GUADALAJARA, JAL.- Jalisco maintains a growth dynamic in the industrial market, although investment decisions have become more cautious given the international environment, the evolution of regional trade and the uncertainty surrounding the new North American trade rules.

Bruno Martínez, current president of the Association of Industrial Parks of the State of Jalisco (APIEJ), highlighted that one of the main challenges is to maintain the capacity to attract investments and generate the conditions for companies already operating in the state to incorporate new production lines.

“Jalisco doesn’t sell itself. We have to go out and sell it. The rules have changed, the opportunities have changed, and the competition is different,” he noted during the Third Annual APIEJ Congress.

In this regard, he mentioned that they have launched a joint strategy for promotion and regulatory facilitation , with the goal of reducing the time required to develop new industrial parks. This includes a program covering nine municipalities that aims to reduce processing times from approximately 700 days to 200 days, while maintaining compliance with legal and regulatory provisions.

He explained that this is important because in the last 10 years Jalisco has shown a rate of expansion higher than the national average; it went from approximately 5.7 million to eight million square meters, which represents a growth of close to 40 percent.

“Before 2020, no more than 200,000 square meters were being absorbed, and last year it reached around 677,000 square meters, which is roughly equivalent to building the Akron Stadium in Guadalajara 4.6 times over. And this year, we’ve already reached 358,000 square meters halfway through the year. We have seen a slowdown in decision-making; companies and investors are proceeding more cautiously,” he explained.

Logistics drives the sector

Martínez mentioned that between 55 and 60% of the state’s industrial inventory corresponds to the logistics sector , while the rest is distributed among different manufacturing activities.

The growth is due, among other factors, to the expansion of e-commerce and the need for companies to have platforms for national distribution and export operations.

He indicated that companies like Amazon and Mercado Libre continue to expand their operations, while so-called contract manufacturers are moving some of their logistics activities to specialized operators known as 3PLs.

“ Contract manufacturers from manufacturing companies are moving their logistics to 3PL companies,” Martínez commented.

He added that Jalisco’s location offers an advantage for this activity, due to its road and rail connectivity, as well as its links to the port of Manzanillo , Mexico City, and the Bajío region. Additionally, there is the airport infrastructure in Guadalajara.

However, he said that among the sectors with the greatest presence are high technology, logistics, agribusiness, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, metalworking and automotive .

Despite this outlook, he mentioned that among the challenges facing the sector is access to energy , one of the main challenges, although in the state the development of a combined cycle plant has been proposed that would start with a capacity of 500 megawatts (MW) and could reach up to one thousand MW.

He said the infrastructure would help meet some of the growing industrial demand, although the challenge will continue due to the global increase in energy consumption, particularly because of the development of artificial intelligence, data centers and new technologies.

The aim is also to take advantage of new regulatory possibilities for energy self-consumption through various alternatives, including solar generation and gas-based solutions.

Regarding security, he explained that the industrial sector is working on strengthening surveillance protocols and strategies within industrial parks; among these initiatives is the connection of security cameras located on the perimeter with the state C5 command center .

The proposal stipulates that developers invest in systems compatible with the C5 infrastructure, while internal company networks would remain closed for confidentiality reasons. Simultaneously, these networks would connect to the C4 for 24/7 remote monitoring.

Regarding the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) , he noted that a slowdown in new investments was observed, associated with uncertainty, as well as tariffs and new US trade policies.

“We are now in a position where it has been stated that the USMCA will remain in place. There will be annual reviews, but that doesn’t mean it will end, which guarantees that there will be a treaty in place for the next 10 years and there will certainly be sectors that will be subject to tariffs,” he emphasized.

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