In a critical and direct tone, Valeria Moy , general director of the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness (IMCO) , questioned the effectiveness of the so-called development poles , promoted by the federal government as a tool to attract investment and trigger regional growth.
The relocation of supply chains represents an unprecedented opportunity for Mexico; simply having industrial parks or designated areas on the map is not enough, Moy said at the XXIII International Congress of the Automotive Industry in Mexico (CIIAM) .
“Infrastructure, energy, and regulatory certainty remain the real challenges,” he said.
He warned that without a comprehensive competitiveness strategy , nearshoring could become a phenomenon limited to certain regions of the country, leaving out states that currently lack sufficient connectivity or adequate logistical conditions to attract large manufacturers.
His intervention brought to the table one of the most recurrent criticisms of the sector: the lack of coordination between industrial policy and territorial planning .
The “poles ,” he stressed, should respond to a clear diagnosis of productive capacities, energy availability, and technical talent, not just political or geographical criteria.
He also called for a rethinking of the triumphalist narrative and a realistic look at the challenges the country faces in translating international interest into effective investment and sustainable jobs.
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