In order to identify the level of national competitiveness in the steel industry (producing steel from iron ore) in Ecuador through an ex post methodology, professor Pablo Perez, a member of the socio economic and business research group (Grupo de investigación Socio-Económica y Empresarial (GISEE) from the university's branch in Guayaquil, presented the paper titled "Competitiveness in the Ecuadorian steel industry: an ex post approach" during the 18th Scientific Convention on Engineering and Architecture held from the 21st to the 25th of November in Cuba,

The research presents an economic characterization of the steel industry in Ecuador and identifies comparative advantages and disadvantages based on exports and internal sales in this sector. "The steel industry is very important for the development of hydrocarbon, telecommunications, mining, electric and hydroelectric investment projects that the Ecuadorian government is currently developing in order to accomplish the tenth objective of the National Plan of Good Living", he said.

The research is an alternative to the complex models in scientific language that evaluate the ex post national competitiveness of industrial sectors with low exporting potential. For Pablo Perez, this type of research in the university could become an observatory of the competitiveness in industrial sectors of strategic importance for the country. 

It will also allow students who major in business and economics to implement this methodology as part of their graduation projects. "We seek to encourage change in the country's production matrix", said Perez. 

There were a total of 1026 projects from 37 countries, North, South and Central America, Caribbean, Europe, Africa and Asia.