center of this movement is the Autonomous University of Querétaro (UAQ)
which, together with other academic and
research centers –such as the Tecnológico
de Monterrey–, articulates and brings together the productive efforts of the industry. It places emphasis on the importance
of technological development, strengthens
value chains with support for micro, small
and medium enterprises (MSMEs), generates links with economic promotion bodies,
boosts the training of human capital with
the skills to join the biotechnology subsector,
and organizes scientific and market knowledge around collective interests.
The organization that has emerged from
this partnership between private investment,
academia and government –with the Sustainable Development Department (SEDESU) in
Querétaro, the federal Ministry of Economy
(SE) and ProMéxico representing the latter–
is the BioTQ cluster, which formally entered
operation in the second half of 2012, with
15 partner organizations.
Since then, companies of all sizes have
been involved, with different levels of participation in five central issues of the group:
food biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, bioprocesses and research and anal-
courtesy of biotq
ysis services. Those include Roquette, which
processes raw materials of plant origin; Koppert, which is active in the field of biological
protection of crops and natural pollination;
Thor, which manufactures biocides, flame
retardants and personal protection equipment; Granotec, a producer of functional
and efficient foodstuffs; Grupo Nutec which
manufactures animal nutrition products and
Merieux, which focuses on food safety.
“The work of the cluster is benefited
by the fact companies are not in direct
competition with each other but can
complement each other’s work through
production and innovation projects,” says
Adriana Cantorán, head of the project
planning department for BioTQ.
The associated companies have to date
generated 1,200 jobs, according to Cantorán, who emphasizes that one of the objectives of the organization is to bring together
not only established firms but also entrepreneurs and MSMEs who can benefit from the
incubation programs and company management offered by the cluster.
In different forums, Marcelo López
Sánchez, head of SEDESU, has spoken of
the presence of more than 100 companies
linked to biotechnology in Querétaro,
which are responsible for some 25,000
jobs throughout the state.
Special Report | Negocios ProMéxico
A dedicated technology park
“Since the organization was created, the
UAQ began to build the infrastructure of a
biotechnology park, which will be a model
for maintaining relationships between the
university and MSMEs in the Querétaro biotechnology sector,” explains Cantorán.
The park, she adds, will foster the incubation of companies based on knowledge,
technology transfer and innovation.
The UAQ presented the project for the
Park in November 2012. In total, 51 million
pesos will be invested for its development
–15 million provided by the SE and the rest
by UAQ, with support from the state government and entrepreneurs in the sector.
The park will comprise a pilot factory
and biotechnology laboratories for food,
nutraceuticals, microbial safety of foods
and biosystems engineering. Advice will be
given to entrepreneurs who wish to join the
industry, refresher courses and training will
be provided and partnerships with research
centers and other national and international
clusters in the same field will be established.
The BioTQ cluster offers its partners
comprehensive monitoring of changes in
politics, economics, technology and industry,
and documentation on official standards and
government regulations, as well as assistance
with developing business abroad. It will
bring together all the elements for setting a
robust industry on the right path.
One example is the BioTQ cluster’s negotiations with ProMéxico to develop entrepreneurs and consolidation of micro and
small enterprises with export potential.
Cantorán explains that the aim is
to set up two export consortia, one for
food and one for agriculture, each with
its guidelines and requirements to meet.
The project presupposes a process of consultancies, analysis, brand registration,
review of regulations, certifications and
guidance on trade. It will bring together
10 cluster member companies and others
that ProMéxico will recruit in the state.
Partnering: the reason for a cluster
The issue of the internationalization of the
work of the BioTQ cluster has a crucial relevance. Not only is it paving the way for
Mexican biotechnology companies to offer their products abroad and participate
in global supply chains, but also it seeks to
connect, share experiences and find the best
industry practices globally.
The partnership between BioTQ and international clusters was established from the
20
September 2014
September 2014
start. In December, 2012, BioTQ organized
a mission to France and the Netherlands to
visit 10 food, plant and molecular analysis
clusters. Collaboration agreements were
signed with two of them that enable UAQ
students to continue their training in biotechnology in these countries.
“We have been working with the molecular analysis cluster on a model. The
plan is for someone from there to come to
Mexico to assess the sector clusters here,”
concludes Cantorán.
The same spirit of collaboration is evident in the conferences on biotechnology
organized by BioTQ since 2013 and in the
cooperation links with bodies such as the
Franco-Mexican Chamber of Commerce
and Industry and the Valle de México University, the Corregidora Tech University and
the Tec de Monterrey. N
The BioTQ cluster offers
its partners comprehensive
monitoring of changes
in politics, economics,
technology and industry,
and documentation on
official standards and
government regulations,
as well as assistance with
developing business abroad.
It will bring together all the
elements for setting a robust
industry on the right path.
clusterbiotq.org
21
photos
courtesy of baja california state tourism
The Baja California Medical,
Dental and Hospital Cluster is
founded on the conviction of
physicians, governments, and
tourism-industry professionals
that Tijuana and its neighboring
municipalities are the ones best
equipped to meet the rising
demand for their health services
in the US and Canada.
countries –especially people from the US,
who “are in the habit of getting regular health checkups” and who “live in
a highly regulated environment where
there is a culture of prolonging life”– are
traveling abroad in search of medical
and health care services that fall into the
wellness tourism category, such as spiritual retreats and visits to spas and beauty
clinics, among others.
The 2013 Life Sciences Roadmap
sketched out by ProMéxico states that demand is highest for heart, plastic and gastric
bypass surgery, ophthalmological, oncological, dental, trauma, fertility and gynecological services. The same document estimated
the value of this sector of Mexico’s economy,
including the spa industry, at 2.85 billion
Check In
and Get
Checked Up
Tijuana and its neighboring
municipalities are making a
concerted effort to capitalize
on their experience and gain a
competitive edge in the health
tourism sector.
by omar magaña
Baja California’s efforts to project a stable
image and attract investors, holidaymakers and foreigners and Mexicans in search
of quality medical services are paying off
thanks to projects like the Baja California
Medical, Dental and Hospital Cluster.
This northwest state is a magnet for
investment in the automotive, aerospace,
22
electronics, IT and logistics sectors and
for the hospital services industries, but
to get ahead in the health tourism sector, providers of these services have had
to pool efforts, consolidate their operations, get certified, promote themselves
as a group, and earn the trust of their
prospective customers.
The Baja California cluster constitutes
the crystallization of those efforts and is
founded on the conviction of physicians,
governments, and tourism-industry professionals that Tijuana and its neighboring
municipalities are the ones best equipped
to meet the rising demand for their health
services in the US and Canada.
Doctor Adrián Murillo, executive coordinator of the project in Tijuana, underscores
Baja California’s longstanding tradition as a
provider of cross-border medical services,
especially for Americans and Canadians in
search of quality care at a lower cost than in
their countries of origin. The cluster cashes
in on that experience, unifies goals and calls
on related sectors to help attract users with
USD in 2013, with potential growth of 7%
over the coming years.
Welcome to Tijuana
In Tijuana, the Anglo-Saxon market defined trends in the medical tourism sector
between 2000 and 2008, but in the last five
years or so, Latinos have been the predominant users of these services, either because
they don’t have health coverage in the US
or, in the case of native Mexicans, because
this is a chance to visit friends and relatives
on the other side of the border.
This sector of the market resides within a radius that stretches from San Diego
to Los Angeles, just a two-hour drive from
the border. It’s a sector of the population
whose purchasing power has increased,
but that finds it more affordable to seek
attention in Mexico than in the US, where
medical services are costly.
Latinos tend to make the most of their
trips this side of the border and the “idea is
to offer a range of alternatives,” says Murillo. These users visit the region in search
of general or family medical services, dental
treatment, orthopedic and aesthetic surgery.
Given that most come for minor procedures,
there’s a greater chance these patients will
visit the local tourist attractions.
“We need to invest more to make our
service providers competitive and improve
urban infrastructure, transport, and other
areas that have the potential to attract users of those services and generate more revenues,” acknowledges Murillo.
Strength in numbers
“Gaining access to communications and
marketing platforms is very expensive,”
says Murillo, but the institutions that
belong to the cluster say that working
together has made it more cost-effective
to launch publicity campaigns for their
services in the US, where their prospective clients market is.
As in other sectors, the primary goals of
the cluster are to standardize processes and
to certify the practices of its members. In
the case of the Baja California cluster, funds
have been put up to help members improve
the quality and safety of their services.
The cluster has two certified medical
units, while another eight are currently
being audited by the General Health
Board. As regards legal aspects, the task
at hand consists of “standardizing and
adopting criteria to protect users. In the
event the patient’s wellbeing is believed to
have been compromised, the Baja California Medical Arbitration Commission will
step in,” Murillo concludes. N
clustermedicodental.com
more and better accommodation, recreational and dining options.
“Generally speaking, those who
make use of services in the border zone
make the two-to-nine-hour journey by
car –the time it takes to drive from San
Francisco to Baja California– but their
needs and interests go over and beyond
health services,” says Murillo.
In the time it’s taken to set up the cluster,
bodies like the Tourism and Conventions
Committee, the Economic Development
Council, the Tijuana’s Economic Development Secretary and the state government have come on board. By the same
token, the relationship with ProMéxico
has helped “highlight Baja California’s
vast experience in the provision of medical
services. Based on that experience, several
strategic lines have been suggested that are
very much in keeping with what the federal government is now proposing via different institutions,” says Murillo.
According to ProMéxico, since 2000
more and more people from developed
September 2014
September 2014
23
Beach and
stethoscope:
medical
tourism
in western
Mexico
The Jalisco Medical Tourism Cluster
is one of the leading centers in the
country for attention to foreigners;
it offers a wide range of specialties
ranging from cosmetic surgery
and care for chronic degenerative
diseases to cancer and fertility
treatments.
24
photos
courtesy of jalisco medical tourism cluster
by antonio vázquez
Tourism and health: what better combination? The medical tourism industry in
Mexico offers a wide range of health services, and Jalisco is home to one of the most
important medical clusters in the country.
In 2009, a number of private institutions in the state of Jalisco conceived the
idea of forming a cluster to offer quality services in the healthcare market.
Initially, the group focused primarily on
cosmetic surgery services but over time
the catalog was expanded.
“There is a great demand as the global
population begins to age. We are seeing an
increasing prevalence of chronic diseases
such as diabetes and those affecting the
heart, the joints, the hips, and so on,” explains Carlos Rodríguez Zárate, president
of the Jalisco Medical Tourism Cluster.
Rodríguez Zárate explains that the
leading consumer of health services, the
US, represents a great opportunity for
clusters focused on medicine in Mexico.
The costs of coverage of different health
systems in the US are high and the health
reforms in that country have set restrictions on coverage.
“That creates an important market
for us. Another factor is the migration
policy of the Obama administration,
which is aimed at reaching millions of migrants; many Mexicans are waiting to become citizens of the US in order to come
to Mexico and be treated in the health
services here,” he adds.
The quality of medical services in
Mexico and the warmth with which
Mexican doctors treat their patients are
September 2014
added values that attract medical tourism
from the US. Jalisco, in western Mexico,
is a state with approximately 8 million
inhabitants. Its capital, Guadalajara, is
the second largest metropolitan area in
the country, with just over 4 million residents, and an international airport with
flights to 21 cities in the US.
With mountain ranges and the sea,
the state has wonderful tourism sites.
Puerto Vallarta, on the coast of Jalisco, is
one the most preferred beaches by American tourists. According to figures from
the federal Ministry of Tourism, in the
first half of 2014, about 600,000 tourists visited the destination, representing
an increase of almost 20% compared to
the same period in 2013.
The Jalisco Medical Tourism Cluster is
composed of 10 hospitals in Guadalajara
that are renowned throughout the country
September 2014
and four hospitals in Puerto Vallarta.
“Jalisco has extensive experience in
treating emergency patients, people who
are traveling on business, or people living
in US and Canadian dominated neighborhoods on the shores of Lake Chapala,”
Carlos Rodríguez Zárate points out.
Medical tourism in Mexico is a market that brings major economic benefits
to the country. Mexican exports of health
services in 2012 exceeded 3 billion USD,
according to figures from Euromonitor.
Patients Beyond Borders estimates that
every year over one million people travel
to Mexico for health care.
The Jalisco Medical Tourism Cluster
offers an extensive portfolio of specialties.
The cluster partner hospitals as offering
cosmetic surgery, dental care, ophthalmology, obesity treatment, orthopedics, hip
implants, oncology, cardiology and neurosurgery, as well as fertility and stem cell
treatments, among other services.
In March 2014, representatives of
the most important medical clusters in
Mexico met to map out a strategy that
will project the sector onto the international stage. The main outline of the
strategy, defined in conjunction with the
federal Ministry of Health, is to work in
a coordinated manner to provide quality
service for foreign patients.
“In Mexico and Jalisco there is a high
level of quality among health professionals.
Many of our doctors have qualifications
The Jalisco Medical Tourism
Cluster offers an extensive
portfolio of specialties. The
cluster partner hospitals as
offering cosmetic surgery,
dental care, ophthalmology,
obesity treatment, orthopedics,
hip implants, oncology,
cardiology and neurosurgery,
as well as fertility and stem
cell treatments, among other
services.
and training from countries like the US,
Canada, and some European countries. The
network of hospitals, hospital infrastructure and services such as laboratories and
radiology units fully comply with international standards,” states Rodríguez Zárate,
who adds that, in the coming years, the
Jalisco Medical Tourism Cluster will seek to
position Mexico as one of the main destinations for health tourism in the world.
“We are focused on international tourism and on developing a comprehensive
approach as a country and as a State. Jalisco has been developing for several years as
a major center for medical attention care
in the country,” concludes the president of
the Jalisco Medical Tourism Cluster. N
25
Negocios ProMéxico | Business Tips
Pharmaceutical
Recent changes in the Mexican health sector, its continually growing
local market, state investments in biotech, and the country’s growing
export potential, may well make the Mexican pharmaceutical and biotech
industries the next hot investment opportunity.
photo
archive
by johanna cronin* and pieter speksnijder**
Notwithstanding, the increasing presence of generics is also good news for big
pharma, since it opens up the market to
new innovative products. A generic is not
simply a copycat version of a branded
drug, it can also provide an innovative alternative. According to Cortés, the latest
trend in generic development is the creation of fixed combination products. These
aim to incorporate multiple active ingredients into one pill, allowing patients with
numerous common conditions to combine
their treatments into one dose. Fixed combination products can reduce side effects
and increases ease of use, but they do require large investments to develop. “Big
pharma companies see the benefit of these
products because they sell for higher prices
than regular generics,” explains Cortés.
In the last decade, Mexico attracted a yearly average of 23 billion USD in foreign direct investments (FDI) and drew a recordbreaking 35.2 billion USD inflow of FDI in
2013. Traditionally, such successes are attributed to the usual suspects of the energy,
mining, and automotive industries, since
they jointly attract the bulk of foreign investment into the country. In the wake of
major reforms in the telecommunications,
energy, and financial sectors established by
President Enrique Peña Nieto, Mexico’s
markets are capturing more attention than
ever from foreign investors.
Despite all this potential, the pharmaceutical sector has lagged behind other industries in terms of securing FDI, receiving
an annual average of 400 million USD over
the last eight years. However, recent changes
in the Mexican health sector, its continually
growing local market, state investments in
biotech, and the country’s growing export
potential, may well make the Mexican pharmaceutical and biotech industries the next
hot investment opportunity.
State of the industry
Twenty of the world’s 25 largest pharmaceuticals are present in Mexico, with the
total pharmaceutical market representing
14.6 billion USD in 2013. According to IMS
Health, biomedicine accounted for 5% of
this market, amounting to 735 million USD.
Over the next five years, the market is expected to grow at an annual rate of 10%,
driven by the extension of the state-run
health insurance scheme, Seguro Popular, for
which the government has vowed to increase
spending from 7% to 10% of GDP. According to Dagoberto Cortés Cervantes, President of the National Chamber of the Pharmaceutical Industry (CANIFARMA), “this
is a very special time for the pharmaceutical
industry as the authorities have made it clear
that the industry is a priority sector for development.” Furthermore, Cortés asserts that
biotech products will become increasingly
important in Mexico, saying that “in 20
years, 47% of the Mexican population will
be older than 45 years, and biotech products
will provide the right answers to many of
their healthcare problems.”
Patented drugs currently represent 51%
(7.4 billion USD) of the market, generics
35% (5.1 billion USD), and over-the-counter
drugs 14% (2.1 billion USD). Although patented drugs still dominate, it is expected that,
26
Business Tips | Negocios ProMéxico
September 2014
Mexico is an ideal location for clinical trials due to its large and
ethnically diverse population, large volunteer base, improved
regulations and low operational costs. This has led to a huge
increase in the number of clinical trials held in Mexico, from two in
2001 to 196 in 2012, ranking Mexico second in Latin America.
in the next five years, they will gradually lose
market share only to be overtaken by generics in 2018. The reasons behind this expected
shift are increasing public demand for cheap
drugs, and recent government programs
aimed to counter consumer and prescriber
misconceptions about generic medicine.
Generics are pivotal to the development
of the Mexican healthcare sector, especially
since their better utilization could represent significant savings for the Mexican
government. “The government now spends
80% of its budget on innovative medicines
which, in terms of units, only represent
20% of purchased drugs. Generics represent 80% of all purchases, and yet the
government only spends 20% of its budget
on these,” explains Cortés. Maintaining
healthcare costs manageable is going to be
September 2014
a challenge for the government as Mexico’s
aging population is requiring healthcare at
a higher frequency, complexity, and cost.
Authorities from the Mexican Institute
of Social Security (IMSS) confirm this by
pointing out that the aging population is
one of its largest long-term challenges.
The market is under constant scrutiny
by pharmaceutical companies that are ready
to jump at the chance of introducing a new
generic when the patent of an innovative
product expires. Cortés explains that while
Mexico has strong intellectual property
laws, and that patent terms of 20 years are
strictly respected, this does not mean that
Mexican producers cannot start developing
rival drugs three or four years before patent
expiry in order to launch a generic alternative within 24 hours after a patent expires.
Growth potential for the market
An important element for the Mexican pharmaceutical industry has been the presence of
similares: cheap drugs claiming to be generic
but that actually differ from the original in
terms of efficacy and side-effects. While some
similares are still present today, the Federal Commission for the Protection Against
Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS) has done an
impressive job cleaning up the market and
reducing red tape in the system. Since 2010,
COFEPRIS has introduced a number of efficiency improvements which have significantly reduced the backlog of registrations
in the organization. This has been seen as a
boon to the industry since in any sector the
efficiency of a regulatory body often directly
translates into that industry’s competitiveness. Pharmaceutical companies are in constant discussion with COFEPRIS in order
to further improve efficiency, and indicators
point to a positive relationship between the
public and private sector. CANIFARMA and
COFEPRIS collaborate on boosting industry competitiveness, combining sensitivity
for the needs of the pharmaceutical industry with a constant awareness of the need to
protect the Mexican population.
Furthermore, in 2008 COFEPRIS removed the manufacturing presence requirement meaning that foreign drug producers
are now allowed to enter the Mexican market without having to establish production
here. These new regulations inspired drug
producers like Sweden’s Meda AB, Italy’s
Menarini, and Japan’s Daiichi Sankyo to enter Mexico, as well as allowing Indian generic giants Glenmark, Sun Pharma, and Ranbaxy to gain a foothold here while retaining
27
Negocios ProMéxico | Business Tips
production in India. Recently, COFEPRIS
was recognized as a national regulatory authority of regional reference of medicines
and biological products by the World Health
Organization (WHO), a sign that Mexico’s
regulatory standards are among the highest
in Latin America. “Six months ago, this led
to new legislation being enacted, which enables a COFEPRIS approved product to be
registered in El Salvador, Ecuador, Peru, and
Colombia in just 35 days,” explains Cortés.
Mexico’s free trade agreements with 45
countries have also led to the country exporting over 1.7 billion USD of medicinal
products in 2013, making the country Latin
America’s leader in pharmaceutical exports.
The main export destinations are the US,
Venezuela, and Panama. These exports are
only expected to grow further because of aging populations and a consequent increased
demand for medicines in Mexico’s main
trading partner, the US.
Furthermore, leading Mexican pharmaceuticals like Genomma Labs, Laboratorios
Silanes, and Laboratorios Liomont are successfully looking for space for growth outside of Mexico in order to increase their
revenues all over Latin America. Increasing
Mexico’s pharmaceutical exports is important to restore the sector’s current uneven
trade balance. “Another key issue to be addressed is the reduction of the sector’s dependence on imports, with 95% of raw materials used to manufacture medicines currently
being imported,” states Cortés.
Research and development in Mexico
Research and development are crucial to the
future of the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, but the leading multinationals present in Mexico have not yet made research
and development part of their local operations. Limited investment combined with the
focus of local pharmaceutical ventures on
generics and over-the-counter products has
resulted in innovative efforts remaining low.
Cortés believes the government is taking note
of this fact: “a couple of years ago, the total
amount of investment in research and development in Mexico was just 0.37% of GDP,
as compared to an OECD country average
of 6%. Mexico is lagging behind but the
government has announced plans to increase
its spending by the end of this year.” The
hope is that this will see more development
take place, such as that carried out by Laboratorios Silanes, which was the first Mexican
company ever to develop an an US Food
and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved
28
photo
drug. Its snake, scorpion, and spider antivenom drug Anascorp gained FDA approval
in August 2011 and has already become a
commercial success in the US. Laboratorios
Silanes is a firm example of Mexico’s potential to become a leading research and development center in Latin America.
State governments are also increasingly incentivizing research and development with the creation of biotech clusters.
In 2011, the state of Morelos announced it
would invest over 29 million USD to stimulate a pharmaceutical cluster specialized
in biomedicine development. Today, Cuernavaca, Morelos is home to 39 research
institutions and has the highest density of
scientific capital in Latin America. While
Mexico’s free trade agreements
with 45 countries have also led
to the country exporting over
1.7 billion usd of medicinal
products in 2013, making the
country Latin America’s leader
in pharmaceutical exports. The
main export destinations are
the US, Venezuela, and Panama.
These exports are only expected
to grow further because of
aging populations and a
consequent increased demand
for medicines in Mexico’s main
trading partner, the US.
the state of Morelos represents only 1.5%
of Mexico’s population, it is responsible
for 10% of national science production.
The state of Jalisco is equally as ambitious
in stimulating research in the life sciences
sector and its Biocluster de Occidente in
Guadalajara currently consists of several
research institutions and 35 multinational
or national pharmaceutical companies.
The pharmaceutical research and development center in Monterrey, Nuevo León
hosts the country’s premiere private medical school that conducts FDA-grade clinical
research. Stretching their contacts overseas,
a group of Mexican pharmaceuticals led
by Arriola recently went to South Korea to
look for opportunities to transfer biotechnology expertise to Mexico. “The situation
is moving very fast and we realized that
archive
to start from scratch would take too long.
Therefore, we sent a team to South Korea
in order to look for technology transfer opportunities with the full backing of national
health authorities.”
While Mexico might still not be developing new medicines at the rate of the US or
Germany, the country is rapidly becoming
an international hub for clinical research trials. These play a central role in the development of new medicines, since new medicines
must successfully pass through at least three
phases of clinical research before they can
enter the public market, a process which can
easily take up to 10 years.
Mexico is an ideal location for clinical
trials due to its large and ethnically diverse
population, large volunteer base, improved
regulations and low operational costs. This
has led to a huge increase in the number of
clinical trials held in Mexico, from two in
2001 to 196 in 2012, ranking Mexico second in Latin America. The presence of international renowned clinical research organizations such as Kendle, Parexel and Quintiles confirms the importance of Mexico as a
location for clinical research.
Guest Opinion | Negocios ProMéxico
The Pharmaceutical Industry
IN MEXICO
In Mexico, the pharmaceutical industry is of great economic importance, not far behind that of oil
refining, production of basic petrochemicals and manufacturing of cars and trucks. It also is a growing
market that requires new investment to address the ailments that afflict Mexicans in the 21st century.
by maría cristina rosas
Health is a broad concept. According to
the World Health Organization (WHO)
it is a state of complete physical, mental,
and social well-being. That definition is
the result of a conceptual evolution and
emerged in place of a notion that was held
for a long time, according to which health
is simply the absence of biological diseases.
Since the 1950s, the WHO reviewed the
definition and finally replaced it with one
in which the notion of human well-being
goes beyond the merely physical. The Pan
A great place to do business
The sluggish performance of Mexico’s
pharmaceutical and biotech industries in
the 2000s seems to be at an end. The entry of global pharmaceutical leaders into
the country has seen estimates for annual sector growth jump to 10%, spread
across a wealth of opportunities. Recent
improvements in regulation and Mexico’s
close proximity to the US also provide the
country with a solid export base to internationalize its efforts.
The focus of state governments on research and development and the increasing
number of clinical trials being outsourced
here are destined to make Mexico an international competitor in terms of research and
development as well. Cortés sums up this
exciting time in three ways. “Firstly, Mexico
has seen a good marriage between the government and the private sector. Secondly, the
loyalty of the Mexican people and doctors
for branded generics is very high and finally,
the number of drugstores has been growing
rapidly. All of these represent opportunities
to place products in the market. Mexico is a
great place for pharmaceuticals to do business,” he concludes. N
*Editor of Mexico Health Review.
**Industry Analyst of Mexico Health Review.
September 2014
September 2014
*
American Health Organization (PAHO)
contributed to that the recognition that
health also has to do with the environment
around a person. Thus, health involves a
coordinated effort by governments, society, international, governmental and nongovernmental organizations and, naturally, pharmaceutical companies.
The development of the pharmaceutical industry first took place in Europe, beginning in 1870 and began its expansion
in the face of the First World War. In the
US, the industry took off after the Second
World War and showed sustained growth
until the 1960s, when the development of
chemical-pharmaceutical products began
to experience difficulties in the light of research and development processes.
Competition on innovation and drug
development, the increasing worldwide
demand for these, as well as the facilities
offered by markets and international and
national regulations, have been instrumental factors in the development of the pharmaceutical industry.
The sector sees considerable progress
in countries like the US, the UK, Switzerland, France and Germany. These countries have a chemical industry with a solid
foundation, making them exporters of
pharmaceutical raw materials produced
in bulk and distributed internationally
through subsidiaries or licensing agreements. China recently joined that group,
largely as the result of the effects of the financial crisis of recent years on European
countries –which also explains why nearly
half of global drug production is concentrated in the Asia-Pacific region.
On the other side are the countries
that have not developed a strong chemical
industry. As a result, the pharmaceutical
market in those countries faces constraints
such as restrictive practices, price discrimination and managing the international
patent system as a market instrument.
Currently, one of the central issues of
global public policy is to ensure that all
citizens have access to the drugs they need
to maintain and restore health and to alleviate the discomfort arising from different
health conditions and diseases. Despite
the efforts that have been made in that
regard, enormous challenges remain and
it is not yet possible to guarantee the right
of everyone to health. Of particular note
is the lack of universal coverage of public health services, inequality in access to
primary and secondary level services and,
29
Negocios ProMéxico | Guest Opinion
in particular, specialized care; conditions
of marginalization and poverty; unequal
geographical distribution of the world’s
population; the lack of a culture of selfcare and prevention of diseases, and the
emergence of new diseases.
Paradoxically, in some regions the successful outcomes of public health systems
have led to an overall lengthening of life,
at the same time creating an aging population meaning that diseases requiring longterm, expensive care have become more
widespread–heart and kidney ailments,
obesity, mental illness associated with old
age, among others. To that must be added
the appearance of new public health problems related to the emergence of new or
little known diseases –the epidemic caused
by the H1N1 virus and, most recently, the
Ebola virus illustrate those problems.
The characteristics and structure of
the pharmaceutical industry are also important for public health. While it is a
sector that invests large amounts of human and material resources in the development of new products, those are surrounded by numerous controversial issues
–such as intellectual property and patents,
conditions for competition, content of
regulatory frameworks, international collaboration to classify drugs, sanitary control and oversight policy on drug safety,
the guarantee of supply in emergency
situations, technological change, and the
shared responsibility between the public
and private sectors as well as between nations, in the research, production, delivery
and access to medicines.
In Mexico there are 224 laboratories
for drugs or biological products, belonging
to 200 companies. Of those, 46 are part
of consortia or majority foreign-owned industries and the remaining ones have predominantly Mexican shareholders.
According to figures from ProMéxico, with information from Hoovers and
Marketline, 20 of the top 25 global pharmaceutical companies have operations
in Mexico. The pharmaceutical industry
produces 1.2% of gross domestic product
(GDP) and about 7.2% of manufacturing
GDP in the country. Also, according to
data from ProMéxico with information
from Global Trade Atlas, Mexico was the
leading exporter in the pharmaceutical
sector in Latin America in 2013.
From 1993 to 2002, the manufacture
of drug-chemical and pharmaceutical
products increased at an average annual
30
photo
rate of 4.85%. The Mexican pharmaceutical industry supplies most of the medicines consumed in the country: it produces
86% of them and imports 14%. It is the
ninth most important economic activity in
Mexico and the fourth largest in the manufacturing sector. According to INEGI, in
2013, production by the Mexican pharmaceutical industry exceeded 13 billion USD.
Thus, Mexico is one of the main markets for health products in the world and
the pharmaceutical industry established
in the country is considered robust and
competitive at a regional level. Together
with Brazil, Mexico is the highest value
market for pharmaceutical products in
Latin America.
In recent years, the deficit in the
Mexican balance of trade for pharmaceutical products has grown significantly, from 52.8 million USD in 1995 to 2.76
billion in November 2008. Today, 90%
of Mexican exports are pharmaceutical
raw materials. The increase in imports
archive
of finished products has been boosted by
international innovation in pharmaceuticals around the world. As a result, Mexico has placed emphasis on investment
to improve production processes, while
recognizing the importance of engaging
in more medical research.
In 1986, with Mexico’s accession to the
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
(GATT), lower tariffs were agreed for imported raw materials and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and the gradual
elimination of those that were manufactured in Mexico. Simultaneously, the refusal of import permits if the material was
produced domestically was removed. Consequently, many supplies began to be purchased in other countries while certain raw
materials (intermediates) required for the
manufacture of APIs continue to attract
tariffs (0.7-5% in tariff codes 20 and 30),
despite the fact they are made in Mexico.
A new market currently showing
strong signs of growth in the pharmaceuti-
Guest Opinion | Negocios ProMéxico
cal industry is that of generic drugs. Their
success lies in their quality as well as in the
savings they represent for consumers. One
of the strongest limitations of these drugs
is that in the implementation of new drugs
on the market, the patent right is maintained for a predetermined period, meaning that people with lower incomes cannot
easily access those products.
Distribution on the private market is
carried out by a number of wholesalers
that have nationwide sales and is complemented by regional distributors; the latter
serving small pharmacies and home-visit
doctors–who charge the patient for consultation and the drug.
Sale to the end customer focuses
on pharmacy chains and supermarkets
which, with fewer than 30% of existing
outlets, sell about 80% of the total units
sold. The latter has led independent pharmacies to reduce their presence in those
areas where supermarkets and chains
have a strong presence.
A new market currently
showing strong signs
of growth in the
pharmaceutical industry is
that of generic drugs. Their
success lies in their quality
as well as in the savings they
represent for consumers.
As a result, there is a realignment underway that is seeing independent pharmacies creating negotiating groups. For
many years, the complexity of distribution generated a significant space for traditional distributors to operate; with the
rapid penetration of private labels several
laboratories are now selling directly to
chains, supermarkets, state-owned chains
and independent pharmacies (grouped
into purchasing groups).
For the retail market, part of the sales
are through direct sale by some laboratories to different government agencies and
another part through dealers specialized in
government, who bid on behalf of laboratories and deliver their products to where
the institution requires them.
The diseases affecting Mexican society
are complex. On the one hand, there are
communicable diseases; on the other, the
so-called “diseases of modernity,” that is,
non-communicable maladies that are related to urbanization and individual lifestyle,
such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension and
cardiovascular, pulmonary and kidney diseases. That means Mexico requires a wide
variety of medications and health services
in order to address the various ailments
that afflict the population.
Since 1980, the Mexican authorities
have made several changes to existing regulations in order to facilitate and improve
the production and sale of drugs.
One of the most important regulations
is the Federal Law on the Promotion and
Protection of Industrial Property, which enables the registration of patents –not previously allowed– on chemicals. Patents have
a term of 20 years from the date of application and may be extended for three further
years; in addition, the law allows brands
to have a term of 10 years, which may be
renewed for a similar period. Another key
regulation is the General Law on Public
Health, which stipulates that drugs for use
and sale must be identified by their generic
and distinctive names, so that doctors prescribe the active substance they contain
and not the brand. Finally, the Regulation
of Health Products defines the concept and
characteristics of interchangeable generic
drugs. With regard to the latter regulation,
it is worth noting that the provisions relating to bioequivalents will open up greater
opportunities for generic drugs, as opposed
to similar drugs, which invites investment
opportunities in the sector.
According to ProMéxico figures with
information from KPMG, Mexico is the
most competitive country in the Americas
for the manufacture of medical devices and
pharmaceuticals. From 2005 to 2013, the
foreign direct investment attracted by the
Mexican pharmaceutical sector amounted
to 3.46 billion USD. N
*Professor and researcher in the Political and
Social Sciences Faculty, National Autonomous
University of Mexico (UNAM).
September 2014
September 2014
31
Negocios ProMéxico | Mexico In The World
photos
archive
Mexican medical services
for the world
The health tourism industry in Mexico has been growing rapidly in recent years. This sector
includes both health tourism proper and so-called wellness tourism, which refers to spa services
and retirement homes for the elderly, among others.
by cecilia ramos ávila*
Mexico is one of the most popular destinations for medical tourism thanks to a fortunate combination of geographical, economic, and infrastructure factors, together
with first class public policies.
The medical services most demanded
by foreign patients are in specialties such
as cardiology, oncology, orthopedics, dentistry, cardiovascular, cosmetic, gastric, reconstructive, and eye surgery.
According to a study by Patients Beyond Borders, Mexico is the country that
serves more foreign tourists in dentistry and
bariatric surgery (bypass and gastric band).
The study indicates that during 2013, the
Mexican health system attended about one
million foreign patients, which places the
country as the second largest destination in
the export of medical services in the world,
only behind Thailand that catered around
1.2 million foreign patients during 2013.
Medical tourism is an emerging industry that is not yet accounted for in domestic
tourism figures, meaning in many cases is
difficult to estimate numbers and the real
economic impact that foreign patients leave
when visiting an institution in the country.
There are no sufficiently robust databases
since health care providers do not maintain
comprehensive statistics that distinguish
domestic and foreign patients.
Some sources estimate that a foreign patient leaves an average economic benefit of
17,000 USD for an eight-day stay in a Mexican hospital or clinic.
Added to that, it should be taken into
account that foreign patients are usually accompanied and do not only spend money
on the medical or surgical procedure they
undergo but also on essential tourist services, having an impact on other industries
such as transport, accommodation, food
and beverages, among others.
The use of health services impacts on
the economic benefit that should be recorded as income from tourism in general. According to informal estimates, foreign pa-
32
tients coming to Mexico have an economic
impact of close to 2.5 billion USD annually.
It is estimated that figure could grow by
7% a year, to the extent that the number
of institutions with international certification increases. The growth will facilitate the
generation of specific indicators for the sector which will provide more real statistics
within a few years.
Some of Mexico’s competitive advantages which make it one of the most attractive countries as a destination for medical
services are costs, favorable geographical
location in relation to Canada and the US, a
high percentage of specialist doctors –many
of them foreign educated– in proportion to
the population of general practitioners, and
a first class hospital infrastructure.
The Medical Tourism Association
(MTA) estimates that foreign patients
treated in Mexico save between 36%
and 89% over the cost of the same procedure in the US.
In 1999, the General Health Council
(CSG) of Mexico established a certification program for national hospitals and
health clinics, with international standards. Currently, almost 85% of private
September 2014
Mexico In The World | Negocios ProMéxico
hospitals and 14% of public hospitals in
Mexico are accredited by the CSG, while
in 2006, no Mexican hospital held international accreditation.
In addition, 10 Mexican institutions
hold international certification from the
Joint Commission International (JCI) –the
largest hospital accreditation body in the
US. JCI certification allows Mexican hospitals to provide care to US patients insured
with Medicare, as well as private insurers,
which opens the door to a potential market
of millions of American patients.
The health institutions in Mexico that
receive most tourists for medical purposes
are concentrated in 10 states: Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua,
the Federal District, Jalisco, Nuevo Leon,
Quintana Roo, Sonora, Tamaulipas and
Yucatan. Those states have approximately
60 hospitals regularly providing health services to foreign patients.
Baja California is a landmark case. According to the study “The profile of medical and health tourism and its impact on
the economy of Baja California,” undertaken by the State Tourism Department
between 2010 and 2013, the economic
impact generated by medical tourism increased 21% due to the surroundings of
the cities, the wider supply of services and
competitive prices. Additionally, because it
is a border state, many American patients
can travel by land, which facilitates provision of those services. Of foreign patients
coming to Baja California, 83% are from
the US (41% are Hispanic born in that
country) and 9% are Canadian; the remainder comprises other nationalities. It is
very interesting to observe how the medical and hospital sector in Baja California
has been attracting patients from other
countries. In 2010, 98.1% of foreign patients receiving medical care in Baja California came from the US. The study also
reveals that in 2013 the industry generated
30,390 new jobs in the state.
According to the National Institute of
Statistics and Geography (INEGI), states
such as Nuevo León and Jalisco have a
very large workforce of medical staff:
19.5% of the medical staff of hospitals
and private clinics in the country live in
Nuevo León, while 10.3% live in Jalisco.
Quintana Roo and Yucatán –states that
have a highly developed traditional tourism sector– have begun to improve their
medical infrastructure and services to attract that segment of foreign tourists.
September 2014
Mexico has a highly qualified base
of human capital working in medical services. According to the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD), the proportion of medical specialists among general practitioners in Mexico
is 62.3% –higher than the OECD average
(57.7%)– which makes us the country with
the 10th highest number of specialists as
a proportion of the entire medical community among member countries. Furthermore, in Mexico, 11.6 physicians graduate
per 100,000 inhabitants, higher than the
OECD average (11.2) and the figure for
countries like the US (6.9), Canada (7.6),
South Korea (8.2) and France (9.0 ).
The technological capital available is a
window of opportunity in Mexico. For example, the number of magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) units per million population in Mexico is 2.2 units, while the
OECD average is 13.9. The same is true in
the case of other equipment such as brain
scanners. In Mexico there are 5.1 brain
scanners per million inhabitants, while the
OECD average is 23.7. Another indicator
for improvement is the number of hospi-
tal beds. There are 1.6 hospital beds per
thousand inhabitants in Mexico, while the
OECD average is 4.8.
There is no doubt that Mexico has an
excellent hospital infrastructure and qualified medical personnel. However, there is a
gap in technological capital. That represents
a great investment opportunity in order to
expand the capacity for attention and make
the sector even more competitive. Mexico
is a competitive destination for attracting
foreign patients, essentially from Canada
and the US. Costs and high level medical
facilities, a broad base of specialized human
capital and the country’s geographical location are elements that have made Mexico a
suitable destination for medical tourism. If
the investment needed to acquire specialized
equipment is maintained, and the number of
internationally certified health institutions
continues to increase, Mexico will undoubtedly be a leading destination for international medical tourism, not only in North
America but also throughout the world. N
*ProMéxico’s representative in Boston,
Massachusetts, US.
33
Negocios ProMéxico | Mexico’s Partner
Neolpharma,
Quality Mexican
Pharmaceutical
Technology
Neolpharma is preparing to take on new markets
with an impressive catalogue of 600 medical
products and a long list of certifications.
34
photos
courtesy of neolpharma
by antonio vázquez
Manufacturing 600 different
medical products is no mean
feat, as Neolpharma, a Mexican pharmaceutical company
that has built up an extensive
catalogue of drugs over the
last 20 years, will tell you.
The company started out
as a cottage industry in 1994.
Two years later, it merged with
a similar firm to create Neolpharma and today employs
over 2,000 people.
“It was a process of taking
decisions and integrating technology, innovation and development to offer a more diversified
product range. We produce
drugs not only for the domestic
market but also with export
markets in mind,” says Neolpharma CEO Efrén Ocampo.
The diversification Ocampo
was referring to meant making
the transition from manufacturing general drugs to specialized ones. The company’s labs
and plants currently have the
capacity to produce drugs for
diabetes, Parkinson’s disease,
schizophrenia and even drugs
to treat cancer and neuropsychiatric conditions, although its
main line is drugs for chronicdegenerative diseases.
“We have some 200 active
substances that are used to
produce different drugs. In total, including active substances
and presentations, we have
almost 600 products designed
to treat the diseases with the
highest incidence in the country. We are particularly sensitive to the aging of the population, which is why we focus on
drugs for chronic-degenerative
diseases, heart conditions,
September 2014
Mexico’s Partner | Negocios ProMéxico
diabetes and cancer, and have
several international patents,”
says Ocampo.
Mexico’s pharmaceutical
market is fairly well distributed among large Mexican and
international companies, with
Neolpharma taking home 8%
of the pie.
One of the company’s
main customers is the Mexican Social Security Institute
(IMSS), which purchases
some 130 million units of
medicines a year.
Right now, Neolpharma is
in the process of broadening
its range of generic drugs by as
much as 50% and is working
on new formulas in coordination with top experts from the
Center for Research and Advanced Studies (Cinvestav)
at the National Polytechnic
Institute (IPN), the faculties of
Chemistry and Biology at the
September 2014
National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and
the Autonomous Metropolitan
University (UAM).
“We have a team that
works closely with these institutions, where there is enormous potential for the development of the pharmaceutical
industry and a lot of room for
innovation,” says Ocampo.
In addition to its Mexican
facilities, Neolpharma has
offices and plants in Ecuador
and Puerto Rico. Its Puerto
Rican plant is certified by the
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has been
something of an experience
for the company and will no
doubt facilitate its plans to
export to other markets.
As will the long list of
certifications it boasts. Neolpharma has been certified in
Good Manufacturing Practices
by the Federal Commission for
the Protection Against Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS),, as a
Socially Responsible Company
and complies with ISO 9000
quality management and ISO
14000 environmental management standards.
According to Ocampo,
agencies like ProMéxico have
been instrumental in helping companies in the sector
pinpoint these markets. “The
next goal for Neolpharma,”
he says, “is to conquer them.”
“We have what it takes to
compete on the international
market. We are right next
door to the US –the world’s
largest pharmaceutical market– where Mexican products
are perceived to be extremely
reliable and of very high
quality,” says Ocampo. N
The company’s
labs and plants
currently have the
capacity to produce
drugs for diabetes,
Parkinson’s disease,
schizophrenia
and even drugs to
treat cancer and
neuropsychiatric
conditions, although
its main line is
drugs for chronicdegenerative
diseases.
www.neolpharma.com
35
photos
courtesy of vepinsa
Industrias Vepinsa,
natural color for human health
This Mexican company produces natural pigments useful to various industries, but mainly for
human health. It exports 40% of its annual production to some 10 nations.
by antonio vázquez
The color of natural raw materials is very useful to humans. That is something that
Industrias Vepinsa, a Mexican company that for four
decades has been devoted to
the manufacture of pigments,
nutraceuticals, ingredients
and flavorings, knows well.
Founded in 1969, Vepinsa started out producing
36
natural pigments used in the
poultry industry. Over time,
the company diversified its
product portfolio, which today
includes pigments used in the
livestock and biotechnology
sectors, such as nutraceuticals,
says Rogelio Ramos, commercial director of the company.
“We have invested a lot
in biotechnology processes
to obtain products known as
nutraceuticals, which are sold
at most drug stores and are
of great benefit to health. For
example, we have eye care
products which prevent macular degeneration in which the
active ingredient is lutein, a
natural carotenoid found in
vegetables, fruits and flowers,” says Rogelio Ramos.
Gustavo Rodríguez, director of research and development at Industrias Vepinsa,
claims that natural pigments
(carotenoids) are highly useful
for different industrial sectors.
“What we’ve done is venture into areas like biotechnology. We are also exploring the
use of biomass in the agricultural and fishing industries;
September 2014
these masses –usually garbage
or waste from industrial activities– can be used to produce
value-added products. We are
advancing in these two avenues in which we want to do
business,” adds Rodríguez.
Rogelio Ramos and Gustavo Rodríguez place special
emphasis on the area of biotechnology in which Industrias
Vepinsa currently operates.
Using different types of flowers, the company has developed
several products for human
use. An important raw material
for the company in its quest
to create products that benefit
human health is the marigold
flower. The flower is endemic
to states like Chiapas, Estado
de México, Morelos, Puebla,
Michoacán, San Luis Potosí,
Oaxaca, Veracruz, Sinaloa and
Tlaxcala, among others. It is
often used for cultural purposes, especially for the Day of
the Dead celebrations.
From the marigold flower,
Vepinsa obtains a concentrate
of lutein, recommended for the
pharmaceutical, food, cosmetic and nutraceutical industries.
The lutein obtained by the
company helps, for example,
to protect the skin from exposure to the sun, to reduce
the formation of cataracts and
inhibit macular degeneration
(an eye disorder that affects vision), and to reduce the risk of
colon, breast, and skin cancer.
“We work with carotenoids
from the marigold flower. We
are venturing into new products
such as anthocyanin, a pigment
that ranges from red, to blue,
to purple and has a lot of uses
in the food and nutraceutical
industries. There are pigments
derived from tomatoes like lycopene, and from carrots, which
have beta-carotene. We are
exploiting all of these for food
or nutraceuticals,” explains
Gustavo Rodríguez.
With a 12-hectare site located in the north of the state
of Sinaloa, in northwestern
September 2014
Mexico, Industrias Vepinsa has
a workforce of 140 people.
The company has taken
advantage of its geographic
location to reach the US market.
Currently, Industrias Vepinsa
operates, in addition to the US,
in some 10 countries in regions
such as Central and South
America, Europe, and Asia.
Each year, the company exports
40% of its production to those
parts of the world.
Gustavo Rodríguez says Industrias Vepinsa is the only one
of its kind in Mexico that has
a department for research and
development of new products
made with natural pigments.
Today, the company owns more
than 10 patents on products for
the biotechnology sector.
Synergies with universities and national research
centers has been decisive for
the growth of the company, as
well as collaboration with the
National Council of Science
and Technology (CONACYT),
according to Rogelio Ramos.
Industrias Vepinsa is a
company that has managed to
exploit innovation in the field
of biotechnology, according to
Gustavo Rodríguez. “We will
focus on new products derived
from biomass that can be exploited given the region we are
located in. It’s a cheap raw material from which many products can be obtained. We are
also working on obtaining pigments from blueberries, purple
corn and hibiscus. The implementation of biotechnology is a
strategic focus of development
for the company,” he says.
In short, “Industrias Vepinsa is backing research and
development in biotechnology,
thereby increasing its portfolio
of products that are of great
benefit to human health,” concludes Rogelio Ramos. N
Founded in 1969,
Vepinsa started
out producing
natural pigments
used in the poultry
industry. Over
time, the company
diversified its
product portfolio,
which today
includes pigments
used in the livestock
and biotechnology
sectors, such as
nutraceuticals.
www.vepinsafoods.com
37
photos
courtesy of laboratorios tornel
equivalents. One of the top
10 companies in its field on
its home market, the company has ventured abroad
and currently exports to
the Middle East, the Caribbean and Central and South
America, regions where it is
in the process of registering
its products.
“Because ours are controlled, regulated products,
they can’t be sold like other
consumer goods,” says Bravo. “After having identified
a market with potential, we
begin the process of selling
our products there,” which
can take between six and
12 months to get approval,
depending on the laws of the
country in question.
Africa and the Middle
East are key markets for Tornel, which currently sells its
solutions in Egypt, Kuwait
and the Arabian Peninsula.
Here, cultural differences
–which translate into very
different ways of relating to
animals– open up a whole
gamut of possibilities. “In
the United Arab Emirates,
for example, there are lots
of race horses and we have
a series of products designed
for that market. But if you go
to Egypt, horse racing isn’t
so popular and the market is
geared more toward products
for the livestock industry,”
says Bravo.
In the export arena, Mexico offers Tornel certain competitive advantages. “Mexico
is free of many diseases, like
foot and mouth, mad cow
Tornel’s are quality,
differentiated products
that are competitively
priced compared to their
foreign equivalents. One
of the top 10 companies
in its field on its home
market, the company
has ventured abroad
and currently exports
to the Middle East, the
Caribbean and Central
and South America,
regions where it is in the
process of registering its
products.
Laboratorios Tornel,
Leaving the Fold
Now that it has a firm footing on the domestic market, Laboratorios Tornel is looking
to make an incursion into the international market for veterinary pharmaceutical
solutions. This Mexican firm has the drive and more than one advantage in its favor.
by omar magaña
Laboratorios Tornel has a
substantial share of the domestic market for veterinary
pharmaceuticals, but penning
itself in would be to pass up a
shot at double-digit growth.
“Our strategy is to channel all our efforts and tenacity into our export markets
and to continue to expand
internationally,” says Tornel
Director Mauricio Bravo, who
estimates that its global operations will put the company on
track for double-digit growth
over the next 20 years.
Diversity is a factor that
works in this particular com-
pany’s favor. Mexico is home
to countless animal species, all
of which have specific needs,
hence Tornel’s portfolio of
120 products. And now that
the world is its oyster, the
opportunities for innovation
are as infinite as the number of
species roaming the planet.
“Our goal for 2014 –which
we are close to achieving– is to
export 15% of our output and
sell the remaining 85% on the
domestic market,” says Bravo.
from Family Business
to Export Giant
Since the late seventies,
Laboratorios Tornel has
been a familiar name among
animal health professionals
due to its solutions for game
fowl, race horses, small species, pigs and ruminants.
The company produces
hormones, antibiotics, painkillers, anti-inflammatories,
antiparasitics, expectorants,
vitamins, supplements, vaccines and biological products
at its three plants, each of
which is dedicated to a specific product category: injectable drugs, antibiotics and
biological products.
The company’s most popular products are its “vitamins,
which are suitable for all
animal species” and its “antibiotics, with which we have
made a name for ourselves on
the domestic and international
markets,” says Bravo.
Tornel’s are quality, differentiated products that
are competitively priced
compared to their foreign
38
September 2014
and others that are prevalent in other countries. That
means we can export to many
countries we can’t import
from,” says Bravo. “In the
case of biological products,
that makes us an excellent
candidate for exports to practically the whole world.”
September 2014
Prevention is better
than the cure
Tornel’s goal is to become
Mexico’s fastest growing
veterinary products company
by 2020. The manufacture
and sale of pharmaceuticals
remains its core business but it
is broadening its portfolio of
preventive medicine to help reduce the risk of disease in the
animal husbandry industry.
The trend toward prevention has placed greater
emphasis on the market for
vaccines and Laboratorios
Tornel has responded with
innovation: a vaccine that
recognizes the five most prevalent viruses in Mexico.
Participating in the research and development of
this new product are the National Institute of Forestry,
Agricultural and Fishing
Research (INIFAP) and the
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zoology at the National Autonomous University
of Mexico (UNAM), with
the support of the National
Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT).
“We have almost finished
isolating these viruses, which
are prevalent in the country
and cause mortality and associated economic problems,”
says Bravo, adding that a vaccine of this type “can create
much greater immunity in animals than those that currently
exist on the market because it
targets specific diseases.”
According to Bravo, this
will be a highly differentiated
product that will guarantee
a better response and greater
protection of animal species.
Furthermore, it will be a viable export product because
even though the viruses it
targets were isolated in Mexico, these are also a threat in
other countries. N
www.tornel.com
39
photos
courtesy of liomont
Authorities from the US and Europe have
visited the company’s plant in Mexico City
to see for themselves the care with which
Liomont’s products are manufactured.
Liomont,
A Long History
of Conquests
Rica, the Dominican Republic,
Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela,
Chile and Bolivia.
“In the US, products like
Conazol and Cicloferon are extremely popular and a year ago
we launched a generic product
based on Montelukast, an antiasthma drug, in Europe.”
Two of the factors that
have prompted Mexican companies like Liomont to make
the leap onto the global scenario are the international trade
agreements Mexico has entered
into and its talented workforce.
Liomont employs 1,500
people and has a 2% share of
the domestic market, which,
Laboratorios Liomont is one of the top 10
pharmaceutical companies in Mexico, with a 2% share
of the domestic market and exports to the US, Europe
and Latin America.
by antonio vázquez
One of the top 10 companies
of its kind in Mexico, Laboratorios Liomont has gone on
to conquer pharmaceutical
markets in Europe, the US and
Latin America.
Luis Paniagua, manager of
new businesses and exports,
attributes its success to perseverance, namely as regards
the quest for excellence and
compliance with stringent
quality standards.
Thewse are the qualities
that have enabled the company to gain a substantial share
of global markets in the 75
years of operation.
“Over the decades, Liomont has persevered, especially in its drive to expand the
company, not just in economic
terms, but to be a worthy
representative of Mexico’s
pharmaceutical industry in an
international context [...] It’s
been a challenge to boost our
market share and represent the
domestic industry at home and
abroad,” says Paniagua.
Authorities from the US
and Europe have visited the
company’s plant in Mexico
City to see for themselves the
care with which its products
are manufactured.
These products meet the
quality standards required
by the global pharmaceutical
40
market and have been certified by the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), among
other bodies –certifications
that have enabled Liomont to
create synergies with companies in other countries for the
sale of its products at competitive prices.
Liomont’s extensive catalog includes over-the-counter
(OTC) product lines and prescription drugs.
Its best known OTC
products are the painkiller
Analgen, Cicloferon, which is
used to treat oral infections
caused by the herpes simplex
virus, Conazol, for athlete’s
foot, and Sensibit D, a powerful anti-flu drug.
In the area of prescription
drugs, Liomont manufactures
a wide range of analgesics,
anti-infectives, cardiovascular and respiratory drugs,
antispasmodics, antivirals,
antiparasitics, antidiabetics,
antihistamines, contraceptives, odontology and urological drugs, bone calcium
regulators, and drugs for
erectile dysfunction and to
combat obesity.
Several of Liomont’s OTC
products have met with wide
acceptance in countries like
the US, Portugal, Italy, Spain,
Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa
September 2014
September 2014
according to Paniagua, is worth
an estimated 10 billion USD.
The company manufactures
some 60 million products a year,
8% of which are exported.
Innovation has been a
constant in Liomont’s long
lifetime, during which it has
sought out the very best of
human talent and forged alliances with government agencies and technological companies. It also has solid ties
with prestigious universities
like Tec de Monterrey and the
National Polytechnic Institute
(IPN) and has worked closely
with the National Council
of Science and Technology
(CONACYT) on projects
related to new global trends
in therapeutic medicine.
The company’s next step
will be to explore the biotechnology market and that is the
reason why it has set up a new
life sciences area. The project
is scheduled to come on line in
three years and provides for alliances with international firms.
“Liomont is a company that
cares about Mexico, it takes
care of it and aims to become
the country’s top pharmaceutical company in the short term,”
says Paniagua. N
www.liomont.com
41
photos
Biograft,
Muscling Up
to Grab OpportunitieS
Mexico is meeting growing global demand for skeletal muscle tissue
implants that give recipients a new lease on life.
by omar magaña
Room to expand and increase
its market share, coupled with
rising demand for its products
in developed economies are
some of the buoys floating on
Biograft’s commercial seas.
“We are in a blue ocean
surrounded by nothing but
growth opportunities,” says
Biograft CEO José Raúl
Flores Fletes, who also happens to be a qualified chemist
and pharmacist.
Biograft is a biomedical
technology company specializing in the processing and
distribution of implants of
human skeletal muscle tissue that have applications in
sports medicine, traumatology,
odontology, plastic surgery
and spinal surgeries.
As a pioneer in Mexico in
the setting up of private sector
tissue banks, Biograft spearheads a branch of the economy characterized by innovation, the use of state-of-the-art
technology and strict oversight
of safety processes.
courtesy of biograft
Over the last 11 years,
Biograft has expanded on the
strength of its reinvestment in
orthobiologics research and
the creation of new products,
while winning over new markets with quality, Mexicanmade products in a highly
regulated sector where certifications are mandatory.
“We are exporting technology to several countries,” says
Flores. “We receive bone tissue
from Spain and the US and
export the finished product to
South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Guatemala and Peru.”
The company is currently
preparing to take on discerning markets like Germany. In
October, the Biograft team,
comprised of Flores, and the
Master in Science Agustín
Carrillo García, will be visiting Düsseldorf to engage in
talks that could well mark the
beginning of a fruitful business relationship.
So what exactly does
Flores see on the horizon?
Based on the growing number of physicians who either
use or recommend Biograft’s
spongy and cuneiform bone,
cartilage strips, diaphysis,
iliac blocks, femoral and
humerus heads and tendon
implants, he foresees double
digit growth and also anticipates broader coverage of the
company’s tissue donation
programs. That means Biograft will be able to manufacture more products for general hospitals throughout the
country and give something
back to society.
A few months ago,
Biograft was audited by
the South Korean Ministry
of Food and Drug Safety
(MFDS), where it is currently
negotiating a megaproject.
and ProMéxico, Biograft
has continued to invest in
research and development
and expects to diversify its
portfolio of solutions with
the introduction of human
cadaver skin tissue, cartilage
and stem cells by 2020.
“We belong to the National
Chamber of the Pharmaceutical
Industry (CANIFARMA) and it
was through that organization
that we came into contact with
ProMéxico. Members of the
ProMéxico’s team have already
visited us and I see them
assisting us with marketing
and sales efforts on our target
markets,” says Flores.
The National Rehabilitation Institute, which generates clinical protocols based
on Biograft’s products, and
the Tecamac Technological University in Estado de
México, where the company
participates in a nanotechnology program, are the first
and main links in its value
chain.
According to Flores, part of
the research consists of identifying trends in other countries
and taking them on board.
Safe Product
“Before we arrived on the
scene, there was a lot of reticence toward Mexican-made
products of this type, which
were very scarce,” says Flores.
However, Biograft quickly
built up trust in medical
circles following the creation
of the first private tissue bank
in 2003 –which required a
transferal of technology from
the US– and the implementation of a donation program
in 2004, which disclosed the
special processes the company
uses to sterilize its products.
“The first thing we insisted
on was that this type of product
be registered so consumers
have a guarantee that our
manufacturing practices are
evaluated, audited and certified
by an authority, in this case the
Federal Commission for the
Protection Against Sanitary
Risks (COFEPRIS),” says Flores.
The license and certification granted by Cofepris
provide assurance that Biograft’s products meet market
standards. The company has
also been audited by the US
Food and Drug Administra-
tion (FDA), is registered with
the American Association of
Tissue Banks (AATB) and has
ISO 9001-2008, ISO 134852003 and TÜV certification.
The National Transplant
Center is fully informed of
Biograft’s agreements with
health institutions for the
donation of lower and upper
cadaver extremities. Likewise, the company has an
open doors policy vis-à-vis
the lab practices it uses to reduce the bioburden of tissue
and sterilize it without compromising the very properties
that make it viable.
Demand for Biograft tendons to repair anterior cruciate ligaments has increased in
Mexico, followed by demand
for spongy bone cubes, iliac
blocks for spinal surgery and
demineralized bone matrix.
Abroad, says Flores, Biograft is viewed as a company
that provides quality products,
complies with the standards
of each individual market it
serves and ensures that the
product is preserved in prime
condition until it reaches the
operating room.
Over the last 11 years,
Biograft has expanded
on the strength of
its reinvestment in
orthobiologics research
and the creation of new
products, while winning
over new markets
with quality, Mexicanmade products in a
highly regulated sector
where certifications are
mandatory.
All that remains is to continue fostering the practice of
donating, something that is becoming easier to the extent that
society acquires knowledge and
understanding of how it can
change a person’s life, concludes
Flores, adding that a tissue implant “may not save a life, like
a liver or heart transplant, but
it provides something equally
valuable: wellbeing.” N
www.biograft.com.mx
Institutional
Connecting Tissue
With the support of the National Council of Science and
Technology (Conacyt)
42
September 2014
September 2014
43
photos
courtesy of enmex
Enmex:
Mexican Enzymes for the World Market
Enmex, a company specializing in the production of microbial enzymes for different sectors, is one of the leaders
in its field in Mexico; it exports six out of 10 of the products it manufactures to regions including North, Central and
South America, the European Union, Asia, and the Middle East.
by antonio vázquez
With 40 years’ experience in
the manufacture of enzymes
for the industrial and food
sectors, Enmex is a leading
company in its field, with exports amounting to 60% of its
annual production.
Enmex was founded in
1974 as a result of a joint ven-
44
ture between a Mexican company and a specialized laboratory.
Since 1993, this 100% Mexican
firm has been part of Grupo
Industrial Arancia. From the
outset, the company set itself
the target of becoming a benchmark in the field of manufacturing microbial enzymes.
“An enzyme is a biological catalyst that speeds up,
slows down or encourages
certain biochemical reactions; they are produced by
the fermentation of yeasts,
molds and bacteria,” explains
Fernando Puig, CEO of Enmex since 1983.
Puig explains that corn
and other grains kernels are
composed of long chains of
polysaccharides and proteins.
These macromolecules, in
turn, are composed of glucose and aminoacids chains.
Enzymes help to break down
these chains, thus releasing
September 2014
smaller molecules. The resulting molecules can be used to
produce syrups for sweeteners, fermentable sugars for
brewing and biofuels, better
livestock nourishment, and
dairy products, among other
products.
“Enzymes are part of our
daily lives; they are found in
countless products. The body
has enzymes that enable its
biochemistry to function.
Without them, certain biochemical reactions would not
be possible and people would
get sick,” Puig explains.
The enzymes produced by
Enmex are used in a number
of different sectors. They
are purchased by companies
that make nutritional supplements, animal nutrition
products, textiles, biological
detergents, bread, beer, sugar,
marinades, dairy, tanning and
protein hydrolysis.
Although Enmex does not
directly reach the final consumer, many of the products
commonly sold in supermarkets contain enzymes made
by Enmex. Enmex is the only
Mexican manufacturer of microbial enzymes at industrial
scale and its offices and production facility are in Estado
de México, in the center of
the country.
Enmex has a history dating
back several decades, this year
is accomplishing 40 years in
the market, and maintains its
own brand, unlike other similar companies that are only
engaged in toll manufacturing
to foreign brands.
Currently, Enmex exports
about 60% of its annual
production to countries in
North, Central and South
America, the European
Union, Asia and the Middle
East. The company has distribution centers in Europe and
September 2014
Although Enmex does not directly reach the final consumer, many of
the products commonly sold in supermarkets contain enzymes made by
Enmex. Enmex is the only Mexican manufacturer of microbial enzymes
at industrial scale and its offices and production facility are in Estado de
México, in the center of the country.
Asia. It is the only Mexican
representative in the Enzyme
Technical Association (www.
enzymeassociation.org) and a
founding member of EMBIOMEX, the Mexican Association in Industrial Biotechnology Companies.
The factors that have
enabled the company to enter
these markets include its innovation spirit, its productivity and quality certifications
in food safety, guaranteed by
international agencies.
Enmex is FSSC 22000
(food safety management
systems), ISO 9000 (quality
management) certified, and
holds specific certifications
such as Kosher and Halal, for
Jewish and Arab markets.
“Trade agreements signed
by Mexico have been very
helpful in allowing us to
enter other markets. A lot
of competition has entered
Mexico, undoubtedly, but for
us it is better to have a 5%
share of the global market
than 100% of the domestic
market. The treaties signed
by the country have enabled
us to enter the European
Union, the NAFTA region
and South America,” says
Fernando Puig.
Mexico’s geographical
location and human capital, which Enmex avails of,
have also been key factors
for exports, highlights Puig,
who adds that investment in
innovation is very important
for the company he runs. Enmex has a unit specializing in
biotechnology development,
focused on developing new
products and integrating new
bioprocesses. For that work,
the firm has taken advantage
of programs set up by the National Councif of Science and
Technology (CONACYT).
“We will continue to
work to strengthen our presence in the global market
and to attract young talent,
develop it and ensure a base
of highly-skilled staff,” concludes Fernando Puig. N
www.enzymes.com.mx
45
Össur,
Accessing the
Americas
Through Mexico
A few years ago, Össur, one of the world’s leading
manufacturers of orthopedic products, opened a plant
in the border city of Tijuana. Today, its manufacturing
center in Mexico is increasingly vital to its global
operations.
photos
courtesy of össur
by antonio vázquez
Össur didn’t hesitate to
choose Mexico as its operating base to serve the American continent. The country
had everything it was looking
for and, more importantly, it
was close to its number one
market: the US.
After years of studying the best options for its
expansion in America, it
came down to Costa Rica or
Mexico, but Mexico was the
natural choice “due to factors such as its proximity to
the US, which accounts for
50% of the company’s sales.
Also, the company’s corpo-
rate headquarters are in Irvine, California, which is just
two hours from Tijuana,”
says Össur Americas Director
Sergio Bermúdez.
So, in 2010, Össur set up
operations in Tijuana, Baja
California, which is not only
close to the US border but
also has a consolidated medical cluster.
The company’s catalogue
is comprised of two main
product families: below the
waist prosthesis and orthopedic products like neck braces,
ligament knee braces to support and help rehabilitate the
articulation in the event of
injury and knee braces to alleviate pain caused by a lack
of cartilage in people with
osteoarthritis. Each of these
product groups represents
50% of total sales.
Globally, Össur’s products
tend to be top sellers. In some
cases, they are the number
one product on the market,
in others, the number two. In
orthopedics, they are usually
the number one product.
What sets Össur apart
from the competition is
that, in addition to standard
products that are sold by
authorized stores in a variety
of countries, it makes made
to measure products, with a
guarantee of delivery within
three days, at most.
Every month, its
17,000-square-meter Tijuana
plant churns out 85,000
parts for the various products
the company manufactures
and in four years has chalked
up a series of certifications,
like the ISO 9000 quality
management standard, the
ISO 13485 standard relating to medical devices and
the ISO 14000 environmental management standard.
It is also a member of the
46
September 2014
September 2014
What sets Össur
apart from the
competition is that, in
addition to standard
products that are
sold by authorized
stores in a variety of
countries, it makes
made to measure
products, with a
guarantee of delivery
within three days, at
most.
Customs-Trade Partnership
Against Terrorism (C-TPAT),
among other initiatives.
The plant employs approximately 250 employees,
whose talent and know-how
have been key to productivity. “Employees from our
Mexican plant are often sent
to cover posts in other places. That has built up Össur’s
trust in Mexico, motivating
it to reaffirm its presence
and accelerate its expansion
here,” says Bermúdez.
To ensure it gets the
crème de la crème of the
country’s graduates, the
company has cooperation
agreements with CETYS
Universidad, among other
institutions.
Össur has consolidated
its presence in Mexico practically since day one and its Tijuana plant is currently operating at 45% of its installed
capacity, which means there
is plenty of room for growth.
In the medium term, the goal
is to expand the plant, both
physically and in terms of
production volumes.
“This plant produces
the majority of Össur’s new
products. Plus, we have an
excellent relationship with
corporate headquarters in
California. We don’t just
manufacture new product
lines, we participate in their
development and if this trend
continues, several processes
at the plant could be expanded. The Tijuana plant is the
third most important to the
company’s global operations
in terms of production volumes and is on its way to becoming the second, if not the
first, in the next five years,”
concludes Bermúdez. N
www.ossur.com
47
photos
courtesy of tdi
TDI:
in the beginning
was science
Zapopan, Jalisco is home to a well-established medical
instrument company with a history that combines a
love for technology and innovation with a passion for
business and market intelligence.
by omar magaña
The firm Tecnología y Diseño
Industrial (TDI) was created
on a platform of science and
innovation and continues to
be nourished by both, as it
transitions from a small and
medium size enterprise (SME)
to a corporation and opens up
to new lines of business.
The history of the company founded by engineer
José Adán Ortega Blanco in
Jalisco in the year 2000 is
marked by the production of
solutions in orthopedics, traumatology and –most recently–
biomedicine, with high added
value and a wide competitive
margin on global markets, as
well as by a phased growth
grounded in its reputation
and in strategic alliances.
In 2010, TDI attracted
public attention after winning
first place in the SME category
for the technology innovation
prize awarded by the Mexican
Association for Applied Research and Technological Development (ADIAT). The jury
for the award praised the firm’s
“business management for the
design and development of
medical devices and implants in
orthopedics and traumatology.”
The following year it also
won the SME award for most
innovative product, granted
by the federal Ministry of
Economy (SE) for developing “cutting edge biomedical
devices and techniques.” As
the SE stated in its citation:
“With the support of the SE-
48
CONACYT Innovation Fund,
TDI developed the Luna-Fix
percutaneous osteosynthesis
system, which makes it possible to stabilize, reduce and
immobilize fractures in different parts of the body with less
discomfort for patients.”
Ortega Blanco remarks:
“We have patents, industrial
designs and utility models.”
The company, he points out,
has seen periods of exponential growth, “sometimes
around 300% to 400% per
year,” and now that growth
curve has stabilized, TDI
expects to close 2014 with a
growth of 50% over 2013.
“We had to be well prepared in order to create a
substantial, world class company structure, with all the
departments and divisions that
a German, Swiss or US firm
has,” Blanco adds.
Success story
TDI was created at the turn
of the new century and in its
early years provided Mexican
public health institutions
with external fixing devices
for bone fractures, notably
for wrists. From 2003 to
2006 it experienced its first
period of growth, which
would lay the foundations
for its subsequent expansion.
In 2006, TDI began to
publish the first results of
Luna Fix, a system that
“enables the possibility of
reducing the fragments of a
In 2010, TDI
attracted public
attention after
winning first place
in the small and
medium sized
enterprise (SME)
category for
the technology
innovation prize
awarded by the
Mexican Association
for Applied Research
and Technological
Development
(ADIAT).
fracture without having to
remove the device,” facilitates
the placement of permanent
implants in knee operations
and reduces post operation
pain and complications.
At the time, TDI was
seeking external support and
establishing alliances that
would enable it to avail of its
innovations. It attracted funding from the National Council
of Science and Technology
(CONACYT), the National
Finance Bank (NAFINSA), the
SE and the Jalisco State Government. Until 2010, it was
also part of the Technology
Firm Incubator at the University of Guadalajara.
That backing, together
with strategic alliances with
medics and engineers, the development of its own manufacturing plant, the launch of
its technology –Luna Fix, and
other brands it subsequently
launched, registered and
certified– TDI consolidated
the world-class structure that
now marks it out.
In 2010, it opened its Biomedical Engineering Department and in 2013 it became
the corporation Grupo IMT,
which has now three divisions: “Medical devices, which
undertakes research, development and manufacturing; a
commercial division, which
September 2014
sells both our products and
those of other companies, and
a very important biotechnology division, which is very
successful at an international
level,” explains Ortega Blanco.
“A team of medics with doctorates in molecular biology
works in the Biomedical Engineering department, which is
developing treatments for cell
therapy,” he adds.
The reinforcements
of an exporter
There can be no doubt that certification opens doors –but that
is not enough: it is necessary
to step through these doors
and conquer new markets.
September 2014
Constancy is also required:
incorporating innovation and
continual training into the
company culture. TDI is proof
of that. Thanks to its policy of
innovation and training, the
Mexican firm has strengthened
its position with regard to the
Swiss, German and French
companies who are its competitors for the Mexican and South
American markets.
TDI has developed the
brands Luna Fix (minimallyinvasive percutaneous osteosynthesis system), New Fix
(external fixing systems), Top
Spine (devices and implants
for the spine) and Corefix
(internal fixing systems).
The company is ISO 13485:
2003, 9001-2008, and
93/42EEC certified and has
also registered its products
with the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA).
The company reinvests
30% of its income in innovation and development and has
set itself the task of maintaining the quality demanded by
international markets, without
losing its competitiveness in
prices. With that calling card
it has attended international
trade fairs for which ProMéxico provides a platform for the
Mexican industry.
“ProMéxico has always
supported us and we will
continue to seek its backing
to remain competitive at an
international level because
our aim is to enter the US
and European markets,”
remarks Ortega Blanco. He
also reports that starting
in 2015, TDI will work to
organize a conference for
Mexican and international
experts to discuss the issues
relating to the firm’s portfolio of interests and products.
Finally, a clinic offering TDI
solutions and two civil associations that will serve the
low-income population will
be shortly established. N
www.tdi-sa.com
49
photos
courtesy of atramat
Atramat:
Sutures That Link
Mexico and the World
Internacional Farmacéutica Atramat is the fourth largest
manufacturer of surgical sutures in the global market. It
offers over 2,000 different medical products and exports
to 80 countries worldwide.
by antonio vázquez
In almost half a century, what
started as a workshop in a spare
room has become the fourth
largest manufacturer of surgical
sutures worldwide. Internacional Farmacéutica Atramat
began as a family business in a
private house. Its founder had
the vision to make, by hand,
quality surgical material. 45
years later, the company employs 600 people who enable
the production of over different models of surgical sutures
with different combinations of
threads and needles.
Today, Atramat is the leader
in sales in the domestic market
and in Latin America, and ranks
fourth in worldwide production
of surgical sutures.
“The strategy has always
been quality. From the outset, the company philosophy
has been to produce a quality product at a competitive
price. We compete with the
best, with the three largest
companies, like Johnson &
Johnson, among others,” says
50
Orlando Clúa Braun, export
manager for the company.
According to Clúa Braun,
half of Atramat’s annual production is exported.
The company’s products
reach over countries in the
Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America. The
company plans to enter the
US market in the short term,
and is already certified by the
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“We are always concerned
with innovation and quality.
Our materials are top notch,”
says Clúa Braun. Atramat is
ISO 9001 (quality management) and ISO 13485 (quality
of medical devices) certified. It
also holds certifications like the
European Union CE Mark, the
Mexican government’s good
manufacturing practices issued
by the Federal Commission for
the Protection Against Sanitary
Risks (Cofepris), Brazil’s
ANVISA, and others issued by
South Africa and Canada.
Orlando Clúa points out
that Mexico’s different trade
agreements have allowed
medical equipment manufactured by Internacional
Farmacéutica Atramat to
reach the whole world.
“Another important aspect
is skilled labor. Our product requires a lot of manpower, above
all of a skilled nature. Mexicans
tend to have well trained hands,
and there is quality labor in the
country at a relatively competitive price,” he adds.
Another benefit Clúa Braun
sees in Mexico –and which has
been exploited by the medical
devices sector– is the infrastructure of international airports
and ports available for exporting to other global destinations.
Internacional Farmacéutica
Atramat has always been one
step ahead in global trends;
therefore, it has injected significant resources into its innovation department and has
maintained close links with
specialist medical colleges,
which provide knowledge
for it to address the different
needs of surgical experts. Furthermore, the firm has worked
closely with government
agencies such as the National
Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT). Through
organizations like ProMéxico,
the company has taken part in
specialized trade fairs in countries like Germany and Spain.
Orlando Clúa Braun
explains that the main chal-
September 2014
lenge for the medical devices industry in Mexico is to
continue to provide quality
products, which makes it necessary to maintain a highly
competitive workforce.
“Going forward, our
strategy is to continue to
grow and maintain the
strongholds and markets
we have, as well as to open
new markets; above all, to
maintain the high quality
standards that characterize the firm. The company’s
philosophy is: best prices and
best quality. We always apply
that philosophy to our new
projects and products,” he
concludes. N
The company’s products
reach over countries
in the Middle East,
Asia, Africa, Europe
and Latin America.
The company plans to
enter the US market
in the short term, and
is already certified by
the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA).
www.atramat.com
September 2014
51
photo
courtesy of industrias plásticas médicas
Industrias plásticas médicas,
Internationalization
in Three Steps
A major supplier of plastic products to Mexico’s health sector, Industrias Plásticas
Médicas is making headway with its internationalization process and is already
manufacturing products for leading multinationals in the pharmaceutical sector.
by mariana morales
Industrias Plásticas Médicas
(IPM) was founded in 1967 by
Dr. Luis Albarrán Boeuf, who
was having difficulty finding
suppliers of non-toxic medical
equipment for his blood banks
in Mexico and other countries
like Costa Rica and Brazil.
Back then, it wasn’t easy
to get hold of equipment
and bags for the collection,
fractioning and transfusion
of blood and its components
in Mexico, so Albarrán did
some research and, after
identifying which medicalgrade plastic components
were available on the market,
began designing and manufacturing them himself.
In 1982, the country’s
private blood banks were
closed following a government ban on the sale of blood
and its derivatives in an effort to control diseases like
HIV and hepatitis. By then,
however, IPM was not only
manufacturing products for
its own blood Banks but also
was selling similar products
to hospitals and clinics, hence
the decision to take the company in a new direction.
IPM remains a Mexican
company but is now managed
by Dr. Luis Albarrán’s daughter,
Laura Albarrán, who has explored new market niches both
in Mexico and further afield.
Operations were moved
from Mexico City to the state
of Morelos, just one hour
from Mexico City International Airport, and the new
IPM plant was subsequently
52
approved by the health authorities. Today, the company
is one of the main suppliers of
government institutions like
the Mexican Social Security
Institute (IMSS), the Health
Ministry (SSA), the State
Workers´ Security and Social
Services Institute (ISSSTE),
and the oil company Petróleos
Mexicanos (PEMEX). In certain product lines, IPM has
a 30% share of the public
health sector market.
In its bid to internationalize, IPM has implemented a
three step plan, the first step
of which entails consolidating
itself on the domestic market
as a supplier of public health
institutions, with a view to increasing production volumes,
creating economies of scale
and developing new products
based on the sector´s core list
of medical supplies.
“We have the capacity
to manufacture virtually
any product with plastic
components that appears on
the health sector´s core list,
given the right volumes and
reference prices,” says Laura
Albarrán.
IPM manufactures bags
for the collection and fractioning of blood, the collection of urine, colostomy bags
and enteral and parenteral
feeding bags, among others, I.V. and pediatric sets,
volumetric measuring devices,
September 2014
equipment for blood transfusions and measuring central
venous pressure, tubes for the
administration of photosensitive solutions and oxygen,
feeding and suction catheters.
A vertically integrated
company, IPM has developed
its own PVC mix, designs and
injects plastic components out
of ABS, PVC, polystyrene and
acrylic, extrudes medical-grade
tubing in PVC, polypropylene,
polyurethane and EVA, radio
frequency seals bags in sizes
that range from 50 milliliters
up to 12 liters and assembles
its products in clean areas before packaging, sterilizing and
distributing them nationwide.
“When we started operating in Morelos there were
only three of us and now we
have over 180 employees. The
lack of services in the vicinity prompted us to vertically
integrate our processes. A lot
of the technology we use is our
own, 100% Mexican. We have
a very creative team that not
only designs components but
also highly specialized molds,
tools and machinery. We have
also bought computerized
injection machines, modern
extruders and diagnostics
equipment, such as electronic
microscopes and calibration
equipment,” says Albarrán.
The second step in IPM’s
internationalization strategy
has been to position itself as
a supplier of quality plastic
products for pharmaceutical
companies specializing in the
medical and veterinary sectors.
“Customized manufacturing has allowed us to develop
one new piece of equipment a
month on average,” says Albarrán. IPM’s success on this market can largely be attributed
to its ability to respond immediately to the client’s requests,
since it designs the molds and
tools and controls the quality
of the final product.
In 1998, IPM participated
in MEDICA, the world’s larg-
September 2014
est medical equipment fair
held every November in Düsseldorf. “While promoting our
finished products at the fair,
we realized the real key to our
success lay in the components
and services we could offer as
an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), so the following year, we focused our
efforts on the OEM sector,
with excellent results to date,”
says Albarrán.
With the coming into effect
of NAFTA, IPM was quick to
understand the importance
of joining the production
chains of large multinationals
in the medical sector, where
the very best quality and
service are essential. To meet
those standards, the company
worked hard to obtain ISO
13485:2003 certification and
register with the US Food and
Drug Administration (FDA).
“That gives our clients the assurance that our processes are
standardized and of a guaranteed quality,” says Albarrán.
IPM manufactures everything from special PVC compounds and medical-grade
tubing to finished products
like equine plasmapheresis
apparatus, subassemblies for
infusion pump equipment,
bags to administer veterinary
drugs and equipment to administer contrast dyes.
“Because we are integrated into the production chain
of a multinational, we don’t
know for certain what percentage of our products are
being exported to other countries, but I’m sure we have a
presence throughout North
and South America at the
very least and I wouldn’t be
surprised if there were components of ours in Africa and
Asia,” says IPM Commercial
Director Georges Belanger.
“We export components and
special products directly to
the US, Australia and Argentina and regularly ship
finished products to Central
“When we started operating in Morelos there
were only three of us and now we have over 180
employees. The lack of services in the vicinity
prompted us to vertically integrate our processes.
A lot of the technology we use is our own, 100%
Mexican. We have a very creative team that
not only designs components but also highly
specialized molds, tools and machinery,” says
Albarrán.
and South America. In 2011,
we sent our first container of
“private label” bags, i.e. bags
manufactured under another
company’s brand, to Brazil
and growth projections for
that sector are very promising,” says Belanger.
The third step in IPM’s
internationalization strategy consists of reentering
the blood bank market, the
company’s original business.
IPM has designed highly specialized products for sale on
international markets, such as
bags for the collection of bone
marrow and umbilical cord
blood. “Those products are
developed directly with their
users. We don’t want to lose
touch with the hematology
market. A few decades ago,
we even manufactured blood
grouping sera but had to stop
due to health regulations.
Nonetheless, we are convinced
that the market we started out
in is where the best opportunities for developing export
products are potentially to be
found,” says Albarrán. N
www.ipm.mx
53
photos
Mexico Injects Value
into BD
After almost six decades manufacturing quality medical
devices, Becton, Dickinson and Company’s Mexican
subsidiary has consolidated itself as an export platform
and receptor of investment.
by omar magaña
Conditions on the domestic
market and the global scenario
indicate Becton, Dickinson
and Company’s (BD) already
lengthy relationship with Mexico will continue to thrive.
Almost six decades after the incorporation of its
Mexican subsidiary, the manufacturing activities that BD
transferred to its first factory
outside its native US have
reached maturity. Together,
Mexico and this manufac-
54
turer of hospital and lab
devices have entered a new
era in medical services that
seeks to universalize health
coverage with the aid of mobile technologies and remote
communications.
“We are about to launch
portable equipment that can
be used to perform mainly
tuberculosis testing and HIV
monitoring and that will
benefit many communities,”
says BD General Manager for
Mexico, Central America and
the Caribbean Kurt Wicker.
The equipment –a clinical
point-of-care system that runs
on solar energy and whose
use is in the process of being
regulated by several countries– allows for the quick,
timely diagnosis of patients
in inaccessible regions. Haiti
will be the first destination for
this technology given the high
incidence of TB and HIV.
According to Wicker,
trends in Mexico point
toward the unification, universalization and portability
of clinical services and even
though this implies lengthy,
complex processes, BD is
eager to participate.
“The public sector is a significant customer in Mexico,
so we aim to meet the goals of
the National Health Plan and
public health priorities as best
we can, by offering the most
archive
convenient, innovative and high
quality customer services.”
That strategy has required
that BD undergo a transformation from a simple supplier to
a provider of health-care solutions. To that end, the company helps governments better
manage their suppliers in the
interests of efficiency, thereby
guaranteeing a broader crosssection of society access to
health services.
There is a close correlation
between public health policies –which are shaped by the
prevalence of certain diseases–
and the products BD manufactures and sells in Mexico.
These include devices for the
monitoring and treatment
of diabetes and HIV and the
detection of cervical-uterine
cancer, which are not only sold
on the domestic market but in
some cases are also exported
to some 30 countries.
September 2014
Another example of the
clear link between domestic
health policy and BD’s manufacturing activities in Mexico
are the annual vaccination
campaigns organized by the
government. These require
millions of syringes, many
produced and marketed by BD
under the Plastipak® brand.
“It’s very satisfying to see
how Mexico’s public health
priorities are in sync with some
of the product lines and solutions we offer,” says Wicker.
BD’s strong arm
BD has been operating in
Mexico for 57 years and has
three plants here that together
employ approximately 8% of
the corporation’s entire workforce, while some 85% of the
output of its Cuautitlán Izcalli
plant is destined for export.
“The corporation values
Mexico because of its history
here and the results we have
delivered in the country. The
dedication of our Mexican employees and their ability to specialize has been another point in
our favor,” says Wicker.
Furthermore, the company’s
Mexican operations have a
competitive cost structure, putting it on an even playing field
with manufacturers in countries
like Brazil, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France,
Canada, Italy and the US. According to the 2012 Medical
Device Manufacturing Cost
Index compiled by KPMG, and
to which ProMéxico’s 2013 Life
Sciences Roadmap refers, it is as
much as 23% cheaper to produce these products in Mexico
than in the US.
BD began operating in
Mexico in the mid-20th century, in the Doctores district
of Mexico City, where it
manufactured glass syringes,
thermometers and materials
for dressing wounds. In the
nineties, it began building its
plant in Cuautitlán Izcalli,
Estado de México.
September 2014
“Although our most emblematic products, the ones
we are still recognized for, are
disposable Plastipak® syringes and Vacutainer® blood
collection tubes, we have developed other important business areas,” says Wicker.
These areas consist mainly of “prepared culture media
for lab testing” and services
for “all types of industries,
including the food industry,
to help verify that its products are free of bacteria.”
BD has three global divisions –medical, diagnostics
and bioscience– that sell
everything from a 20 cent
needle to cellular analysis
equipment that can cost more
than one million USD.
The company’s Mexican
operations remain its strong
arm in terms of quality manufacturing and good practices,
while its well developed mus-
cle for audits explains why
Mexico continues to receive
the bulk of the corporation’s
investments in the region.
“In 2009, thanks to the
intervention of ProMéxico,
we were invited to Los Pinos
to announce a 200-millionUSD investment. Five years
later, we’ve doubled that
figure, with the associated
benefits,” concludes Wicker.
The products BD manufactures in Mexico are exported to
the US, France, Belgium, Latin
America, six countries in Asia
and sixteen in Central America
and the Caribbean. N
www.bd.com
55
photos
Flawless smiles,
unique vacations:
the perfect business
Specializing in dental health care, this Mexican company offers over 300 treatments
to foreign visitors. Quality and competitive costs position the company as a leader in
medical tourism in Mexico.
by antonio vázquez
A perfect smile and a vacation break are possible
thanks to Dentalia, a Mexican company that offers foreign tourists a wide range of
dental health care services at
accessible prices.
56
With more than 45
branches in more than 10
cities across Mexico, Dentalia is a successful company
founded in 2006 with the
purpose of improving the
dental health of its patients.
Dentalia’s business model
has proved profitable during these eight years. This
scheme covers three areas:
attention in branches, medical tourism and dental plans
for insurers and employees of
courtesy of dentalia
different companies. In that
last area, Dentalia provides
medical services to more than
500,000 employees from different companies.
“We have a solid infrastructure, a well positioned
brand, very high quality standards, a serious staff recruitment process and few warranty claims,” says Joaquín
Rivera, director of Dentalia’s
medical tourism department.
With a workforce of 780
employees – out of which
three quarters is medical
staff– Dentalia provides services in various specialized
areas of dental health.
While consolidating its
extensive network of branches
September 2014
across the country, the company realized that citizens of
other countries in search of
quality medical services represent a profitable market. After
a number of studies, Dentalia’s directors realized that
tourists visiting the country
to undergo medical tests seek
the warmth and quality of
Mexican health professionals.
Added to that, the prices for
such services in Mexico are
lower than in countries like
the US and Canada.
In the area of medical
tourism, Dentalia has focused
its efforts on its offices in Tijuana –given its proximity to
San Diego, California– and
in the Riviera Maya. In those
branches, the staff is fully
bilingual and the firm offers
a complete solution for tourists, according to Joaquín
Rivera. “One big advantage
over our competitors is that
Dentalia covers the customer’s needs in one place, such
as lodging, transportation
and travel insurance. Also,
we have a strict policy that
if the patient does not need a
treatment, Dentalia staff do
not offer it nor try to sell it,”
he explains.
Dentalia offers tourists
around 300 dental treatments ranging from a simple
check-up and a root canal,
to dental implants or even a
full-mouth change.
Of the foreigners who
come to Mexico each year to
undergo treatment with Dentalia, 70% come from the US,
10% from Canada, and the
rest from other countries such
as Israel, Argentina, Germany
and Sweden, among others.
“Tourists know that Dentalia provides a quality service along the treatment. All
our doctors are fully certified
and trained accordingly.
They know, of course, that
Mexican dentists provide
quality work, with a superior
service” says Joaquín Rivera.
September 2014
Dentalia offers tourists around 300 dental treatments ranging from
a simple check-up and a root canal, to dental implants or even a fullmouth change. An orthodontic treatment can cost up to 70% less than
in the US; a dental implant up to 60% less, and a change of teeth, may
be up to 80% cheaper.
At Dentalia an orthodontic treatment can cost up to
70% less than in the US; a
dental implant up to 60%
less, and a change of teeth,
may be up to 80% cheaper.
But Joaquín Rivera emphasizes the quality of health
professionals in Mexico, who
are graduates of the country’s
leading universities. He highlights the meticulous recruitment process at Dentalia.
Each year the company receives CVs from about 2,000
specialized dentists. The
company accepts only 5%.
The quality of the staff working in Dentalia explains why
only one in 10,000 treatments
carried out in the different
branches of the company has
recourse to a guarantee.
Joaquín Rivera believes
that medical tourism is a sector with great potential in
Mexico, above all due to its
proximity to the US, a nation
that, according to Joaquín
Rivera, consumes 40% of the
world’s health services.
“Mexico could be an immediate solution for the US
medical needs. Medical tourism in Mexico has enormous
potential and we should work
together to take advantage of
it. Cross disciplinary partnerships will enable exponential
growth in the sector,” he says.
Dentalia has established
a series of agreements with
agencies such as the National
Foreign Trade Bank (Bancomext) and ProMéxico to access
resources for innovation and development, as well as outreach
programs in foreign markets.
Dentalia’s plans are ambitious but far from impossible.
The company aims to become
an international referent in
medical tourism, specializing in
the dental area. Achieving such
a feat will have a lot to do with
the amalgam of public and
private health institutions, in
order to tap into a market that
generates millions in income.
Part of Dentalia’s success
comes down to incorporating
all the companies involved in
tourism.
“We have been successful
in providing a complete solution for foreign visitors. Not
only do we care about their
treatment, but also for the hospitality, hotel, transportation,
food, entertainment and protection they receive. By solving
that, we generate economic
benefit for other industries and
meet the customer’s needs in a
comprehensive manner,” concludes Joaquín Rivera. N
www.dentalia.com.mx
57
photos
archive
monitor patient parameters
and to take decisions in an
emergency, because there is
always an efficient communication between the doctor and
the patient, “ says Luna.
Among the technological
creations of Neoteck is a system of tablets for public medical attention in areas of low
economic development.
From October 2012 to
April 2013, the company undertook a titanic task for the
Oaxaca State Health Department in southwestern Mexico.
For six months, Neoteck recorded data to learn about the
prevalence of diabetes mellitus
among 42,000 state residents.
On the tablets, the company
recorded all sorts of data from
each patient –from medical
data to personal data such as
their home address. Exchanging this information with the
Neoteck:
When IT
Benefits
Human
Health
Created less than a
decade ago, this small
Mexican company creates
technology tools that help
protect against risks to
human health. Creator of
applications for mobile
devices, it has annual sales
of over one million usd.
by antonio vázquez
Founded in 2005, Neoteck, a
Mexican company dedicated
to information technology,
has launched a series of applications for mobile devices
that protect against risks to
human health. More than
just a developer of specialized software, Neoteck has
set itself the task of using
patient information to enable
patients themselves to know
what steps they need to take
to keep healthy.
“Since 2005 we have been
thinking about what is now
known as ‘the cloud,’ thinking
about the need for access to
information and timely medical care at any time and anywhere,” says Fernando de Luna
Márquez, CEO of Neoteck.
Mexican law establishes
a series of “locks” to ensure
that medical information is the
exclusive property of the patient. In that context, Neoteck
created Virtumedik, a kind of
user’s clinical record.
Virtumedik is available in
cyberspace (www.virtumedik.
com). The application can
also be downloaded from
iTunes. It is a technological
tool that supports the user
58
in interpreting vital signs.
It registers a patient’s data
regarding weight, height and
BMI, among other information. The same application
provides a risk assessment.
Fernando de Luna says that
while the results are not a
medical diagnosis, they can
be interpreted by a physician in order to recommend
the patient follow a series of
actions in order to improve
their health.
“We have developed
these types of projects that
interpret vital signs, but also
have applications for prenatal care, for example, where
pregnant women can measure
the size of their uterus and
see how their baby grows
each week. All of these are
models of care that enable
patients to document their
weight, height, heart and re-
spiratory rate, and their waist
and hip measurements, which
also reveal their risk of obesity and of being overweight,”
adds Fernando de Luna.
One of the more recent
tools created by Neoteck is the
application My doc in home,
which has three personal
medical devices: a blood pressure meter, a glucose meter
and a heart monitor. The three
devices interface to a tablet,
which sends the information
to a monitoring center that
will soon be available.
“What we want is for
all those people who have a
chronic illness or are undergoing post hospital care to be
attended at home and be able
to measure parameters such
as blood pressure and glucose
levels also at home. What this
tool does is reduce the workload for doctors, given they
monitoring center, a prescription could be issued for each
user. Last but not least, users
who speak indigenous languages were shown the information in their own language.
The model of medical care used by Neoteck in
Oaxaca led the company to
win recognition from the
National Council of Science
and Technology(CONACYT),
which provided funds for further research and product development. “The road built for
the purpose of diabetes may be
used by other vehicles, such as
heart disease and tuberculosis,”
says Fernando de Luna.
The CEO of Neoteck
points out that the use of information technology in the
field of medicine is still new in
Mexico, but that the market
is promising. He notes, for
example, that in the US, where
the field is well established,
the Obama administration has
gradually been granting tax
breaks to health companies
that incorporate the use of
electronic records.
With 52 employees and
annual sales exceeding one
million USD, Neoteck provides
its services to bodies such as
the State Health Departments
in Oaxaca and Aguascalientes, as well as a number of
national institutions specializing in health.
Currently, the company is
in the process of marketing
its various products both in
Mexico and in Latin America.
“We want to win national
recognition above all for the
tools we offer in the field of
health,” concludes Fernando
de Luna Márquez. N
One of the more
recent tools created
by Neoteck is the
application My doc
in home, which
has three personal
medical devices: a
blood pressure meter,
a glucose meter and
a heart monitor. The
three devices interface
to a tablet, which
sends the information
to a monitoring
center that will soon
be available.
www.neoteck.com.mx
cannot monitor patients 24
hours a day,” says de Luna.
As Fernando de Luna reveals, My doc in home is very
easy to use. All patients need
is to have a tablet with the
specialized program created by
Neoteck installed. The device
is delivered to the doctor at
a reasonable rent of around
12 USD. The specialist records
patient data and programs
the tablet. The patient can go
home and monitor their blood
pressure, glucose, and other
parameters. The information
is sent to the doctor and he or
she makes a decision about the
patient. It’s that simple.
“Post operative monitoring in hospital costs about
200 USD a day. If the chronic
illness or post operative evolution allows the patient to
be at home, this monitoring
center is all that is needed to
September 2014
September 2014
59
Negocios ProMéxico | Figures
infographic
oldemar
Figures | Negocios ProMéxico
Healthy Businesses
MEDICAL DEVICES INDUSTRY
3
1st
5
rd
6
th
largest exporter of syringes,
needles, catheters, cannulae
and similar instruments
largest exporter of medical,
surgery and dentistry
instruments and applicances
Main
investors
th
largest exporter of
orthopedic appliances
and equipment
largest exporter of
electrodiagnostic
apparatus
Main export
destinations
Main
exported
products
Million USD, 2013
Million USD 2000-2013
15.67
billion USD value
of production
in 2013
Amount invested
in 2013
Main
investors
1.7
Million USD, 2013
13.98
83
177
286
26.4%
billion USD value
of production
in 2013
Source: INEGI, Global
Insight and ProMéxico
74.2%
billion USD
in exports
2013
Main export
destinations
Million USD, 2005-2013
Million USD, 2013
92.5%
PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY
leading pharmaceutical exporter in Latin America in 2013
7
th
15.3%
Source: INEGI, Global
Insight and ProMéxico
5,112
medical, surgical
and odontology
instruments
and apparatus
7.2%
average annual
growth rate
2013-2020
1,691
134
64
37
11
6,369
161
151
US
GER
ITA
SPN
SWN
US
FRA
IRL
Exports
6,886
in million USD
economic
units in 2013
Source: INEGI
DENUE
7,000
742
700
orthopedic
devices
economic
units in 2013
5,600
1,338
777
367
224
179
452
263
191
105
96
US
LUX
IRL
SPN
NED
US
VEN
PAN
BRA
COL
Main exported products in 2013
Million USD
6.6%
62%
5.6%
3.7%
1,061
5,064
3.7%
'05
'06
'07
'08
'09
'10
'11
'12
jobs created
by the industry
respiratory,
mechanical
and massage
equipment
'13
Source: EMIM,
INEGI
Manufacturing costs in the medical devices industry
63
medicines
containing
alkaloids
or their
derivatives
60,212
456
3,808
3,500
Source: Ministry
of Economy
5.6%
5.2%
6,072
6,300
4,200
billion USD in
Foreign Direct
Investment,
2000-2013
6.1%
6.5%
Source: EMIM,
INEGI
4,900
1.9
compound
annual
growth rate
2014-2020
2.2%
Source: Global Insight
2,511
11.1%
Source: Global Insight
10.8%
2.3%
9.6%
63
medicines
containing
vitamins
or other
products
96
antiserums
broad-spectrum
antibiotics made
of imipenem,
meropenem and
cilastatin sodium
Manufacturing costs in the pharmaceutical industry
Compared to the US in 2013
compared to the US, 2013
Mexico
-18.9%
CAN
-5.4%
NED
-5.0%
UK
-4.2%
FRA
-2.8%
ITA
-2.6%
JPN
-1.1%
AUS
-0.7%
GER
0.2%
Mexico
-14.4%
ITA
-1.9%
NED
-3.8%
JAP
-1.5%
GER
0.1%
3.46
billion
in FDI,
2005-2013
-30
-25
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
USD
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
5
10
15
20
Source: Ministry
of Economy
Sources: Global Trade Atlas and KPMG (Competitive Alternatives, 2014).
60
CAN
-4.6%
UK
-3.3%
FRA
-2.2%
AUS
-0.7%
Sources: Global Trade Atlas, KPMG (Competitive Alternatives 2014).
September 2014
September 2014
61
Negocios ProMéxico | Figures
infographic
BIOTECHNOLOGY:
MEXICO IS GOOD BUSINESS
Canada
United Kingdom
-12.3% -15.9% -18.5%
-7.8% -10.1% -14.3%
oldemar
COSTS COMPARED TO THE US IN:
biotechnology
R+D
Netherlands
-15.1% -9.9% -20.0%
The Complete Guide to the Mexican Way of Life
clinical
trials
product
testing
The Lifestyle
Germany
2.1%
9.0%
-4.6%
MEXICO
-35.9%
-31.5%
Australia
-2.9%
-1.7% -10.0%
Japan
2.7%
France
4.4%
-6.4%
-4.1%
Italy
-21.1% -11.9%
-1.7%
2.1%
-6.7%
62
photo
Source: KPMG (Competitive Alternatives, 2014).
courtesy of hacienda san antonio
-39.3%
September 2014
Mexican Refuges
of Yesteryear
A great way to relax and soak up some history is
to stay at one of Mexico’s stately old haciendas
68
64
The Lifestyle Briefs
72
66
Diego Gómez Pickering,
The Ambassador Who Loves Words
Carla Fernández:
“Mexico’s future is handmade”
76
Sun, Sea,
and Surgery
ARCHAEOLOGY
CULTURE
ARCHAEOLOGY
Arditti + RDT
at the Venice Biennale
History
in the Digital Era
The Mexican architecture studio Arditti
+ RDT Arquitectos was invited to participate in the Time Space Existence exhibition by its curator, the architect Rem
Koolhas, as part of the events being staged
concomitantly to the official program of
the 14th Architecture Biennale in Venice,
Italy, which will end on November 2014.
On show at Venice’s Palazzo Mora, the
firm’s installation consisted of a collage of
color photographs of its projects, which include the Memory and Tolerance Museum,
the Reforma Diana, Scalia, Banorte and
Telefónica corporate buildings in Mexico
City, and Ciudad Gobierno, a complex of
government buildings in Zacatecas, as well
as a series of black and white photographs
portraying universal ills like hate, slavery,
inequality, and racism.
The goal of the installation was to
get spectators to reflect on the problems
architecture has not been able to address and point out the contradictions.
According to Arditti + RDT founding
partner Arturo Arditti, you can’t talk
about architecture without talking about
The first stage in the digitalization of the
works of the National Anthropology Museum (MNA) has almost been completed.
Coordinated by the MNA –the most
important museum of its kind in Latin
America, located in Mexico City– in
conjunction with the National Council
for Culture and Arts and the National
Institute of Anthropology and History,
this first phase, which began in 2010
consisted of photographing some 8,000
artifacts recovered from archaeological
digs. Between 12 and 24 photos were
taken of each piece from different angles
to offer a 360 degree perspective that
makes it possible to appreciate their color, texture, and proportions. These 8,000
pieces represent only half of the artifacts
displayed in the museum’s 23 permanent halls and a mere six percent of the
128,000 artifacts in its vaults.
Parallel to that process, 6,000 pieces
from the museum’s ethnographic halls
and contemporary works and documents
from its history archives were digitalized.
As a result of these efforts, people
from all over the world can now access
64
photo
courtesy of arditi + rdt arquitectos
ARCHITECTURE
awareness of the world. In that respect,
he says, architecture can be as transformative as any other art form.
Time Space Existence features exhibitions by other prestigious interna-
tional architecture firms such as Norman
Foster+Partners (England) and Eduardo
Souto De Moura (Portugal).
www.ardittiarquitectos.com
September 2014
September 2014
photo
www.tepoztlán.gob.mx
paradise on earth is home to 44% of all
recorded bird species in Mexico, 23%of
butterfly species, five of the six species of
felines found in the country, including
the largest population of jaguars, and 23
species of orchid.
According to UNESCO representative
in Mexico Nuria Sanz no one single culture
has as many heritage sites as the Maya: seven
cultural, two natural and two mixed. Mexico, she said, leads the way in the area of conservation and makes a valuable contribution
to the UN’s development agenda.
whc.unesco.org
vestiges of the cultures of Mesoamerica,
such as the Sunstone and the Maya stelae
in the MNA’s safekeeping.
courtesy of mna-inah
The ancient Maya city and tropical jungle of
Calakmul in the state of Campeche feature
on UNESCO’s list of Mixed World Heritage
Sites, which means they meet the criteria for
both natural and cultural heritage sites.
Spread over some 750,000 hectares,
Calakmul was declared a Biosphere Reserve in 1989 and a National Cultural
Heritage Site in 2002. The site is located
in one of the best preserved wild areas in
the country and boasts the largest tropical rainforest in Mexico and the second
largest in America after the Amazons. It is
also the first site in Mexico to be granted
mixed heritage status by UNESCO. This
more from a private fund for the education
of small local communities.
This is the first fully sustainable
center of its kind in the country and,
as such, will also be the first to obtain
LEED certification for its eco-friendly
architecture. The building is oriented so
as to maximize the collection, storage
and distribution of solar energy, thereby
reducing dependence on heating and air
conditioning systems; it also has rainwater collection and purification systems.
photos
photo archive
The magical town of Tepoztlán in the
central state of Morelos has a new asset
to boast: the recently inaugurated Pedro
López Elías Cultural Center.
In addition to promoting education,
culture and arts in Tepoztlán, the center
will be used to host cultural activities like
film festivals.
Its library –the first privately owned
library in the country to be incorporated
into the National Council for Culture and
Arts’ (CONACULTA) Public Library Network–has over 45,000 books and audiovisual titles and will shortly be receiving
archive
Mexico’s Gift to the World:
Calakmul, Natural and Cultural Heritage
Sustainable
Culture
www.mna.inah.gob.mx
65
Negocios ProMéxico | The Lifestyle
photos
Diego Gómez Pickering,
The Ambassador
Who Loves Words
Internationalist, journalist and writer, Diego Gómez Pickering has been
heading the Mexican Embassy in the United Kingdom since January 2014.
by karla bañuelos
A full-time diplomat and an occasional
writer, as he defines himself on his Twitter
profile, “words and language” are the tools
of Diego Gómez Pickering’s (Mexico City,
1977) trades –tools that have served him
well as Mexican Ambassador to the United Kingdom, one of the most prestigious
posts in the Mexican Foreign Service.
66
A complex man in terms of both education and passions, he has proven himself
capable of defending Mexico on diverse
fronts, whether it’s organizing cultural
activities or business meetings to promote
the country’s fledgling aerospace industry.
Gómez Pickering graduated from the
Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi
courtesy of ministry of foreign affairs
with a Master’s in Development Journalism and from the University of Columbia
in New York with another in Cultural Development. Prior to that, he had taken a
Degree in International Relations at the
Autonomous Technological Institute of
Mexico (ITAM), which would appear to
be more related to his current calling than
his intellectual aspirations.
Around the same time, he made his
initial foray into the literary world as a
contributor to the “Ciudades” section of
the now discontinued cultural review Arcana and as a columnist for the “Club”
section of the Mexican daily Reforma.
Over the last eight years, he has regularly
contributed to a long list of publications,
including El Universal, Excélsior, Letras
Libres, Proceso, Gatopardo, Travesías, El
Huevo and Chilango. Since 2004, he has
been writing a weekly column for the US
Edition of El Diario de México and acting
as an international correspondent for the
Panamanian daily La Prensa.
In 2006, he published his first novel,
La foto del recuerdo (The Photo of The
Recollection. Ediciones Hombre y Mundo), which received excellent reviews and
made it onto the bestseller list. “A life
story in which the author adeptly dominates emotions in the face of vicissitudes
and the most heartfelt pain. A novel that
captivates and satisfies the reader from
its opening to its closing lines,” wrote
the journalist and writer Sergio González
Rodríguez in “Escaparate”, his column in
“El Ángel”, the prestigious cultural supplement of Reforma.
That same year saw the publication of
Agua: usos, abusos, problemas, soluciones
(Water: Use, Abuse, Problems, Solutions.
Mapas) and México visto por sus niños
(Mexico Through its Children’s Eyes. Concepto Gráfico-DGE Equilibrista) to which the
ambassador contributed with investigative reports and poetic narrations, respectively.
His second novel, Los jueves en Nairobi
(Thursdays in Nairobi. Praxis), was published
in May 2010 and was equally well received.
“A rich, intense chronicle of the Kenyan capital,” wrote the critic Humberto Musacchio.
Sergio González Rodríguez was also full of
praise. “With Los jueves en Nairobi, Diego
Gómez Pickering brings us one of the most
valuable chronicles of contemporary Mexican literature […] An excellent work”.
September 2014
The Lifestyle | Negocios ProMéxico
In December of that same year, Gómez
Pickering won a Young Creator’s award
and was invited to participate in the UNESCO-Aschberg artist-in-residence program
at the Centre d’Art Marnay (CAMAC) in
Marnay-sur-Seine, France, in 2011.
September 2011 saw the publication of
the tenth issue of El Puro Cuento, a review
specializing in contemporary Arab literature, compiled and edited by none other
than the Ambassador himself.
His most recent novel, La primavera
de Damasco (The Damascus Spring. Plaza
y Valdés, 2013) has met with resounding
success. The title points us to the recent
social movements of the Arab world, while
the narrative introduces us to an almost
mythical city impregnated with fragrances
and colors. A multicultural, multiethnic and
multifaceted city unable to disentangle itself
from its tortuous past.
Founded 8,000 years ago, the ancient
Syrian capital is home to six million inhabitants and today finds itself at the center of
a seemingly endless armed conflict that has
claimed thousands of lives.
La primavera de Damasco is comprised of two chronicles –The Moons of
Damascus and The Heart of Damasco–
September 2014
in which the author weaves a tapestry of
the city’s intricate identity.
“The heart of Damascus is at the very
epicenter of the city, in plain sight but at
the same time concealed from prying eyes.
[…] It is a young, throbbing heart, even
though it has been beating for thousands
of years and on more than one occasion,
like now, has experienced attacks and arrhythmias. […] A resistant, exemplary
heart, always ready and available to anyone who needs it whenever it is needed.
But above all, the heart of Damascus is a
living one, despite being presumed dead
by many,” writes Gómez Pickering.
The author, as it turns out, is also a fulltime diplomat with ambitious goals and a
firm commitment to issues related to the
environment and human rights.
A man of many interests –film, music
and gastronomy– Gómez not only speaks
English, French, Italian, and Portuguese,
but is also fluent in German. These skills
no doubt came in useful when he began
his diplomatic career as Cultural and
Press Attaché at the Mexican Embassy in
Kenya in 2007. After that, he went on to
become a consultant and advisor to several United Nations agencies, like the Re-
A complex man in terms
of both education and
passions, he has proven
himself capable of
defending Mexico on
diverse fronts, whether
it’s organizing cultural
activities or business
meetings to promote
the country’s fledgling
aerospace industry.
lief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), where
he acted as a communications consultant
from 2008 through 2011.
He has also acted as consultant and
advisor to the United Nations PublicPrivate Alliance for Rural Development,
the International Labour Organization
(ILO), the United Nations Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Committee on the
Elimination of Discrimination Against
Women (CEDAW).
To that wealth of experience he can
also add a stint as International Media
Director for the Mexican Office of the
Presidency and International Press Coordinator during the presidential campaign
and transitional period of President Enrique Peña Nieto.
In December 2013, he was appointed
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Mexico to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. “Mexico comes with me wherever I
go. I’m a person with the capacities, the
academic and professional training, the
will, the conviction and, above all, the
commitment to work in the interests of
this country’s project.”
As ambassador, one of his goals is to
ensure Mexico remains at the forefront
of the international agenda, particularly
on issues related to culture, the economy
and foreign investment. Due to its growing dynamism, competitiveness and role
as an emerging market, there couldn’t be
a better time to invest in Mexico, says
Gómez Pickering. N
67
das that have featured in more than one
Golden Age film.
There are some 4,000 surviving haciendas in Mexico, a number of which have
been renovated or restored to their former
glory, reemerging as boutique hotels offering
world-class amenities. Here, guests are guaranteed an unforgettable experience, steeped
in authentic Mexican history and set against
breathtaking natural backdrops.
Luxury is waking up in the morning to
a steaming cup of freshly ground and
brewed coffee as you admire the tropical
forest and mountains that envelop Hacienda San Antonio in the municipality of
Comala, Colima.
The hacienda was built in 1890 by a
German called Arnoldo Voguel, who discovered here the perfect coffee-growing
conditions. The Fuego and Nevado de
Colima volcanoes stand guard on either
side of the estate, whose main building
is made primarily of volcanic rock and
houses 25 comfortable, well-lit guestrooms, decorated with handicrafts that
pay homage to Mexico’s rich and diverse
artistic traditions.
Guests are welcomed by a beautiful,
sprawling garden that merges with the
outlying mountains and volcanoes. As far
as pastimes go, the options are endless:
enjoy a refreshing drink at the Yellow Bar
or in the garden as you watch the sun go
down, read a novel in the Mirador Lounge,
explore the foothills of the volcanos by bicycle or visit the nearby town of Comala.
Coriander soup and caramelized pears
doused in tequila are just some of the dishes on Hacienda San Antonio’s delectable
menu, which, like all the others, are prepared with fresh, local ingredients.
courtesy of hacienda san antonio
The cinema photographer Gabriel
Figueroa captured magnificent Mexican
skies, skies that reflect the surface of
lakes, age-old trees and active volcanoes,
the elongated shadow of archways on
the dusty ground, the faces of beautiful
women framed by shawls, horsemen galloping across the fields. Through his lens
we get a sense of a bygone Mexico lingering on in the sturdy walls of hacien-
courtesy of hacienda san andrés
A great way to relax and soak
up some history is to stay at one
of Mexico’s stately old haciendas
Hacienda San Antonio
Comala, Colima
by pola sáenz
photos
Mexican
Refuges
of Yesteryear
www.haciendadesanantonio.com
Hacienda San Andrés commands impressive views of the Popocatépetl volcano,
outlined by fluffy clouds and capped
with a thick layer of snow, like wax melting in the sun.
This was the image that inspired La
Era (The Threshing Floor), Diego Rivera’s first registered oil on canvas that
perfectly replicates the blue hues of the
68
distant sky and rolling green valleys that
enfold this 16th Century hacienda.
Located just forty kilometers from
Mexico City, today Hacienda San Andrés
is a luxury fifteen-suite hotel where guests
can kick back and relax at the in-house spa
with a quartz-stone massage, detox in a
herbal steam bath or soak in a tub scented
with rose petals and essential oils.
After treating your body, treat your palate to a selection of traditional Mexican
dishes made with fresh, organic ingredients.
The invigorating mountain air is best
enjoyed astride a horse or a bicycle as
you explore the labyrinth of cedar trees
in the environs and the hotel’s pristine
gardens. Other activities include hot air
balloon trips and excursions to the IztaPopo Zoquiapan National Park, Tlamanalco’s open chapel and the Paso de
Cortés mountain pass between the Popocatépetl and Ixtaccíhuatl volcanoes.
www.haciendasanandres.com
September 2014
courtesy of hacienda santa cruz
Hacienda San Andrés
Ayapango, Estado de México
photo
photo
Hacienda Santa Cruz
Mérida, Yucatán
September 2014
Under a serene sky, concealed by the long
branches of leafy peacock flower shrubs,
sits a fiery red estate surrounded by exotic
gardens. Located in the very heart of Mérida, Hacienda Santa Cruz began life in the
17th Century as a Franciscan monastery
and in the late 19th century produced henequen, a type of fiber made from the maguey plant, often referred to as the “green
gold” of the Yucatán.
In 2007, this southern belle metamorphosed once again, this time into a
luxury, colonial-style hotel with every
conceivable modern-day convenience.
Past and present brought together under
a cloak of palm, orange, flamboyant and
other ancient trees.
Take a dip in one of the hotel’s two
pools, enjoy a revitalizing or therapeutic
massage or maybe a facial or honey and
chocolate exfoliating treatment at the spa
or in the privacy of your own room. If you
want to get out and about, visit one of the
nearby cenotes or Santa Cruz, where we
recommend you visit the Cuxtal nature
reserve, a refuge for migratory birds and
native plants.
And if you fancy sampling the local
cuisine, the hotel restaurant, Creóle, serves
up dishes like lime gazpacho and tuna panuchos marinated in annatto.
www.haciendasantacruz.com
69
www.haciendaxalostoc.com
thomassin mickaël
soul with a relaxing hot stone massage,
wine therapy and holistic treatments or
a Reiki session. Horse riding, barbecues
in the garden and bonfires by the light of
the moon are some of the other activities
guests at Hacienda Sepúlveda can enjoy.
photo
and a giant ash tree. The hotel has eight
spacious suites and ten elegantly appointed guestrooms that immediately
put you at ease and invite you to relax.
A novel way to take in the scenery is on
horseback or, if you’re feeling more adventurous, in a hot air balloon.
luciy nieto
courtesy of hacienda santa maría xalostoc
Hacienda Sepúlveda stands on the old silver route to Zacatecas in northeast Jalisco.
It was built in the late 17th Century and
is named after its original owner, Juan de
Sepúlveda of Spain, who was given the
land as a gift. Today it is a fabulous boutique hotel with 23 guestrooms.
Historic figures like Miguel Hidalgo
y Costilla and Pancho Villa have seen the
inside of this hacienda, whose decoration
remits us to the past with hand carved
wooden and tin sculptures, candelabras,
antique stoves and radios.
Fresh air and clear skies made this the
perfect place to sit back and take in the
view or relax with a good book. The hotel
spa is housed in “El Aventadero,” originally an old winnowing barn dating from
1890. Here, guests can pamper body and
photos
Hacienda Santa María Xalostoc’s story
goes right back to the mid-16th Century,
when its 3,500 hectares were dedicated to
agriculture, maguey plantations and cattle
farming. If you listen carefully, you can
still hear the echo of revolutionary cavalcades, the whistling of a passing train and
the tolling of church bells.
After years of neglect, the estate was
purchased and lovingly restored by the
Baer family with the help of acclaimed
architect Luis Ortiz Macedo, recipient of
the National Restoration Prize in 2000
and an expert in the conservation of colonial buildings.
A pretty fountain greets you as you
cross a heavy wooden door, which opens
up onto a courtyard of maguey plants
Hacienda Sepúlveda
Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco
photo
Hacienda Santa María
Xalostoc
Tlaxco, Tlaxcala
www.haciendasepulveda.com.mx
www.haciendasantarosa.com
70
September 2014
luciy nieto
A path lined with palm trees leads to a
blue façade with elegant archways illuminated by candles. In the distance, the last
rays of sun disappear behind violet tinged
clouds. This 19th Century hacienda was
meticulously restored using Maya construction techniques for the floors and
walls. High ceilings and wooden beams
add character to spacious guestrooms
bathed in warm light, while elegant pools
that reflect the sky and fairytale gardens
are just some of the amenities guests at
this luxury hotel can expect.
What better way to start the day than
to wake to the sound of birdsong and
enjoy breakfast in the botanical garden?
Come afternoon, how about a leisurely
stroll through the courtyards and gardens
or a trip to the community workshops
that produce arts and crafts made of silver,
henequen fiber and other materials found
locally? Bring the day to a close with an
intimate dinner at the foot of an ancient
tree as you commune with the sounds and
smells of the night. And if you have some
time to spare, we suggest you join an excursion by bicycle or on horseback to other haciendas in the region, like Granada,
Santo Domingo and Chunchucmil.
photo
photos
courtesy of hacienda santa rosa
Hacienda Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa, Yucatán
September 2014
71
photo
Carla Fernández:
“Mexico’s future is handmade”
One of Mexico’s most interesting designers, Carla Fernández has garnered a reputation
on international runways with experimental, vanguard collections that pay tribute to the
traditional textiles of the country’s indigenous communities.
by karla bañuelos
A samurai warrior à la Kurosawa, but not
so far removed. A cascade of multicolored
threads. Confetti falling slowly on a body.
A two-tone poncho that invites you to
lose yourself in Escher’s labyrinths. A deconstructed rebozo, home to a watchful
gecko. Tradition and vanguard synthesized in a unique personality.
According to Carla Fernández (Saltillo,
Coahuila, 1973) fashion is the first language
we use to communicate with others. Creator of the brand that bears her name and
founder of Taller Flora –a demi-couture textile initiative in which Fernández works with
indigenous women and artisans–, this Mexican designer has garnered recognition both
at home and abroad, and her creations are
sold in Great Britain, Spain, and the US. All
as a result of her interest in the textile traditions of Mexico’s indigenous peoples and her
efforts to document and preserve them.
Amongst other accolades, these efforts won her the Prince Claus Award in
2013 “for adapting traditional techniques
and styles to create surprising contemporary fashion; for empowering communities, especially women, channeling their
knowledge and skills into modern design;
for reviving Mexico’s native textile traditions and creating a detailed record as a
lasting legacy for generations to come and
for coming up with an ethical production
model that fully respects the intellectual
property rights of indigenous peoples.”
72
September 2014
September 2014
Other Mexicans who have received
this Dutch award for outstanding
achievements in the field of culture and
development include writer Carlos Monsiváis, artist Francisco Toledo, architect
and designer Óscar Hagerman, photographer Maya Goded, and contemporary
artist Teresa Margolles.
In 2008 the British Council presented
Fernández with the IYCE Fashion Award
for her exceptional work as a businesswoman. She has published a book, The
Barefoot Designer: A Handbook, and her
work has been displayed at the Isabella
Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.
At Taller Flora, Fernández works with
communities from Chenalhó, San Juan
Chamula, Aldama, San Juan Cancuc and
Santa Martha in the state of Chiapas; artisans from Xochistlahuaca in the state
of Guerrero; Hñä hñü (Otomí) women in
Nante, Hidalgo; rebozo weavers in Estado
de México; tailors who make charro suits
in Mexico City, and leather bag manufacturers in León, Guanajuato.
Her vision transforms textiles and
traditional patterns into sophisticated,
geometrical garments that borrow from
architects like Luis Barragán and Juan
O’Gorman, photographer Graciela Iturbide, with whom she has collaborated
on several publications, and the work
of other fashion designers like Rick Owens, Dries van Noten, Raf Simons, Limi
Feu (Yohi Yamamoto’s daughter), the
legacy of Cristóbal Balenciaga (whom
she considers “the great designer”) and
Rei Kawakubo of Japan, whom she has
worked with for Comme des Garçons.
Holder of a degree in art history and
haute couture, Fernández also has a quality Mexican-inspired prêt-à-porter line.
But the seed of her passion for the textile traditions of Mexico was sown long
before she saw the inside of a university
lecture room. The daughter of a historian
and museographer, as a child her father’s
job as director of the museums of the National Institute of Anthropology and History took them all over the country.
“Where there are archaeological sites,
there are indigenous communities that create some of the best textiles in the world.
Mexico has fabulous textiles. I’d spend
hours studying the clothes worn by indigenous people in each zone. Then I’d try and
buy the items of traditional dress I’d seen
at the little markets in and around the archaeological sites and combine them with
my everyday clothes,” she says.
Experimentation has been another of
her life-long obsessions, one that is reflected in her creations. As a university student,
she did her community service at the now
nonexistent Serfín Museum of Indigenous
Dress. That gave her access to the museum’s collections and the chance to study
how the garments were put together.
73
“I approach the construction of my garments much
as an architect would approach the construction of a
building. For instance, one of my star pieces is called
Barragán because it imitates the play of light and
shadow created by opening and closing the windows
of one of his houses. I love architecture and modern
and contemporary art and they are a constant source
of inspiration for me.”
photos
“That exercise in deconstruction
helped me gain an in-depth understanding
of the clothes. To my surprise, nearly all
of them were based exclusively on squares
and rectangles. Each and every piece of
cloth was a parallelepiped. My interest in
the geometrical origin of clothing tied in
with the fashion studies I’d taken as part
of my Art History degree. I was especially
interested in the first avant gardes, specifically those that had made an incursion
into the apparel area. It was from that perspective that I began to view indigenous
pattern design not as something primitive
but as a creative art form,” she recalls.
—How did you come to choose fashion
design as a profession and what does it
mean to you?
From a young age I realized that clothes
were important in all cultures, in the
sense that they’re the first language we
use to communicate with others. Before
you even speak to someone, you notice
how they choose to dress. Clothes are one
of the ways in which we decide how others perceive us and beautifying ourselves
is how we express our creative side.
Fashion is a highly complex system.
Creating a brand requires a lot of geniuses
working toward the same goal: it has to be
a good idea, a good business, have good
advertising, and good managers. One of
the catalysts of the Industrial Revolution
was the need to manufacture textiles and
many of the milestones in world history
are related to the apparel industry.
—How did Taller Flora come about and
what was your vision when you started it?
Taller Flora are workshops we run in various municipalities and regions of Mexico,
like Oaxaca, Guerrero, Chiapas, Estado
de México, and Guanajuato, among others, in collaboration with their indigenous
communities and artisans or sometimes
even individuals.
I know Mexico like the back of my
hand. I was born in the north, have traveled extensively in the south, and live in
Central Mexico. Mexico’s cultural wealth
is an asset very few other countries can lay
claim to. I’m interested in carrying the cultural diversity expressed in the traditional
dress of our indigenous peoples into the
future. Mexico needs to turn its past into a
business of the future. That’s why I always
say Mexico’s future is handmade.
74
September 2014
—How does your work with indigenous
communities foster social and economic
integration?
Convinced as we are that Mexico’s future
is handmade, we believe the most skilled
hands and the most creative minds are to be
found in indigenous communities and that
is what we need to cultivate. It’s what the
world wants from Mexico. In countries like
ours, design and the creative industries can
account for as much as 15% of GDP.
—The cut of your garments has an oriental aesthetic. How would you sum up
your influences?
A major source of inspiration for me is the
Mexican huipil, while the Japanese take
their inspiration from the kimono. Their
origin is similar. If you do your research,
the huipil has cuts that resemble those of
the kimono, except it’s very Mexican.
I approach the construction of my
garments much as an architect would approach the construction of a building. For
instance, one of my star pieces is called Barragán because it imitates the play of light
and shadow created by opening and closing the windows of one of his houses. I love
September 2014
architecture and modern and contemporary
art and they are a constant source of inspiration for me. I particularly like O’Gorman.
I’m very linear. My creative process is inspired by geometry, by the square and the
rectangle, by traditional Mexican shapes
and from there, I move on to the body.
—Do your clothes contain references to modern and contemporary art?
I live with an artist and am always visiting
museums, so my references are more related
to art than to fashion. I’m always going to be
obsessed with Pedro, my husband, because he
has opened my eyes to the world of artists,
new and old. My 2014 Fall-Winter collection
is inspired by O’Gorman and Jodorowsky.
—Can you describe your creative process?
It’s very unpredictable. My 2015 SpringSummer collection, for example, is inspired by 16th-century mosaics from Atlixco, and we’re going to show it as the
grand finale to our partnership with the
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
Design is thought to be the last link in
the chain of creativity and ingenuity, and I
don’t see any difference between what I do
“Mexico’s cultural wealth
is an asset very few other
countries can lay claim to.
I’m interested in carrying the
cultural diversity expressed
in the traditional dress of our
indigenous peoples into the
future. Mexico needs to turn
its past into a business of the
future. That’s why I always say
Mexico’s future is handmade.”
and what an architect or doctor does. The
creative industries fuel economic growth, but
people who live in rural communities don’t
have many job opportunities. If we don’t create jobs for them, then who will? We have to
start putting people to work at what they do
best because this is also a way of preserving
traditions that lay the foundations for a prosperous future. N
75
Sun, Sea,
and Surgery
These days, tourists are visiting
Mexico not only for its pyramids
and white-sand beaches. Many are
including a visit to the country’s
world-class plastic surgeons and
consultations with expert health
professionals in their vacation plans.
photos
archive
by patricia peña
Many people return from their vacations
to Mexico rested and looking better than
ever… after having paid a visit to one of
the country’s expert cosmetic surgeons and
been pampered post-op in paradisiacal surroundings. The scalpel can do miracles for
the physique, but listening to the lapping of
the waves as you rock in a hammock, sunbathing on the beach, or taking in the local
culture in one of the country’s cosmopolitan
cities sure does wonders for the spirits.
The number of tourists who come to
Mexico for plastic surgery or some other
type of cosmetic procedure is on the rise.
In fact, according to the 2012-2013 World
Travel Trends Report compiled by Internationale Tourismus-Börse, Mexico is among
the top five medical tourism travel destinations in the cosmetic surgery category.
Advanced technology, quality services, accessible prices, and special postop facilities in unrivaled locations may
be the reason 1.1 million people visited
Mexico in 2013 for some form of medical treatment, according to Patients Beyond Borders, an international organization specializing in health tourism. And
demand for these services is growing to
the tune of seven percent a year.
ALL-INCLUSIVE
Several hospitals in Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Tijuana offer package
deals that include round-trip plane tickets,
surgery, and a nurse to oversee post-op care
in a hospital or hotel room for three days.
Discounts of between 10 and 40% on
prices that are already low compared to
other countries account for the appeal of
these packages, but it’s the care provided
during recovery that has made them a hit
among overseas patients.
And by care we’re not talking your
run-of-the-mill nursing home, but full service villas fitted out with kitchen, dining
room, bedrooms, Jacuzzi, and swimming
pool, where patients are looked after by a
trained nurse and can hire a chauffeur for
transfers. Some packages even provide for
a travel companion.
Another point in favor of Mexico’s
burgeoning medical tourism industry is
that cosmetic procedures are generally
more affordable than in other countries.
Not only do you get to spend your convalescence in surroundings on a par with
some of the best spas in the world, but also
most clinics offer financing plans.
Tummy tucks, breast augmentations,
eyelid lifts, wrinkle reductions, hair implants,
and tooth whitenings are among the cosmetic services in highest demand in Mexico.
So whether you choose to heal on a
white-sand beach splashed by a turquoise
blue ocean, in a cosmopolitan city with
beautiful colonial architecture, or breathing in the fresh air of the mountains, you’re
guaranteed a pleasant and speedy recovery.
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September 2014
September 2014
BOARD-CERTIFIED MEDICAL CARE
Mexico has 470 private hospitals that are
Master of Public Health (MPH) certified
and is rated second in the world in the
practice of cosmetic surgery of a high standard, according to data furnished by the
Mexican Association of Plastic, Cosmetic,
and Reconstructive Surgery (AMCPER).
Based on the findings of the 2013 Biannual Global Survey conducted by the
International Society of Aesthetic Plastic
Surgery (ISAPS), the most popular procedure worldwide is liposuction (18.8%),
followed by breast implants (17%), eye
lifts (13.5%), rhinoplasty (9.4%), and
the removal of excess skin from the abdominal area (7.3%).
Travel agencies have been quick to respond to demand, offering special package deals that include accommodation,
meals, transfers, and medical care provided by board-certified surgeons.
The reason Mexico enjoys such international prestige in this market niche is
because its plastic surgeons are well prepared and the profession is strictly regulated, says the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), whose list
of the top surgeons in the world features
no less than ten Mexicans.
Aside from its experienced surgeons,
Mexico is ranked third worldwide in
terms of non-surgical treatments like
Botox and autologous fat injections,
the application of hyaluronic acid, laser
waxing, and tooth whitening, which are
available at practically every specialized
clinic in the country.
Treatments like tooth whitening, facials, lymph drainage, and other minor
procedures are extremely popular in
Mexico’s border cities, where high standards of care, easy access, and affordable
prices have turned the international surgical spotlight on the country’s specialized
physicians and certified clinics.
Technology & Experience
“What will I look like afterwards?” is the
question most frequently asked by people
considering cosmetic surgery. To dissipate their doubts, one of Mexico’s most
reputable physicians, Fernando Molina
Montalva, uses an innovative computer
system that generates before and after
images in 3D.
Designed by the hospital where Molina works, the system is called Crisalix
and is intended to reassure patients they
will emerge from the operating theater
satisfied with the outcome. Crisalix can
simulate nose jobs, and Botox and fat injections. Needless to say, all patient information remains strictly confidential.
77
photo
archive
Negocios ProMéxico
Para Exportadores
The financial factor is another reason more and more foreigners are visiting Mexico for liposuction, tummy tucks,
and breast and gluteus implants. According to AMCPER, breast implants cost
5,350 USD on average in other countries,
but only 1,900 USD in Mexico. And if you
want bigger booty, you’ll pay 6,100 USD
elsewhere, compared to only 2,680 USD
in Mexico. An abdominoplasty, or tummy
tuck as it is more commonly known, will
set you back as much as 7,650 USD in
other countries, but you can have one in
Mexico for around 2,300 usd.
And with all the money saved, you
can afford to relax and enjoy some postop pampering before returning home to
awe friends and family with your rejuvenated image. Only Mexico offers the
whole package! N
Top Surgeries
According to AMCPER, the most
popular surgeries are:
1. Liposuction
2. Breast implants
3. Gluteus implants
4.Rhinoplasty
5.Facelifts
Close runners-up are MACS
facelifts, tummy tucks, eye lifts, postbariatric surgery, and hair implants.
www.cirugiaplastica.org.mx
foto
archivo
HI-TECH, LOW-COST
Cosmetic procedures are a lot less risky
today than a few years back, due to the
introduction of less invasive techniques. A
decade ago, it took surgeons about seven
hours to do a facelift; today, most operations of that type take only a couple of
hours, including the first phase of recovery.
Some European procedures are performed in Mexico under local anesthetic,
which implies fewer complications and renders better results. Botox injections, laser
surgery, endoscopic surgery that requires
only small incisions, and more specialized
operations like post-bariatric surgery (to remove excess skin after dramatic weight loss)
are just a few of the many treatment choices
available, all of which comply with the highest operating and recovery standards and
employ state of the art technology.
Las reformas
y su incidencia para un México
más competitivo
Durante las últimas décadas diversos países han impulsado la modernización de sus
gobiernos para agilizar la apertura y el funcionamiento de las empresas. México no se
ha quedado al margen y en paralelo a las recientes reformas estructurales ha sentado
las bases para mejorar la apertura y administración de empresas.
94
Mezcal:
Servicios médicos
86
90
Una bebida que ha
trascendido fronteras
78
September 2014
de México
para el mundo
México:
hacia una América del Norte
más competitiva
promesa mundial
para el turismo médico
88
92
Negocios ProMéxico | Para Exportadores
de
proméxico.
Las bebidas nacidas en México son cada vez más demandadas en el mercado internacional. La cerveza y el tequila
no son los únicos productos
reconocidos en el exterior. El mezcal se ha
posicionado como una bebida mexicana
que ha trascendido fronteras y forma parte
significativa del mercado internacional de
bebidas espirituosas.
Durante varias décadas el mezcal fue
considerado como un producto regional,
apreciado solo por las comunidades productoras y cuya expectativa de negocio era
muy baja. Sin embargo esta perspectiva ha
cambiado drásticamente; como se analiza
en una breve nota sobre el tema, en la actualidad esta bebida se exporta a más de
30 países. Durante 2013 los principales
destinos de exportación fueron Estados
Unidos, Australia, Chile y Reino Unido.
Actualmente se busca posicionar esta bebida insignia en otros mercados.
Asimismo, se publica en esta edición una
nota sobre la competitividad en el escenario
global, basada en conceptos como innovación y logística, y en la productividad de
las diversas regiones que conforman el país.
En este sentido se publica una nota sobre la
importancia de fortalecer políticas públicas
que impulsen el intercambio comercial en
América del Norte mediante iniciativas que
incidan en el desarrollo y la especialización
del capital humano, así como con medidas
que incentiven la interconexión, la logística y
el transporte, en aras de concretar un mayor
dinamismo regional.
El turismo médico es un sector sumamente representativo para México. El país se ha
consolidado como un destino competitivo
para atraer pacientes extranjeros –principalmente de Canadá y Estados Unidos– debido a
su posición geográfica, bajos costos, alto nivel
de instalaciones médicas –la certificación de
clínicas y hospitales ha sido un componente
representativo– y disponibilidad sustantiva de
capital humano especializado, entre otros factores. En este sentido se incluyen dos colaboraciones que abundan sobre este tema, en las
que se resaltan las ventajas y oportunidades
de esta industria tanto para la exportación de
servicios de salud como para canalizar más
inversión productiva en el país.
Por último se publica una reflexión sobre
la relevancia de las reformas en el entorno
empresarial, haciendo énfasis en las recientes
modificaciones a la Ley General de Sociedades Mercantiles (LGSM) en México, con el
propósito central de facilitar la creación de
empresas y promover la atracción de inversión extranjera. Estas adecuaciones a la norma impactarán sin duda alguna en el posicionamiento y participación de las empresas
mexicanas en el mercado internacional.
Esperamos que los contenidos incluidos
en esta edición sean de su interés.
¡Bienvenidos a Negocios ProMéxico!
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Septiembre 2014
BREVES
COMERCIO ELECTRÓNICO
de hacerlo, con los principales proveedores de servicios en el país. Además,
se mostrarán aspectos relevantes sobre
infraestructura, estrategias de mercadotecnia y financiamiento.
3. E-Commerce Day (9 de octubre). Es
la conferencia con mayor trayectoria
en México, organizada por la AMIPCI
desde hace casi una década con la
participación de los expositores más
reconocidos en la materia.
4. Seminario (10 de octubre). Consiste
en un seminario en el que participan
ponentes nacionales e internacionales
para intercambiar ideas y puntos de
vista sobre mercadotecnia digital.
www.ebusinessweek.mx
archivo
La Asociación Mexicana de Internet
(AMIPCI) realizará la Expo Comercio
Electrónico AMIPCI, del 7 al 10 de octubre
de 2014, en las instalaciones del World
Trade Center en la Ciudad de México. Se
trata de la primera exposición dirigida a
empresas que desean incursionar en el
comercio electrónico, y su propósito es
vincular a especialistas en negocios online
con quienes han decidido iniciar o mejorar
sus negocios a través de Internet. Este
evento se organiza con apoyo del Programa
de Desarrollo del Sector de Servicios de
Tecnologías de Información (PROSOFT 3.0)
impulsado por la Secretaría de Economía.
El programa de Expo Comercio Electrónico AMIPCI está compuesto por cuatro grandes actividades:
1. Dominios en América Latina (7y 8 de
octubre). Se analizará el futuro y los
efectos de las transformaciones que se
han registrado en la mecánica de los
dominios en los últimos años. También se analizará el impacto comercial
y social de la creación de nuevos dominios en América Latina.
2.Exposición de comercio electrónico
(8, 9 y 10 de octubre). Se trata de la
primera exposición en México enfocada de manera exclusiva al comercio
electrónico. Su objetivo es reunir a las
empresas que acaban de incursionar en
el comercio electrónico o tienen planes
foto
Una semana dedicada
al comercio electrónico
83
BREVES
BREVES
AUTOMOTRIZ
Impersealco: en expansión
En remodelación
El Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte
(OMA), realizará una inversión de 350
millones de pesos para remodelar el aeropuerto internacional de Acapulco Guerrero, como parte de su programa de modernización aeroportuaria para 2014.
El proyecto contempla dos etapas; la
primera comenzará en octubre de 2014 y
consistirá en la demolición de un edificio
y la construcción de uno más moderno
que se adecue a las necesidades de los miles de viajeros que transitan por ese aeropuerto cada año.
Modernización aduanal
archivo
archivo
foto
AHMSA y Siemens FIRMAN CONTRATO
millones de dólares y tendrá capacidad
para procesar dos millones de toneladas
métricas de acero líquido al año.
www.sat.gob.mx
INDUSTRIAS CREATIVAS
www.cementosfortaleza.com
cinemex.com
foto
Cementos Fortaleza inició operaciones
en su nueva planta El Palmar, en el estado
Hidalgo, para la que requirió una inversión
de más de 300 millones de dólares.
La empresa, filial del consorcio mexicano Elementia especializado en el ramo de la
construcción e industrial, proyecta producir
un millón 100,000 toneladas de cemento
al año, en la que es considerada como una
de las plantas productoras de cemento más
modernas de América Latina.
Grupo Cinemex planea abrir 11 salas de cine
en Miami, Florida, donde espera a cerca de
400,000 asistentes al año. De este modo, la
cadena inicia su expansión internacional.
El primer complejo de la cadena fuera de
México estará ubicado en Brickell City Center –el complejo inmobiliario en desarrollo
más importante de Miami, localizado en el
distrito financiero de la ciudad. El cine contará con 11 salas tipo Platino con capacidad
para 622 asientos y una asistencia estimada
de 400 mil personas al año. El nuevo complejo abrirá sus puertas a principios de 2016.
Este crecimiento internacional permitirá fortalecer la posición de Cinemex como
la sexta cadena de cines a nivel mundial. En
los últimos cinco años la empresa ha tenido
un crecimiento de 38% anual, pasando de
44 a 271 cines y 2,360 pantallas.
CRECIENDO con la
fortaleza del cemento
archivo
Luces, cámara…
¡internacionalización!
foto
archivo
www.ahmsa.com
www.industry.siemens.com
CONSTRUCCIÓN
cortesía de siemens vai
El Servicio de Administración Tributaria
(SAT) invertirá aproximadamente 9,300 millones de pesos en los próximos cuatro años
para mejorar la infraestructura de aduanas en
el país y facilitar el procesamiento aduanal.
El objetivo es fortalecer el dinamismo que
ha mostrado México durante los últimos 20
años, en los que ha duplicado su participación
en el comercio mundial y se ha convertido en
el principal exportador de mercancías y manufacturas en América Latina.
foto
METALÚRGICA
foto
www.impersealco.com.mx
LOGÍSTCA
www.oma.aero
Altos Hornos de México (AHMSA) contrató a Siemens VAI para que construya
una planta de desgasificación de acero al
vacío dentro de la Siderúrgica 2. La nueva
planta, que entrará en operación en octubre de 2015, requerirá una inversión de 83
archivo
INFRAESTRUCTURA
industria automotriz; su nueva planta se
especializará en la producción de piezas
plásticas termoformadas que serán vendidas a clientes como Bombardier, DINA
Camiones, Volvo, y Nissan, y exportadas a
países como Suecia, Perú, Colombia, Estados Unidos y Canadá.
foto
Impersealco invertirá 100 millones de
pesos en la construcción de una nueva
planta –la tercera de la compañía–, en
Atotonilco de Tula, Hidalgo, donde producirá plásticos de alta tecnología para la
industria automotriz.
La nueva planta generará alrededor
de mil empleos en tres etapas. Impersalco
produce piezas plásticas y de acero para la
Mezcal:
Una bebida que
ha trascendido
fronteras
El mezcal representa la historia,
la cultura y la diversidad del país.
La bebida que hace tres décadas
era considerada como un producto
regional con poco valor económico ha
cambiado de paradigma por completo.
Hoy día esta bebida representa
una fuente de ingreso para miles de
familias de distintas comunidades
rurales del país.
86
fotos
archivo
por lizeth balderas martínez*
Mezcal es el nombre de la bebida mexicana tradicional obtenida por destilación y
rectificación del mosto, preparada con los
azúcares extraídos de las cabezas de agave,
previamente cocidas, molidas y sometidas
a fermentación.
Dado que el maguey es endémico de
América, se ha demostrado que desde hace
más de 9,000 años nuestros antepasados
utilizaban el maguey como alimento. Existen más de trescientas especies de maguey
y México concentra más de 75% –35% de
dichas especies son endémicas del país.
El agave también es llamado maguey.
Nuestros ancestros lo utilizaban para múltiples propósitos. Era utilizado como alimento y bebida, también para fabricar calzado, utensilios e inclusive para construir
techos y paredes. Ha estado presente en la
vida religiosa, social y cultural de todo el
país. Tan importante era, que algunas culturas tenían deidades que representaban al
maguey, como Mayahuel, la diosa mexica
del maguey. Desde hace varios siglos, el
mezcal fue incorporado en los rituales de
diversas comunidades; en algunas zonas,
por ejemplo, se bebe mezcal para celebrar
el nacimiento o para despedir a los seres
queridos que fallecen.
El mezcal y su diversidad
El mezcal es una bebida emblemática de
México. Durante mucho tiempo se le consideró como bebida sagrada. Es una bebida con una vasta tradición nacional. Cada
pueblo desarrolló capacidades técnicas
específicas para su producción a partir de
ciertos utensilios y materiales disponibles
en cada región y tomando en cuenta las
distintas especies de agave. Por ello, hablar
de mezcales de México implica un universo de sabores y sensaciones. Las variedades
de mezcal se distinguen por:
• Las especies de maguey utilizadas en su
elaboración.
• Los grados alcohólicos que contienen.
• La maduración de los magueyes.
• Las condiciones ambientales en los cultivos de maguey y el aprovechamiento
de especies silvestres.
Septiembre 2014
Para Exportadores | Negocios ProMéxico
• Las formas de producción artesanales
y tradicionales, así como la tecnología utilizada –desde hornos de piedra,
tierra, mampostería y autoclaves,
hasta fermentaciones en las que se
emplean microorganismos disponibles en la región, o bien procesos de
destilación para definir las características organolépticas del mezcal.
• La tendencia por establecer mezclas o
ensambles de diferentes tipos de maguey para producir mezcales con características peculiares.
• El empleo del gusano de maguey, chile, frutas secas y maduras, hierbas,
carnes, colorantes naturales y animales; los procesos de maduración, reposo y añejamiento –en vidrio, maderas
locales e incluso en roble blanco americano o francés–, además la preservación de algunas tradiciones en la elaboración de la bebida –como enterrar
el mezcal por un tiempo determinado
en diferentes tierras y climas.
Certificación y exportación
En 1995 el mezcal obtuvo su denominación
de origen (DO) al quedar registrado ante la
Organización Mundial de la Propiedad Intelectual (OMPI), con sede en Ginebra, Suiza.
Actualmente, bajo el estricto cumplimiento de la Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM070-SCFI-1994, los territorios y productores
exclusivos de mezcal corresponden a ocho
estados del país: Durango, Guanajuato,
Guerrero, Michoacán, Oaxaca, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas y Zacatecas, que engloban
más de mil municipios.
Esta norma oficial establece la reglamentación de los procesos para producir,
envasar y comercializar el mezcal. Asimismo reúne los criterios de calidad adecuados para su exportación. La DO y la aprobación de la (NOM) fueron fundamentales para el desarrollo de la industria del
mezcal, sin restar importancia a la constitución del Consejo Mexicano Regulador
de la Calidad del Mezcal (COMERCAM),
organismo encargado de evaluar el cumplimiento de la NOM, así como promover,
organizar y proteger la DO de la bebida.
Según datos del COMERCAM, en
2013, la producción total de mezcal ascendió a 2.5 millones de litros, lo que representó un incremento de 140% respecto a
2012; en tanto, la comercialización en el
mercado doméstico ascendió a 814,000
litros, lo que representó un incremento de
150% respecto a 2012.
Septiembre 2014
Los atributos que hacen del mezcal un producto exportable
son su carácter artesanal, ser una bebida 100% natural y las
concentraciones altas de alcohol que refuerzan su sabor y lo
distinguen de otras bebidas espirituosas.
Se estima que alrededor de 65% de la
producción de mezcal se destina a la exportación. En los últimos cinco años la exportación de la bebida ha registrado una
tasa de crecimiento promedio anual mayor
a 18%. El crecimiento en la demanda y los
cambios en los hábitos de consumo en los
mercados nacional e internacional, harán
que este incremento sea aún más significativo durante los próximos años.
Los atributos que hacen del mezcal un
producto exportable son su carácter artesanal, ser una bebida 100% natural y las
concentraciones altas de alcohol que refuerzan su sabor y lo distinguen de otras
bebidas espirituosas.
Durante 2013 México exportó 740,000
litros de mezcal –3.2% más que en 2012–,
con un valor total de 7.5 millones de dólares –según cifras del Global Trade Atlas,
2.7% más que en 2012 (considerando la
fracción arancelaria 22089005).
El mezcal se exporta a más de 30 países. Actualmente hay más de 280 marcas
registradas en operación. En 2013, 142
empresas exportaron mezcal; Baja California, Oaxaca y el Distrito Federal concentraron, en conjunto, 49% del valor total
del mezcal exportado. Al menos 33 empresas mezcaleras están exportando a Europa,
30 de ellas son de Oaxaca.
Durante 2013 los principales destinos de exportación de mezcal fueron
Estados Unidos (con una participación
de 55%), Australia (9%), Chile (4%) y
Reino Unido (3%).
Las categorías más demandadas por
el consumidor extranjero son el mezcal
joven, joven con gusano, reposado y reposado con gusano –en conjunto representan
93.3% del mezcal exportado. N
*Analista del sector agroalimentario, Unidad
de Inteligencia de Negocios (UIN), ProMéxico.
87
fotos
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empleos, así como la especialización de
los trabajadores mexicanos. Esta dinámica entre inversión y productividad ha sido
sumamente significativa. Al principio la
industria mexicana tuvo que sortear distintas dificultades con su contraparte en el
norte, por ejemplo. Sin embargo, la apertura comercial ha sido un elemento fundamental para su apuntalamiento.
América del Norte es uno de los bloques
económicos más competitivos a nivel mundial. La región del TLCAN representa un
producto interno bruto (PIB) de 19.2 billones de dólares, que constituyen más de 25%
del PIB mundial. Su intercambio comercial
se estima en más de 100 millones de dólares
por hora. A 20 años de la entrada en vigor
del TLCAN, el comercio de los tres socios se
ha triplicado. Esto se ha logrado gracias al
compromiso político y económico de los países que conforman la región –especialmente
México, donde el fortalecimiento de la industria nacional se logró pese a que el país
estaba en condiciones de desventaja competitiva frente a sus socios al momento en que
entró en vigor el acuerdo.
Con el objetivo de promover políticas
públicas que impulsen el intercambio comercial en la región, se creó la North American
Strategy for Competitiveness (NASCO), una
coalición y plataforma que tiene como objetivo promover la competitividad de América
del Norte a través de iniciativas relacionadas
con el desarrollo y especialización de capital humano, así como con otros temas como
suficiencia energética, logística y transporte.
NASCO tiene como socios a diversas
instancias gubernamentales, privadas y
académicas de Canadá, Estados Unidos y
México, así como a representantes de los
tres órdenes de gobierno –federal, estatal y
municipal– que trabajan en la generación
El Sistema Logístico Nacional permitirá la detección de zonas
prioritarias en el país, con el objetivo de impulsar el desarrollo
de corredores logísticos que incentiven la interconexión con
otros corredores existentes en Canadá y Estados Unidos.
hacia una América del Norte más competitiva
La competitividad en el escenario global se basa en la conjunción de tres elementos clave: innovación, logística
y productividad. Estos conceptos han sido piedra angular para el desarrollo regional, así como para impulsar
la integración económica mundial.
por josé pablo maauad pontón*
En las últimas décadas el papel de México en el escenario global ha tenido una
gran transformación, resultado de un crecimiento en las actividades industriales,
logísticas y de exportación del país. En algunos casos el desarrollo regional ha sido
impulsado por la apertura de la economía
nacional al mercado global. En un periodo
relativamente corto México cambió de ser
una economía cerrada –bajo fuertes controles gubernamentales ejercidos a través
de empresas paraestatales, monopolios y
regulaciones aduaneras–, a un verdadero
campeón del libre comercio en el mundo.
La apertura económica del país comenzó en 1986, cuando México se convirtió en
88
miembro del Acuerdo General de Aranceles y Comercio (GATT), y estableció el camino para incrementar la competitividad
de su sector industrial. Este incremento en
la productividad nacional vino acompañado de procesos que transformaron la vida
social, económica y política del país. Este
gran momento de cambio para México se
vio reflejado en una nueva política económica nacional cuya flexibilidad permitió
la llegada de nuevas inversiones de origen
extranjero, fortaleciendo la reciente capacidad productiva nacional.
Este fue el primer gran paso hacia el establecimiento de una región económica más
integrada, en donde el impulso al intercam-
bio comercial entre Canadá, Estados Unidos
y México representaba una oportunidad
única para los tres países, con el propósito
de crear un bloque económico productivo
frente a la creciente competitividad registrada en Europa y Asia. Al concretarse la firma
del Tratado de Libre Comercio de América
del Norte (TLCAN), México ingresó a la era
del libre comercio y las economías interconectadas. Este mecanismo sirvió para detonar un intercambio de mercancías, bienes y
personas más intenso.
El proceso de liberalización de la economía mexicana y la apertura a mercados
globales propició la llegada de inversiones
productivas que han generado múltiples
Septiembre 2014
de propuestas con el objetivo de incrementar la competitividad en la región. Es un
referente obligado para la formulación de
políticas públicas que incrementen el desarrollo de capital humano orientado al
trabajo, la autosuficiencia energética, logística y eficiencia en la distribución.
En México el comité NASCO tiene la
finalidad de apoyar a los sectores público
y privado en un esfuerzo por coordinar y
promocionar un sistema logístico de clase
mundial en el país, así como para consolidar su posicionamiento en la región como
un excelente destino para hacer negocios.
Asimismo, está enfocado a difundir mejores
prácticas y uso de tecnologías de punta sobre
infraestructura de transporte y logística para
el beneficio de sus socios.
NASCO se ha involucrado en el desarrollo de políticas públicas a nivel nacional. Se
puede mencionar, por ejemplo, la creación y
el desarrollo de un Sistema Logístico Nacional (SLN), el cual se ha basado en el estudio
Sistema de Plataformas Logísticas, elaborado de manera conjunta con las secretarías
de Economía (SE) y de Comunicaciones y
Transportes (SCT), con financiamiento del
Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID).
El SLN permitirá la detección de zonas prioritarias en el país, con el objetivo de impulsar
el desarrollo de corredores logísticos que incentiven la interconexión con otros corredores existentes en Canadá y Estados Unidos.
Se trata de una política pública –alineada
con las directrices planteadas por el Gobierno de la República– que busca transformar
a México en una potencia logística y comercial de primer nivel, con fundamento en el
Programa para Democratizar la Productividad y en el Plan Nacional de Infraestructura.
En este contexto, en septiembre de 2014,
México será sede de la conferencia anual organizada por NASCO, en la que se reunirán
líderes internacionales con el propósito de
debatir sobre la cooperación y asociación
económicas, así como para ofrecer perspectivas innovadoras sobre temas relacionados
con comercio y transporte, entre otros temas.
El intercambio de ideas para la generación de políticas públicas modernas, transversales y de alcance regional, es la clave para
detonar la competitividad en la región, para
convertirla en un espacio que cuente con un
desarrollo logístico, comercial, energético y
educativo mucho más consolidado. N
*Secretario de Desarrollo Económico del Estado
de Hidalgo y Presidente del Comité NASCO,
México.
Septiembre 2014
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Servicios
médicos
De acuerdo con algunas estimaciones, los pacientes
extranjeros que se atienden en México dejan una derrama
económica cercana a los 2,500 millones de dólares
anuales. Se estima que esta cifra podría crecer 7% al año,
en la medida en que aumente el número de instituciones
mexicanas con certificación internacional.
de México para
el mundo
México es un destino competitivo
para atraer pacientes extranjeros
–principalmente de Canadá y
Estados Unidos. Los bajos costos
comparativos, el alto nivel de las
instalaciones médicas, una amplia base
de capital humano especializado y una
posición geográfica conveniente, son
elementos que han hecho que México
sea un destino preferido por el turismo
médico.
por cecilia ramos ávila*
En los últimos años la industria del turismo de salud ha crecido rápidamente
en México –esta industria incluye tanto
al turismo propiamente médico como al
denominado turismo de bienestar, que
incluye servicios de spa y casas u hogares
de retiro para personas de edad avanzada,
entre otros servicios. Así, México es hoy
uno de los destinos más populares para el
turismo médico gracias a una combinación
muy afortunada de factores geográficos,
económicos, infraestructurales y de políticas públicas de primer nivel. Los servicios
médicos que más demandan los pacientes
extranjeros en México son cardiología, oncología, ortopedia, odontología y cirugías
cardiovascular, cosmética, gástrica, reconstructiva y oftalmológica.
Según un estudio de Patients Beyond
Borders, México es el país que más turistas
extranjeros atiende en odontología y cirugía bariátrica (bypass y banda gástrica). El
estudio señala que durante 2013 México
atendió a más de un millón de pacientes
extranjeros, lo que coloca al país como el
segundo destino de servicios médicos en
el mundo –después de Tailandia, país que
atendió a 1.8 millones de pacientes.
El turismo médico es una industria
emergente que se contabiliza dentro de
las cifras del sector turístico nacional,
por lo que es difícil estimar números
exactos, así como el impacto económico
real que dejan los pacientes extranjeros
90
cuando visitan una institución en el país.
A la fecha no hay bases de datos confiables, ya que los proveedores de servicios
de salud no llevan estadísticas exhaustivas que distingan pacientes nacionales y
extranjeros, por lo que la derrama económica proveniente del uso de servicios
de salud se contabiliza como ingreso por
conceptos del turismo en general.
Algunas fuentes calculan que un paciente extranjero deja una derrama económica promedio de 17,000 dólares por
una estancia de ocho días en un hospital
o clínica mexicanos. Aunado a ello debe
considerarse que los pacientes extranjeros generalmente vienen acompañados,
por lo que no solo gastan en procedimientos médicos, sino también en servicios turísticos relacionados con servicios
como transporte, hotelería, alimentos y
bebidas, entre otros.
De acuerdo con algunas estimaciones,
los pacientes extranjeros que se atienden
en México dejan una derrama económica
cercana a los 2,500 millones de dólares
anuales. Se estima que esta cifra podría
crecer 7% al año, en la medida en que
aumente el número de instituciones mexicanas con certificación internacional. Sin
duda, este crecimiento propiciará la generación de indicadores específicos, lo que
en unos años permitirá contar con estadísticas más confiables sobre el turismo
médico en México.
Algunas de las ventajas competitivas
que colocan a México como uno de los
países más atractivos para el turismo
de salud son los costos de los servicios
médicos, la proximidad geográfica con
respecto a Canadá y Estados Unidos, la
alta proporción de médicos especializados –muchos de ellos con estudios en el
extranjero– y una red de infraestructura
hospitalaria de primer nivel.
La Medical Tourism Association
(MTA) calcula que los pacientes extranjeros que se atienden en México ahorran
entre 36% y 89% con respecto a lo que
costaría el mismo procedimiento en Estados Unidos.
Septiembre 2014
En 1999 el Consejo de Salubridad
General (CSG) de México inició un programa de certificación de hospitales y
clínicas nacionales de salud con estándares internacionales. Actualmente casi
85% de los hospitales privados y 14% de
los hospitales públicos en México están
acreditados por el CSG.
En 2006 ningún hospital mexicano
estaba acreditado internacionalmente,
actualmente son 10 instituciones las que
tienen certificación internacional por parte de la Joint Commission International
(JCI), el organismo de acreditación de hospitales más importante en Estados Unidos.
La certificación de la JCI permite a
los hospitales mexicanos dar servicio a
pacientes de Estados Unidos asegurados
con Medicare, así como con aseguradoras privadas, lo cual abre la puerta a un
mercado potencial de millones de pacientes estadounidenses.
Las instituciones de salud en México
que reciben más turistas con fines médicos
se concentran en 10 entidades: Baja Califor-
Septiembre 2014
nia, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Distrito Federal, Jalisco, Nuevo León, Quintana
Roo, Sonora, Tamaulipas y Yucatán. En
conjunto, estas entidades federativas cuentan con aproximadamente 60 hospitales
que prestan servicios de salud de manera
regular a pacientes extranjeros.
De acuerdo con el estudio Perfil de turismo médico y de salud y de su impacto
en la economía de Baja California, realizado por la Secretaría de Turismo de dicha entidad, entre 2010 y 2013 la derrama
económica que generó el turismo médico
aumentó 21% debido al entorno de las
ciudades bajacalifornianas, a la mayor
oferta de servicios y a sus precios competitivos. Adicionalmente, por tratarse de un
estado fronterizo, muchos pacientes estadounidenses llegan por vía terrestre, lo que
facilita la proveeduría de estos servicios.
De los pacientes extranjeros que reciben servicios médicos y se atendieron en
Baja California, 83% proviene de Estados
Unidos (41% es hispano nacido en ese
país), 9% de Canadá, 7% son mexicanos
residentes en Estados Unidos y el resto
proviene de otros países. Resulta muy interesante cómo la industria médica y hospitalaria de Baja California han atraído
progresivamente a pacientes de otros países; en 2010 98.1% de los pacientes extranjeros que visitaron el estado en busca
de servicios médicos provenía de Estados
Unidos. El estudio también revela que en
2013 la industria de turismo médico generó 30,390 empleos en Baja California.
Según cifras del INEGI, entidades federativas como Nuevo León y Jalisco cuentan con una plantilla de personal médico
muy alta; 19.5% del personal médico de
hospitales y clínicas particulares del país
reside en Nuevo León, mientras que en
Jalisco se encuentra 10.3%. Quintana
Roo y Yucatán, estados que cuentan con
un sector turístico altamente desarrollado,
también han empezado a mejorar su oferta
e infraestructura médica para incrementar
su participación en el turismo médico.
México tiene una base de capital humano altamente calificada en servicios
médicos. Según datos de la Organización
para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo Económicos (OCDE), la proporción de médicos especialistas entre médicos generales
en México es de 62.3% –proporción superior al promedio de la OCDE (57.7%)–,
lo que nos coloca como el décimo país con
más especialistas dentro del total de la comunidad médica entre los países miembro.
Asimismo, en México se gradúan 11.6 médicos por cada 100,000 habitantes, –cifra
superior al promedio de la OCDE (11.2)
y también superior al promedio de países
como Estados Unidos (6.9), Canadá (7.6),
Corea del Sur (8.2) y Francia (9.0).
Sin embargo, una ventana de oportunidad es la oferta de capital tecnológico existente en el país. Por ejemplo,
el número de unidades de resonancia
magnética (MRI) por cada millón de habitantes en México es de 2.2 unidades,
mientras que el promedio de la OCDE es
de 13.9. En el mismo caso se encuentra
la disponibilidad de otros equipos como
escáneres cerebrales. En México hay 5.1
escáneres por cada millón de habitantes,
mientras que el promedio de la OCDE
asciende a 23.7. Otro indicador por mejorar son las camas de hospital. En México hay 1.6 camas de hospital por cada
mil habitantes, mientras que el promedio
de la OCDE es de 4.8.
Lo anterior representa una gran oportunidad de inversión para ampliar la capacidad de atención y hacer todavía más
competitivo al sector. Si se mantienen las
inversiones necesarias para adquirir equipos especializados y continúa el número de
instituciones de salud certificadas a nivel
internacional, México será sin duda un
destino internacional líder para el turismo
médico, no solo en América del Norte sino
en el mundo entero. N
*Consejera de ProMéxico en Boston,
Massachusetts, Estados Unidos.
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México:
promesa mundial para el turismo médico
La infraestructura de servicios médicos del sector privado, la cercanía con Estados Unidos y la fuerte
demanda de servicios médicos de calidad posicionan a México como potencia líder en el sector.
por guillermo wolf*
En los últimos años el incremento a nivel global del flujo de pacientes y profesionales de la salud, así como los avances en la ciencia médica, las tecnologías de la información, el financiamiento de
capital y los regímenes regulatorios en las fronteras internacionales han dado lugar a nuevos patrones de consumo y producción
de servicios de salud.
Cada vez más pacientes cruzan fronteras en busca de tratamientos y atención médica. El fenómeno, que de acuerdo a la
Organización para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo Económicos
(OCDE) se denomina turismo médico, abarca una amplia gama
de servicios médicos pero se concentra principalmente en tratamientos dentales, cirugías, terapias y rehabilitación.
a la vanguardia
Según estadísticas publicadas en Patients Beyond Borders, México ocupa el segundo lugar como destino de turismo médico a
nivel mundial –detrás de Tailandia–, con más de un millón de
pacientes extranjeros al año, entre los cuales destacan visitantes estadounidenses, canadienses y de algunos países europeos
y sudamericanos. Los pacientes de Estados Unidos provienen
principalmente de tres estados sureños: California, Arizona y
Texas.
De acuerdo con datos de la Secretaría de Turismo, México
tiene más de una docena de destinos especializados en este tipo
de turismo, industria a la que también se unen otros prestado-
res de servicios turísticos y de atención médica de la más alta
calidad para atender cirugía general y plástica, así como especialidades como oncología, ortopedia, cardiología y gastroenterología, principalmente.
Son varios factores los que favorecen a la industria del turismo médico en México; entre ellos: la proximidad geográfica
con Estados Unidos, la calidad del capital humano –prestadores
de servicios de salud altamente capacitados–, las certificaciones
internacionales de hospitales y clínicas de atención médica, además del costo de los tratamientos –en algunos casos hasta 80%
más baratos que en Estados Unidos.
Aunado a lo anterior, el Consejo Mexicano de la Industria
del Turismo Médico (CMITM) fue aceptado en 2013 como socio de la Organización Mundial del Turismo (OMT), consolidándose como el organismo representante del turismo médico
en México y como único interlocutor autorizado para tener contacto con empresas de todo el mundo que brinden estos servicios
de salud, al mantener un acercamiento con expertos en el tema
y aliados de los sectores público y privado a niveles nacional e
internacional.
La acreditación internacional es un elemento importante
para determinar la calidad y seguridad dentro las instituciones
de salud, garantizando así que los procesos y resultados del cuidado del paciente sean adecuados. Entre otros organismos, la
Son varios factores los que favorecen a la industria del turismo médico en México; entre ellos:
la proximidad geográfica con Estados Unidos, la calidad del capital humano –prestadores de
servicios de salud altamente capacitados–, las certificaciones internacionales de hospitales
y clínicas de atención médica, además del costo de los tratamientos –en algunos casos hasta
80% más baratos que en Estados Unidos.
Joint Commission International (JCI) se encarga de certificar a
las instituciones de salud en el mundo para que puedan considerarse como destinos de turismo médico. La JCI identifica, mide
y comparte con el mundo las mejores prácticas relacionadas con
la calidad y la seguridad de los pacientes.
El Consejo de Salubridad General de México ha certificado
(hasta julio de 2014) un total de 90 hospitales privados y 119 están en proceso de certificación para poder ofrecer servicios vinculados con el turismo médico. Dentro de estos establecimientos
certificados se encuentran grupos líderes como el Centro Médico
ABC y Médica Sur, entre otros.
Líderes en el mercado
En su misión por contribuir al fortalecimiento de la industria
mexicana y la consolidación y facilitación del comercio con Estados Unidos, la American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico
(AmCham) promueve políticas públicas que permitan impulsar
una mayor prosperidad económica en la región. En este sentido, se ha identificado al turismo de salud como industria con
grandes oportunidades que crece y evoluciona a un ritmo muy
rápido y que representa un segmento económico muy próspero
que no debe pasar desapercibido.
Socios de AmCham participan activamente en la promoción
del turismo médico. Tal es el caso de Médica Sur, complejo hos-
92
Septiembre 2014
Septiembre 2014
pitalario que ha generado ingresos considerables en México.
Se ha mencionado en los medios que “México tiene las condiciones idóneas para rebasar a Tailandia, principalmente por la
cercanía geográfica con Estados Unidos, el mercado de turismo,
que representa 40% del total del turismo de salud en el mundo”.
En su publicación Doing Business in Mexico: Turismo, PwC
–otro socio de AmCham– señala que un sector importante al
que puede dirigirse el turismo médico son los ocho millones de
adultos en proceso de retiro en México, además de los cinco
millones de ciudadanos estadounidenses que residen en estados
colindantes con la frontera de México. En este estudio se sostiene que 250,000 estadounidenses salen de su país para recibir
servicios de atención médica, lo que representa un gasto anual
de 5,500 millones de dólares –considerando que 47 millones de
estadounidenses no tienen seguro o cobertura médica.
Finalmente, un grupo importante que impulsa esta industria
es el de las compañías aseguradoras, las cuales buscan ofrecer
planes de cobertura que ayuden a reducir los costos de tratamiento y tener una mayor cobertura de servicios a escala internacional, beneficiando a los pacientes con ahorro en los costos
de primas, copagos o deducibles. N
*Director General y Vicepresidente Ejecutivo de American Chamber of
Commerce of Mexico (AmCham).
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Las
reformas
y su incidencia
para un México más
competitivo
Durante las últimas décadas
diversos países han impulsado la
modernización de sus gobiernos
para agilizar la apertura y el
funcionamiento de las empresas.
México no se ha quedado al margen
y en paralelo a las recientes reformas
estructurales ha sentado las bases para
mejorar la apertura y administración
de empresas.
por moisés flores gómez*
Las recientes reformas estructurales en
México tienen como uno de sus propósitos convertir al país en un destino cada
vez más atractivo para la inversión extranjera y para el establecimiento de inversiones productivas en distintos sectores. A la par de estas modificaciones sustantivas, México –siguiendo recomendaciones puntuales del Banco Mundial– ha
realizado cambios y mejoras regulatorias
con el propósito de modernizar y simplificar la apertura de nuevas empresas, así
como su administración.
El Banco Mundial señaló que en los
países donde existe un gobierno electrónico eficiente, las empresas tienen una mayor
facilidad para hacer negocios. El gobierno
electrónico surgió en la década de 1980
y se ha convertido en el mecanismo más
efectivo para impulsar el desarrollo de las
empresas a nivel mundial.
Hace un par de meses se publicaron
en el Diario Oficial de la Federación
(DOF) varias reformas en materia de
derecho mercantil. Destacan las modificaciones realizadas a la Ley General de
Sociedades Mercantiles (LGSM), con el
propósito central de facilitar la creación
de empresas y negocios y promover la
atracción de inversión extranjera, así
como la creación de fuentes de empleo.
Un componente importante de dichos
cambios radica en la modernización,
94
Septiembre 2014
flexibilización e incorporación de reglas
más eficientes para el tipo de sociedad
mercantil más común en México: la Sociedad Anónima (SA).
De acuerdo con la Comisión Federal de
Mejora Regulatoria (COFEMER), con estas
reformas a la LGSM los costos financieros
de las empresas disminuirán aproximadamente en un monto equivalente a 0.07%
del Producto Interno Bruto (PIB) del país, es
decir, alrededor de 8,739 millones de pesos.
La Secretaría de Economía, a través
de la Subsecretaría de Competitividad y
Normatividad, ha señalado que con estas
nuevas regulaciones México podrá avanzar varias posiciones en el rubro “facilidad
para hacer negocios” del reporte Doing
Business del Banco Mundial –en este análisis se desglosa una medición objetiva de
las normas que regulan la actividad empresarial, así como su puesta en práctica en
189 economías y ciudades seleccionadas.
La nueva sociedad anónima
en México
A continuación se enlistan las modificaciones más representativas realizadas a
la LGSM, las cuales tienen como propósito modernizar, flexibilizar y optimizar
el gobierno corporativo:
1. Objeto social flexible. Antes de estas
reformas, las empresas solo podían reali-
Septiembre 2014
zar las funciones expresamente establecidas en sus actas constitutivas. Para llevar
a cabo actividades distintas a las contempladas en su objeto social, era necesario reformar los estatutos. Esto no era
congruente con las prácticas comerciales
actuales. En la actualidad las empresas
pueden cambiar de giro repentinamente
y en ocasiones requieren llevar a cabo actos que no se encuentran especificados en
sus estatutos. En esas situaciones, con la
legislación anterior, las empresas tenían
que modificar sus estatutos para cambiar
de giro o incluir nuevas facultades, lo
que representaba costos notariales y de
tiempo.
2. Fedatarios Públicos. Se actualizaron los
artículos de la LGSM en los que se alude
a notarios y corredores públicos, quienes
tienen facultades para realizar ciertos actos jurídicos. De esta manera se aclaran
algunas controversias sobre las facultades
de los corredores públicos, lo que generará una mayor competencia y calidad en la
prestación de los servicios fedatarios.
3. Libertad contractual, mejoras al gobierno corporativo y derechos de minorías. Antes de las reformas, el régimen de
las sociedades era rígido –por ejemplo, la
celebración de acuerdos entre accionistas
y la organización de los órganos societa-
Hace un par de meses se
publicaron varias reformas
en materia de derecho
mercantil. Destacan las
modificaciones realizadas
a la Ley General de
Sociedades Mercantiles,
con el propósito central
de facilitar la creación
de empresas y negocios y
promover la atracción de
inversión extranjera, así
como la creación de fuentes
de empleo. Un componente
importante de dichos cambios
radica en la modernización,
flexibilización e
incorporación de reglas
más eficientes para el tipo
de sociedad mercantil más
común en México: la Sociedad
Anónima.
95
rios–, lo cual generaba cierta desventaja
con respecto a otros países para atraer
inversión. La legislación mercantil en
materia de gobierno corporativo y derechos de minorías se diseñó hace décadas
y, a pesar de que en la práctica se realizaban convenios entre accionistas, no
había libertades como las que se contemplan en la reformada LGSM. Ahora las
SA pueden pactar restricciones respecto
a la transmisión de acciones, la exclusión
de accionistas y la emisión de acciones
que no confieran derecho de voto, entre
otras medidas. Asimismo, la ley permite
que se amplíe, limite o niegue el derecho
de suscripción preferente, con lo que
podrán incluirse candados en los estatutos sociales correspondientes, además
de limitar la responsabilidad en daños y
perjuicios ocasionados por consejeros y
funcionarios.
Aunado a lo anterior, los accionistas de
las SA podrán convenir entre ellos sobre:
• Derechos y obligaciones que establezcan opciones de compra o venta
de acciones.
• Actos jurídicos relativos al ejercicio de
derecho de preferencia para la suscripción de acciones en el caso de aumentos al capital social.
• Acuerdos para el ejercicio del derecho
de voto.
96
foto
• Acuerdos para la enajenación de acciones en oferta pública, entre otros.
Respecto del derecho de minorías, las
reformas dotan de mejores derechos a los
accionistas que tengan una participación
minoritaria en la empresa, sin comprometer la operación de las sociedades. Asimismo, ahora es factible tener acciones con y
sin derecho a voto. En suma, los derechos
de minorías se ven reflejados básicamente
en los siguientes supuestos:
• Disminución del porcentaje necesario
para ejercer una acción civil en contra
de los miembros del consejo de administración, de 33% a 25%.
• Reducción del porcentaje necesario
para aplazar por tres días y sin necesidad de nueva convocatoria, la votación
de cualquier asunto respecto del cual
no se consideren suficientemente informados, de 33% a 25%.
• Disminución del porcentaje necesario
para oponerse judicialmente a las resoluciones de las asambleas generales, de
33% a 25%.
Asimismo, antes de las reformas las
SA tenían que publicar en el DOF o, en
su caso, en los periódicos de mayor circulación donde estuviese el domicilio social de la empresa. Esto provocaba que
archivo
los costos de publicación fueran sumamente altos y muchas empresas no acataban esta norma, o publicaban en periódicos con bajo tiraje, lo cual provocaba
incertidumbre jurídica, irregularidades y
fomentaba los litigios.
Con las modificaciones a la LGSM se
optimizan las actividades comerciales de
las empresas. En este sentido se establecerá
un sistema electrónico regido por la Secretaría de Economía, que deberá publicarse
el 14 de junio del 2015 en el DOF.
Algunos de los temas que antes se publicaban en diarios impresos ahora deberán difundirse en medios electrónicos. Son
los casos de reducciones y aumentos al
capital social, convocatorias para asambleas, acuerdos sobre fusión de empresas,
resolución de escisión de empresas, balance final de liquidación de compañías y
balances generales de las sociedades extranjeras en México, entre otros.
Sin lugar a dudas, estas modificaciones modernizan la legislación mercantil
mexicana, acercándola a las mejores prácticas internacionales. Esto se traducirá en
una simplificación administrativa para las
empresas y en mayor competitividad. N
*Abogado corporativo en Basham, Ringe y
Correa, S.C.
Septiembre 2014

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