Bulletin 479 - Friday, July 23, 2010

Mexico City,- Aerospace industry is a priority sector for the Government, and this was proved in Farnborough Aeronautics Fair with the signature of two agreements to foster foreign investment. In order to encourage trade relations between British investors and Mexican manufacturers, the Mexican Aerospace Industry Federation, Federacion Mexicana de la Industria Aeroespacial (FEMIA) and United Kingdom ADS entered an agreement to promote cooperation and foster trade and investment.

Source: EFE

Coahuila, MExico,- A month after Johnson Controls announced they will expand their operations in the area, a group of top executives from Milwaukee visited yesterday Coahuila Southeast Region to get familiar with the several options industrial parks offer for a land to build their new plant. The group was headed by Jeff Williams, Vice-president and General Manager of the corporation's Automotive Division, who arrived in an executive jet from Toluca, where they made a business scale. The airplane arrived to Rajet hangar, where the executives were received by representatives from several JC plants in the region.

Source: Vanguardia

Mexico City,- Mitsui Power America, a Japanese company which recently purchased five electric plants under Indepenent Energy Producer (IEP) model, and a gas pipeline, is after new energy-related projects in Mexico, to which purpose they have a US$2.5 billion portfolio. Jaime de la Rosa, CEO, said that they are currently bidding for Norte II combined cycle plant in Chihuahua and they are planning to participate in the biddings for two other combined cycle plants in Morelos and Jalisco. In addition, he said, the Group is interested in new models Pemex is preparing to subcontract exploration and production. "At this stage, Mitsui is putting good moeny in the energy sector with a long term vocation, with important growth plans", De la Rosa said. Another business line they are interested in is Aeolian projects, through self-supply scheme. "The Mexican market in electric infrastructures is sitll very attractive for investors like us", De la Rosa said.

Source: El Pueblo

Berlin,- Volkswagen is planning to outdo Toyota, their main competitor, by 2018 and they are therefore planning a millionaire investment that could come to Mexico, the German newspaper Handelsblatt states. "Mexico is a viable option", Handelsblatt informed, after saying that Volkswagen wants to launch an offensive in the US market with the construction of an "engines factory in US Dollar ground". "VW wants to become an automotive consortium independent from fluctuations in the US Dollar rate of exchange", Handelsblatt said.

Source: Semanario

Mexico City,- MAN Group, the German hybrid technology corporation, invested US$10 million in Mexico to transfer operations from Puebla to Queretaro as part of a strategy to integrate a new company, after they purchased last year 100% shares of Volkswagen Trucks and Buses. MAN Group's new business model considers Mexico as the first country in the world where a Volkswagen truck will use a MAN engine; they will start with an annual production of 2,000 units for the domestic market, to later export to Central America and maybe the United States, Erick Merckel, MAN Trucks and Buses CEO in Mexico, said. The operations MAN had in Puebla are being transferred to Queretaro to rationalize 60% of spaces to work in one plant only, which means the relocation of 13 engineers and the generation of 100 jobs in Queretaro.

Source: El Financiero

Torreon, Coahuila,- Fernando Felix Aizcorbe confirmed the arrival of the Spaniard Company Itnnovation to this City. Itnnovation is an international company specialized in software development, being their main customers companies such as Microsoft and General Electric, and therefore its arrival provides for a faster detonation of Information Technologies industry. Aizcorbe, Head of Economic Foster in the City Council, said that the arrival of this IT company in La Laguna Region has been confirmed; the company specializes in developing software for large global companies, but they want to offer their services to companies such as Lala and Peñoles as well. He said that this industry does not require large investments to establish in any city of the world, but is based on knowledge industry which requires trained human capital. To start with, 15 people will be employed, to end the year with 25. The Company's 2-year growth plans consider hiring 300 people in La Laguna Region.

Source: El Siglo Torreón

Mexico City,- The Mexican Ambassador in Germany, Francisco Gonzalez Diaz, said that sectors from German automotive industry are getting into the production stage in Mexico, by participating in Mexico in the development of new products. In an interview held at Berlin, Germany, Ambassador Gonzalez said that Mexico haa a relevant role in the plans of the German automotive industry for America. He further said that "there are a series of programs through which Mexico is becoming a supply center for BMW, and importantly too, because the quality of Mexican auto parts is being highly recognized by German automotive industry". He said that "assembly plants were established first and value added in pieces has been gradually increasing".

Source: Notimex