Through the ProPymes Program, Tecpetrol has been helping companies to tackle challenges and reset their goals to drive growth. The newly released 2024–2025 report, the first of its kind, shares stories of businesses that have grown, adapted, or even reinvented themselves thanks to this spirit of collaboration.

Helping one company navigate bankruptcy proceedings and another adapt its services offering are just two examples of ProPymes success stories. And now, for the first time, those stories have been assembled together in a special report for Tecpetrol. The timing has also been carefully calculated, as the program has been running for several years, and it’s high time its latest phase was captured on paper.

As of June 2025, 278 companies across the gas, oil, and lithium industries in Argentina and Colombia are actively involved in ProPymes Tecpetrol, according to Marcelo Guszul, Supplier Development Specialist. “Our people know the program inside-out, as of course do our suppliers,” he explains. “But the goal was to give a clear, organized overview of the scope of the work we’re doing. With the new report, you can see in just a few pages the scale of our daily efforts and the impact they have."

Tecsa and Geocor are two examples of the kind of synergy that ProPymes creates. Tecsa, based in the Province of Neuquén, reached out to the Supplier Management team in 2022 after hearing about the program. At the time, the company was in dire financial straits, on the brink of bankruptcy proceedings—a situation that was disrupting its operations. However, thanks to comprehensive, collaborative support, Tecsa was able to turn things around.

“When we first met them, we saw that the financial strain had also eroded the company’s culture, as they’d lost a lot of key people, in addition to weakening focus and direction,” recalls Marcelo. “However, after several years of joint work through training, consulting, and a full restructuring of roles, I'm proud to say that they’ve successfully rejoined the dynamics of the oil ecosystem."

For Geocor, based in Salta, the story was very different. From the start, the collaboration worked well, and the company made the most of the potential that the ProPymes Program had to offer. Geocor not only improved but also expanded its service portfolio for the local energy industry. One outcome worth mentioning is that as a result of the program's training, a company engineer was certified as a Level 3 Welding Inspector, a qualification held by only around 60 professionals across Argentina.

“With Geocor we worked in perfect synchronicity as we understood each other from day one,” says Marcelo. “They’ve adopted best practices so thoroughly that they no longer need consulting support. They set their own priorities and carry them out in ways that deliver the most value."

Marcelo points out that in recent years, Tecpetrol's ProPymes Program has built its own identity, becoming a key ally for the company's growth since the launch of Fortín de Piedra. Central to this evolution was the decision to set up a dedicated supplier management area to broaden and strengthen collaboration.

Even so, he emphasizes that the spirit of the initiative mirrors that of the other Techint Group companies. "Our goal is to help SMEs grow in an orderly way,” says Marcelo. “We work to instill industry best practices, build on their strengths, and tackle areas that need improvement. It’s not about laying down commandments but about us sharing what’s working in the market and in the sector. That means we can all move forward together."

Strengthening bonds

Another key pillar of ProPymes is helping companies reconnect with their communities, an area that needed special attention in the aftermath of the pandemic. “Particularly following the lockdown period, we saw just how disconnected many companies had become from the people around them,” notes Marcelo. “At the Techint Group, we’ve always believed that growth is only possible if local communities develop together at the same pace."

This thinking gave rise to two initiatives designed to bridge the gap between SMEs and their communities. Tecpetrol Conecta links program companies with young people trained in technical skills, while Soldando Comunidades (Welding Communities) invites local residents into workshops where they can try their hand at industrial tasks.

Training also plays a major role. Today, the ProPymes Program offers some 50 courses, ranging from quick two-hour workshops to diplomas that span two years. On the consulting side, the focus is on embedding best practices, sharpening everyday management skills, and solving any technical challenges suppliers may face.

Would you like to know why companies choose to work with the ProPymes Program? Check out the ProPymes 2024-2025 report.