One of the challenges facing the maquiladora industry is the fiscal and legal aspect, which disrupts the freight and transportation service, as stated by Eduardo Pol, managing partner and tax leader at O&P Tax Consulting Group , within the framework of the  50th National Index Convention,  of the  National Council of the Maquiladora and Export Manufacturing Industry (Index Nacional) .

In the Fiscal Working Table: Challenges and Opportunities of the Maquiladora Tax Regime , the specialist pointed out that in the case of transportation, a REPSE (Registry of Specialized Service Providers or Specialized Works) is required, so it must have the necessary information of the supplier that provides this service.

The above is an issue that also occurs with freight , where the ideal is to analyze the operation being carried out, so that the authority has knowledge of the type of freight being used and avoid erroneous tax withholdings.

“First, what the authorities tell us regarding freight is that there is a withholding, which is at least 4% of the Value Added Tax (VAT), but at the end of the day, we are not analyzing whether the freight is for export, which would carry a 0% rate. Why? Because in the CFDI issue, they only listed a freight service,” he explained.

Pol clarified that the type of transaction being carried out must be clarified to the authorities because, as in the previous case, “it does not involve any fundamental withholding or it does not apply, because it is a transaction at a 0% rate.”

This can also happen to an import client who is not subject to VAT law if the transaction begins in the United States and ends within the country, “and this must be demonstrated to the authorities through proper justification,” he noted.

Eduardo Pol emphasized that maquiladoras are distinguished by their strong commitment to tax compliance, so given the challenges facing the industry, it is important to have complete documentation and implement best practices and controls to ensure efficient operations .

According to Humberto Martínez Cantú, president of Index Nacional, the Manufacturing, Maquiladora and Export Service Industry (IMMEX) program is advancing at a pace where 50,000 trucks cross the Mexican border into the United States every day , so adequate documentation regarding inspection is important in this context.

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Just days before the end of the tariff pause granted by the United States government, the Business Coordinating Council (CCE) confirmed that it, along with a delegation of business leaders, will be in Washington, DC, starting this Sunday, October 19, to address the issues of tariffs and the renegotiation of the USMCA.

Francisco Cervantes, president of the organization, mentioned that the Secretariats of Economy, Labor, and Foreign Affairs, as well as Altagracia Gómez, head of the Advisory Council on Regional Economic Development and Relocation (CADERR), the government’s liaison office with industry in Mexico, will be present at the so-called “Mexico Day.”

During his participation in the Business Organizations panel at the 50th National Index Convention , taking place from October 15 to 17, he confirmed that nearly 20 CCE organizations will be present at these meetings.

“We have meetings in Congress, at the State Department, and at the Department of Commerce. It’s important to send the message that Mexico doesn’t compete, that we complement each other, and that in Mexico, we are fully integrated,” he stated.

He reiterated that the message will be, “We’re on the same side. We really do have a dividing line, but we’re a region. That’s why the treaty, in terms of trade, doesn’t have that line. We’re a necessary country, and so is Canada.”

On the labor front, he noted that the country has implemented various actions and changes, progress that “had never been made before, but we didn’t communicate it.” These changes, such as those related to national content and for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), among others, are essential to halting the application of tariffs.

“It’s true, those were issues that were neglected, and as a good trading partner, we should have paid more attention to this. We let it go, and today we’re suffering, but we’re already on the path to fixing everything. Therefore, these days there will be a lot of pressure in Washington to let them know everything that’s being done in Mexico, especially since the 90-day period is about to expire and tensions are starting to rise again,” he added.

Cervantes mentioned that as a region, it contributes 30% of the world’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and action is needed under that scenario.

Humberto Martínez Cantú, president of the  Maquiladora and Export Manufacturing Industry Council (Index) , said they will work with the government to increase the national content beyond 25 percent.

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Emilio Cadena, CEO of Prodensa , highlighted the role of IMMEX companies – belonging to the Maquiladora and Export Manufacturing Industry – in the national industry, and how they have contributed to the growth and development of the manufacturing sector, within the framework of the 50th National Index Convention,  of the  National Council of the Maquiladora and Export Manufacturing Industry (National Index) .

“Thirty years ago, no one would have believed that Guanajuato would be the automotive capital of North America. Forty years ago, no one believed that Mexicali would be what it is today, in Monterrey, in Apodaca, which for me is like the laboratory, the one closest to me, also because I live in Monterrey,” he emphasized.

Cadena indicated that what is happening at the industrial level in the country’s entities is very important, however, there is a need to invest more and think about China , in terms of what it is doing at the manufacturing level.

“I believe we can do it, but we need to think about China. That’s one of the most important things we hope we can do, and that means investing a lot of money in Mexico’s industrial growth,” he emphasized on the panel ” IMMEX in the National Industry . “

He said that an important issue in industrial competitiveness is trade facilitation , which is why he considered that the private sector should also do its part in compliance .

“This aspect of security and compliance also depends on us . I think if there’s one thing we as an industry have to keep in mind, it’s that if we have some maquiladoras, it’s very easy to catch those who are doing simulations. There are many compliance issues we have to address . So we also have to sit down and decide what kind of companies we’re going to create,” he emphasized.

In this regard, he emphasized the need to make business ethics one of the key pillars of the sector’s competitiveness , “because that’s the best way we can present ourselves to the authorities.”

Given the changes in global trade and economic conditions, he argued that IMMEX industries need to be protected, which also requires changes in the business sector.

Technology, an ally of the manufacturing industry

The use of technology, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), has created a resilient supply chain in the manufacturing industry in the face of current economic disruptions, which also contributes to the sector’s improved operations.

At the conference Manufacturing Success: Digital Transformation in the New Industrial Era , María Guadalupe Ramos Díaz de León, Digital Transformation Manager at Alestra , stated that one of the purposes of technological tools is that they are allies of business objectives .

He noted that business trends in the manufacturing sector include “supply chain resilience, operational resilience and risk management, automation and efficiency with AI, innovation, and digitally-focused business innovation . ”

To have an industrial ecosystem of the future, it is necessary to combine digital, physical, and capital resources, since “you can’t be in an isolated ecosystem,” he explained.

Currently, operations in manufacturing and other sectors are targeting the application of technologies such as cybersecurity, cloud computing, data analytics , AI, and multicloud, with a view to a digital transformation in industry.

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Mexico needs to improve and expand its transportation infrastructure to increase its economic competitiveness , in order to respond to the constantly changing trade landscape, particularly with U.S. tariff policy, but also to respond to the flow of the domestic market , lawmakers agreed.

Within the framework of the 50th National Index Convention of the  National Council of the Maquiladora and Export Manufacturing Industry (National Index) , Alejandro Murat, president of the Foreign Relations Commission of the Senate of the Republic , emphasized that rail transport must be developed, as is being done in the north of the country, with the Saltillo-Monterrey train.

He explained that this infrastructure was necessary and essential for “business, but in the south of the country this line became an Interoceanic Corridor.”

In the Legislators panel , Murat said this was achieved because legislation was passed for the Mexican railway sector, “because what we want is to continue creating that environment so investment continues.”

For his part, Waldo Fernández, president of the Senate’s United States-Mexico-Canada Treaty (USMCA) Commission, emphasized that there is transportation infrastructure that can be leveraged, such as an airport in Agualeguas, Nuevo León, which was built more than 30 years ago so that former Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari could vacation at a property he owned in that state.

However, to take advantage of facilities like this, legal certainty and tax incentives are necessary . In addition, guarantees in the supply of water and electricity are needed to create conditions for businesses to operate effectively.

Along these lines, he highlighted the Economic Development Hubs for Well-being , promoted by the federal government and designed to foster investment and economic development in strategic regions of the country, aligned with Plan Mexico . Some of them have a logistical focus , accelerating the flow of foreign capital through the nearshoring phenomenon (relocation of production lines).

Manufacturing “without brakes”

Humberto Martínez Cantú, president of Index Nacional, pointed out that the Manufacturing, Maquiladora and Export Service Industry (IMMEX) program is advancing, so much so that 50,000 trucks cross the Mexican border into the United States every day , and he emphasized that “we are the number one customer of customs.”

In an interview with T21, he explained that these crossings are made from the border of Tijuana, Baja California, to Matamoros, Tamaulipas, on a constant basis, although it is also cyclical. “It depends on the seasons. For example, right now Christmas is coming and we start shipping more, and then it drops, and then the hot season comes and it picks up again,” he added.

Martínez indicated that in Nuevo Laredo alone, 16,000 trucks pass through daily, and between Reynosa and Matamoros, approximately 20,000 to 25,000 trucks pass through, “almost 50% of all the country’s exports.”

“Baja California, Chihuahua, and all those northern states are also contributing significantly, especially Ciudad Juárez and Tijuana,” he concluded.

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