Proximity to the United States is one of the benefits of moving production lines to Mexico, known as nearshoring , however, it is necessary to establish port integration with the use of technology and work on areas of opportunity to detonate and take full advantage of the advantages offered by this phenomenon, according to Baruc de la Fuente Lozada , legal director of Grupo Inversor Veracruzano (Griver) .
In the keynote speech “Challenges and opportunities for nearshoring ”, he stated that the country is in a privileged position, as it is at a strategic point for the global economy.
During his participation, he raised the need for the business sector to also cooperate with the authorities , since they have outlined new strategies to make trade in Mexico more efficient.
Within the framework of the first forum “The nearshoring wave : Challenges and opportunities for port development” , organized by the Navy , he explained that facilitation and new business models , as well as the use of technology, are necessary to streamline operations in the country’s ports.
In this regard, he stressed the importance of external yards , which are facilities used to receive empty containers at a port, which must be working 24 hours a day in order to take advantage of time and resources.
Baruc de la Fuente Lozada said that processes must also be reduced and administrative procedures streamlined, otherwise, it will not be possible to take advantage of the nearshoring wave .
These proposals indicate that the business sector can also find areas of opportunity in the relocation of production lines in the country, so this industrial phenomenon requires a comprehensive change, which involves the modernization of customs , supporting foreign trade and improving the traceability of port operations.
To illustrate the magnitude of the advantages that nearshoring represents in Mexico, the executive gave the example of the electric vehicle company Tesla .
He noted that a car produced in China would take, on average, four to six weeks to reach the United States, but if the plant is set up in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, the car would arrive in two to four days via Nuevo Laredo.
He also recalled that among the factors that have driven the transfer of production lines to the country are trade tensions between China and the United States, the Russia-Ukraine war, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic .
Nearshoring and the ports of the Gulf of Mexico
The ports of the Gulf of Mexico are also important in the detonation of nearshoring , since due to their location and beyond being entry and exit points for goods, they are strategic areas that allow for improved productivity .
In the panel “Port development in the Gulf of Mexico, advantages offered by ports for nearshoring ”, Vilma López , commercial manager of the Tamaulipas Port Administration (API) , highlighted the advantages of the port of Matamoros , one of which, she said, is its location, since it is close to the United States, one of the largest consumer markets. She also said that they have a master program for said port, in order to have a very structured operation that allows for its development.
In turn, Jorge Luis Fernández Bravo , general director of API Sistema Portuario Veracruzano , highlighted that Veracruz occupies first place in the generation of electric energy and in the movement of cargo in ports .
In the panel, he specified that they are close to the Development Poles for Well-being as part of the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec . He also indicated that they have planned for a new leeward port to begin operations by 2025.
Meanwhile, Agapito Ceballos Fuentes , general director of API Campeche , highlighted the distance between the port of Seybaplaya and Coatzacoalcos, as well as the connection of the Interoceanic Train of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, and the link with the Mayan Train , through the construction of a branch between these two points.
Francisco Amaro Lara , manager of planning and institutional image of API Quintana Roo , stressed that the main activity in the state is tourism, however, he considered that the construction of a deep-sea port is necessary to enter the topic of nearshoring .
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