Conference Agenda

This article examines how the recession in Bolivia’s construction sector has affected the competitiveness of the cement industry. According to the INE, in 2024 national GDP grew by just 0.7 % while construction reached 2.7 %, reflecting low public investment, the collapse of Banco Fassil, and shortages of foreign currency and fuel. Over the same period, cement sales totaled 4.1 million tonnes, 77.15 % of which were concentrated in the markets of Santa Cruz, Cochabamba, and La Paz.

The entry of new state owned plants and private expansions has gradually reduced market concentration, with the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index showing a decline when comparing 2015, 2019, and 2023—evidence of a more competitive market.

The Porter’s Five Forces analysis reveals intense rivalry, high costs, and strong bargaining power among logistics and raw material suppliers, given the sector’s capital intensive nature.

Faced with this new scenario, the study concludes that companies must build sustainable advantages by adopting technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, implementing cost reduction strategies, increasing operational agility, and forging close integration with the construction sector in order to maintain their position in an increasingly dynamic market.

This paper introduces a cost-effective intelligent feeding and hydration platform for small domestic rodents. The system integrates computer vision, mechatronic actuation, and Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity within a unified perception–decision–action framework. A YOLOv8-S model identifies Russian hamsters, Syrian hamsters, and guinea pigs, dispensing species-specific portions of 5 g, 8 g, or 10 g. The ESP32 microcontroller manages a 3D-printed rotary dosing wheel actuated by an SG90 servomotor, verifies dispensed mass using a 1 kg load cell with an HX711 amplifier, and prevents empty-container operation using an infrared sensor. Hydration is controlled by a water-level sensor and dual submersible pumps for filling and drainage. Data and alerts are transmitted via MQTT and visualised through a Blynk mobile interface, enabling real-time monitoring and manual override. Experimental results from 60–40 trial batches demonstrate stable sensing and communication. The vision model achieves 99.667% test accuracy on 82 images from a balanced 819-image dataset, supporting reliable autonomous care.

integration of women into technological innovation and international trade ecosystems in Latin America is hindered by persistent structural challenges. This study conducted a systematic review combined with a bibliometric analysis (2015–2026) in Scopus. Using co-occurrence analysis with VOSviewer, the study examined the relationship between makerspaces, STEM education, and female entrepreneurship in the region. The results reveal substantial research on makerspaces and gender in developed economies (87 documents), with no Latin American representation. Meanwhile, 56 regional publications on women in STEM education were identified, primarily in Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil. However, these publications did not incorporate the maker ecosystem conceptually. A search on female entrepreneurship and internationalization in Latin America yielded only one document. These findings reveal structural fragmentation in the field and an absence of integration between maker infrastructure, STEM training, and female business internationalization in the region. In conclusion, there is a need for an approach that links technological capabilities, gender inclusion, and global scalability strategies in contexts such as Ecuador.