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Innovations That Inspire

MÁS PYMEX: Pioneering Partnership for the Growth & Competitiveness of Mexican SMEs

Recognition Year(s): 2025
School: EGADE Business School, Tecnológico de Monterrey
Location: Mexico

This pioneering program to enhance the value of Mexican small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) brings the EGADE Business School, the Chamber of the Transformation Industry of Nuevo León (CAINTRA), the Monterrey Competitiveness Center (CCM), and 20 industrial groups together in partnership. Its innovative learning design includes integrative projects that address real SME challenges and generate both networking opportunities and co-created solutions that promote sustainable growth for the region’s business ecosystem.

Call to Action

Considering the recent historic influx of nearshoring investments into Mexico, particularly in the northeast, Mexican manufacturing SMEs have a remarkable opportunity to integrate into the global supply chains of corporations in the automotive, construction, aerospace, electronics, metallurgical, and chemical sectors.

This momentous opportunity is accompanied by an urgent need for Mexican SMEs to enhance their competitiveness, efficiency, and readiness for global growth. To address this need, EGADE has partnered with CAINTRA—a prominent member corporation that sponsors SMEs in their supply chain—and the CCM to co-create a pioneering partnership program.

This initiative sponsors Mexican SMEs through a development program focused on building their capacity for effective and efficient management, innovation, and sustainable growth. The partnership model for SMEs enhances the competitiveness and sustainability of these firms while generating positive economic outcomes through increased global investment with local and regional impact.

Innovation Description

This partnership program is designed for Mexican SMEs in the main manufacturing sectors in the northeast of Mexico. These companies are sponsored by participating global corporations and members of CAINTRA, and they receive preprogram SME diagnostics from the CCM. Corporations select and sponsor participating SMEs based on performance and impact in their value chains.

Delivered by EGADE faculty and corporation mentors, this blended learning program covers 68 learning hours across six modules and an Action Learning Project. The six modules include Future Thinking and Business Model Innovation; Marketing and Commercialization; Human Capital as Strategic Partner; Finance, Operations Leadership, and Industry 4.0; and Strategic Decision-Making and Leadership.

The Action Learning Project, a unique feature of the program, enables SMEs to focus on their specific growth and innovation needs. These needs are identified during the diagnostic process through input from the sponsoring corporation that heads the supply chain they participate in.

Sponsoring corporations include AlEn, Arca Continental, Autlán, British American Tobacco, Berel, Cemex, Clarios, Coflex®, Cuprum, DEACERO®, FEMSA, FRISA, Metalsa, Protexa, Ragasa, Sigma Alimentos, Ternium, Vitro, Whirlpool®, and Xignux.

Innovation Impact

Though only recently launched in 2023, the program has impacted almost 100 Mexican SMEs through 20 participating corporations.

The benefits of this program are multifold. Participating SMEs are prepared to drive innovation, increase sales, reduce costs, achieve operational efficiencies, and compete in global supply chains. Sponsoring corporations benefit from more reliable and institutionalized suppliers, which allows them to be even more competitive and sustainable.

For the Northern region of Mexico, more productive and competitive Mexican SMEs mean greater economic growth and job creation through sustainable regional integration into sophisticated global value chains. For CAINTRA, the Mexican industrial chamber, driving competitiveness and development of its member corporations and SMEs is a founding principle. Doing so at scale with EGADE through this partnership model creates a significant impact.

In a Mexican economy in which the role of the SME is central to GDP and employment, this program connects with EGADE’s purpose to rethink the future of business to impact the sustainable development of Mexico and Latin America.

Given the success of the EGADE-CAINTRA partnership, program leaders envision expansion to other regions of Mexico and growth to 250 SMEs and 50 participating corporations in five years.

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