Uncertainty is no longer an anomaly in foreign trade, but part of the system . The era of predictable free trade is over, so companies must reinvent themselves to survive.
Within the framework of the Gomsa 2025 event Foreign Trade in a World of Transformation , leaders from the logistics and commercial sector who participated in the panel The New Foreign Trade War: Agile Strategies to Navigate Global Instability , discussed the main challenges facing the supply chain in an increasingly volatile international environment.
The moderator, Luis Fernando Pérez , director of operations at Gomsa, led a multi-faceted conversation in which specialists agreed that foreign trade is going through a critical phase in which agility, data, and collaboration are vital.
“Logistics is change. And the only thing that doesn’t change is change,” said Eduardo Reyes , specialist and academic.
This change, the panelists explained, is neither linear nor gradual, but rather disruptive, geopolitical, technological, and regulatory, and occurs every day.
For Noemí Fuentes , squad lead director of CMA Trading Walmart , the sector is facing a three-tiered storm : operational chaos , with disruptions like those currently affecting the port of Manzanillo; strategic chaos , with trade wars redrawing global routes; and existential chaos , with increasingly blurred rules of the game.
“We don’t know who writes them or how long they will last,” he warned.
On the other hand, nearshoring has been presented as a magic bullet for Mexico, but hard data tempers the enthusiasm.
According to Eduardo Reyes , 93% of recent investments are reinvestments , not new capital.
“The real opportunity is not just in being close, but in being ready,” he said.
For Reyes, Mexico should invest more in friendshoring , with strategic agreements that transcend mere geographic proximity.
Víctor Hugo Durán , director of international logistics and foreign trade at Grupo Axo , was more direct and pointed out that nearshoring makes sense, “but who risks investing heavily when everything can change with a decree or an election in another country? ”
The panelists agreed that supply models are under pressure.
Nashielly Escobedo , general director of the Latin American Confederation of Customs Agents (CLAA) , explained that companies face a dual mandate to adapt to new requirements, such as the national content requirements of the Mexico Plan , while maintaining profitability.
He also criticized the government’s contradictory messages, saying, “You can’t facilitate investment and at the same time tighten oversight. If we want to attract capital, we need consistency . “
In this context, the panelists agreed that technology, data, and cooperation will be the key tools for navigating the new environment.
“Agile logistics is essential, but so is reading the data correctly. With it, we can anticipate disruptions and build stronger alliances,” said Víctor Hugo Durán.
Likewise, Noemí Fuentes called for breaking down information barriers .
“Information can’t flow only within the company. We need to share it across partners and sectors; only then will we be able to respond in a timely manner,” he emphasized.
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