Bulletin 432 - Friday, August 7, 2009

Reynosa, Tamaulipas,- President Felipe Calderon assured Mexico is overcoming world economic crisis. "We said we would defeat this crisis and we are doing so. We will soon see a new scenario, a new horizon", President Calderon said during the inauguration of Posco Mexico, steel sheets production plant. Posco, one of the most important steel sheets producers in the world, invested in Altamira US$270 million to build their plant, which will have an annual production capacity of 400 thousand tons. In Altamira, President Felipe Calderon said: "I want to tell our Posco friends that they were not wrong in investing in Tamaulipas and Mexico", he said upon starting his sixth visit to the State. Posco is a South Korean company, which invested more than US$270 million in this galvanized steel sheets processing plant for the automotive sector, which was inaugurated by President Calderon.

Source: El Mañana

Chihuahua, Chihuahua,- With a US$10 million investment and generating 180 direct high value added jobs, TigHitco Aerostructures-Chihuahua started operations here yesterday. The US Corporation will produce metal-mechanic supplies with thermal and special processing for Hawker Beechcraft, Boeing and Sikorsky aircraft assemblers, among others. The plant will design and manufacture products for aerospace, defense, power generation and transportation industries. The plant occupies 3,500 square meters (37,673.532 square feet) in a 15 thousand square meters plot of land located in Parque Industrial Sur and was inaugurated in a ceremony headed by Peter Nicholas, TigHitco President and Governor Jose Reyes Baeza. Governor Reyes Baeza pointed-out that the company arrives with an aggressive growth plan, for in the next five years they are expecting to go from 180 to 500 high value added jobs.

Source: El Diario

Sinaloa, Mazatlan,- Economic activity in Mazatlan received investments for over. US$3 billion in the first six months of this year; a figure which is still to be increased by year end with two tourism developments and a shopping center. Investments in tourism, commerce and industry are underway, assured Araceli Tirado, Minister of Economic Development for the Municipality. Araceli Tirado said that new investments have not shown the fast pace desired, due to existing hard financial situation. However, in the first six months of the year more than 500 applications to open companies have been received and more than 200 new businesses are expected to file soon; but most important are the 28 tourism developments which have confirmed an investment over US$3 billion, which has not stopped. "This means that there is confidence in Mazatlan and interest by investors to establish their business here", she said.

Source: Debate

Chihuahua, Chihuahua,- In six to eight years more a complete airplane could be built in the State of Chihuahua, if the Aerospace Sector continues with its consolidation, as it has done for the last five years. This was discussed yesterday by the Minister of Industrial Development, Martha Lara Alatorre, during the announcement of the next Forum on Cases of Success in Aeronautics Industry in Chihuahua, to be held next September 10 in Chihuahua Convention Center. Ms. Lara also announced the inauguration of Tighitco Aeroestructuras in one of the industrial parks here, Complejo Industrial Sur. 26 Plants in the aeronautic sector are currently operating in Chihuahua, with four thousand 365 direct jobs, of which 11 are from US investors, six from France, three form Mexico and one from Great Britain. Minister Lara further said that after 40 years of automotive and auto parts manufacturing industry, the only thing yet to be done is assembling a complete vehicle in Chihuahua, and if there is luck in the development of aeronautics sector, with the private sector and the government working together, assembling a complete airplane in the State of Chihuahua does not seem far.

Source: El Diario

Dallas,- Panasonic Electronic Devices Corporation of America announced they will stop manufacturing speakers in the United States and production will be completely transferred to Mexico. The Company, based in Knoxville, Tennessee, informed in a press release they are also planning to transfer their corporate offices to McAllen, Texas in April 2010, in order to be closer to their manufacturing operations in Reynosa, a city in the Mexico-US border, in the Mexican State of Tamaulipas. In the last few years Panasonic had been gradually transferring to their Reynosa Plant manufacturing activities to produce speakers for automobiles and ships. Late in 2008 they consolidated their speakers manufacturing operations in Reynosa Plant, but kept in Knoxville a plant that imported speakers from Mexico and provide them with value added.

Source: El Diario

Mexico City,- 11th PAACE Automechanika Mexico held last July 15th to the 17th in Centro Banamex was attended by 13,200 purchasers and 170 members of the press, in addition to personnel from exhibiting companies, according to the Report of Results. Statistics by Messe Frankfurt Inc. show the attendance of 13,200 purchasers, specialized in the industry, including mechanics, spare parts manufacturers, importers and executive officers from auto parts sector, aftermarket and commercialization. In addition, 237 companies, from 14 countries, exhibited in this event their most novel products and services. Organizers were pleased with this 13,200 specialized purchasers attendance, especially when this figure is compared against the 13,611 purchaser and 531 exhibitors in 2008.

Source: Al Volante

Chicago,- An increase in demand generated by a government program offering owners of old cars discounts to buy new vehicles, more energy efficient, has helped Ford to post its first increase in monthly sales in two years, analysts from the Company said last Sunday. July sales posted the first one month profit for Ford Motor since November 2007 and apparently the first by any of the six big automotive companies since last August, George Pipas said. Pipas would not disclose the total amount before results are officially disclosed next Monday. Ford sold 161 thousand 071 vehicles in July 2008, a 15% year-to-year drop.

Source: El Diario