Strategic alliance to stimulate the export capacity of Colombian SMEs.

In the interests of promoting access by Colombian companies to the United States market, the University of the Andes (UniAndes) is developing the Global Consulting Practicum (GCP) program with the sponsorship of the Andean Development Corporation (CAF) and in alliance with the Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania.

The official launch of the second round of the program will take place tomorrow when representatives of the Colombian companies that have participated in the GCP share their experiences and results. The companies include Bavaria S.A., Globotech Displays de Colombia S.A. and Promotora de Comercio Social de Antioquia. As international guest, Vicente Norero, export manager of Tesalia Springs Company of Ecuador, will speak on the impact of GCP on their operations in the United States.

Reflections on the program will be presented by the CAF Vice President of Social and Environmental Development, Claudia Martínez Zuleta, and members of the Faculty of Administration of UniAndes and Proexport.

The program will be launched at 6 pm in the Founders Room of the Metropolitan Club at Calle 76 No. 2-68 Este.

This program, which the Wharton School has offered for 25 years, provides consulting services for Colombian companies that wish to position or reposition their products and services in a sustained and efficient way on the US market. The consulting covers the design of comprehensive plans to penetrate the US market, which include product positioning, price strategy, target market and distribution channels.

The GCP forms "mixed" teams of MBA students from Wharton and the partner schools which work as consultants to the selected companies with the support of teachers from both universities.

The program was originally developed in Israel, and later taken to India, Chile and Peru and last year to Colombia. On this occasion the Faculty of Administration of the UniAndes, which is acting as partner school, will be responsible for execution. The Colombian companies will receive tools that permit sustained access to the US market. “As participants in the program, at CAF we have promoted the alliance of the Wharton School with universities in the region, generating an interesting transfer of knowledge. We have also co-financed the consulting costs of some of the projects developed by the SMEs, promoting the development of their export capacity," Enrique Garcia, president & CEO of the Corporation said.