Bulletin 561 - Friday, March 16, 2012

Chihuahua, Mexico.- The State of Chihuahua will receive investments for over US$3 billion in the next two years from Asian countries, including the establishment of two vehicles assemblers, to serve the domestic and US markets, Governor Cesar Duarte Jaquez informed. According to Governor Duarte, one of these assemblers is Japanese and will produce light trucks to be sold in the United States. In his first press conference after returning from his trip to Asia, Duarte Jaquez informed that negotiations with Korean, Chinese and Japanese companies will generate over 5,000 jobs in the short term and in the medium term the number of jobs generated by Asian capitals could exceed 10,000. He said that Chihuahua has a name in Asia as a destination for investment, as well as for some of its farming and cattle products, such as chile, nuts and beef, in addition to the possible production and export of pork, since the State of Chihuahua is known as a swine disease "clean" site.

Source: El Diario de Chihuahua

Mexico City.- In the last 6 years, Mexico became a destination of interest for private capital funds, because they have practically tripled their investment commitments for our country. In 2006, private capital funds had investment commitments for around US$3.8 billion, while this year the amount is estimated to reach US$12 billion for financing in Mexico. Experts from KPMG, PWC and Vander Capital explained that the funds invest at companies in several areas, such as education, health, financial services, agribusiness, auto parts and infrastructure, which are experiencing a boom due to increased demand generated by a growing population. "We are attractive because we have balance between inexpensive labor (though not so when compared to China), sufficient communications infrastructure and an attractive domestic market, in addition to be near the US market", Juan Manuel Ferron, Leader Partner in Consulting Services with PWC, declared.

Source: El Mural

Monterrey, Nuevo Leon.- In a press conference, Federico Toussaint Elosua, President, Grupo Lamosa, informed that they are planning to make investments for around US$40 million in 2012, and further pointed out that the largest amount will be invested in their tiles business line or to update technology. He assured that their purpose is to continue creating production lines that provide high value added to their products. He said that one of the Company's purposes in the short and medium terms is increasing their large pieces production. "We must grow day after day, and for this year we are budgeting investments for around US$40 million, which, to a large extent, will be spent in technology for our plants". "The truth is that last year was an important year for us. We see that construction markets have been recovering, especially some of our main industries; we also observed that in 2011 we almost reached the same levels as the 2008 peak, a year before the crisis".

Source: El Norte

Ciudad Mexico.- Carlos Bustamante Anchondo, Tijuana City Mayor, received foreign investors interested in installing there a thermo-solar power generating plant, which would initially create 240 direct jobs. During the meeting, the first encounter between the City Council and the companies Unisolar and Ahora Solar Energy, Mayor Bustamante got acquainted with this alternative power generation project, which is expected to cut down power production costs. Bustamante Anchondo said that the City Council is interested in supporting projects like this, which contribute to raising Tijuana's competitiveness. Pierre Elbaz, CEO, Ahora Solar Energy, a Spain-based company, informed to the City Mayor that one of Tijuana's main attractions is its geographical location, which will allow them exporting power to the United States, in addition to producing electricity for local consumption.

Source: El Informador

Mexico City.- With the opening of their second service center in Del Norte International Airport in Monterrey metropolitan area, Hawker Beechcraft is expecting to double the number of maintenance services provided every year in Mexico, within the first 24 months of operations, Richard Emery, the Company's President for the Americas, affirmed. The facilities, which construction started late in 2011, will be ready next August or September. They will be located adjoining the hangar of Aerolineas Ejecutivas, the company that sells their products in Mexico. With an investment over MXP$63 million, the assembler is considering 100 new jobs will be created in Nuevo Leon. Currently, one sixth of their 6,000 employees are Mexicans, most of them concentrated in their Chihuahua Emery Plant. He explained that, in addition to its proximity to their main plant in Wichita, Kansas, the elements that make Chihuahua attractive for their activities are the growing specialization of their personnel and the availability of qualified labor.

Source: El Norte

Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes.- Executive officers from the Japanese company Exedy-Dynax spoke with Governor Carlos Lozano de la Torre about their interest in installing at Aguascalientes their subsidiary company Thoken Thermotech, to strengthen their chain of supply and cut down logistics costs. Exedy-Dynax, which recently started operations in San Francisco de los Romo Industrial Park and joins the new projects from the automotive sector that generate jobs at the state, receives supplies from Thoken Thermotech for metal thermal treatment processes to manufacture their products; that is the reason why the subsidiary wants to establish at the State, to efficiently provide solutions to the company. The meeting was attended by Osamu Kawasaki, President, Thoken Thermotech; Tohru Kohno, General Director, Thoken Malaysia; Takahiro Senoo from Exedy Corporation's Global Strategy Office and Noboru Uno, General Director, Exedy-Dynax Mexico, as well as the State's Minister of Economic Development, Hipolito Trevino Lecea.

Source: OEM

Veracruz, Mexico.- With an investment reaching US$42.5 million, TenarisTamsa Industrial Center inaugurated a factory to produce mechanical pumping rods, a part attached to pumps to mechanically raise petroleum from the well when there is not enough pressure, which allows the fluid to flow to the surface. Opening this plant means imports for the domestic power industry may be substituted and exports will be made from Mexico to the United States and Canada. Pablo Roca, President, Tenaris, estimates that with the opening of this factory in Veracruz, sales by the corporation should reach US$40 million per year. When the second stage is completed, this new plant will generate 120 direct jobs and 600 indirect jobs.

Source: Notimex