Bulletin 462 - Friday, March 19, 2010

Mexico City,- The French Company, Safran Group inaugurated two plants in Queretaro, where they will manufacture parts for Boeing and Airbus, with a US$150 million investment. The new facilities, which belong to Safran's subsidiaries Snecma and Messier-Dowty, will generate 500 direct jobs and will manufacture engines and landing gear for civil airplanes. Jean-Paul Herteman, CEO, Safran Group, informed that their plants in Queretaro will manufacture pieces that are essential for aircraft, specially for Boeing 737 and the main pieces of landing gear for Airbus 320 and Boeing 777. He pointed-out that Safran's projects include the creation of an Aeronautic Campus, in collaboration with Queretaro Aeronautics University (Universidad Nacional Aeronautica de Queretaro); as well as launching the Aeronautics Competitiveness Pole, which they will develop together with French peer companies.

Source: T21

Culiacan, Sinaloa,- The Peruvian Company Ajegroup is an Enterprise devoted to the production of bottled drinks. They recently inaugurated a plant in Culiacan, to join the other 5 plants already established in Mexico, in the states of Puebla, Monterrey, Guadalajara and Villahermosa. This plant, where US$6.5 million were invested, will bottle Big Cola, Big Agua and Big Citrus, to supply their markets in Sinaloa, Chihuahua, Durango, Baja California and Baja California Sur. Plans are to ship products in the future to California, Arizona, Colorado and New México. Ajegroup currently has presence in 16 countries, including Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Thailand, Brazil and India, among others, with 26 plants. The purpose of this new plant is reinforcing their presence in northwestern Mexico.

Source: Debate

CUAUTITLAN, Mexico, - Allan Mulally, president of Ford, will visit Mexico by the middle of may so as to re-inaugurate the renewed plant in Cuautitlán, State of Mexico. With an advance of almost 90%, the investment of 3,000 billion dollars (bd) allows different tests in the assembly of new Fiesta, as stated some executives of the company. Yesterday, they showed off some vehicles brought from Europe, as well as some dismantled models in order to prepare the new staff that will participate in the manufacture of this vehicle. It must be pointed out that the vehicle manufactured in Mexico will be commercialized in all American continent, this is a part of the plan created in 2007; the Ford Forward, whose purposes consist in search a platform to reduce the construction of cars including world scale regions in which the brand has some representations.

Source: El Semanario

Monterrey, Mexico,- After a crisis that led them to technical stoppages in the first half of 2009, Navistar, the trucks and buses assembler, is back as the main heavy vehicles exporter in Mexico, Joaquin Iñiguez Arroniz, Corporate Director, assured. In an interview, he declared they are forecasting moderate growth in demand in both the domestic and US markets, something between 10% and 15% in 2010. "As a company, we increased our share of the market, from 15% we had two years ago, to the current 25%, with the launching of new products, such as Prostar trucks line". Iñiguez Arroniz announced they are planning investments in their plant for at least US$5 million in 2010. He considers Navistar will meet their goal of increasing International trucks and buses production by 50% in 2010. They therefore hired 500 blue collar workers in late 2009 to work in their Escobedo plant in Nuevo Leon.

Source: El Norte

Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila,- Daimler Trucks, trucks assembler for both, domestic and export markets, is making a business promotion to invite suppliers to establish close to their trucks assembly plant in Derramadero, and streamline production process. The company also announced an increase in production from 64 to 100 units per day. Gerhard Gross, President and CEO for Daimler in Mexico, said that considering that a second shift could start operating this summer, it would be convenient to invite suppliers to establish close to the plant, and they are therefore negotiating with several companies their installation inside Derramadero Park. "We will have offices in Monterrey, and we are encouraging Mexican and foreign suppliers which manufacture components in other countries to come and do it in Saltillo, so that production and shipments logistics is easier". He added that up to now three companies are planning to transfer production here, but nothing is definitive yet, except that construction in adjoining land has started, but Gross said he does not know the names of said companies.

Source: Zocalo

Mexico City,- Grupo ADO will invest more than MXP$200 million this year in units renewal construction of at least five new terminals and technology systems, Jorge Antonio Perez, CEO, informed. He said that in spite of the pressure the crisis has exerted on the sector, irregular bus transportation and increase in fuel prices, the Group will not stop investments, because their modernization must continue to be in a position to compete for passengers when economic rebound starts. "If costs keep on raising - such as the recent increase in diesel prices - there will be little margin for investment", he said.

Source: El Norte

Mexico,- Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) will inaugurate a Technological park, which will host 16 companies in the sector and will incubate 30 projects in the first year. Edgar Perez Hermosillo, Director, said that total investment, for MXP$150 million, was provided by federal and state governments and ITESM. The 16 corporations that will establish at the Park will develop and transfer technology. In addition, together with the incubator and the Ministry of Sustainable Development, they will attract foreign investment. "These are consolidated companies, 85% in Information Technologies and Electronics field; the rest are in automotive, aeronautics and sustainable energies systems fields", he pointed-out.

Source: El Financiero

Mexico,- Grupo Carso is getting ready to enter into a new market in Mexico: manufacturing buses. Grupo Carso, one of Carlos Slim's enterprises, through a 50-50 joint venture with Grupo Bler, will start manufacturing passenger buses this year in a plant located at Ciudad Sahagun, Hidalgo. These companies already jointly operate a company named Giant Motors Latinoamerica, and assemble heavy trucks in Mexico, which has proved a successful business. Giant Motors Latinoamerica has a trucks assembly plant in Ciudad Sahagun and a license to manufacture heavy FAW trucks, of Chinese origin. Their trucks in Mexico bear such brand.

Source: El Financiero