Bulletin 379 - Friday, July 25, 2008

Ciudad Juarez, Chih, -- President Felipe Calderon and several representatives from state and. municipal government attended the inauguration ceremony of Electrolux new washers and dryers factory in Ciudad Juarez. "Electrolux has been a model partner in the creation of world class manufacturing facilities in Mexico", said President Calderon upon addressing to an audience of more than 1,000 guests and employees, gathered at the plant for the inauguration ceremony. "We are flattered to be here, when the operation of these extraordinary facilities starts". "The inauguration of this new laundry appliances plant is another significant step forward for Electrolux and Ciudad Juarez", Straberg said. "Investing in this factory is an important part in our plan to add new manufacturing facilities, which ensure Electrolux keeps on being competitive in the world market. Products manufactured here represent another achievement for Electrolux and the industry and are an important part of the introduction of Electrolux brand through North America. These products offer our customers unique designs, high performance and innovating features". Electrolux has invested more than US$100 million to build and equip the new and highly advanced Washers and Dryers Manufacturing Center. Electrolux works with almost 800 local companies, including those that have invested in new facilities in the Suppliers Industrial Park located across the street from the Complex. The new plant will employ more than 1,000 workers, recruited and trained mainly at Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua City. Together with the refrigerators plant located at the complex, Electrolux will employ more than 3,500 workers.

Source: Electrolux

Mexico City,- Grupo RESA, parent company of the intercity bus companies Oro, Herco, Oro Tours, and Surianos, will invest this year US$13 million in the purchase of 50 Irizar-Scania units, of which 14 were delivered yesterday. The order includes 20 Scania Irizar PB buses and 30 Scania Iriza Century buses, which will be travelling the roads of Puebla, Guerrero, Tlaxcala and Morelos, the Company's area of influence. Fabio Souza, Services Director for Scania de Mexico, explained that the combination Scania Irizar has proved to be both, productive and profitable in intercity buses in Mexico. "These buses being put into circulation have full back-up and support from both companies. In addition there is a workshop at Puebla that will be in charge of following-up on the behavior of these buses", he said.

Source: T21

Mexico City,- Prologis, the Industrial Parks Developer, will close this year with an investment. close to US$400 million in its operations in Mexico, the Company's General Director, Silvano Solis, informed. Mr. Solis informed to T21 that the investment consists in US$200 million in the construction and development of industrial complexes, while the rest will be used in the purchase of land. Among their most recent projects, there will be 60 thousand square meters (almost 646,000 square feet) available at Tijuana, Baja California next August. He also confirmed they will enter the market at Matamoros, Tamaulipas, where they are building one park and two industrial buildings, which add to 22 thousand square meters (around 237,000 square feet). Source: T21

Source: T21

Chevrolet Aveo is being manufactured in Mexico, This was published yesterday at El Universal in its supplement "Autopistas" (Highways) under the signature of said newspaper's correspondent at San Luis Potosi, Adriana Ochoa, who said that General Motors de Mexico (GMM) started the production of its model Chevrolet Aveo at a new plant built here. It is important to clear out that General Motors de Mexico has made no official statement on this issue; neither saying that Aveo will be assembled, nor disclosing the date the factory will be inaugurated. But the newswoman says that this act will take place on Tuesday, July 29, with the presence of President Felipe Calderon. Production will be 30 units per hour upon closing this year. The other model to be manufactured, according to the source, who interviewed workers and unsuccessfully tried to confirm with GM personnel, will be Pontiac G3, but we must clear out that General Motors Corporation is still to decide if they will discontinue any of its Divisions, as it was done some years ago with Oldsmobile. If the Division that will disappear is Pontiac, said production would have no purpose.

Source: Al Volante

Gerardo Vargas Garcia, Director in Mexico for the Institute to Foster Chambers of Commerce in. Spain and Murcia's Commercial Representative, informed the possible arrival of two Spaniard. companies to Torreon. He said that one of them would initially invest US$25 million and generate 500 direct jobs. It is an Asturias-based company working on Aeolian Energy field. However, he said that businessmen are also considering Monclova and Ciudad Juarez, checking cost-benefit. He assured that this company wanted to establish in July, but they ran out of time, so they are expecting to set up the plan by the end of the year. Regarding the other company, Gerardo Vargas explained this is a Murcia-based company which for the time being is considering selling its products in the field of greenhouse and agriculture technologies.

Source: Vanguardia

Culiacan, México- With an investment of around US$600 thousand in the first year, Neoris, world leader in software development and Information Technologies outsourcing, inaugurated, in a joint venture with the University of Sinaloa, the first Contact Center at the State. "In the first year we are considering to have around 200 employees, and therefore investment is of around US$3 thousand per each employee, costs that include infrastructure, computer systems, among others, for a total in one year of US$600 thousand", Carlos Castilla, Neoris Vice-president pointed-out. Castilla explained that by March 2009 the labor force will reach 700 jobs, with a total investment when the project is completed of around US$2 million. With the Contact Center, Neoris and the University of Sinaloa will contribute to the training of engineering students, offering them the possibility to obtain a certificate in the sixth term of Technologies career, as well as getting familiar with the Company's vision and methods.

Source: El norte

Shanghai,- Shanghai's City Mayor, Han Zheng, whose city is China's business capital, assured to. Mexican President, Felipe Calderon, that there is "a good development trend" for Shanghai-based companies to invest in Mexico, the Chinese press published. In a closed-doors meeting, which details were not disclosed, Han was optimistic about the bilateral relation, after Calderon chaired a business seminar before more than 360 Chinese businessmen, to whom he invited to invest in sectors such as auto-motion and infrastructures. Calderon, who is in Peking, said to Han that Chinese consumers are the real beneficiaries of a closest relationship between Shanghai and Mexico, because, as an example, thanks to said relationship they may enjoy more Mexican food, Shanghai Daily informed. The Mexican President made this comment regarding the largest Mexican investment in China: a corn tortilla factory established by Grupo Gruma at Shanghai in 2006, which required US$100 million and which supplies the main fast-food chains at the country, such as KFC, McDonald's and Pizza Hut. Among the trade agreements to be entered soon, there is the one that "will allow selling meat products, mainly pork, in the Chinese market", Calderon mentioned yesterday in his speech.

Source: Yahoo, news