Bulletin 456 - Friday, February 5, 2010

Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua,- The crisis is not over yet, but local automotive industry is running engines again to give support to the new "green" market. The increase in production and design of more efficient auto parts, demand for personnel and reactivation of expansion projects frozen due to the crisis, are all showing now an accelerated recovery, businessmen concurred. Soledad Maynez Bribiescas, Chairwoman, Maquiladoras Association (AMAC), said that even if a slow recovery has been predicted for automotive market, local plants are recovering sooner than expected. Proof of this, she said, is vacancies being filled by companies in the sector. She said that at least two automotive companies established in Ciudad Juarez are planning to employ around 3 thousand people in the first quarter. She added that some other companies have reactivated expansion projects and are planning to generate more jobs this year.

Source: El Diario

Guadalajara, Mexico,- Even if Jalisco is joining late the race for the development of Mexican aerospace industry, led by Baja California, Sonora, Nuevo Leon, Chihuahua, Queretaro and Tamaulipas, the State of Jalisco is planning to multiply this year the number of companies that provide solutions for this sector. According to the document "Aerospace Industry in Mexico" published by ProMexico, aerospace sector in Mexico is made up by 187 companies, of which 147 are devoted to manufacturing, 26 provide aircraft maintenance services and 14 create engineering and design solutions. Eight of these companies are currently established in Jalisco, of which five are manufacturing companies and three provide engineering and design services; even if there is a total of 15 companies in Jalisco linked in some way to aerospace sector. Ricardo Gomez, Chairman, National Chamber of Electronic, Telecommunications and Information Technologies Industry, (CANIETI), West Region, said in an interview that the purpose this year is to increase by 22 the number of companies in Jalisco as certified for the development and manufacturing of products for aerospace sector. To this purpose, Jalisco will work on bringing more investments in this industry through the business encounter Aerospace Meeting Guadalajara 2010.

Source: El Mural

Torreon, Mexico,- Together with representatives from DEES Corporate Group, which operate here Cableados del Norte, Governor Humberto Moreira announced yesterday a new plastic components plant that will generate 260 new direct jobs and which will operate in Las Americas Park. Armando Mireles spoke in the name of the Corporation, which has facilities in Ciudad Acuña as well, and discussed the elements they took into consideration to establish this plant here in Torreon, mainly qualified labor. He said that the State Government has provided full support ever since they first established at the state, where they currently have over nine thousand employees. "They have always supported us, there has been synergy", he said. Mayor Eduardo Olmos said that the investment to be made in this city and the generation of new jobs are highly appreciated, "because this is what we need the most right now". Mr. Mireles said he did not have the amount of the investment to be made in this plant immediately at hand, but said that for the time being there will be 90 new plastic injection machines. He explained that "plastic components are parts that go in the tips of electric harnesses, they are not visible and careful preparation is required to produce them".

Source: El Siglo Torreón

Queretaro,- Since aerospace industry requires a certain degree of specialization, supported by international certifications, Bombardier Aerospace imports all the manufacturing supplies used in the two plants operated in Queretaro. Real Gervais, Vice-president of Bombardier Production Center in Mexico, said that in Mexico there are around 300 suppliers for aeronautics industry and some of them work with Bombardier. He cleared out that none of them produces materials assembled in an airplane, they only make indirect products, they are tools suppliers and some others are services companies. Bombardier, which manufactures airplanes in their Canada and United States plants, is working with authorities to bring to Queretaro companies certified to make aerospace components.

Source: BASE

Mexicali,- Nissan Design America (NDA) announced investments for around US$10 million in Mexico within the next decade in facilities, equipment and staffing Automotive Modeling Center, inaugurated today in this City. Jose Muñoz, President and CEO, Nissan Mexicana, spoke also about multimillionaire investments in plants located in Mexico. He said that Nissan wants to continue this year with large investments such as, for example, their platform in Aguascalientes plant, in order to work on new models. He said that this investment could have an impact in both Aguascalientes and Cuernavaca plants, even though he would not give any details about the amount of such investment, he did mention "multimillionaire" amounts.

Source: El Financiero

Monterrey, Mexico,- Industry in Monterrey has been chosen to be supplier in an ambitious Japanese aerospace project to manufacture a new airplane, Mitsubishi Regional Jet, known as MRJ, to be launched to the market in 2013, according to Herminio Blanco Mendoza, Vice-president of Mexico-Japan Businessmen Bilateral Committee in the Mexican Foreign Trade Council. Mr. Blanco Mendoza further said that a meeting to be held tomorrow in Tokyo will lead to new business. President Felipe Calderon, 54 Mexican businessmen and 200 Japanese businessmen will attend this meeting. Blanco said that automotive, electronics and infrastructure sectors will also be benefited. "The new Japanese airplane will include Mexican pieces, which means that, in addition to automotive and electronics industry, we are already working on areas as sophisticated as aeronautics", he pointed-out. This new Mitsubishi airplane will compete against models from the Canadian Bombardier and the Brazilian Embraer.

Source: El Norte

Monterrey, México,- At least 100 companies are expected to come to Mexico in the first half of the year, coming from Europe, Asia and the United States. Monica Gonzalez Garcia, Chairwoman of National Council of Maquiladora and Export Manufacturing Industry (CNIMME) said companies in several sectors are interested in coming to Mexico, including automotive, aeronautics, electronics, metal-mechanics and alternative energies. Even if the amounts to be invested or the number of jobs to be generated are not known yet, she forecasted that the installation of these maquiadora companies will help recover the 118 thousand jobs lost by the industry in 2009. During Nuevo Leon Maquiladoras Association General Meeting, she pointed-out this is very positive after the 2009 crisis.

Source: El Mural