In light of current circumstances, ProPymes redesigned its program targeted to clients and suppliers in all of its aspects. The new training program that will benefit more than 400 SMEs, has already designed 13 programs to be held at a distance, and has trained more than 1800 people so far this year and has offered remote industrial assistance.
The COVID-19 pandemic not only pushed us to adapt our industrial operations, but it also changed the way we relate to our customers. With the actual situation, Program Propymes faced the challenge of adapting its whole action plan to be able to continue to be close to the Value Chain and secure continuing support on these challenging times.
Training, one of its principal axes, had to be quickly transformed to be offered in a virtual format. The adaptation of these previewed training was fundamental to guarantee the formative continuity of different levels and even allow SMEs to capitalize quarantine time to train personnel remotely.
Such is the case of Professional Development Program for SMEs that began its second year in the last days of April, with 20 meetings combining online courses and offline activities, in which 33 collaborators from 19 companies participate, mostly clients from Ternium. The first module: Project Management Workshop suggested a practice in which a Project Management simulator was used, highly rated by the attendees: “The simulator allows learning in a very educational and entertaining way. It was a perfect start, the organization of virtual groups and the collaboration with enablers was great”, said Sofia Galfioni of INEAR, S.A. Likewise, during June, the Industrial Management Program will begin, one of the most sought for every year, will now be available 100% online. Registration is open.
Widening program offers
The month of May launched the first Webinar Cycle, aimed at owners and managers of Grupo Techint´s client and supplier SMEs. Grupo Techint answered the main questions that the organizations have regarding the Sanitary Emergency, and Mandatory and Preventive Social Isolation laid out in Argentina, from a legal normative framework perspective.
“When we thought we had all the answers, all the questions changed” Ezequiel Tavernelli, Director of ProPymes in Ternium Argentina, exposed at the opening of the virtual meeting, quoting the famous writer, Mario Benedetti. He added too: “We are living a moment of crisis, and we must all go through it together. More than ever, ProPymes has to become a platform for teamwork as a value chain, and find answers to the new questions raised, therefore anticipating the near-future changes.”
The initial cycle of 3 Webinars was able to exchange consultations with specialists from Estudio Mitrani, Caballero & Ruiz Moreno. The first cycle addressed working regulations aspects, the second one, management law aspects regarding circulation permits and allotments, and the third one, focused on SRT regulations, hygiene and security topics, work protocols, and Covid-19 as a professional disease. The second proposal in this format was “Family and Crisis, how to manage a Family Company in quarantine,” dictated by Guillermo Perkins. Each of them counted with the participation of an average of 200 people and, due to high acceptance, the making of new Webinars is planned in the next few weeks: “Regional and National Economic Landscape,” “Informatics Security within the Company” and “Leadership for High Complexity and Uncertainty Contexts”. It is to be said that all seminars offer a differential proposal, being exclusively designed for our Value Chain, provided by first-level specialists and free of charge for participating SMEs.
The e-workshop “Leadership in turbulent times” was also developed, and registration is open for the new workshops “Arranging the bases of performance” and “Strategic Management”. At the same time, training through the Cideter Foundation is still being offered, now with five online courses that people from all over the country can benefit from, with topics such as “Digital Marketing”, “Integral Management of Industrial Manufacturing” and “Solid Works for basic and advanced levels”.
Assistance for SME clients
ProPymes adapted all industrial assistance, another of its main work axes, to a remote format that will allow us to continue to walk alongside SMEs in the different processes regarding productive management improvement. Amongst them, some highlights are operation and process assistance, systems, logistics, family protocol, strategy, security, quality, and technical regulations.
Financially speaking, the support for productive investments continues, through the granting of ProPymes credits, and co-work is being done with financial entities to enable access to the Ternium Value Chain for more available credit lines.
We keep on working for ProPymes Exporta, maintaining our client’s and suppliers’ support to promote their exporting activities, searching for new opportunities, and with the complete conviction that exporting activities are a crucial part of the growth and development of our country.