Conference Agenda

SMEs play an important role in the economy, particularly in developing countries such as Latin America (Latam), since they generate between 25% - 40% of the national GDP, and generate among 60% - 70% of the total jobs. Nevertheless, their vulnerability is high, as it is expressed by the survival time, depending on economic conditions of the market, it expected 50%-60% them do not to overcome the first two years of operation, and only between 20% and 30% manage to consolidate and remain active after five years. This work is the result of a collaborative project between professors of Industrial Engineering and Production Engineering from Universities in Peru, Colombia, and Mexico, who proposed study the Latin American SMEs, try to understand their risk exposure, risk categorization, and challenges. Three risk categories have been defined: internal, external and meso, identify them by the decision-making that gave rise to the root cause of the exposure to risk. In total, 14 companies were interviewed from different sectors, 44% manufacturing, 38% commercial, and 19% service. The results indicate, in the case external risk, 56% are associated with inbound and outbound logistics and natural phenomena (e.g. earthquake), mainly in companies dedicated to the industrial sector. Among the internal risks, the most vulnerable sector is industrial, with 43% of these risks coming from operations and management. Among meso risks, the most vulnerable sector is that of commercial companies, accounting for 52% of administrative and information management risks.

The social reality of Honduras, along with its regulatory framework and historical background has been marked by emblematic events in politics and democracy, which have generated multiple challenges in the country. The weakening of the democratic model has negatively impacted the rule of law, a highly relevant issue considering that the upcoming elections in Honduras will take place in 2025. This article analyzes the perception of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) regarding the democratic environment in Honduras, in the context of the presidential elections of 2025.The research was conducted as part of the International Relations Research course and adopts a qualitative approach. Through 11 semi-structured interviews with representatives of these organizations, the importance of citizen participation in strengthening democracy is underscored. Although certain advances have been made, significant challenges remain, such as a lack of trust in government institutions and electoral processes, which could affect the upcoming electoral process.Interviewees emphasize the reciprocal relationship between democracy and citizenship; an effective democracy requires active and committed citizenship in all processes, not just during elections. Additionally, transparency is fundamental; a widespread perception of transparency fosters trust and, consequently, greater citizen engagement. However, this can only be achieved through institutional strengthening.

This research describes, from a quantitative approach, the implementation of reliability-oriented maintenance methodologies in the printing industry. The results obtained were aimed at identifying and mitigating the main causes of production defects and machinery downtime. This study was carried out due to the constant problems in the machines, which present a high level of wear and obsolescence, frequent failures that generate downtime in production, decreasing operational efficiency and causing delays in product delivery. Key concepts related to maintenance, failure modeling and operational efficiency were analyzed. Quality analysis tools were used, such as Ishikawa and Pareto diagrams, which facilitated the identification and evaluation of the main causes of mechanical and operational failures in the production process, carried out in structured phases. These include from the hierarchization, prioritization of assets, exhaustive analysis of criticality, to the implementation of preventive maintenance programs. The results showed a significant improvement: MTBF increased by 43.8%, from 12.22 to 17.57 hours, and MTTR decreased by 27.5%, from 1.75 to 1.27 hours. In addition, machine availability improved by 5.1%, reaching an average of 93.1%. These improvements reflect increased operational reliability, reduced production defects and a positive impact on the quality of the final product.

The institutional maturity index, applied to the university context, allows for the study of economic development opportunities by assessing the capacity for adaptation, creation, and transfer of knowledge at universities in the coffee-growing region of Caldas, Risaralda, and Quindío, Colombia. Key indicators in research, development, innovation, and entrepreneurship, along with the capability maturity model (CMM), reflect the capabilities of the analyzed universities to generate applied research and technology transfer in the business sectors of their coffee-growing environment. The theories and models involved correspond to domains based on approaches presented by Solvell, Lall, Meyer et al., and Powers, such as the gap model, scientific production, human resources, legal agility, entrepreneurship, economic capacity, and technology transfer. The use of the index in the most representative universities in the coffee sector demonstrates its ability to establish the strengths and weaknesses of university capabilities and, consequently, their contributions to technological development and economic competitiveness. Regarding the study's contributions, it measures and quantifies universities' capacities to establish defined action paths toward continuous improvement in the direction of university mission processes, from research to teaching and extension, supporting the requirements of the coffee value chain. The final conclusion is that through innovation, universities can minimize gaps in the industrial sector.