Dedication, work and commitment are some of the success factors that Jaime Caicedo believes any professional who wants to achieve significant success or create their own company should have. by Ana María Restrepo
For many people 33 is the lucky number, for others it is the ideal age where you have the strength to fight for dreams to come true or to start a new life, as Jaime Caicedo, manager of Robotec Corporation, did in recent days when marrying Gisella Sánchez; although in these 33 years he has also managed to achieve many of the goals he had set.
Cultural and occupational learning
Due to his father's work, Jaime lived his childhood with his parents Samuel and Hilda and his two sisters in different countries such as Colombia, Chile and Panama, where he studied primary and high school. Years later, this Colombian, born in Bogotá, returned to his country to study and graduate as an industrial engineer at the Pontificia Javeriana University.
In 1989 Caicedo together with its partners Dario Cattaruzza and Alfonso Vanegas, founded Robotec Corporation, a company that manufactures and distributes specialized products for automation and electronic security, which can be installed as stand-alone solutions or as part of fully integrated systems. "Robotec began as a company eager to develop technology in Colombia, initially without a defined approach to the security sector, but in 1992 we began to develop technology such as integrated security systems, which were not very common in the country, we also developed software and hardware for building automation, "says the professional. However, at the same time that he invested his knowledge, money and ingenuity in Robotec, Jaime worked in an American communications company, but as he says, his professional life began in his company.
As General Manager, this industrial engineer, is responsible for the commercial part, direction and strategic management where day by day he analyzes the competition, the market, the future, technology in addition to thinking about what may be the new products or fields of action to which Robotec could access. These managerial functions are not new to the company, as they were born from the very moment the organization was created in order to fully target the issue of space automation.
The interest of our professional towards the security industry began from the first days of the company due to the high rate of insecurity that was presented in Colombia, however as he says, making smart houses or buildings was not and is not viable in the country due to the high costs, however, the company took advantage of the existing affinity between automation and home, and explored the possibility of integrating security systems, (which, at that time, was very incipient in Colombia), and thus began to develop projects that gave good results. "At first it was very complicated because when it comes to making technology in a country that is not a technology producer like Colombia and where people do not believe in the national product, going out to sell it is difficult, but there were a series of strategies that allowed us to do it and the projects began to walk; at the moment we have a large installed base in large companies," Caicedo added.
Industry Professionals
The security industry in Latin America has evolved in recent years to such an extent that every day a manager in this industrial sector must be clear about his objectives to make the company increasingly profitable; although these objectives must also be focused on technological development, the increase of its technical and financial operations and especially the constant updating of its technical and human resources. For Jaime, the main objectives, beyond profitability, are the survival of the company, get things done properly to get the expected results and always be aware of the competition in order to stay updated to participate in the market with good deals.
Likewise, our professional believes that there are other objectives aimed at customers, which establish the actions of a company, that is, think about what each of the users needs and satisfy it through the use of a technological platform that adapts to their demand. In Robotec each client is preferential, because users should not adapt to the company's offers, but the company adapts to what they require, optimizing the solutions according to their requirements.
As a professional and manager, Caicedo recognizes that he has two important responsibilities, one towards customers by delivering what they need and meeting their expectations and the other and perhaps the most important to fulfill his employees as people and professionals.
Enjoy life, friends and family
Last July, Jaime and Gisella got married, a new marital status that will make this engineer change his work routine, which begins at five in the morning and ends at approximately 10 at night; however, Caicedo considers that each activity has a space and a time, that is why in his free time he performs 'relaxed' activities (as he calls them) that do not generate stress, either accompanied by his wife, his family or his friends. It should be noted that this professional says he does not have a particular hobby, but he does enjoy music, especially the new musical genre that mixes Latin and Caribbean rhythms with popular international sounds such as rock and pop, which is being imposed in the country with artists such as Fonseca or Jerau. "I like the splash, I play it from time to time, because I don't have much time to devote to it, I also really like diving and every time I can I do it in different places."
In his spare time, especially on vacation, Caicedo enjoys trips to get to know new cultures; in these trips he has already known much of Latin America and the Caribbean, also some nations in Central America, the United States and Canada, and a part of Europe and Asia.
Colombian and Latin American security
Currently, Latin America has a macroeconomic stability that, together with factors such as the decrease in country risk and the increase in GDP per capita in the region, enables foreign investment and industrial growth as confirmed by the firm Ernst & Young in a recent report in which it assured that confidence in Latin America on the part of investments grew favorably in 2006, as transactions were made for approximately US $ 102,600 million, that is, 154% more than in 2005.
In the same way, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, ECLAC, affirmed that Latin America will have a growth of 5% in the remainder of the year, due to the impulse that Venezuela, Brazil and Argentina will give. Likewise, Colombia will have an increase of 6.8%, which in turn provides possibilities for expansion to the security market, because as Caicedo comments, security has been growing in an important way around the world, in fact it had an important shot after September 11, which generated a new culture of personal security, local, national and global.
For Caicedo, the security market in Latin America has grown in those countries where there are higher crime rates, as in Colombia. For example, in this country one of the largest consumers of electronic security products is the State itself. "There is a lot of investment by the Government in citizen security, both in personnel and equipment, in addition many security systems are being integrated into the same government entities. Similarly, the private sector, especially medium and small companies, are investing in security, and with the boom in construction in the country, integrated security projects have been activated."
It should be noted that Colombia has a high demand for security services, at the same time that it has a wide offer in the market, a market that is not yet covered and in which many of the demands are not met, which allows the development of new technologies.
Challenges and expectations
Due to globalization and technological advancement, Caicedo and his working group, among whom is his sister Patricia (the administrator), face important challenges on a daily basis such as the development of new products and the satisfaction of customer needs, in addition to maintaining a constant technological update, for for them this is the permanent challenge.
As an entrepreneur and forger of his own company, Jaime considers that the creation of companies in Latin America and the development of technologies are of vital importance to begin to be autonomous and stop depending on foreign technologies, to create solutions that adapt to the physical and social conditions of the region and especially for contribute to the growth of the economy in the area.
Caicedo is a young entrepreneur and as they say in Colombia "echao pa'lante", for whom his work, his family and his collaborators are people who contribute more every day. A few days ago, one of his co-workers told him a phrase that caught his attention and the one he considers important, since it gives him the strength to continue: "some people see in the private company a fierce tiger that urgently needs to be killed, others a cow susceptible to being milked, very few see it as it really is, a sturdy percheron that drags a very heavy cart."
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