SAN PEDRO GARZA GARCÍA, NL.– Mexico has the conditions to position itself as a global logistics powerhouse due to its trade integration, strategic geographic location, and infrastructure; however, the lack of legal certainty, security challenges, and the absence of long-term planning remain the main challenges for the sector.
During the panel “Mexico 2030: Global Logistics Powerhouse or Missed Opportunity?”, which took place at ETYL MTY 2026 , industry representatives agreed that the country faces a favorable situation driven by international trade; however, they warned that taking advantage of this opportunity will require strengthening the institutional and operational framework of national logistics .
Jorge Magno Lecona Ruiz, director of the Latin America and Caribbean Division of Hutchison Ports , reiterated the importance of the rule of law to attract investment to the country and long-term planning.
He specified that Mexico has an international trade of 1.245 trillion dollars, which represents 50% of all of Latin America and the Caribbean.
“Yes, there is great potential and a great opportunity for the transport and logistics industry in Mexico, but a more solid structure is definitely needed to give confidence to investors,” he said.
He considered the weakest link to be the speed at which the country is developing and indicated that southeastern Mexico should receive more attention and investment. “Mexico is seen worldwide as a logistics powerhouse, but I don’t know if we are taking full advantage of that,” he stressed, while also emphasizing that security in the country is a crucial task.
Norma Ornelas, director of the Nuevo León chapter of the Association of Women Customs Agents (AMA) , considered that despite the investment of the private sector to face logistical challenges, the legal field “has diminished in the certainty that a logistics operation needs, because while it is true that the sector requires infrastructure, human capital, it also depends a lot on legal provisions.”
Regarding human capital in customs, Ornelas said that “there was a setback, a return to arduous training from the moment a customs declaration was made because the Navy and the military came in, and that learning curve, logistically, had significant costs.”
According to Astra Castillo, Senior Director of Latin American Corporates, Infrastructure and Project Finance at Fitch Ratings , despite having a privileged location and one of the strongest economies, Mexico is not taking advantage of the opportunities ; furthermore, the lack of legal certainty and a long-term vision impact the sector.
“We are here at a transportation logistics forum, but at the end of the day, what underpins all of this is the physical infrastructure—that is, having roads, ports. It’s not just about having the production to move, but also having somewhere to move it. Historically, development plans fall short in reality. In recent years, development plans are no longer plans, but simply lists of projects that have often been stalled for years due to very specific situations, or they are very small projects that won’t make a significant difference,” he stated.
He emphasized that, when analyzing some projects such as highways, due to insecurity, they have had to lower the rating and revenue projections for Mexico, among other things. “We have some projects for which we have already lowered the projections due to toll booth takeovers, robberies at toll booths, and some of these even have expenses, a portion of the highway concessionaires’ budget allocated to continuous maintenance due to destruction and the theft of signs.”
For his part, Rubén Monroy, Deputy Director of Government Relations at CPKC Mexico , stressed that the necessary conditions exist for the sector, such as trade integration, infrastructure, and cross-border goods crossings; however, there are areas of opportunity such as legal certainty, regulations, and technologies.
He also mentioned that reducing the working day to 40 hours per week , “which may be very necessary,” will have its challenges and obstacles in its implementation in the logistics sector.
“In the railway, if it were to be implemented, it would require hiring talent that the country currently lacks, and there are no designated periods for crews, while the training cycle would lead to operational problems,” he pointed out.
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