Bulletin 455 - Friday, January 29, 2010

Mexico City,- Continental Tire Mexico will inaugurate truck tires retread plants in Mexico, and the first one to start operating is located in Monterrey; this plant has already been inaugurated. According to a press release by the Company, this ContiTread unit (Continental Retreading Plant) is the first of 11 plants they are planning to start operating between 2010 and 2011. ContiTread Plant in Monterrey is fruit of an alliance made with Jasman Automotive Dealership, supplementing services offer. According to Continental estimates, investment for each unit should amount to around five million. According to a spokesperson, after Monterrey, plans are to open units in Guadalajara, Merida and Cordoba.

Source: T21

Nuevo Leon, Mexico,- Nuevo Leon could generate up to 40 thousand direct jobs in 2010, according to the branch in Nuevo Leon of the Mexican Employers Confederation, Confederacion Patronal de la Republica Mexicana. Marcelo Canales Clariond, Chairman, said that this figure will be extremely positive, taking into consideration the setback caused by the economic crisis, still being suffered. He further said that since the crisis started and to date 80 thousand jobs have been lost in Nuevo Leon. "In 2010, it is highly possible we will recover around 30 to 40 thousand jobs, if we keep this pace, but we need 100 thousand jobs per year". In addition, he said, private consumption and private investment are also expected to keep this trend and grow around 2.7% and 3.8% respectively. "What is required in Nuevo Leon is that at least 100 thousand jobs are generated and throughout Mexico over a million jobs must be created to fight poverty", he said. Nuevo Leon could generate up to 40 thousand direct jobs in 2010, according to the branch in Nuevo Leon of the Mexican Employers Confederation, Confederacion Patronal de la Republica Mexicana. Marcelo Canales Clariond, Chairman, said that this figure will be extremely positive, taking into consideration the setback caused by the economic crisis, still being suffered. He further said that since the crisis started and to date 80 thousand jobs have been lost in Nuevo Leon. "In 2010, it is highly possible we will recover around 30 to 40 thousand jobs, if we keep this pace, but we need 100 thousand jobs per year". In addition, he said, private consumption and private investment are also expected to keep this trend and grow around 2.7% and 3.8% respectively. "What is required in Nuevo Leon is that at least 100 thousand jobs are generated and throughout Mexico over a million jobs must be created to fight poverty", he said.

Source: El Porvenir

Dallas- BP Solar, a company that sells energy, informed today they entered an agreement with Jabil Circuit Inc. to build solar panels in Mexico for the US market. Jabil, based in St. Petersburg, Florida, operates a manufacturing center in Chihuahua, where they manufacture solar panels for other companies. BP Solar said that, as per the agreement, Jabil will initially assemble enough solar panels to generate around 45 megawatts, the power required to supply up to 15 thousand homes with average consumption. This is the second agreement between BP Solar and Jabil, after last October they entered an agreement to manufacture solar panels in Poland for the European market.

Source: Notimex

Mexico,- The US railroad Kansas City Southern is analyzing the possibility of investing US$100 million in Mexico to expand operations in Lazaro Cardenas Port. Michael Haverty, General Manager, acknowledged in a press conference held at Monterrey that Lazaro Cardenas Port is the fastest growing port in North America, and therefore proposed investing in this place and some other sites in Mexico, which their railway crosses. Haverty said that their investment in this port, located in Mexico's Pacific Coast, could be between US$75 and US$100 million and further mentioned that Lazaro Cardenas Port can receive the largest ships and currently receives vessels from nine companies.

Source: El Semanario

Coahuila, Mexico,-With a €12 million investment, essential to preserve 460 jobs, Fersinsa will inaugurate today a new Purimox plant in their premises at Sintesis Complex in Ramos Arizpe. With these new facilities, Fersinsa takes a huge leap to become the first company to produce the purest amoxicillin in the world with completely "green" processes. And if this is a very important step for the Company, it is even more for Coahuila Southeast Region, because it means a significant advance for the incipient pharmaceutical cluster here, paving the way to the badly needed industrial diversification.

Source: Vanguardia

Mexico City,- 5 years ago it was decided in Queretaro that part of their economic policy would be focused on aeronautics industry and, according to Canada Government, this labor force has outdone several US cities in productivity. The study made by Canada Government, "2009. Invest in Canada. Aerospace Sector" considers Queretaro one of the best cities in North America to manufacture for competitive prices, because there are qualified personnel there. Queretaro ranks among the best, together with Montreal, each of these two cities was rated 6 each, in a 0 to 10 scale, only after Toronto which got a 7. Queretaro has developed a 19-companies cluster and has received US$800 million in investment since 2005, when Bombardier installed a plant to manufacture aircraft parts, starting the first industrial park specialized in aeronautics in Mexico. Messier Dowty, a company specialized in manufacturing landing gear systems will soon inaugurate a plant in Queretaro as well.

Source: El Norte

Monterrey, Mexico,- Xignux, the Monterrey based group, will invest US$23 million in the next two years to open three development centers that will be located inside the Research and Technological Innovation Park, Parque de Investigación e Innovación Tecnológica (PIIT), where around 180 people will work, Eugenio Garza Herrera informed. "It is authorized. We will build three buildings: one for Wires, another one for Transformers and the third one for Food (the company's divisions)", said Mr. Garza Herrera, Zignux President, after participating yesterday in the event to present Romulo Garza Awards for Research and Technological Development 2009. Xignux is the first Mexican company to start the construction of a research center in PIIT, where there are already six research centers operating and two more in construction. Motorola is the only private company working there now.

Source: El Mural