San Pedro Sula, Honduras.- Mexico has the potential to have a smart city, a space where cutting-edge technology and people coexist every day to guarantee an inclusive society that can be an international benchmark.
This is what Yusuf Amdani, president and founder of GK Global, a Pakistani company dedicated to the development of manufacturing, real estate and service outsourcing businesses, believes. You can also read The Ganesha Lab, a new option to train entrepreneurial visionaries.
Almost a decade ago, GK Global began the construction of Altia Smart City, in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, a smart city that houses large international corporations seeking to expand their businesses in the country and in the Central and North American region.
The reason for settling in this country was its workforce, talent capacity and commercial connections with some North American countries.
A smart city is an urban environment that uses advanced technologies and digital solutions to improve the quality of life of its inhabitants and the efficiency of its public services.
These points incorporate connectivity, automation and data analysis to manage resources more effectively and offer high-quality services to their residents.
“Absolutely, there is the potential for one or several smart cities. Mexico has a population of more than 120 million inhabitants and the educational level, especially in universities, is quite advanced in many parts of the country,” commented Yusuf Amdani.
Today, GK Global has operations in the state of Campeche and last month signed an agreement with the government of Chihuahua, through the Institute for Technological Development Support (INADET) and the High Technology Training Center (CENALTEC). for the training and eventual promotion of talent in the country.
“Mérida, Aguascalientes, Monterrey and Guadalajara are points where there is a great technology boom, there is a great opportunity to develop a smart city,” added Yusuf Amdani.
From their perspective, these cities are key to technological development thanks to their large concentration of “bootcamps”, which are intensive research or education programs by large companies in the sector.
These programs are also taught by schools and have the characteristic of “connecting” students with the world of work, since sometimes job fairs are also held or companies directly look for the most outstanding students.
“For us to be able to replicate this project in Mexico, where the group already has operations, is always a possibility. We have a future project that we are already analyzing in other parts of the country,” commented Kathia Yacamán, executive vice president of Marketing and GK Global Marketing.
The director explained that although all possible markets must be analyzed, expansion in Mexico or another latitude is something that “occurs naturally in the business.”
“Mexico is an important destination for outsourcing, but it is a possibility for us,” Yacamán said.
In the era of digitalization and constant technological evolution, smart cities have become a topic of growing interest for both governments and companies.
Some of the key elements of a smart city include a large technological infrastructure, mainly high-speed networks, sensors, surveillance cameras and communication systems that collect data in real time.
They also have data analytics platforms that help governments and businesses make informed decisions to improve efficiency and security.
Another reference is efficient and sustainable public transportation systems, as well as shared mobility options and sustainability solutions, which highlight the use of renewable energy, waste management and environmental policies that can reduce the carbon footprint.
Derived from this last point, large corporations can take advantage of the city’s sustainable policies and infrastructure to improve their image and comply with stricter environmental regulations, whether by conviction or rules of each country.
Thus, smart cities offer a series of significant advantages for companies that choose to establish or invest in them.
“We design the buildings, electrical or electromechanical installations, everything the client needs, that includes even the installation of their equipment, which in many cases requires very specialized spaces. We can bring companies from anywhere in the world,” indicated the president of GK Global.
The cities of the future in Honduras
The Altia Smart City project currently operates in San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa, where more than 540 call center, information technology, data analysis, software development providers and companies operate, among other solutions.
Locally, GK Global has investments of 236 million dollars, generating 27 thousand direct jobs and more than 108 thousand indirect jobs. The group’s operations also cover countries such as Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic and the United States.
In the case of San Pedro Sula, the city has a shopping center, a university, recreational spaces, a small restaurant with game rooms, and soon a hotel.
In its surroundings, the green mountains of El Zapotal and Palma Real stand out, in addition to being located one hour from Puerto Cortés, the main seaport of Honduras that serves as the best channel for marketing products with the United States.
For GK Global managers, having this type of commercial connections represents an important point for the establishment of any smart city in the world.
They also highlight operational efficiency, as companies can leverage real-time data to optimize logistics, inventory and resource management. This reduces costs and improves efficiency.
Georgina Barahona, executive director of Corporate Affairs and the GK Foundation, added that another key aspect is talent, which often originates within these points thanks to schools or access to education.
He argued that smart cities attract highly skilled professionals seeking a high-quality living and working environment. This makes it easier to hire world-class personnel.
For experts, Mexico, with its economic growth and commitment to technology, is well positioned to lead this revolution.
They highlight that companies that take advantage of the advantages of smart cities not only obtain economic benefits, but also contribute to improving the quality of life of their inhabitants.
On the population side, whether city residents or neighbors, there is also a positive impact, as the quality of life is improved through real-time security systems, less traffic and even more efficient social security services.
Mexico, with its steady economic growth and rapidly increasing urban population, is ideally positioned to lead the development of smart cities in Latin America, according to the president of GK Global.
In the country, entities such as Mexico City, Guadalajara or Monterrey stand out, which are advancing rapidly in the adoption of smart technologies, in part due to the location of international companies.
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Within the pearl of Guadalajara, for example, the transnational companies IBM, Intel or TeamViewer are installed, while in Monterrey there are operations of KIA, GM, Ternium, Whirlpool and soon the automotive company Tesla.
2023-09-18 08:00:00
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