Reliability and resilience, key to the automotive supply chain in Mexico

Partner reliability , resilience, the response to road blockades, and the use of new technologies were some of the topics addressed in the panel ” Reshaping Mexico’s Supply Chain for a New Era of Automotive Trade ,” held within the framework of Automotive Logistics & Supply Chain

Peter Koltai, Senior Director of Production Control and Logistics at Volkswagen Mexico , highlighted the need for partners capable of reacting to adversities that may arise in the supply chain. He stressed that the most important thing is the reliability and transparency of information from partners , and gave the example of transferring Golf production to the Puebla plant.

“We need partners who are capable of reacting to unexpected situations. At Volkswagen, we will face an enormous challenge if we decide to transfer Golf production to Puebla. This will give the factory at least 50% more production at this stage. We will again require many logistics service providers to meet the requirements,” he noted

Regarding resilience, David Resetar, executive vice president and global vertical leader of DSV Global Transport and Logistics , noted that to mitigate volatility, such as that generated by tariffs, the key strategy is to buy where you build, and build where you sell. He explained that, although the global network is leveraged for planning, the focus is on localizing support and operations in the United States .

For his part, Víctor Salazar, director of operations at Trayecto , recommended preparing for market ups and downs and investing in technologies, citing as an example control tower software for both security and customer service . He added that his company has already tested electric vehicles and that 70% of the fleet will need to operate on alternative energy sources

Meanwhile, Raúl Gamboa, head of Logistics, Production Control and Production Systems at the BMW Group plant in San Luis Potosí, emphasized the importance of remodeling the logistics chain as a key element to face current challenges.

In conclusion, the specialists agreed that industries must know how to react to adversity, citing the highway blockades that have occurred in the country as an example ; they also pointed out that reliability and traceability will be fundamental pillars for the future of the automotive supply chain in Mexico.