ProMexico to Promote Mexican Maquilas
Translated from a Spanish Article Released by CNNexpansion.com
(Read Spanish Version)
Shaila Rosagel
CNN EXPANSION
PROMEXICO will Promote the Shelter Model Abroad
Mexico City – A promotional effort to attract foreign investment through the “Shelter Program”` launches in two months time with the signature of an agreement between the National Council for the Maquiladora and Manufacturing Export Industry (CNIMME) and ProMexico.
Mónica González García, President of CNIMME, comments that this agreement looks to enlist the involvement of ProMexico advisors to promote abroad the “Shelter” model as an option to invest in Mexico.
“It is a way to develop industry while reducing the risk for foreign investors. For companies interested in testing the waters in Mexico, this is one way to do it: you can start-up and within 29 days be working in Mexico; further along the line, they may decide to continue working on their own,” explains Mónica González.
Shelter services in Mexico have been offered since the late 1960s and to date at least 400 companies have participated. Currently 250 companies operate in Mexico under a shelter model, bringing foreign investment that has generated 55,000 direct jobs.
Emilio Cadena, Director of Grupo Prodensa, a shelter company that is dedicated to assisting foreign companies manufacturing in Mexico, explains that the Shelter Program represents a partnership between the foreign company making an investment in Mexico and the Shelter company.
The Mexican Shelter Company has as its main function to facilitate the investment process by taking care of all administrative logistic and legal issues, and all else necessary to ensure compliance with Mexican law.
The shelter company is a Mexican corporation that takes care of taxes, payroll, human resources, import/ export, security and hygiene.
The investor focuses on manufacturing and on the transference of his technology, training personnel in Mexico, and learning to operate in the business climate of Mexico and compliance with Mexican law.
The majority of the investment in Mexico comes from the United States, in a diversity of sectors such as Aerospace, Medical Device, Automotive, Metal Mechanics and Electronics industries. Foreign investors tend to establish operations along the northern border and some in the central region of Mexico:
The Bajio, Queretaro, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Sonora, Baja California, Tamaulipas and Chihuahua.
Foreign companies have the opportunity to go independent after they have experienced the Mexican market. Emilio Cadena explains that 50% of investor companies eventually decide to become independent but the Shelter model operates with no time limit.
According to Emilio Cadena, the principal providers of shelter services in Mexico are American Industries, Intermex, Ivemsa, Prodensa Group, NAPS, Offshore Group and Onilog.
In 2009, foreign companies imported an estimated value of 2,922,816 pesos and exported 3,297,785 pesos in products.
Mónica González said that developing Mexican suppliers is another effort that Promexico has launched. ProMexico has already lined up business meetings with companies interested in sourcing materials in Mexico.
