Challenges in the Post-COVID Era Require Training, Technification

In an environment as competitive as the one we are currently living in, and taking into consideration the disruption of value chains due to the COVID-19 pandemic, today, more than ever, it is essential to have a qualified workforce to take on the challenges that may arise.

We need to make use of new solutions and the ingenuity of all generations to overcome this major challenge that we are facing. That is why it is very important to promote training, providing people with the tools and knowledge that allow them to be at the forefront of developing useful and competitive solutions.

The National Association of Paint and Ink Manufacturers (Anafapyt) has been promoting technification for several decades; so much so that in 1963, and by unanimous vote of the Technical Council of our organization, the "Club of Paint and Ink Technicians" was established, which reached 300 members and a year later changed its name to the Mexican Institute of Paint and Ink Technicians; this is how the famous IMTPYT was formally established in 1965, bringing together engineers, chemists, trainees and practitioners.

The institute is currently in charge of the promotion and diffusion of the industry's technology. It provides support to professionals seeking to develop and update their technical knowledge in any of the multiple specialties related to coatings. Today, there are three institutes —in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey— and we are moving forward with another one in the Bajio region to bring together technicians from Guanajuato, Queretaro, Aguascalientes, San Luis Potosi and Los Altos de Jalisco.

The role of the IMPYT is of great relevance, since it is responsible for the promotion and dissemination of the industry's technology, with the intention of strengthening different regions. It is also the technical body of Anafapyt, whose objectives include associating with and promoting the active participation of people whose activities are framed within the technology of paints and inks or who are directly related to that.

Due to the importance of having trained technicians in an industrial branch as relevant as paints and inks, the IMPYT organized the first "Jornadas Técnicas" (Technical Journeys) in Guanajuato, an event that until before the pandemic had been held uninterruptedly since 1973.

This year Anafapyt is ready to carry out our post-COVID Technical Conference, which will be held from September28 to 30 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, in order to continue promoting the economic reactivation and development of our industry.

The IMPYT allows us to increase the technical knowledge of our associates through meetings, seminars, courses, conferences, lectures and other means, in addition to promoting the exchange of knowledge and opinions among associates and similar institutes. As part of our liaison activities, we have even carried out joint diploma courses with UNAM, the country's highest university.

It is very important to continue promoting technification, since it allows us to achieve mastery of certain knowledge and skills in order to train experts who can take on present and future challenges, but also to create innovative solutions in an environment as complex and challenging as the one we have been presented with.

Without technology and that extra knowledge that makes us master a subject, it is very unlikely that the world would have been able to advance as it has done so far. Technology is what ensures that we train competitive and creative generations, so it will continue to be a key aspect for our organism, especially because the techniques that allow us to invent and discover enrich the heritage of civilizations.

At the end of the day, technology is nothing more than an everyday social practice that helps us to achieve specific results. Thus, technique and technology come together to satisfy needs and this is precisely what our industry strives to achieve, especially if we consider how much it contributes to the economy and the thousands of jobs it generates. With these actions we are seeking to achieve a better future. At Anafapyt we are ready for it.