Zico walked through the halls of Expoindustria 2024. Lying down, standing on two legs, he stole the glances and even the affection of the visitors and exhibitors of more than 110 companies who gathered at the Hilton Colón Hotel in Guayaquil to show their latest developments. in technology, including artificial intelligence and digital transformation.
His owner Marcelo Ortiz, General Manager of Artil Robotics, commented that he named him Zico after a dog he had when he was little, but the difference is that this Zico is not a dog like his predecessor, or at least he is. not flesh and blood, as it is a robot dog, imported by Artil Robotics from China, it is a GO 2 Air model from Unitree Robotics.
Artil Robotics is dedicated to developing advanced robotics software and “give enough intelligence” to the robots that matter, Ortiz said as he guided Zico through his cell phone, which can be used for commercial matters, brand promotion, event dissemination, but also inspections and monitoring of security issues.
A trade agreement with Costa Rica is about to enter into force
“These robots are at the frontier of knowledge, many of them are being developed software for using these robots in more advanced applications,” Ortiz emphasized. Artil Robotics is the legal representative of Unitree Robotics in Ecuador and is responsible for the support and maintenance of the equipment.
These technological products have attracted the attention of several businessmen, not only domestic but also foreign, including a trade mission that arrived from Costa Rica. According to Francic Jarrín, president of Industries of Guayaquil (CIG), organizer of Expoidustrias 2024, Costa Rican entrepreneurs are looking for opportunities in the trade agreement that will soon enter into force after being approved by the National Assembly of Ecuador and the Parliament of Costa Rica.
Ortiz pointed out that Costa Rican entrepreneurs have been interested in managing robotic arms that can be used for various applications in production or assembly lines. “We normally provide consulting services to the company, identifying bottlenecks, processes that can be robotized, and repetitive tasks that require intelligence,” explained Artil Robotics’ attorney.
Another company in which Caribbean entrepreneurs showed interest was Eva Engineering, which has been offering engineering, equipment manufacturing, automation and industrial assembly services for 14 years. However, its CEO Alejandro Narváez said that as a goal for 2025, the company is trying to take a position in automation in industrial robotics.
He emphasized that the company has been using augmented reality as a work tool in engineering projects for about six years. This allows the project to be built to be virtually projected on site and in real time. This tool is used through augmented reality glasses with which clients can examine every detail of the project. “It’s an immersion methodology, the client enters his project, he’ll be able to walk, he’ll start generating changes,” explained Narváez.
Another application of augmented reality is technical service provided to machines that are in other countries. “Sometimes machines stop or need maintenance and production can’t stop, so our clients and our technician in Ecuador put on the glasses and go online and it’s like I’m standing next to them.”
Expoindustria 2024 shows the latest trends in the industry and analyzes the impact of AI and digital transformation
He added that they are also working on the development of two artificial intelligence projects. One is the generation of an intelligent chat that will solve all the doubts of the customer in case of equipment failure, and the other is artificial visualization that will allow the robot to identify the elements using vision in order to pack the product. “For example, if we have a line of 100 shrimp and not all of them are for export, the robot will be able to pick the best shrimp to export.”
As for Costa Rica, he pointed out that everything related to technology, metalworking and manufacturing will enter this market with zero tariffs once the agreement enters into force. “We come in there, we create the engineering, the technologies that are there, and this deal drives us a lot because we don’t have tariffs, they give us a free zone and we have preferential treatment to set up a company there.” Narvaez said.
Free zones are among the possible benefits of a trade agreement
The benefits of free zones in Ecuador may also be attractive to Costa Rican entrepreneurs, said Holger Ramos, who promoted the Progreso free zone at the Expoindustria fairgrounds in Buenos Aires on the Guayaquil-Salinas highway in Santa Elena province. “We have a concession, we are the administrator of the free zone and we already have some developed infrastructure,” said the businessman.
They are waiting for the state to qualify the first operator to begin developing the footage they will require, which will be ready in six or seven months. Ramos emphasized that the Economic Efficiency and Employment Creation Act came into force in December, which made this new customs regime for free zones viable and brought benefits that did not exist before, such as shielding tax incentives for the development of free zones and expanding the range of activities towards to professional services such as auditing, consulting, telecommunications, medical assistance and more.
Thanks to the regime of free zones and its exportable offer, Ecuador is trying to attract the attention of investors from 175 countries in Abu Dhabi
Ramos assured that it would be very beneficial for Costa Rican entrepreneurs to establish themselves in a free zone in Ecuador, since this type of scheme is export-oriented and in Costa Rica free zones specialize in transport services. call centers, inventory management and control.
“It would be complementary for us because, thanks to the possibility of a contract, we can enter not only with primary goods, but also with semi-industrial goods, providing services… that an Ecuadorian industrialist can settle in the free zone of Costa Rica, it can happen or “Let it be settling in a free zone in Ecuador can happen, everything will depend on competitive and comparative advantages.” (I)
