Electronic industry: a sector with present and future
Ana Vainman, Executive Director at Afarte, analyzes the panorama of the consumer electronics industry in Argentina.
By Ana Vainman
The consumer electronics industry managed to maintain its production levels during 2023. The sector is today the main private employer in the province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and the South Atlantic Islands. With 8,500 direct jobs and more than 7,000 indirect jobs. It has nearly 20 production plants, more than 40 automatic insertion lines for manufacturing electronic boards, an installed capacity of more than 22 million units (cell phones, televisions, air conditioners, microwaves and electronic auto parts) annually. It also has highly qualified engineers and operators, certifications, audits from international brands such as Samsung, Motorola, LG, Philips, TCL and others and is manufacturing locally with international quality standards. But above all things, the electronics industry has great industrial capacity and versatility that would allow other products to be manufactured.
During the first nine months of 2023 (latest data available) the accumulated production of cell phones was close to 8 million units, 2.9% more than in the same period of 2022. During the first four months of 2023, production showed a positive trend and above the 2022 figures but this trend was reversed between May and July, although from August onwards production resumed the positive path above the values of 2022.
Between January and September, 1.9 million televisions were manufactured, 19% below the same period in 2022. The decline in production was very marked in the 3rd quarter of the year, producing 29% less than in the same quarter of 2022, but it must be taken into account that the comparison is made with a World Cup year, where there are always higher production volumes.
In the first nine months of 2023, 1.04 million air conditioning units were produced, 27% more than in 2022.
In this way, the manufacturing of the main products of the electronics industry remained stable, despite the difficulties that the sector went through, especially with the acquisition of imported inputs necessary to produce and with the payment to foreign suppliers.
In addition to this present of the Fuegian industry, the sector is already working for the future. The industry is committed to contributing to a change in the productive structure of the province. With the last extension of the industrial subregime that was carried out in 2021 (through decrees 725 and 727), the creation of the Fund for the Expansion of the Fueguina Productive Matrix (FAMP -Fueguina) was established.
Thus, the companies grouped in the Association of Argentine Electronic Terminal Factories (AFARTE) presented projects to diversify their main businesses with proposals as varied as the construction of the Río Grande port; the creation of a maritime transport line; the creation of service provider companies for the Antarctic front; the development of agricultural activity in a province with little agriculture; tourism; the knowledge economy and others.
Fuente: ambito.com
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