Transformación tecnológica y organizacional en PYMEs: estudio de caso de Radha Colors

Abstract

This study analyzes the organizational, technological and productive transformation of Radha Colors, an Argentine SME dedicated to the manufacture of festive and confectionery products, during the period December 2024 to January 2026. The initial diagnosis revealed severe deficiencies in production management, internal communication, job security, and organizational structure, along with the absence of formal strategic planning and defined roles. To address these limitations, the company was integrated into an open innovation model coordinated by the Center for Agrobiotechnological Research (CIAB) of UTN La Plata, based on the incorporation of Technological Transformers: advanced engineering students supervised by senior professionals. This intervention followed a five-phase methodology aimed at identifying bottlenecks, standardizing processes, and redefining organizational structures. The analysis of production data shows a cumulative increase of 62.2% in 13 months, from 89,312 units in December 2024 to 144,862 units in January 2026, with a maximum peak of 193,401 units in September 2025. This growth correlates with the progressive implementation of operational and methodological improvements. The results show that the academic-productive partnership allowed us to address the structural causes of organizational inefficiency through a systemic engineering approach, generating significant improvements in productive capacity, operational efficiency and potential scalability. This case is an example applicable to other regional SMEs, evidencing the effectiveness of transformation models based on the university-industry-government triple helix.