The current economic crisis has caused a significant negative tendency in revenues and a notable reduction of the average size of firms in the Andalusian metal-mechanic sector, which is one of the most important in Spain. In this context, the University of Seville and the Andalusian Institute of Technology have collaborated on a research project - financed with ERDF funds by the Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Science - to obtain a model which quantifies the importance of the factors that are relevant for competitiveness in this sector. This model provides useful information for political and business decision-making. The main findings of this work are reviews in the paper "Exploratory analysis of the competitiveness of SMEs in the metal-mechanic sector in Andalusia", published by the DYNA Management Journal.