Logistics in Mexico - PROMEXICO | Gobierno | gob.mx€¦ · Logistics in the Globalization Era ......

XII - 2013 /I - 2014

Negociospara exportadores

The Lifestyle FeatureA Window to Mexico’s Contemporary Art Scene

Business TipsLogistics in the Globalization Era

Logisticsin Mexico:

Intelligencein Motion

The government of Mexico has set out to transform our country based on five ma-jor national goals: to have a peaceful, in-

clusive, well-educated, prosperous and globally-responsible Mexico.

In order to build the prosperous Mexico we long for, we must generate sustained high econom-ic growth that results in more and better jobs that will improve the quality of life of our population.

Mexico has a solid foundation on which to attain these goals: healthy public finances; a manageable debt level; a budget with no fiscal deficit; a responsible and autonomous monetary policy, as well as adequate international reserves.

Our macroeconomic stability and insti-tutional strength are enriched by a wide so-ciopolitical consensus that favors important transformations required to boost the devel-opment of our country. Through the Pact for Mexico, two constitutional reforms have been approved: one in education that will enhance the quality of teaching, and another in telecom-munications, radio broadcasting and economic

competition that will open up the sector and ensure competition throughout our economy. Furthermore, the Congress is analyzing a finan-cial overhaul to increase the level of credit and make it more affordable.

Mexico offers certainty and confidence to investments, a business climate favoring pro-ductivity and competitiveness, and an ambi-tious plan to further develop infrastructure. Moreover, the country’s strategic geographic location and optimal legal framework for in-ternational trade, through a network of trade agreements with 45 countries, give us access to a potential market of over one billion people.

Mexico’s exceptional economic and geo-graphic conditions, as well as the talent and qual-ity of its human capital, make it the ideal destina-tion for new productive capital to flourish.

This is the time to invest in Mexico. Inves-tors will find the government of Mexico and ProMéxico to be allies committed to the suc-cess of projects that create quality jobs and prosperity for the country.

Enrique Peña NietoPresident of Mexico

Table of Contents December 2013 - January 2014

Guest OpinionUncorking Logistics

Bottlenecksin the Automotive Industry

Mexico’s Partner

Servicios Navales e Industriales

Ferrovalle

Navemar

Kansas City Southern de México

Geodis Global Solutions

Jalisco Logistics Center

Interpuerto Monterrey

Logistik Industrial Park

United Logistics Services

Grupo Transportes Monterrey

this issue:

Logisticsin Mexico

intelligencein motion

From ProMéxico

Special ReportMathematics Leave Notebooks behind

and Escape to the Lab

Business TipsLogistics in

the Globalization Era

20 22 24

Special ReportThe Tortilla Revolution

18

8

Briefs10

26

28

30

32

34

36

38

40

42

44

Figures

46

pho

to

co

ur

te

sy o

f fl

at

br

ea

d e

vo

lu

tio

n

pho

to

arc

hiv

e

The Lifestyle The CompleTe Guide To The mexiCan Way of life

The LifestyleBriefs

50

pho

to

arc

hiv

e

pho

to

arc

hiv

e

Boutique Hotels,the Fine Art of Service and Attention to Detail

pho

to

co

urt

esy

of

serg

io g

arva

l

52

A Window to Mexico’s Contemporary Art Scene

56

Mexican IngredientsInfluencing International Palates

62

Meals on Wings

pho

to

arc

hiv

e 66

pho

to

co

urt

esy

of

ho

tel

b co

zum

el

Para exportadores

México en el mundo:el comercio internacional de México en cifras

Inversión japonesa en la industria de autopartes:en crecimiento

Oportunidades de exportación de cárnicos a Rusia:impacto en el sector ganadero mexicano

78

De ProMéxico 70

74

76

80

MÉXICOEN ELMUNDOEl comercio internacionalde México en cifras

Fuente: Banco de México

Por sector

ExportacionesMillones de dólares

VariaciónMismo periodo en 2012

Automotriz

8.7%

58,229

ESTADOS UNIDOS

220,01078.2%

#3

#4

#7

#9

#8

#1

#2

#6

#5

#11

COLOMBIA$3,591 | 1.3%

CANADÁ$7,718 | 2.7% ESPAÑA

$5,675 | 2.0%ALEMANIA

$3,120 | 1.1%INDIA

$2,904 | 1.0%CHINA

$4,799 | 1.7%JAPÓN

$1,646 | 0.6%

BRASIL$4,161 | 1.5%

CHILE$1,617 | 0.6%

Electrónico

-1.5%

36,057

Enero- agosto 2013Millones de dólares

Eléctrico

6.1%

18,268

Farmacéutico

-0.3%

1,643

Químico

8,298

Equipo médico

7.6%

4,333

Manufactureras29,549

5.0%

261,872

4.3%

Extractivas357

-10.9%

3,806

-7.1%

RubroOctubre ‘13

Variación ’12

Enero-octubre ‘13

Variación ’12

Petroleras4,345

-6.4%

41,552

-7.1%

Agropecuarias837

10.3%

9,170

1.0%

Principalessocioscomercialesde México

$Exportacionesacumuladas deenero a septiembre de 2013Millones de dólares

%Participación delas exportacionesmexicanas totalesEnero a septiembre de 2013

316,399millones de dólaresentre enero y octubrede 2013 (un incrementode 1.4% con respecto almismo periodo en 2012)

VENEZUELA$1,641 | 0.6%

10#

0.5%fot

os

arch

ivo

fot

o a

rch

ivo

LA CeRTIFICACIón halal y el acceso de los productos mexicanos a mercados con gran potencial

Breves71

ilu

str

ac

ión

old

emar

ProméxicoFrancisco N. González DíazCeo

Karla Mawcinitt Buenoimage and Communications General Coordinator

sebastián escalantedirector of publications and [email protected]

[email protected]

Natalia herreroCopy editing

download the pdf version and read the interactive edition of Negocios ProMéxico at: negocios.promexico.gob.mx

this publication is not for sale. its sale and commercial distribution are forbidden.

Negocios ProMéxico año 6, número XII-2013 / I-2014, diciembre 2013 - enero 2014, se terminó de imprimir el 19 de di-ciembre de 2013, con un tiraje de 13,000 ejemplares. Impresa por Cía. Impresora El Universal, S.A. de C.V. Las opiniones expresadas por los autores no reflejan necesariamente la postura del editor de la publicación. Queda estrictamente pro-hibida la reproducción total o parcial de los contenidos e imágenes de la publica-ción, sin previa autorización de ProMé-xico. Publicación Gratuita. Está prohibi-da su venta y distribución comercial.

ProMéxico is not responsible for inac-curate information or omissions that might exist in the information provided by the participant companies nor of their economic solvency. The institution might or might not agree with an author’s state-ments; therefore the responsibility of each text falls on the writers, not on the insti-tution, except when it states otherwise. Although this magazine verifies all the information printed on its pages, it will not accept responsibility derived from any omissions, inaccuracies or mistakes. December 2013 / January 2014.

Negocios ProMéxico es una publicación mensual editada en inglés por Pro-México, Camino a Santa Teresa número 1679, colo-nia Jardines del Pedregal, Delegación Álvaro Obre-

gón, C.P. 01900, México, D.F. Teléfo-no: (52) 55 54477000. Página Web: www.promexico.gob.mx. Correo elec-trónico: [email protected] Editor responsable: Gabriel Sebastián Escalante Bañuelos. Reserva de dere-chos al uso exclusivo No. 04-2009-012714564800-102. Licitud de título: 14459. Licitud de contenido: 12032, ambos otorgados por la Comisión Ca-lificadora de Publicaciones y Revistas Ilustradas de la Secretaría de Gober-nación. ISSN: 2007-1795.

9

Fromproméxico.

Mexico’s commitment to global trade is downright evident in its logistics infra-structure. With the intention of boosting the country’s competitiveness, Mexico

is developing an ambitious plan to foster modern infrastructure capabilities, in order to reduce its logistics costs and enable it to be more competitive on the global arena.

On July 15, 2013, President Enrique Peña Nieto launched the Transport and Communications Infrastructure Invest-ment Program 2013 - 2018. Its main aim is to transform Mexico into a hub for value-added logistics and transportation. In order to reach this goal, the Mexican government announced that 300 billion usd will be in-vested in infrastructure projects between 2013 and 2018.

This program has a multimodal ap-proach that seeks to improve roads, rail-

ways, ports, airports and telecommunica-tions. As President Enrique Peña Nieto stated, “the size of these figures reflects the commitment of the Mexican government to turn transport and communications into a strategic engine for national development.”

Today, Mexico has a leading role that has turned the country into a driving force for supply chains in growing industries like the automotive and aerospace sectors. Mexico is already a launch pad for national and transnational companies.

Like a fine-tuned machine, the country’s logistics industry boasts a smooth opera-tion that attracts both local and foreign in-vestment. It is also an incomparable busi-ness opportunity, especially in sectors that require efficient logistics services to main-tain a solid supply chain. With one of the greatest growth potentials in the country, the logistics industry is the platform for Mexico’s success.

Welcome to Negocios!

Francisco N. González DíazCEO

ProMéxico

11

BRIEFS

eneL WILL BuILD A neW WInD FARM

RENEWABLE ENERGY

BRIDGeSTOne to Build a New Plant

Bridgestone will build a new plant in Celaya, Guanajuato, to produce polyurethane foam for automobile seats. The new plant will be Bridge-stone’s tenth production fa-cility for this product. It will also be the company’s first plant of this type in Mexico, which will become the fifth country and region of the world where Bridgestone manufactures polyurethane foam for automotive seats.

The new plant will begin production in the first half of 2015, and maximum produc-tion capacity is expected to reach 360,000 vehicle seats annually.

The total investment of the new facility will be ap-proximately 13.5 million

AUTOMOTIVE

usd, and the plant will be operated by Bridgestone Automotive Products de México, a business unit of Bridgestone Corporation.

Mexico is expected to see continued growth in auto-mobile production due to its strategic geographical location

and a forecasted increase in domestic demand. Bridgestone chose Celaya, located in the state of Guanajuato, for its new plant in order to meet this growing demand.

To meet the growth in automotive demand over the medium to long term, the

Bridgestone Group will con-tinue to enhance its global product supply system so the company can ensure that it can continue to supply its customers with high-quality products in a timely manner.

www.bridgestone.com

Enel Green Power has begun construction works on the new Dominica I wind farm in Mexico.

The plant, located in the municipality of Charcas and owned by Dominica Energía Limpia, a subsidiary of Enel Green Power (formerly known as Impulsora Nacional de Electricidad) is the first wind farm located in the state of San Luis Potosí and will be composed of 50 turbines –2 megawatts (MW) each– for a total capacity of 100 MW.

Once up and running, the Dominica I plant –which will be completed and begin operating in the second half of 2014– will be able to generate up to 260 gigawatts-hour (GWh) per year.

The construction of the wind farm, in line with the growth targets set out in Enel Green Power’s 2013-2017 business plan, requires a total investment of approximately 196 million usd, financed through the Enel Green Power Group’s own sources.

The project is supported by two long-term agreements to supply energy, or PPAs, for a total value of around 485 million usd.

Enel Green Power currently has an installed capacity of about 197 MW in Mexico, 144 MW of which come from wind power and 53 MW from hydroelectric sources.

www.enelgreenpower.compho

to

arc

hiv

e

pho

to

arc

hiv

e

13

BRIEFS

VERACRUZ, READY TO GROW

LOGISTICS

NExT STOp: SiNAlOA

AGRICULTURE

Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) has approved the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for expansion of the port of Veracruz, clearing the way for the project to be tendered.

The 1.92 billion-usd project will initially involve the construction of a 2,800-meter dock with up to eight

350-meter berths to the north of the existing port. First phase construction will increase capacity by 250 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs). Second phase development will consist of the construction of a new breakwater and up to 35 additional berths.

Expansion of the Veracruz port will be one of the largest infrastructure projects to be

carried out during Enrique Peña Nieto’s administration.

Semarnat’s approval of the project is subject to a series of conditions including the creation of an environmental monitoring program and an inter-governmental committee to oversee its compliance. An integrated sanitation program for the Vergara bay must also be developed.

The Ministry of Communications and Transportation (SCT) also confirmed that it will ensure the construction of a wastewater treatment plant to prevent vessels from contaminating the water, implement biological monitoring and use cutting-edge dredging equipment to minimize sediment dispersion.

www.semarnat.gob.mx

www.sct.gob.mx

Expo Agro Sinaloa 2014, one of the most important agri-food fairs in Mexico, will be held in Culiacán, Sinaloa, from February 19 to 21, 2014.

Expo Agro Sinaloa aims to strengthen the Mexican field, being the top agribusiness generating forum, and bring together technology and strategic management of knowledge and information that the agro requires for its consolidation.

Several products and services related to agriculture and forestry industries will be showcased during the event. Agri-food businesspeople representing

domestic and international companies, growers, supermarket chair buyers, specialists and researchers will gather for three days seeking to close new business deals.

Conferences and seminars on organic and sustainable agriculture, recent market trends, green house production developments and other topics will be included in the program. An important exhibition of the latest technology and agriculture related equipment will also be on display.

www.expoagro.org.mx

pho

to

arc

hiv

e

pho

to

co

urt

esy

of

expo

ag

ro s

inal

oa

15

BRIEFS

VIA MOTORS Opens its New Plant

VIA Motors, makers of the VTRUX brand of extend-ed-range plug-in trucks, launched its first high-volume electric vehicle assembly plant in a new facility in San Luis Potosí, Mexico.

The new facility is strategi-cally located in a free-trade zone near several major automakers and suppliers. New vehicles will be transported from the Gen-eral Motors production facility in Silao, Guanajuato, to VIA’s new assembly plant, where they will be transformed into electric vehicles by integrating VIA’s proprietary extended range elec-tric power train.

The facility employs a unique conveyor-scissor lift system that moves conven-tional vehicles through eight

AUTOMOTIVE

BRP InAuGuRATeS neW MAnuFACTuRInG FACILITY

AUTOMOTIVE

assembly stations where tech-nicians raise or lower the ve-hicle at each station to install electric and other components.

The new facility is adjacent to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) highway and Kansas City Southern rail line for easy trans-port to the US and Canada.

www.viamotors.com

BRP inaugurated its new manufacturing facility in Querétaro. Located in Queréta-ro’s industrial park, BRP’s plant assembles the Sea-Doo Spark watercraft and Rotax engines for its Can-Am off-road vehicles, and manufactures composite hulls and decks for Sea-Doo watercraft.

By 2015, the entire Sea-Doo wa-tercraft line-up will be produced in the Querétaro facility. Once completed, the project will represent an investment of approximately 97 million usd and should employ some 1,100 people by 2015.

The facility is designed to meet Lead-ership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification standards. During construction, BRP implemented a project to recycle construction residues.

BRP has been present in Mexico since 2001 with a facility in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, where it assembles Can-Am all-terrain and side-by-side vehicles. Today, that facility employs more than 1,250 people.

www.brp.com

pho

to

co

urt

esy

of

via

mo

tors

pho

to

co

urt

esy

of

via

mo

tors

pho

to

co

urt

esy

of

brp

BRIEFS BRIEFS

The Aztec tour Oceania

pho

to

arc

hiv

e

pho

to

arc

hiv

e

A substance obtained from the agave plant –the same one used to produce tequila– could help combat cancer, obesity, osteo-porosis and diabetes, accord-ing to Mercedes Guadalupe López-Pérez, a professor at the Research and Higher Studies Center (Cinvestav) in Irapuato.

The substance is called fruc-tan and is a non-digestible sugar molecule that goes straight to the large intestine, where it is disposed of without causing weight gain or affecting blood sugar levels.

Experimental studies are currently being conducted on rats. After eight weeks on a 10% fructan diet, the rats lost weight, says López-Pérez.

Rats and humans share the GLP-1 gastrointestinal or incretin hormone, which reg-ulates as much as 70% of the body’s insulin.

Consuming fructans ac-celerates the production of GLP-1, which is also associ-ated with satiety.

The studies conducted by Cinvestav also indicate that fructans can help boost the immune system, reduce the bacteria that cause intestinal infections, relieve constipa-tion and reduce the risk of colon cancer. Also, rats fed with fructans absorbed more calcium from their diet.

www.ira.cinvestav.mx

On September 2013, the Aztec traveled to New Zealand and will be continuing their tour of Oceania until February 1, 2015.

Aztecs Conquest and Glory explores the origin, mythology, society, daily life, religion, government and beliefs of the Aztec, a civiliza-tion that reached its apogee in the sixteenth century at the time of the Spanish Conquest. The exhibition takes visitors on a trip back in time and sheds light on how this warrior nation came to dominate Mesoamerica to the extent that its influence still prevails in modern-day Mexico.

A joint effort by Mexico’s National Anthro-pology and History Institute (INAH) and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa in Wellington, Aztecs Conquest and Glory will re-main at the latter until February 9, 2014 before moving on to the Melbourne Museum (April 4 - August 10, 2014) and the Australian Museum in Sydney (September 13, 2014 - February 1, 2015).

www.tepapa.govt.nz

museumvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum

australianmuseum.net.au

FAT-BuSTInG AGAVe PRODuCT

SCIENCE

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

VW kICkS OFF Mexico engine Plant expansion

Volkswagen (VW) will invest 118 million usd to kick off the expansion of its engine plant in Silao, Guanajuato, to make components for a new configuration of its EA 888 engines.

Civil engineering work will begin immediately and production of the new motors is slated for the first quarter of 2016.

VW’s 550 million-usd Silao plant opened in January 2013, and has an annual output capacity of 330,000 engines.

From 2000 to 2013, vehicle production in Mexico has risen almost 3% annually, compared with declines in the US and Canada of 1.3% and 2.4%, respectively, according to Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

www.vw.com

AUTOMOTIVE

POSCO’S third on the Row

Posco MPPC ended the construction of its third plant processing steel sheets, a 54,300 square-meter plant located in the city of Celaya , Guanajuato, with an annu-al production capacity of 110,000 tonnes.

The facility is close to the Mexican manufacturing centers of some of the major automotive producers in the world, such as Mazda, Honda and Gen-eral Motors.

www.poscomppc.com.mx

AEROSPACE

HenkeL exPAnDS ITS DeTeRGenT PLAnT In TOLuCA

CHEMICAL

Henkel is expanding its facilities in Toluca, Estado de México, where the company manufactures powder and liquid detergent. With the objective to increase production and create a Research and Development (R&D) center, Henkel plans to invest 35 million usd into the production site.

With the expansion, the complex will have a growth of 109% of built space –reaching 29,700 square meters and increasing the production capacity by 70%.

www.henkel.com

pho

to

co

urt

esy

of

volk

swag

en

pho

to

co

urt

esy

of

hen

kel

pho

to

co

urt

esy

of

posc

o

19

Negocios ProMéxico |

18 December 2013 / January 2014

| Negocios ProMéxico

December 2013 / January 2014

special Report special Report

The Tortilla Revolution

Flatbread Evolution, a Mexican company born in Switzerland, has created a unique machine that can make corn tortillas with the same flavor, quality and nutritional attributes as those made by hand in Mexico.

by ANTONIO VázqUEz

Imagine you live overseas and have invited your close friends for a delicious Mexican home-cooked dinner. You buy all you need to make handmade tortillas. Piece of cake, you think. But when you start making them, you realize that it is far from simple, that making a tortilla is more complicated than it seems. As it turns out, the evening with your guests was not the same without original tortillas.

Such is the experience of many Mexi-cans abroad and many foreigners who, captivated by the flavor of this Mexican dish, have tried their hand at making tor-tillas. And that is exactly what happened to Carlos Ruiz a couple of years ago: a bad experience which led this young en-trepreneur to create a machine that in 40 seconds alone can make a tortilla as delicious and nutritious as its Mexican handmade cousin.

“When I came to Switzerland I missed tortillas very much. I wanted to invite my friends over to try them and thought it would be easy to make them but it was anything but and I wasn’t able to pull it off. The recipe says how much warm water you have to use but it does not specify the exact temperature. Plus, I had to knead the dough for a long time,” he remembers.

At the time, Carlos Ruiz had a Nes-presso coffee machine. He thought that he could apply the same principle to make tortillas or any other type of flat bread. He began working on his invention and in 2010, together with a friend from the Na-tional Polytechnic Institute (IPN), he started building his first technological prototype, which in turn led to the creation of a new company, Flatev (Flatbread Evolution).

“When I saw the Nespresso machine, I thought about making fresh tortillas using a contraption in which you could insert a capsule and even choose if you wanted yellow or blue corn tortillas, with pepper or cheese. After several months I spoke to a few people and one of them, who was from Los Angeles and was working at a tortilla factory, gave me a few tips to achieve the quality we wanted,” says the founder of Flatev.

Carlos Ruiz explains how the Flatev machine works: “All you do is take a cap-sule containing tortilla dough, put it in the upper part, press a button and in less than 40 seconds, a soft and warm tortilla comes out through the lower part.”

Would all these months of work stop with just one prototype? Carlos Ruiz went beyond. In 2012, he traveled from Switzer-land to the US, where tortillas are the most consumed bread, more popular even than bagels and sliced bread.

San Francisco, on the West Coast, was Flatev’s first stop in an attempt to conquer the US market. There, Carlos Ruiz received the first criticism that led to improvements to the new invention. Today, Boston, on the East Coast, is the home of the first of-fice for Flatev’s future sales in the US.

“We have improved the machine. Compared to the prototype, the new de-vice can make up to seven tortillas in one round, which means that seven people can eat tortillas at the same time. We are in the process of making the second production prototype and are 70% ahead in develop-ment to streamline the machine and reduce manufacturing costs,” expounds Ruiz.

While Flatev’s second prototype is still preparing for launch, the invention has already seduced the Swiss, captivated the British (some business owners have asked for exclusivity to sell tortilla dough cap-sules), piqued the interest of the Germans and prompted the Australians and Israelis to contact Ruiz to find out about the new technology at first hand.

Flatev’s machine doesn’t only produce tortillas that taste just like those made in Mexico in the blink of an eye. These tor-tillas maintain their nutritional value: they have no preservatives, are made with or-

ganic ingredients and are gluten-free. Carlos Ruiz points out that for the

time being, Flatev is looking for new in-vestors to launch the second generation of Flatev onto the market (each machine will cost between 200 and 300 USD).

“We are analyzing the possibility of a trade partner who is interested in having exclusivity or establishing a similar trade agreement, to develop molds and indus-trial machines and mass produce the in-vention. So far we have received offers of between 5 and 10 million USD for produc-tion,” he reveals.

The new generation of Flatev will not only produce corn tortillas, according to Carlos Ruiz, but also the new machine will be able to produce any type of flat bread from other parts of the world, such as arepas from South America or chapatis from India.

“I want the company to penetrate the global market in the future, I want people to have their machine at home and not encounter the same problem I did. We see ourselves with global partners, with food firms to be able to leverage our potential. The invention is patented to make other types of flat breads and the good thing is that in the future it will recognize any type of capsule, any type of dough, and enable people to make food at home without los-ing a tradition, much less quality,” con-cludes Flatev’s founder. n

flatev.com

photo courtesy of flatbread evolution

Carlos Ruiz explains how the Flatev machine works: “All you do is take a capsule containing tortilla dough, put it in the upper part, press a button and in less than 40 seconds, a soft and warm tortilla comes out through the lower part.”

photo courtesy of metromatemáticas

21





teachers had already completed the 120-hour training in Correa’s model.

Only one thing was missing for the model to be used with the close to 10,000 teenagers estimated to be influenced by the teachers trained by Correa in the near fu-ture. They needed practice labs.

Correa explains that he and the teach-ers he had trained looked for support, first from the local government. By 2010, the Congress of the State of Sonora authorized the public spending of 1.2 million pesos (some 92,300 USD) to establish labs in five public schools in the state.

In 2011, the project had 7 million pe-sos (more than 538,000 USD) thanks to a mixed fund between the federal govern-ment’s National Council of Science and

Technology (Conacyt) and the govern-ment of Sonora, through the state Min-istry of Economy (SE), and was backed by The Offshore Group-MTK (from the aerospace industry). Together they tried to validate the MetroMatemáticas teach-ing model, through a pilot program in five middle schools in the cities of Guaymas and Empalme, where school labs began operating in February 2012.

Since then, the great finding has been that 40% of the 1,400 teenagers who studied with the system in 9th grade have a natural talent for mathematics, in the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 periods. The remaining 60% is no longer afraid when they face math, and that is also a step in the right direction.

Currently, there is a list of 35 schools in the north of Mexico that are waiting for a lab, as 160 teachers have completed their training in MetroMatemáticas.

One small thing: Nahúm Correa was already in the spotlight in Sonora’s

by SANdRA ROBLáGUI

special Report special Report

Mathematics Leave Notebooks behind

and escape to the Lab

In Sonora, Mexican engineer Nahúm Correa has created a new system to teach exact sciences in

measurement labs. And he has been successful: a significant number of schools in the US are now

interested in applying his method.

Until 2009, mathematics used to be bor-ing for thousands of teenagers around the world. Since then, thanks to civil engineer Nahúm Correa’s teaching ap-proach, they have become a practical subject, at least in five public middle schools in the state of Sonora, on Mexi-co’s northern border.

The method, MetroMatemáticas, has attracted the attention of both locals and foreigners, since it takes the science out of the books of the enlightened and away from notebooks that were rarely opened, and puts it into labs where young people use tools from the high-tech industry and precision devices to break down complex problems, experi-

The method has attracted the attention of both locals and foreigners, since it takes the science out of the

books of the enlightened and away from notebooks that were rarely opened, and puts it into labs where

young people use tools from the high-tech industry and precision devices to break down complex problems,

experiment and reach conclusions.

ment and reach conclusions –not unlike what the aerospace industry is develop-ing in several Mexican cities.

It is funny how the company’s story began with a question, much like many scientific problems do.

Nahúm Correa, an advisor to the high-tech industry in northern Mexico, asked himself, one afternoon in 2005, why en-gineers don’t see production plants as a research field and solve issues using the scientific method. He found his answer in the training of professionals, where math-ematics is a concept far removed from ev-eryday life.

“The truth is that this science is a method that contributes to the mind per-fection, even in philosophical dilemmas, because those who use it know what is false and what is true, through reasoning. Mathemat-ics transforms matter and cre-ates quality of life,” he states.

The question was: How can we change the popular idea that this subject is everyone’s worst nightmare? The father of modern mathematics, Rene Descartes, and Nahúm Correa’s training and experience as a manufacturing firm consultant gave him the answer. Hence, MetroMatemáticas was born.

It is said that Descartes may have died from poisoning in the mid 17th century. Nahúm Correa was just called crazy, in the early 21st century.

But he never gave up on his vision. To test his ideas, he organized a math group with twenty 9th grade students from pub-lic and private schools, who he previously trained with the measurement instruments he suggested. With a marketing specialist’s vision, the engineer was able to hold com-petitions not in closed, dusty and lonely auditoriums, but in technology companies from Sonora’s industrial parks.

And as it turns out, the Offshore Group-MTK got interested in MetroMatemáticas and since then, it has sponsored this initia-tive in the Guaymas and Empalme regions.

In June and July 2009, he made an open invitation in Guaymas, Sonora, to middle school teachers to come train in his system. Many thought him mad, because those are the summer vacation months in most Mexican schools. By October, 40

high-tech industry. At present, the doors are open for his system in the Offshore Group-MTK, a shelter service leading provider for foreign manufacturers in Mexico.

Since February 2012 several middle school students (with math and science natural talent) have received STEM Educa-tion (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) from the MetroMatemáticas labs, increasing their opportunities to get a work position within the high-tech industry.

MigRaNT MaTheMaTicsAs expected, rumors on the advantages of the MetroMatemáticas system crossed the border. The Arizona Daily Star pub-lished on December 30, 2012: “Math

method gets Tucson atten-tion.”

In June 2012, the super-intendent and the officer of the Sunnyside unified school district in Tucson, Arizona, Manuel L. Isquierdo and Steve Holmes, visited the school labs and met with close to 100 members of the program in the Offshore Group-MTK Training Center.

“The project is larger and more impressive than we thought,” said Manuel L.

Isquierdo, “it has huge potential, but mainly we liked the impact it is already having on students [...] what we have seen exceeded our expectations by far.”

The Santa Cruz County in Nogales, Arizona, requested federal budget to ap-ply MetroMatemáticas, and some schools in Texas and Ohio have also expressed their interest, according to Correa.

His plan is to establish school labs throughout Mexico in a short time, wherever it is possible to identify stu-dents with math and science natural tal-ent; the future czars of science, technol-ogy, engineering and mathematics; the developers of the high-tech industry in Mexico.

In the meantime, the method’s inven-tor has taken a firm step: he has created a link between academia, the Offshore Group-MTK and government in the north of Mexico. n

www.metromatematicas.com

23





Logistics in the Globalization era

Business tips Business tips

The challenges of Mexico’s participation in the global economy have opened several investment opportunities in

the country’s logistics sector, which include roads, railroads, ports, airports, electricity supply and telecommunications.

by MARíA CRISTINA ROSAS*

Globalization is characterized by increasing market integration, the consolidation of communications, equity and trade growth. In this framework, logistics acquire growing importance. But what is lo-gistics? The concept itself refers to the set of media and methods required to carry out the organization of a company or a service, especially distribution. There are multiple definitions of the term “logistics” in the business world and it has evolved from military logistics to the contemporary concept of the art and technique of organizing the flow of goods, energy and information.

In World War II, for instance, logistics was based on military operations to ensure the flow of supplies required by troops. The US Army defined the logistics for its operations in the area of strategies, which directly involved the design, handling, storage and distribu-tion of materials, the movement, evacuation and hospitalization of personnel, materials and services acquisition and supply on every front of the operation, etc.

It is worth noting that logistics has changed since the 1990s due to rationalization efforts in traditional areas such as market-ing, production, quality, etc. Furthermore, globalization is very important due to the changes that have been made in the interest of competitiveness.

Logistics acquires importance in globalization because in the 21st century economy, consumers and strategies are the way to reach customers. Globalization has made logistics a fundamental activity based on new ways of production, distribution and inter-national trade to compete on the international market.

Globalization considers the need to cut restocking time and effectively put products and services in the hands of consumers.

Industrial logistics is related to activities and aspects such as transportation, warehousing, flow of materials, production and distribution with flows of information to match company sup-ply or market demand under optimal conditions of quality. In corporations, logistics is the relationship between moving and warehousing products and goods, planning, organization and the control of all activities relating to obtaining the transfer and warehousing of materials and products, from acquisition and consumption to their final destination, through organization and as an integrated system.

A study by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) entitled Supply of Transportation Infrastructure in Latin America: Recent Experience and Issues Observed, which analyzed the situation of transportation infra-structure in the Americas, shows that there is a wide network of transportation infrastructure between the US-Mexico border to

photo archive

The origins of logistics (the term was created in the military) are directly related to the acquisition and supply of materials required to fulfill a mission applied to business activity, and date back to the 1950s. After World War II, demand in industrialized countries in-creased but the distribution capacity was below sales and produc-tion capacity. That led to the proliferation of products in marketing departments, which opted to sell anything anywhere, and distribu-tion channels started to become obsolete. Senior management then agreed that physical distribution had to be efficient and represent profitability instead of spending and started to try out substantial modifications to the distribution systems, thus building an identity within the organization’s structure.

Although logistics has always been essential to any economic activity, recent decades have seen an increased interest in its develop-ment, to the point where a growing number of firms are adopting it as a management tool in light of the positive results of its application.

In the globalized environment of the modern world, logistics is fundamental for trade. Logistics activities are the bridge between production and the markets that are separated by time and distance. Business logistics cover management and planning (administration) of the activities of the purchasing, production, transportation, stor-age, maintenance and distribution departments.

Logistics has been a knowledge discipline that provides op-portunities to every organization, where there are chances to innovate and improve processes based on the evolution of in-ternational trade.

In that sense, logistics is a competitiveness tool that performs value activities that lead to an increase in a company’s profitability. Thus, logistics has evolved from a restricted concept to a strategic area for generating added value for consumers and shareholders.

In Mexico, centers with the largest populations and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita ratios are criteria used to identify the main consumer centers and

are fundamental in logistics. Mexico City makes the highest contribution to the domestic GDP, slightly above 17% of the total, followed by Estado de México with

close to 10% and the state of Nuevo León in third place with 7.5%.

the south of Panama; another from Venezuela, passing through Colombia and along the western side of the Andes, and a third that connects the central part of Chile with Argentina and Brazil. In other parts of the world, there are smaller networks or a series of links, rather than an actual network. Most of the aforemen-tioned components are unpaved roads with poor trafficability.

According to the authors, only 3% of roads are of recent con-struction and, in general, the roads in the Latin American region were built several years ago. Most of the network is made up of roads given that trains mainly connect mining or agricultural areas with ocean or, in some cases, river ports. General cargo rail-ways are limited mainly to central and northern Mexico, central and northern South America (iron and coal) and some sectors of the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR).

Furthermore, railway gauges are often incompatible across countries. In central South America the metric gauge is most com-mon. A series of projects in various stages of analysis would turn this gauge into a kind of standard for the sub region, which would

be unfortunate since there are more acute physical limitations than wider gauges, according to the study. With regard to river transportation, although rivers cannot connect directly between themselves, they could be linked intermodally to create wide networks of transportation infrastructure, leveraging the gener-ous river availability of the region. However, while some parts of South America make partial use of the potential of the main basins (Orinoco, Amazon and Tietê-Paraguay-Paraná-Del Plata) to transport grains, and sometimes general cargo, the volumes transported are smaller within the group.

In Mexico, centers with the largest populations and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita ratios are criteria used to identify the main consumer centers and are fundamental in logistics. Mexico City makes the highest contribution to the domestic GDP, slightly above 17% of the total, followed by Estado de México with close to 10% and the state of Nuevo León in third place with 7.5%.

Another study published by the World Bank (WB), entitled In-frastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean: Recent Trends and Main Challenges, shows that less than 2% of the GDP in Latin America is spent on infrastructure. That number is strik-ingly lower than what was invested in 1980 and 1985 (3.7% of the GDP) and would suggest that an investment of 4% to 6% of the GDP is required to achieve visible progress and enable growth in infrastructure (as South Korea and China did).

The study by the WB emphasizes that an increase in the qual-ity of the region’s infrastructure can help the per capita grow from 1.4% to 1.8% of the GDP.

That uncovers several investment opportunities in Mexico’s lo-gistics sector, which include roads, railroads, ports, airports, electric-ity supply and telecommunications. If investments are made in these areas of opportunity, Mexico could become one of the top 25 econo-mies in the world by 2020 in terms of the quality of its infrastructure.

In that respect, Mexican authorities know that developing the country’s infrastructure does not depend on the actions of just one player but that synergies are required in the three levels of govern-ment (federal, state and municipal), national and international busi-ness organizations and academia. Considering the country’s energy and natural resources, size of the domestic market and geographic location, the Mexican government is aware of the importance of improving infrastructure and modernizing the sectors described in order to increase its presence in international markets and drive the country towards a balanced development. n

*Professor and researcher in the Political and social sciences Faculty,

National Autonomous university of Mexico (uNAM).

Uncorking Logistics Bottlenecksin the Automotive industry

25





Guest Opinion photo archive

Given the expected growth of the automotive industry in Mexico, the logistics sector must respond to the challenges it faces to become a factor that facilitates exports of vehicles made in Mexico and foster the development of this important industry.

Few can be better qualified to comment on the state of the au-tomotive industry than Eduardo Solís, Executive President of the Mexican Association of the Automotive Industry (AMIA). For Solís, the future of the in-dustry is flawless, as evidenced by manufacturing and export figures. However, Solís does provide a warning about one aspect that could slow down this acceleration: the dreaded logistics bottlenecks. “There are no bottlenecks today. But I certainly see bottlenecks coming our way if we don’t do what is needed in the next five years in Veracruz, Lázaro Cárdenas and Laredo. We must do our homework since the indicators show a large growth of exports in the next five years by about a million vehicles. Mexico better have the right ports, railroads and infrastructure in order to keep up with the growth.”

Having recovered from the financial crisis in record time, Mexican automotive manufac-turers rolled out just under 2.9 million light vehicles in 2012, a figure that looks set to be matched in 2013. The industry has not slouched in spotting the country’s potential. Nineteen major global car companies al-ready have plants on the ground in Mexico with many planning to expand operations. Nissan has recently opened its second Mexican plant in Aguascalien-

by jEROEN POSMA* ANd CHRISTOPHER dALBY**

many benefits. “Mexico opened itself up to the free flow of mer-chandise around the world at a time where other countries were building walls to protect them-selves.” This attitude brought in a great number of suppliers that provided more options for OEMs in terms of the logistical supply chain. Ford went from buying 500,000 USD of produc-tion materials in Mexico five years ago to 14 billion USD this year. This allows high-quality, low-cost materials from Mexico to supply all of Ford’s opera-tions not only in the country, but around the world as well.

Leo Torres, Ford’s Purchas-ing Director, adds that Ford does not produce a single product without a Mexican component. This establishes a link between Mexico and all of Ford Motors’ 32 global plants, a link that also exists within Mexico. Ford’s plant in Hermosillo produces cockpits while its sister plant in Cuau-titlán manufactures individual parts. This means that ensuring logistics within Mexico are top-notch has a direct impact on OEMs both domestically and internationally.

As automotive OEMs an-nounce plans to increase their production capacity, Mexico’s logistics providers are doing everything in their power to upgrade the country’s transport links to handle the industry’s extra capacity.

Such is the case of Fer-romex, Mexico’s key railroad operator, which manages over 8,500 kilometers of track nationwide. Through its auto-motive division, the company expects OEMs to set up shop in regions with easy access to the railroad –given that Mexico’s automotive industry is often concentrated in urban clusters. Ferromex has earmarked 450 million USD for capital expendi-tures this year, much of it going directly to providing better logistics for the automotive in-

dustry. Alberto Sánchez Varela, Ferromex Automotriz’s As-sistant Vice President, says that 57 million USD of this budget went to the automotive division. “This investment is specifi-cally targeted at the impact the automotive plants will have on our network. These funds will be allocated to covering that growth segment, aside from the natural expansion our business is undergoing.”

For Ferromex, the an-nouncement of the new OEM plants was hardly news since much of the firm’s collabora-tion with automakers begins ahead of time. As Sánchez Varela explains, developing those relationships a couple of years early allows the company not just to be com-petitive, but also to anticipate how much time is needed to prepare for the extra volume of cargo and fit this seamless-ly into their natural growth.

However, Ford’s Torres believes that logistics is the area in which Mexico can improve the most, after engineering. “It is not just about putting the infra-structure in place; you have to build a logistics culture. Mexico needs a national automotive development plan that engages the government, private and education sectors.”

For this reason, Ferromex has sought to work as much as possible to find optimal logisti-cal solutions for each plant. The first step in developing them is to analyze each site, its transportation needs for inbound goods and how best to answer those needs. Once complete, the distribution mar-ket will shift for each vehicle, and an estimate of volume is needed to understand how best to deliver tailor-made logistic solutions for each OEM, each plant and each type of vehicle.

This is where intermodal transportation solutions are helping to improve the efficien-cy and competitiveness of the

automotive supply chain. Given the export-dominant nature of Mexican automotive produc-tion, the key for transport pro-viders is how swiftly they can get the cars to ports or across the border to US and Canadian markets. Fortunately enough, Ferromex’s services in Mexico are provided under the same rules that the US and Canada expect. “This has allowed the process of taking a vehicle from a Mexican plant to an American or Canadian sales point much more transparent,” says Sánchez Varela. “We have managed to implement the same standards across North America, on the biggest railway network in the world, which gives us many advantages from a logistics standpoint.”

Logistics costs are one of the three most important areas that automakers analyze when con-sidering where to build a plant, along with labor costs and government incentives. As such, Ferromex has always sought to

understand its place in the sup-ply market, allowing it to grow from transporting 500,000 vehicles a year to 1.5 million.

The firm’s business model looks at every export means for vehicles, not only cross-border trade. Ferromex controls a vital point for exporting vehicles, in the port of Veracruz. However, it is also looking to diversify

its access to sea lanes via the ports of Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas. Furthermore, the company is talking to customers

about their business needs for the Pacific and is actively con-sidering how best to integrate that avenue into their logistics efforts. On the other hand, Kan-sas City Southern de México (KCSM), Ferromex’s closest

rival, has been reporting double digit growth in car loads trans-ported for the last few years. It enjoys the same alliances with US railroad companies such as Union Pacific. In addition, the company has been present in the Lázaro Cárdenas port through its rail corridor for around 15 years.

For Solís, all the logistics providers in the country can only see their automotive business expand in the years ahead, as long as they are well prepared. “The automotive industry is more than settled in Mexico; I don’t have to convince anyone of that fact,” affirms Solís. “Audi coming here sent a message to the world about the quality of services in the country. Audi is proud of saying their vehicles are made in Mexico,” he concludes. n

*Director of New energy strategy

Consulting.

**senior editor of New energy

strategy Consulting.

Guest Opinion

tes, at an investment of 2 billion USD, with President Enrique Peña Nieto on hand at the in-auguration. CEO Carlos Ghosn said that with this additional presence, Nissan would produce 1 million cars in Mexico in 2016. Audi is approaching the same level of investment with a 1.3 billion-USD assembly plant in Puebla to make its Q5 cross-over. Despite the stability seen in the last two years, projections have forecast that production will grow to reach 3.7 million units by 2015 and 4 million the following year.

Mexico has enjoyed the benefits of its natural geo-graphical position which have contributed to getting Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to invest in the country. After all, a major determining factor in deciding where to set up shop is a country’s capacity to deliver on the logistical side. By looking at the raw numbers, one would assume that Mexico, with around 300 Tier 1 global suppliers for the automotive in-dustry, has little to worry about in regard to the supply chain.

Certainly, Ford was among the early believers in Mexico, first investing in the country 88 years ago. Gabriel López, President and CEO of Ford Mexico, explains that the qual-ity of the Mexican workforce, as well as Mexico’s numerous free trade agreements offered

Mexico has enjoyed the benefits of its natural geographical position which have contributed to getting Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to invest in the country. After all, a

major determining factor in deciding where to set up shop is a country’s capacity to deliver on the logistical side. By looking at the raw

numbers, one would assume that Mexico, with around 300 Tier 1 global suppliers for the

automotive industry, has little to worry about in regard to the supply chain.

photo courtesy of seni

27





by ANTONIO VázqUEz

Several decades ago, vessel exports from Mexico were at a standstill. Servicios Navales e Industriales (SENI), a Mexi-can company based in the port of Mazatlán, Sinaloa, de-cided to breathe new life into the industry, building four aluminum diving vessels that would end up in Venezuela.

“These aluminum vessels are used to support diving op-erations in Lake Maracaibo. They are used in shallow wa-ter operations. The vessels can transport equipment for div-ing, and oil well exploration and maintenance,” says Mario Uribe Fenollosa, CEO of the corporation.

SENI has quite a history that makes it a great compa-ny. It was founded in Febru-ary 1980 with 100% Mexican

equity. The firm was created when several professionals believed they could contribute their knowledge and technol-ogy to Mexico’s ship building and ship repair industry.

“Thirty-three years ago, my father, Mario Uribe Pre-ciado, decided to start the business. He had been in the Mexican Navy, worked in several Navy shipyards and at some point decided to go solo, so he founded the company in 1980,” recalls Mario Uribe Fenollosa.

Throughout its his-tory, SENI has consolidated a 23,900-square meter ship-yard in the Urías marsh, in Mazatlán, where the firm offers services such as ship and afloat repairs, as well as construction.

Mario Uribe explains that during the company’s first 28 years, it focused mainly on repairing a wide range of ships, from shrimp boats to large luxury yachts.

Towards 2008, SENI es-tablished strategic alliances with several foreign firms, which led to the construction of two steel ships for Mexico’s Ministry of Communications and Transportation (SCT), whose special characteristics had not been manufactured in Mexico for 30 years.

In mid-2013, the Mexican company’s luck shifted. “We built four 15-meter ships for Venezuela; this type of ship had not been exported from Mexico for close to 45 years, and they caused quite a stir. The operators and end cus-

tomers were satisfied,” states Mario Uribe.

SENI is currently in devel-opment with the construction of a new slipway that will en-able it to offer other services like dry dock repairs, readi-ness and renovations. The firm has the capacity to berth ships up to 1,200 tons and 65 meters long.

“This type of activity stalled in Mexico approxi-mately 30 years ago. But the current administration has turned its attention to it. The

Mexico’s Partner Mexico’s Partner

SenI:Modernizing Mexico’s naval exportsservicios Navales e industriales uses its more than three decades of experience in the ship repair and ship building industry to put the domestic sector at the forefront of exports of new vessels to Venezuela.

Throughout its history, SENI has consolidated a 23,900-square meter shipyard in the Urías marsh, in Mazatlán, where the firm offers services such as ship and afloat repairs, as well as construction.

Mexican Presidency, Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), the SCT and the Ministries of the Navy (SEMAR) and Agricul-ture, Livestock, Rural Devel-opment, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) want to relaunch the shipbuilding industry,” claims the businessman.

In the meantime, SENI is looking to participate with Pemex in 2013 in the renova-tion of its tugs that will serve Pemex in the Gulf of Mexico.

The experience with Ven-ezuelan buyers has encouraged

the company to seek other customers in the region. Mario Uribe mentions that they are in touch with potential cus-tomers in Colombia and Ecua-dor. To do so, SENI has lever-aged ProMéxico’s support.

“ProMéxico has always been by our side. Our alliance with them has been extremely productive; they know us well and are eager to reactivate this economic activity,” he concludes. n

www.seni.com.mx

pho

to

arc

hiv

e

29





photos courtesy of ferrovalle

by OMAR MAGAñA


FeRROVALLe: intelligent exchanges

Logistics is about muscle and brain; tonnage, infrastructure and much IT-based strategy. Ferrocarril y Terminal del Valle de México (Ferrovalle) is known for its efforts and investment to strengthen each of these axes to increase com-petitiveness and efficiency in imports, exports and supply of finished goods.

to the handling and movement of containerized inputs, which are classified and regrouped for transfer to another train or to trucks.

“We have tried to differenti-ate ourselves from our competi-tors in terms of technology and equipment capacity. We have a logistics system that is based on communication technology such as tablets and other por-table devices,” says Erich Wetzel Strosberg, who became CEO of Ferrovalle in January 2013.

Netmedia Research, a firm that monitors the degree to which information technolo-gies are adopted by companies, has put Ferrovalle in the top spots of its ranking for three years in a row, for creating the Intermodal Consultation System for iPad, which enables custom-ers to track their cargo or give

remote instructions, and Cloud Enable Rail Information, a web information system to review and invoice financial data be-fore trains arrive at the terminal.

“Almost all of these de-velopments have been done in-house; we bring students from various universities and help them grow in the field of technology. We are a breeding ground for technology experts,” he boasts.

According to Wetzel, every year Ferrovalle invests close to 160 million pesos (12.3 million USD) in the implementation of these technology systems and track infrastructure –by licensee businesses that are involved in the terminal as a joint venture: Kansas City Southern de Méxi-co (KSCM), Ferromex, Ferrosur and the Ministry of Commu-nications and Transportation (SCT), in the intermodal system and security.

The heaRT of The RaiLRoad sysTeM

Ferrovalle considers itself “the heart of the railroad system” in Mexico given its influence and relevance in the distribution of inputs for indus-tries located in central Mexico and in the supply of finished products for the zone with the highest consumption: the Valley of Mexico.

“We have positioned as the main dry port or inland termi-nal in the country. We move 400,000 containers a year, while our closest competitor moves 50% less,” states Wetzel.

Freight trains from all over Mexico arrive at Ferrovalle. Once they are in the company’s territory, the cars go through a first classification yard in Lech-ería, Estado de México, to pass on to a second classification yard with hump systems (shunt-ed over a hump by an engine). The firm has 48 reassembly tracks where cars are integrated into trains that will continue

on other routes throughout the country or assembled to the last mile train –unique in Mexico– that goes to industries located within a 50 kilometer radius.

Ferrovalle also has the abil-ity of train control and dispatch, to grant right of way and of-fer intermodal services where containers go from railroad to land transportation. The latter is “a practical and very modern system that is growing rapidly,” explains Wetzel.

In the intermodal zone, Ferrovalle takes care of load-ing and unloading trains, storing containers in its goods inspection warehouse, their safekeeping and the loading and unloading of trucks. For moves from one type of transportation to the other, the company has frame cranes, reach stackers,

side loaders, top loaders, chas-sis, yard tractors and engines from the yard to the terminal.

“The intermodal theme brings about a very good geo-metric growth between 6% and 7% annually,” says Wetzel. That is why the firm allocates a large part of its annual investments to purchase cargo machinery and expand the land used in these operations.

The intermodal terminal has been so important for the company that, since 2003, when the Mexican government li-censed it to private shareholders that were already in charge of railroads since 1998, Ferrovalle launched an intensive invest-ment program that continues to date, according to which 15% of total annual sales –which currently average 970 million

pesos (approximately 75 mil-lion usd)– are allocated to build infrastructure and purchase machinery.

According to Wetzel’s num-bers, Ferrovalle obtains 52% of its income from the operations of shareholder firms such as cargo, classification and right of way, and the remaining 48% is from local freight (last mile train) and the intermodal termi-nal in equal parts.

Regardless of the percentage that the intermodal terminal represents in Ferrovalle’s current sales, the company has sensed that the system of switching between modes of transporta-tion will be much more com-monplace in the future logistics market, which is why it is pre-paring for that before it exceeds its cargo management capacity.

While shareholder firms have invested in track recon-struction since obtaining the consignment for them in 1998, for close to a decade the inter-modal part has required adapta-tions to its facilities, especially in terms of space to receive increasingly longer trains –up to three kilometers long– and store empty containers.

Given the potential of inter-modal systems in the Mexican logistics market and the com-petitive advantages they mean for Mexico over countries with the same production impor-tance in the world economy, such as Brazil, Ferrovalle will continue to support this format and promote its benefits by example. n

www.ferrovalle.com.mx

in central Mexico, there is a living example of the feasibility of intermodal logistics services and their positive results in countries that are willing to become important players in the global economy. Ferrovalle is where strength and intelligence go hand in hand.

Through hard work, the country’s most important railroad terminal, which oc-cupies 1,000 hectares within the perimeter of the Valley of Mexico, has rightfully earned a place among Mexico’s most innovative companies, thanks to its desire to develop and imple-ment information technologies that streamline typical trade formalities and provide certain-ty to its customers with regard

photos courtesy of navemar

31





nAVeMAR: sMooth sailingFor more than half a century, Grupo Navemar has been an important player in cargo transport by sea. the experience they have acquired during this time has become the main sales pitch of a company that knows full well what international trade demands of Mexico.

by OMAR MAGAñA


The sea has been an ally of trade throughout human history. Even now, close to 80% of commerce between countries that are connected to the global economy is done by sea. Due to its complexity and relevance, sea transporta-tion requires knowledge and

experience. In Mexico, Grupo Navemar has both.

Grupo Navemar has been active for 50 years. Established in 1962, it served for decades as a general shipping and port agency, but in the last 15 years it has morphed into a business that provides integrated logis-

tics services and coordinates maritime brokerage for inter-national shipping lines with multi-purpose services, that is, general, liquid, rolling, project, bulk and containerized cargo.

Sebastián Hecker, CEO of the company, highlights Grupo Navemar’s major value as the number of years that any of its 76 collaborators in their headquarters in Mexico City and the ports of Tampico, Al-tamira, Veracruz, Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas, have been working on something as specialized and demanding as the international freight of inputs and finished goods. Furthermore, Navemar is long known in the sector, “There is no subagent in Mexican ports with which we don’t have a

relationship that goes back at least 15 years,” says Hecker.

Another attribute has been Navemar’s capacity to stay afloat in a market where the rules of the game have changed over the decades, even more so since the standardized adoption of container cargo and its management by heavy-weight multinationals.

“Navemar focused on the smallest shipping firms. Today, we represent family owned companies with a structure that is different to a public corporation; these are com-panies that operate in Mexico and specialize in bulk, break bulk, oversized or rolling cargo,” he explains.

The group represents Netherland’s NMT Shipping

and Global Crankshaft Services Ltd.; Denmark’s Nordana Line; South Africa’s Galborg; Nor-way’s Hoegh Autoliners AS; the US’ SCM Lines, and Ukraine’s Varamar. These lines have ser-vices to and from Mexico to the whole world and to specific destinations such as the Carib-bean, the Gulf of the US and the Mediterranean; Venezu-ela, Colombia, South Africa, northern Europe; Africa, the Far East, Australia and New Zealand.

Grupo Navemar comprises a series of logistics services firms –Sea Rail (land, door-to-door and sea), SYEL (air), Comercio Dinámico (mineral and agricultural products), Asloc and Think-TIM– to meet the demand of the lines

it represents, the various importers, exporters, traders and customs agents.

Navemar offers logistics services such as shipment management from and to Mexico, cargo storage, char-tering of vessels of all sizes by voyage or time charter, husbandry of vessels with no fixed route (bulk carriers, tankers, Ro/Ro, break bulk vessels and cruise ships), and, as part of the commercial strategy that the group has been strengthening in recent years, business consolidation for its represented companies in important Mexican ports.

“Doing things well has been crucial to surviving for 50 years and, hopefully, an-other 50,” affirms Hecker.

Mexico’s development is evident on its coasts and trav-els through its waters: steel and components for the petro-chemical and mining industries are a good part of the general cargo in Navemar’s chartered or attended vessels; in the area of rolling cargo, auto-mobiles, machinery for agri-culture and dump trucks for the mining industry; and wind transformers and components for industrial projects.

“In 2013, our group’s generation of sea freight is at 3.5 million USD per month,” boasts Hecker.

Given the firm’s involve-ment in global trade, it has joined international organiza-tions such as the World Wide Shipping Agents Association (WWSA) and the Baltic and International Maritime Coun-cil (BIMCO). In Mexico, it is a member of the Mexican As-sociation of Shipping Agents (Amanac), the Mexican As-sociation of Importers and Exporters of Mexico (Anierm), the Mexican - German Cham-ber of Industry and Commerce (Camexa) and the Mexican Chamber of Maritime Trans-port (Cameintram).

“This year we were in Shanghai where our colleagues from ProMéxico provided huge support,” he claims.

hUMaN capiTaL BefoRe TechNoLogy“With all due respect, we don’t want to be a fully automated company. If anyone calls our firm, they will speak to a hu-man being who can travel

anywhere to meet in person and discuss the complexities of the projects we handle,” he clarifies.

Many of the agency’s investments, he says, have been to strengthen the com-pany’s relationships with its human capital. He adds that staff turnover is minimal, so much so that they can con-tinue to rely on collaborators whose experience is forged in practice.

Since merchant shipping matters and port flows are un-likely to form part of the aca-demic portfolio of universi-ties, a corporation like Nave-mar, which relies so much on its human capital, has had to rely on people who got their experience in large and long-standing companies such as Transportación Marítima Mexicana (TMM).

Consequently, Grupo Navemar has also developed learning plans, albeit with no academic degree, for people who wish to supplement their knowledge with logistics and maritime issues.

Hecker, an expert in sea trade who, it must be said, knows about the importance of this activity in countries with far less coastline than Mexico, such as North Euro-pean nations, considers that there is still much to explore and exploit in Mexican ports and in general with the Mexican merchant marine to improve the country’s com-petitiveness. n

www.navemar.com.mx

Grupo Navemar comprises a series of logistics services firms –Sea Rail (land, door-to-door and sea), SYEL (air), Comercio Dinámico (mineral and agricultural products), Asloc and Think-TIM– to meet the demand of the lines it represents, the various importers, exporters, traders and customs agents.

photos courtesy of kcsm Mexico’s Partner Mexico’s Partner

33





MODeRnIZATIOn On TRACkRailways and intermodal transportation services in Mexico are giving much to talk about in terms of their good health in an economy that every day strives to prove its competitiveness in the global arena. KCsM is the perfect example of the new boost of this railway movement.

by OMAR MAGAñA

Railways have always been a sign of a country’s progress. Today the work of large rail-way companies such as Kansas City Southern de México (KCSM) are boosting the country’s competitiveness and contributing to make better use of their strategic position in the global economy.

If at some point in the late 20th century we believed that cargo railways in Mexico were coming to an end, the reality is that investments made in the last 16 years –by giving 17,499 kilometers of previously state-run railways to private firms on concession schemes– have revived cargo transit and in-dustry confidence in railways and, more recently, intermodal systems (the ship-train-truck chain of movement of contain-erized cargo).

Since 1997, when the US Kansas City Southern (KCS), in partnership with the Mexi-can Transportación Marítima Mexicana (TMM), was grant-ed the concession to operate the northeastern portion of the railway –4,238 kilometers from Mexico City to the bor-der cities of Nuevo Laredo and Matamoros, in Tamaulipas– KCSM has invested 3 billion Usd in Mexico.

“We have invested not only in [management] change, but in track and sleeper main-tenance, in reinforcing rail infrastructure, and in new

equipment and systems to increase the efficiency and competitiveness of the rail-way,” explains José Guillermo Zozaya Delano, President, General Manager and Execu-tive Representative of KCSM.

The current company, KCSM, resulted from the ac-quisition of TMM’s assets by KCS in 2005, which meant “a shift in the way we operate” with the implementation in Mexico of the schemes that have worked for the parent firm in the US for 125 years.

Since then, annual invest-ments by KCSM to improve and modernize its lines and telecommunications systems average 130 million Usd. KCSM owns 25% of the shares of Ferrocarril y Terminal del Valle de México (Ferrovalle), the largest dry port and inter-modal terminal in the country.

Like many other experts, Zozaya documents the rebirth of cargo railways in Mexico using the following numbers: 16 years ago, only 11% of national cargo was carried by train; now, the number has risen to 27%. KCSM has a 30% market share.

coNNecTiNg poRTs aNd BoRdeRsThe transit of components and finished goods within Mexico and between Mexico and the US is crucial. These movements account for 40% of the com-

when they require intensive use for cargo movement,” says Zozaya.

At the far west of the cor-ridor, the port of Lázaro Cárde-nas is vital for KCSM given the growth it has recorded in the last six years in terms of import transit –in 2012 it reported a 19% increase, and the elevated movement of intermodal cargo that it has shown throughout 2013 thanks to purposely de-veloped infrastructure, such as railway yards, terminals and connections to highways and railway lines.

The company sees the revival of Lázaro Cárdenas as an increasingly specialized port in containerized cargo (partly due to the intensive and increasing flow between Mexico and the US as a result of nearshoring activities in buoyant industries such as automotive) as a good sign of the great opportunities to be found in intermodal transpor-tation services. In 2012 alone, the firm recorded 55% growth in cross-border transit.

Experts calculate Mexico’s potential to move cargo at up to 80 million tons per year using the system that combines sea, rail and truck transporta-tion. Companies that manage railways and intermodal termi-nals, such as KCSM, continue to work to exploit their po-tential to the full in a country where the industry still moves a large part of its cargo by truck. The infrastructure de-veloped to reach this goal and the promise of a significant

reduction in costs will lead, according to forecasts, to more confidence among industrial-ists to move towards these logistics strategies.

Mexico’s position as a pro-duction pole in the global value chain also depends on promot-ing today’s competitive advan-tages of rail and intermodal transportation. Regarding this, Zozaya affirms that “the link with institutions such as Pro-México has been very impor-tant for the attraction of invest-ment because many businesses are asking where the railways are and what transportation possibilities are available for Mexico and abroad.”

a TaNgiBLe BooMKCSM reported profits of 622 million Usd during the third quarter of 2013, according to company information. The firm increased its cargo vol-ume by 3% compared to the same period in 2012.

Sectors such as intermodal, energy and chemicals reported 17%, 6% and 3% increases, respectively, in the previous year’s third quarter profits. On the other hand, agricultural, mineral and automotive prod-ucts grew 7%.

The Mexican affiliate can only be positive about the future: there is growth and there are opportunities. Mean-while, KCSM has announced investments in Mexico of 143 million Usd for 2014. n

www.kcsouthern.com

pany’s combined total income. KCSM has the advantage

of being the only railway busi-ness that connects the port of Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán –the fastest growing port in North America in terms of con-tainerized cargo movement– which enables it to manage a corridor from the Pacific to the company’s terminal in Kansas City. This route is streamlining the movement of goods be-tween the US and Asia.

The corridor passes through key points for domes-tic trade: Lázaro Cárdenas, the Valley of Mexico, Monterrey and Nuevo Laredo. KCSM uses this corridor to move inputs for industry and con-

sumption (25% of all cargo transported), chemical prod-ucts and other oil derivatives (19%), containers from its intermodal terminals (19%), agricultural and mineral prod-ucts (18%), components for the automotive industry (16%) and materials for energy infra-structure (3%).

At the close of 2012, KCSM had moved 519,945 net tons, of which 264,510 were exports and 255,435 imports.

“Working with ports and sea terminals has been very important, as well as with dry ports and our own intermodal terminals. We also establish alliances with our customers

KCSM has the advantage of being the only railway business that connects the port of Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán –the fastest growing port in North America in terms of containerized cargo movement– which enables it to manage a corridor from the Pacific to the company’s terminal in Kansas City. This route is streamlining the movement of goods between the US and Asia.

photos archive

35





Geodis Global solutions:IBM’s FavorIte

Since 2008, this French company has been IBM’s sole supplier. From its facilities in Mexico, it distributes all over the globe for the US multinational.

by antonio vázquez

The 22-million peso invest-ment (close to 1.6 million USD) made two years ago by French firm Geodis Global Solutions in a high quality logistics port in El Salto, Jalisco, has paid off.

Geodis’ port in this part of western Mexico is IBM’s favorite for a good reason. From this point, Geodis distributes IBM products throughout the world.

“We started out as IBM’s sole international supplier. The people who started Geo-dis already had experience with IBM because they worked as distributors. That is what many companies do, they are good in terms of support, and that is what happened with Geodis, a French company that began

operating in America with import and export processes for IBM, which subsequently expanded its customer port-folio,” explains Federico Chávez, head of business control at Geodis.

Currently, Geodis Global Solutions’ facilities in Jalisco have 45 customers that it serves in a 12,000 square-meter warehouse. An ad-ditional 35 customers are waiting for the firm to begin operating a new warehouse of over 3,000 square meters.

Federico Chávez explains how most of Geodis Global Solutions’ customers in Mex-ico come from the electronics sector, given Jalisco’s ex-tensive electronics industry, particularly in the El Salto corridor.

However, the business also serves other customers from the automotive and textile sectors.

Globally, Geodis offers supply chain optimization services and is the fourth largest operator of its kind in Europe. IBM is so convinced of the firm’s effectiveness that in 2008 it made it its only international distributor. In Mexico, IBM has one manu-facturing plant, the second largest of its kind in the country, located in the mu-nicipality of El Salto, Jalisco.

“At Geodis, we specialize in logistics services but we also offer import and export


services to IBM, as well as warehousing and distribution based on the customer’s de-mands. We do what is known as goods pooling: we trans-port them to Mexico, where they are manufactured, pro-cessed and then exported to international markets,” says the head of business control.

Geodis Global Solutions’ plant in Jalisco offers other services besides import and export, such as customs ac-counts expenses, liaison with other suppliers and materials purchasing.

“We provide a service that goes beyond distribution, which

Bringing 70% of goods via Guadalajara gives us the op-portunity to cut costs and get goods faster for manufacturing and then exporting to the US, Canada and South America,” expounds Federico Chávez.

With 254 employees dis-tributed throughout its facili-ties in El Salto and offices in Mexico City and Guadalajara, Geodis Global Solutions has earned the trust of IBM and its other customers by offer-ing them a plus such as busi-ness control.

“It’s all a matter of audit-ing; we have a monthly pro-cess for delivering results in which we establish which mea-surement points are needed for delivery to our customers. This enables our customers to know which process their

product is in at all times,” he affirms.

Warehouses with infrared sensors, video cameras and a complete surveillance system have been installed in the plant to guarantee security and con-fidentiality to the client.

“For example, we receive products such as latest gen-eration mobile phones and we store them before they hit the market. Customers know they will be safeguarded here without any problems. We also offer safety and hazardous ma-terial handling processes. Our systems also enable us to make sure that our customers’ goods are free of risks and protected against smuggling activities,” concludes Chávez. n

www.geodis.com

differentiates us from other companies,” adds Chávez.

Without a doubt, Mexico’s location has been an added value that Geodis’ customers take into account.

In addition, the company has achieved a logistics advan-tage thanks to its work with local industry chambers and state authorities to strengthen the position of the Miguel Hidalgo International Airport Guadalajara in terms of inter-national flights.

“We are working to make the Guadalajara airport Mexico’s cargo airport par excellence. The Mexico City and Toluca airports are always saturated. Here we handle direct flights to the East. That is because the electronics industry is supplied mainly from Asia.

Currently, Geodis Global Solutions’ facilities in Jalisco have 45 customers that it serves in a 12,000 square-meter warehouse. An additional 35 customers are waiting for the firm to begin operating a new warehouse of over 3,000 square meters.

37





Jalisco logistics center:A Trigger of WesTern Mexico’s econoMic DevelopMenTLocated in the south of Jalisco, this project is one of the three most important of its kind in Mexico and will create over 35,000 jobs when it operates at full capacity.

by antonio vázquez

An expanse covering 1,200 hectares –800 industrial and the rest for housing–, the ca-pacity to create more than 35,000 jobs and a 1.5 billion-USD investment, are a few of the numbers of the Jalisco Logistics Center, one of three main projects to trigger Mex-ico’s economic development over the next eight years.

“The Jalisco Logistics Center is part of the solution

photo archive Mexico’s Partner Mexico’s Partner

to increase Mexico’s competi-tiveness, since cost overruns in logistics are always paid by the consumer. Improving these costs will benefit end consumers,” explains Omar De Loza Jiménez, commercial director of the project.

The Jalisco Logistics Cen-ter was envisioned by private initiative a couple of years ago, developed during the past administration and be-

gan operating during the cur-rent government.

The benefits of the project have been the ace in the hole that has transcended admin-istrations. Since its construc-tion, it has created 750 direct and 1,500 indirect jobs.

The 1.5 billion-USD invest-ment in the southern part of Jalisco –between the munici-palities of Acatlán de Juárez and Zacoalco de Torres– will help trigger employment in the near future. De Loza says

The location of this great project is only 37 kilometers from Guadalajara –the second most important city in Mexico, which has an international airport with more than 40 flights bound for the US every week.

gistics Center in the southern part of the state.

The location of this great project is only 37 kilometers from Guadalajara –the second most important city in Mexico, which has an international air-port with more than 40 flights bound for the US every week.

But that is not all. The Jalisco Logistics Center is only 270 kilometers from Manzanillo, in Colima, Mex-ico’s main port for container loading. Every year, up to two

opened in September 2013. The first firm, Tres Montes Luchetti, arrived in that same month, with annual global sales of up to 2 billion USD.

In this first stage of the project, 198 out of a total 250 hectares have been sold; some 40 companies have signed con-tracts to build warehouses in the area and two of them will begin operating in August 2014.

“So far we have 11 dif-ferent sectors such as metal working, auto parts, furni-

that over 35,000 jobs will be created and that the housing area will feature some 14,000 homes for close to 45,000 people, which means that the need for infrastructure and services in the area will create new business opportunities.

The Jalisco Logistics Cen-ter is innovative in its kind because most of these projects are built in the north of Mexi-co, close to the US border.

“We did not go in blind,” declares Omar De Loza: “Be-fore deciding to establish in Jalisco, we carried out a de-tailed study to explore the ad-vantages and disadvantages. The study showed that Jalisco has always been a commercial area; goods from other states pass through it and it’s an im-portant distribution center that concentrates several sectors, such as electronics, women’s footwear, jewelry, clothing, confectionery, furniture and dairy, among many others.”

The geographic location was also significant in the de-cision to build the Jalisco Lo-

million containers arrive in Manzanillo.

“The project is vast and can receive almost any type of business. We believe that Asia will be the strongest market for exports due to its closeness to Manzanillo, but European and Central and South Ameri-can companies have shown special interest in the high quality of the workforce and the strategic location within Mexico,” says De Loza.

“Our great added value is composed of several elements. We have an internal customs office, a container termi-nal, natural gas, fiber optics. We have not reinvented the wheel, but we have taken the best, that is why we have al-ready signed several contracts with industrial parks in Eu-rope,” adds De Loza.

To date, the Jalisco Logistics Center has international agree-ments with Centro Vía, the larg-est park of its kind in Europe, and Plaza Zaragoza, in Spain.

The first stage of the Jalisco Logistics Center was

ture, soap, confectionery, footwear, bread, soda, elec-tricity and electronics and pharmaceutical; we have diversified our sectors,” em-phasizes the Jalisco Logistics Center’s commercial director.

Moreover, the project has implemented an environmental policy. It has the technology to capture rainwater and is in the process of obtaining Integral Sustainable Urban Develop-ment (DUIS) certification.

Initially, it was projected that the Jalisco Logistics Cen-ter would reach its full capaci-ty in 10 years. Progress has cut the period to only eight years.

“In eight years, we would like to have a mix of 80% Mexican and 20% foreign firms, but the ratio might change to 60-40. Mexico is going through an important time because companies are looking for new places to in-vest. We have to seize the mo-ment and attract more busi-nesses,” concludes De Loza. n

www.centrologisticojalisco.mx

39





photo archive Mexico’s Partner Mexico’s Partner

InTeRPueRTO MOnTeRReY, More than a logistics port

this 1,350-hectare project in northeast Mexico boasts a “free trade zone” for product imports, known as a strategic in-bond Area.

by ANTONIO VázqUEz

million inhabitants because it covers the central-southern part of the US and the north of Mexico,” says Silvano Solís, CEO of Interpuerto Monterrey.

He adds, “We see a huge potential for companies as a result of the trade agreements between both countries, the elimination of tariffs and border with the US where a significant amount of goods are moved.”

Located 180 kilometers from the US, Interpuerto Monterrey, in the state of Nuevo León, was established in 2008 in response to a state government’s initiative to develop an international lo-gistics platform.

The authorities knew they needed private initiative on board to embark on such a venture. So the government of Nuevo León committed to improving the infrastructure surrounding Interpuerto Mon-terrey, while seven Mexican entrepreneurs focused on find-ing the perfect site and com-pleting the formalities required for its construction.

The result is a 1,350-hect-are (3,700 acres) logistics port where the railways of the na-tion’s two major rail operators converge; at the same time, Interpuerto Monterrey has an internal rail network that con-nects it to the main railways.

Furthermore, Interpuerto Monterrey has added value. On one hand, it has extensive services infrastructure for power generation, natural gas, water, sewage and access to water for industrial use. On the other, it has a strategic in-

bond area that is, in essence, a free trade zone; in other words, a designated space in Mexico for storing imported products that are considered to be out of the country when in fact they are in it.

“From Interpuerto Mon-terrey you can ship or receive from Mexico’s four main sea ports: Manzanillo in Colima, Lázaro Cárdenas in Micho-acán, Veracruz, and Altamira in Tamaulipas,” explains Sil-vano Solís.

“With the strategic in-bond area and the customs office inside Interpuerto Mon-terrey, customers can bring containers from any port with-out having to go through an inspection,” he adds.

Interpuerto Monterrey has sold around 100 hectares of the first phase of the project, which amounts to 350 hect-ares of the 1,350. The firms that have joined the project so far manufacture pipes, food and automotive parts.

“We just closed a transac-tion with Mondelez, a cookie manufacturer that imports raw materials and exports close to 80% of its processed products to the US,” he claims.

According to the project’s CEO, in less than 13 years, when the full expanse of the logistics port is occupied, it will have created between 35,000 and 40,000 direct jobs. To that end, the management of Interpuerto Monterrey has set the goal of occupying close to 90 hectares every year. Mondelez alone will create close to 2,000 direct jobs by 2014, when it begins opera-tions in Interpuerto Monterrey.

“As far as the near future, we intend to close deals with Japanese companies during the first quarter of 2014. This has resulted from a tour of Japan, supported by ProMéxico, where we found a great deal of interest in Interpuerto Monter-rey’s location. We visited 10 firms and they were all inter-ested, but five of them have a short-term interest in being in Nuevo León,” says Solís.

Another added value is Interpuerto Monterrey’s com-mitment to sustainability. Its mission is sustained by the economics of the business, the social aspect of the proj-ect and its impact in the en-vironment. Interpuerto Mon-terrey strives for a balance in all three features aligning its actions to this triple bottom-line principle. Part of this strategy results in the recov-ery of local flora during the clean-up work of the parcels, working hard to recover endemic species (replanting them in specific green areas), and creating a unique botani-cal garden as landscape.

“Another project that we want to have ready by the end of the first quarter of 2014 is for all the services at Interpuerto Monterrey, the lighting, offices, pumps, to run on solar power, through solar cells. The goal is to have a solar farm to generate the power required for these kinds of services. This will enable users to use renewable energy without having to invest more in their project,” concludes Silvano Solís. n

www.interpuertomty.com

Interpuerto Monterrey is a logistics project arising from the joint efforts of authori-ties and private initiative in Mexico, aimed at catapulting the economic development of the northeastern part of the country and targeting customers in North America,

with a hinterland of over 70 million inhabitants.

“I think this project is unique. Its scope and strate-gic geographic location, in northeast Mexico, place it in a more international context than a national one. It is sur-rounded by more than 70

Located 180 kilometers from the US, Interpuerto Monterrey, in the state of Nuevo León, was established in 2008 in response to a state government’s initiative to develop an international logistics platform.

photos archive

41





LOGISTIk InDuSTRIAL PARk:a heart and arteries For the industryCompanies wanting to produce in Mexico need a place to install their manufacturing operations and the tools to move their goods. Logistik industrial Park has the plan to do this in the best way possible and with competitive costs.

BY OMAR MAGAñA

Arriving at Logistik Industrial Park is like an all-inclusive vacation for logistics and manufacturing companies. The Villa de Reyes complex in San Luis Potosí is an inte-grated center for production and cargo movement.

The park, which has been run since the beginning of the last decade by a family of entrepreneurs from Monter-rey, is located in an unbeatable geographic location in Mexico and, without exaggeration, on the map of international trade:

tage because it gives other busi-nesses security and confidence.”

GM, L’Oréal and other residents of the park –such as: Magna Cosma International (automotive metal body and chassis), Advanced Assembly Products (auto parts, stamping and car axes), Eagle Industry (mechanical seals and special valves), Isgo Manufactura (plas-tic molding for the automotive sector), Nitta Moore (plastic pipes for fuel injection), Hyun-dai Dymos (automotive seats), Logistic Insight Corporation (assembly and logistics), Becton Dickinson (medical equipment), Caterpillar (distribution center); Ryder, DHL and Penske (logis-tics)– leverage the benefits of a space that combines intelligent services that give the industries competitiveness in a decentral-ized production system.

In addition to land sale, Logistik operates furniture and real estate leasing schemes, customs procedures and logis-tics and multimodal services. It is remarkable not only for its size –it grew from 530 hectares in 2003 to 2,040 hectares in 2013– but for the master plan that drives its activities and to which the strategic bonded area, Logistik Free Trade Zone, is fundamental –a unique figure

the state of San Luis Potosí. Situated midway between the north and the borders with the US, the dynamic Bajío and the center with its industrial pro-duction and consumption, San Luís Potosí is literally in the heart of Mexico.

Furthermore, Logistik’s location benefits from the flow of two important trade arteries: the highways from Mexico to Laredo and from Guadalajara to San Luis Potosí, both only a few kilometers away from the logistics center.

The park is next to the northeast railroad line, which Kansas City Southern de Méxi-co (KCSM) uses to move goods from the port of Lázaro Cárde-nas, Michoacán, and the Valley of Mexico, to Kansas City, in the US Midwest; moreover, the

approved in 2003 that enables the exchange of goods from abroad with tax and counter-vailing duty exemptions.

The multimodal terminal where 75,000 containers are moved every year is crucial to the plan. The bonded area operates on 16 hectares with 3.7 kilometers of railroads and storage yards for loaded and empty containers with control, cross-docking, maneuvering, towing and road transportation services for containerized car-go. Its internal customs office is also crucial, where round-the-clock cargo inspections are carried out using state-of-the-art technology.

All this has been key for companies that are tightly linked to the transport of in-puts for parts manufacturing or assembly.

“Our customers have very close relationships with Asian countries, especially Japan and Korea; they bring raw materi-als from Asia and ship the final product to the US, South Ameri-ca or Europe,” says Zapata.

iNvesTMeNT aTTRacTioN: esseNTiaLXimena Zapata reveals that Logistik is in the middle of negotiations with three large


Logistik’s location benefits from the flow of two important trade arteries: the highways from Mexico to Laredo and from Guadalajara to San Luis Potosí, both only a few kilometers away from the logistics center.

firms for their future establish-ment in the park. Furthermore, in the summer of 2013, execu-tives of the complex were part of a delegation of business owners from San Luis Potosí that visited Japan, coordinated by ProMéxico, to establish business relations with the Japanese private sector.

“We contacted very im-portant companies and some of them have already closed investment deals in the state,” boasts Zapata. Speaking about ProMéxico, she points out that “we have a very close relation-ship. We work a lot with the San Luis Potosí delegation. We are in constant communica-tion; they request information about the firms that have been here and the expectations for attracting investment.”

country’s largest urban areas –Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey– are located, on av-erage, five hours away overland, and only 722 kilometers sepa-rate the park from the border with Laredo, Texas.

coNviNciNg coNdiTioNsIn recent years, Logistik Indus-trial Park has generated quite a buzz since the arrival of two im-portant multinationals: the auto giant General Motors (GM) –operating since 2009– and cosmetics leader, L’Oréal –ac-tive since 2012. Both companies established important, strategic manufacturing centers to meet the needs of the US, Mexican and South American markets.

Ximena Zapata, commercial director of the park, believes that GM’ presence is “an advan-

On those lines, in June 2013 GM, which engages in assembly, stamping and transmissions, announced a 131 million-usd investment to expand its trans-mission plant.

Earlier, in December 2012, Logistik made the headlines of the specialized media with the arrival of L’Oréal, which invested 100 million usd in the site to develop its largest hair color plant in the world. L’Oréal uses Logistik to supply its L’Oréal Paris, Garnier, SoftS-heen-Carson and L’Oréal Pro-fessional brands to the North and Latin American markets. The company reports that it has created 400 direct and 800 indirect jobs in the park.

“As a park, we believe that diversity is key in the country’s development. We are very inter-ested in the chemical and phar-maceutical industries because we think it is an activity that requires skilled workforce; the aerospace sector is very impor-tant, but Querétaro is already very focused on detonating that industry,” explains Zapata.

Attracting investment should also translate into jobs. So far, the firms in Logistik Industrial Park employ 6,000 workers, mostly technicians. However, the arrival of compa-nies with specialized activities, such as medical products or cosmetics, is generating a need for chemical engineers.

As part of Logistik’s inte-grated plan, which strives to concentrate all industry solu-tions in one place, the second phase of the complex (1,500 hectares) includes an area for residential land use that will be divided up to build homes for the firms’ employees.

Logistik goes beyond: hav-ing a production site is not enough; the tools to deliver the goods in the right place at the right time are an even bigger priority. n

www.logistik.mx

43





uLS: a reliaBle Business partner

BY ANTONIO VázqUEz

photos courtesy of uls Mexico’s Partner Mexico’s Partner

“Half Mexican, half Dutch,” that is how Armando González, commercial direc-tor of ULS (United Logistics Services) describes it. This company moves cargo and containers from Mexico to

everywhere in the world and vice versa.

ULS was founded in Mex-ico in 2006. Two years later, Dutch business owners “decid-ed to help firms importing and exporting goods, therefore our

staff’s aim is to connect Mexico to Asia and Europe,” explains Armando González.

Imports from Asia to Mexico stand for 80% of the company’s operations. The remaining 20% comprises ex-ports from Mexico to Europe and America.

Every year, between imports and exports, ULS moves 80,000 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units, the measure of each container) around the globe, of which 12,000 are moved within Mexican territory.

In Mexico ULS focuses mainly on three sectors: agricul-ture –González points out that automotive is the corporation’s

services to help companies move their cargo everywhere in the world, taking care of their goods from their origin to their final destination. Furthermore, ULS can help find suppliers and/or forwarders in the coun-tries of origin, customs brokers in Mexico, and delivery and insurance services, among other. We tailor our services to our customers’ needs.”

Nevertheless, ULS Mexico enjoys its strategic location of being a natural bridge between the US and South America. “We also have of-fices in several countries all over the world, such as China, India, Vietnam, South Korea, Taiwan, the Netherlands, Bel-gium, Germany and Italy, that allow us to be present in the most important commercial spots,” he adds.

“The US is one of our main buyers, but we have also had strong growth in Central and South America. By not depend-

strength–, automotive –more focused on auto parts and tires– and textile. These are the three main triggers for the country’s economic development.

“Mexico is ranked fourth as global exporter in the au-tomotive sector; therefore, growth is very strong. More-over, its territorial expansion makes it a very productive land and that is where we come in with the agricultural sector, we approach people and avoid intermediaries,” he claims.

Armando González ex-plains how this firm is different from many others in the same field: “In ULS we offer a rich range of integrated logistics

ULS sees its future in Mex-ico, according to González. “In the upcoming years, the firm aims to grow in the agri-cultural sector, consolidating old business relationships and establishing new ones. The area we are exploring right now is the one among Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco and the Bajío region, a fruitful and profit-able territory.”

González also points out that their business range is more focused on small and me-dium-sized local producers and manufacturers. “ULS Group, along with its firm GreenTrade, can purchase, transport and guarantee the product of any business here in Mexico.”

“Moving products from one place to another is very simple. Connecting people and creating business relationships, that is where we come in,” he concludes. n

www.uls.com.mx

united Logistics services, a company with Mexican and foreign investment, offers customized import and export services from Mexico.

Every year, between imports and exports, ULS moves 80,000 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units, the measure of each container) around the globe, of which 12,000 are moved within Mexican territory.

ing solely on our northern neighbor, we have been ex-panding our network to con-nect in Panama, Ecuador, Chile, Brazil, Uruguay and Argen-tina,” clarifies González.

Proximity is an added value for ULS in Mexico. It has presence in the main customs offices of ports such as Man-zanillo, in the state of Colima; Lázaro Cárdenas, in Micho-acán; Altamira, in Tamaulipas and Veracruz, in Veracruz.

45





photo courtesy of gtm Mexico’s Partner Mexico’s Partner

GTM: a strong FaMily

there is an expert in goods transport by road, and it’s Grupo transportes Monterrey. it has all the attributes of a competitive player: infrastructure, excellent relations with its counterparts abroad, human capital and a professional vision.

BY OMAR MAGAñA

z

Grupo Transportes Monter-rey (GTM) is one of the key elements to understanding goods movement between the member countries of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Since adopting a corporate structure in the 1980s, this giant of commercial transit on wheels is able to partici-pate in almost every area of production and exchange involving Mexico and its northern neighbors, the US and Canada.

In a country where close to 80% of overland cargo movements are by road,

thanks to its advantages over rail (such as the feasibility of door-to-door deliveries, the viability of accessing diverse zones of Mexico, the opera-tional flexibility and lower investment costs), GTM is among the heavyweights, especially in the ports and borders in the northeast (such as Nuevo Laredo) and Mexico’s main urban and industrial centers: Monterrey, Guadalajara, San Luis Potosí and Mexico City.

GTM was established in the 1960s. Since then and un-til the 1980s, it participated in dry cargo transportation be-

tween Mexico City and Mon-terrey. In the 1980s it began expanding towards liquid and refrigerated cargo, until in the following decades it started to move chemicals, food-grade inputs and components for the automotive industry.

The corporate vision was key in a growth process based on the absorption of multiple trucking companies, each with proven experience in a specific market sector, which resulted in GTM, integrated by Auto Líneas América (ALA), Trans-portes Monterrey (TM), Trans-portes López e Hijos (TLH), Transportes Jorge Ancer (TJA), Transportes Minerva (TMi) and Acción Transport (AT).

“We established a corpo-rate governance; sharehold-ers have an advisory board and they appointed a CEO,” explains Fernando J. Bernal, director of sales and market-ing at GTM.

understood how managers have evolved.”

diveRsify aNd coNqUeRMore than 1,600 of GTM’s tractors make 800,000 trips a year, covering some 190 mil-lion kilometers. A third of these movements are international and are related to trade result-ing from NAFTA.

Currently, the most repre-sentative sectors in terms of cargo volume are chemicals, food and automotive, although GTM also satisfies the needs of retail, beverages, general and other finished goods businesses.

“Our strategy has been to maintain a balance. Normally, one sector will excel more than another; at some point, it was retail, and other times it was beverages or air gases,” points out Bernal.

To satisfy the need of its customers, the corporation has infrastructure including tractors,

Mexico and Monterrey. TLH takes care of refrigerated cargo, both regular and hazardous, has international regulating platforms and freights between the port of Veracruz and Mon-terrey. TJA moves national and international hazardous goods cargo through Colombia (Nuevo León), Matamoros and Altamira (Tamaulipas), Vera-cruz and Manzanillo.

TMi works with regular food-grade liquid and solid bulk cargo in tanker and hop-per trucks; and has kosher-certified container washing centers for this type of cargo. Acción Transport special-izes in regular cargo for the national and international automotive sector. GTM has integrated well into intermo-dal systems with services for railroad containers in stations in Nuevo León, San Luis Po-tosí, Guanajuato, Jalisco and Estado de México.

Terrorism) certified company, a standard that brings confidence to those involved in exchange between countries. Hence, the corporation’s trailers can take their US partners’ containers at the border, deliver the cargo in Mexico and return the empty or loaded containers within a few days; they can also return tanker trailers with food-grade supplies to the US in the full confidence of their clients that they have their own washing yards that comply with sector specifications.

coNfideNce oN WheeLsThe customer’s first requirement will always be that goods in transit are safe under any cir-cumstances. The firm’s solidity and experience, its trained hu-man capital and satellite track-ing technologies are GTM’s guarantees to its customers.

The consortium’s fleet is made up of Kenworth trucks no more than seven years old, and which are checked constantly in their own service shops.

GTM has strict selection systems for those who will be in charge of hazardous sub-stances, and manages its own training school in Monterrey, where it offers courses on auto mechanics, tractors or GPS navigation for special-ized drivers and training for young drivers.

Every unit is equipped with GPS systems to enable them to be tracked on GTM’s own National Satellite Moni-toring Center (Cenamos).

GTM, a corporation with close to 2,600 employees, is designing an executive training program with the Tecnológico de Monterrey (Itesm) and continues to train the collaborators who have helped strengthen the com-pany in its desire to stay firm and grow in an ever-changing commercial environment. n

www.transportesmty.com.mx

This structure, he adds, encourages professional de-cision-making from a general perspective, although each line has its own management team and goals related to the type of operation it car-ries out. “This has helped the group grow in a controlled way,” he says.

According to Bernal, the group defines itself as a mix of a professional firm, due to its infrastructure, and a medi-um-sized company that keeps a close and understanding relationship with its custom-ers. “Many of our executives have been with the group for over 20 years. People have been essential in this process because they have gradually

tanker trucks for liquid bulk and ISO tank chassis for chemi-cals, air gases and food-grade supplies; refrigerated trailers, international cargo platforms, curtain side trucks for beer and soda and sea cargo chassis.

By company, ALA offers regular national and interna-tional cargo services, US bridge crossing through Nuevo Lare-do, Tamaulipas and Colombia, Nuevo León, as well as door-to-door delivery in Mexico and the US and Canada through its partners in these countries.

TM transports regular cargo within Mexico and sea containers between the ports of Manzanillo, Veracruz and Altamira, and the intermo-dal terminals of the Valley of

The group has 30 termi-nals in Mexico –some of them are more important, such as those in Nuevo Laredo, Monterrey, Mexico City, San Luis Potosí, Chihuahua, To-rreón, Altamira, Veracruz and San Juan del Río–; two large workshops for tractor main-tenance in Monterrey and Mexico City and small service centers in the terminals.

“We have commercial agreements with large Ameri-can firms in the US, such as Con-Way, Schneider, Werner or Union Pacific. We operate under an agreement to move their containers in Mexico and return them to the US,” clarifies Bernal.

GTM is a C-TPAT (Cus-toms-Trade Partnership against

More than 1,600 of GTM’s tractors make 800,000 trips a year, covering some 190 million kilometers. A third of these movements are international and are related to trade resulting from NAFTA.

infographic oldemar

Source: National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI). *From January to September.

How does Mexico reachits commercial partners?(Main customs for Mexican exports, million USD)

By air million

By roadmillion

4,950.39

2,725.61839.88

601.86

353.68

321.74

491.57

12345

67

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

12

34

56

71

23

4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 45

67

12

34

56

7

12345

67

ABCDEFG

AB

CD

EF

GA

BC

D E F G A B C D E F G A B C DE

FG

AB

CD

EF

G

ABCDEFG

Tota

l 200

7: 1

0,28

4.73

Total 2007: 163,241.63

Total 2008: 168,706.78

Total 2009: 141,896.31Total 2010: 173,493.15

Total 2011: 193,037.79

Tota

l 2012:

208,

605.

14To

tal 2

013:

156

,007

.56*

Tota

l 200

8: 11,8

21.18

Total 2009: 11,198.04Total 2010: 12,896.54

Total 2011: 13,533.36

Total 2012: 15,001.95

Total 2013: 11,051.37*

536.48

6,140.73

3,041.57 960.00

552.63

412.90

176.87

5,586.723,221.35

1,087.93686.91364.51

84.78165.85

5,342.18 4,225.44

1,637.98 731.44

533.94

134.84

290.71

4,46

2.65

5,35

2.98

1,71

2.18

766.

0360

8.40

216.

4641

4.66

6,028.0

15,623.39

1,262.43

741.36

635.38

155.99

555.38

3,889.22

4,775.25

621.46

488.26

546.60

172.91557.67

Guadalajara, JaliscoMexico CityMonterrey, Nuevo LeónProgreso, YucatánToluca, Estado de MéxicoChihuahua, ChihuahuaOther

G

F

E

D

C

B

A Nuevo Laredo, TamaulipasCiudad Juárez, ChihuahuaTijuana, Baja CaliforniaCiudad Reynosa, TamaulipasColombia, Nuevo LeónNogales, SonoraOther

36,212.26

24,593.19

17,642.26

15,481.43

30,061.828,598.90

30,651.76

40,275.61

25,855.55

18,537.64

14,758.06

30,481.488,693.5930,104.84

35,7

48.5

1

22,2

64.3

215

,080

.32

11,3

71.6

0

23,2

62.6

9

6,60

4.32

27,5

64.5

5

42,6

02.9

8

24,6

72.3

4

17,8

05.6

6

14,4

47.5

6

27,4

41.3

08,

133.

58

38,3

89.7

3

48,631.3225,596.34

18,077.0218,551.96

31,248.68

8,863.25

42,069.22

54,804.30

26,594.44

18,875.56

20,850.04

33,130.9810,489.52

43,860.30

42,501.91

19,284.07

14,174.25

15,338.71

23,324.997,787.64

33,595.98

By railroad million

14,261.23

5,204.99

3,692.21

2,911.57335.01

90.54

509.91

12345

67

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

12

34

56

71

23

4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 45

67

12

34

56

7

12345

67

ABCDEFG

AB

CD

EF

GA

BC

D E F G A B C D E F G A B C DE

FG

AB

CD

EF

G

ABCDEFG

Tota

l 200

7: 2

7,00

5.45

Total 2007: 68,130.08

Total 2008: 81,352.47

Total 2009: 53,688.60Total 2010: 72,797.92

Total 2011: 98,051.78

Tota

l 2012:

97,6

42.4

1To

tal 2

013:

70,

874.

09*

Tota

l 200

8: 26,3

77.72

Total 2009: 19,656.76Total 2010: 30,102.72

Total 2011: 36,469.61

Total 2012: 41,082.18

Total 2013: 36,942.52*

48.56

13,197.95

5,592.68

4,159.41

2,979.54322.61

76.97

7,539.765,567.51

3,667.832,552.12

279..8614.75

34.9312,906.77

7,796.18

5,145.50

3,718.25 415.5925.25

95.18

9,98

8.79

5,97

9.92

3,71

3.10

511.

5936

.16

168.

64 11,260.48

5,453.77

4,886.81

370.45

35.44

89.24

9,564.88

6,507.39

4,026.89

337.11

24.7120.06

Nuevo Laredo, TamaulipasPiedras Negras, Coahuila

Nogales, SonoraCiudad Juárez, Chihuahua

Matamoros, TamaulipasMexicali, Baja California

Other

G

F

E

D

C

B

ACd. del Carmen, CampecheVeracruz, Veracruz

Coatzacoalcos, VeracruzManzanillo, Colima

Altamira, TamaulipasDos Bocas, Tabasco

Other

27,842.64

7,742.37

4,878.73

4,474.61

7,396.684,766.99

11,028.06

35,121.53

9,069.14

5,608.60

4,881.84

9,851.693,754.5113,065.15

20,3

49.6

2

6,19

1.60

4,62

2.57

4,65

2.46

6,78

9.651,

626.

75

9,45

5.95

23,3

78.2

2

10,1

15.1

0 6,94

2.35

6,29

3.88

9,07

5.614,

681.

55

12,3

11.2

1

32,844.8314,402.70

9,461.828,136.69

10,876.34

5,603.8916,725.50

33,172.86

12,137.80

10,422.64

7,982.63

11,331.37

3,941.88

18,653.22

24,397.67

6,938.85

7,452.29

6,703.47

9,301.982,765.58

13,314.24

By seamillion

16,0

71.4

0

18,986.00

16,461.48

47

negocios proMéxico |

46

| negocios proMéxico Figures Figures

The Lifestyle

The CompleTe Guide To The mexiCan Way of life


48

infographic oldemar Figures

The Lifestyle Briefs

Boutique Hotels,the Fine Art of Service and Attention to Detail

Mexican Ingredients Influencing International Palates

Meals on Wings

50

52

62

66

ga

br

iel o

ro

zc

o, “

mo

bil

mat

rix”

(20

06)

/ ph

ot

o b

yro

nic

A WIndoW to MExICo’S

ContEMporAry Art SCEnE

mexico has a wealth of internationally-renowned artists. Some are well established, while others are just starting to make a name for themselves. We bring you a pick of eight of the country’s most representative creative talents.

56

infographic oldemarNegocios ProMéxico |

december 2013 / January 2014

Figures

6,43

5.62

3,21

3.42

3,08

4.45

3,26

3.84 8,

374.

10

Mexicanexports by transport mode (million USD)

68,130.08

81,352.47

72,797.92

53,688.60

97,642.41

98,051.78

70,874.09

‘07 ‘08 ‘09 ‘10 ‘11 ‘12 ‘13*

27,005.45163,241.63

168,706.78

141,896.31

173,493.15

193,037.79

208,605.14

26,377.72

19,656.76

30,102.72

36,469.61

36,942.52156,007.56

41,082.18

‘07 ‘08 ‘09 ‘10 ‘11 ‘12 ‘13*

Sea

Railroad

Road

‘07 ‘08 ‘09 ‘10 ‘11 ‘12 ‘13*

10,284.73

11,821.18

11,198.04

13,533.36

15,001.95

11,051.37

Air

12,896.54

9,18

2.82

8,28

2.50

Other

‘13*‘07 ‘08 ‘09 ‘10 ‘11 ‘12

271,

875.

31

291,

342.

60

229,

703.

55

298,

473.

15

349,

375.

05

370,

705.

78 281,

311.

16

*From January to September.Source: National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI).

‘13*‘08‘07 ‘09 ‘10 ‘11 ‘12

Total

51

The Lifestyle Briefs


pho

to

co

urt

esy

of

gua

dal

ajar

a in

tern

atio

nal

bo

ok

fair

LITERATURE

Books Bring Drovesto Guadalajara

Nobel laureates Ada Yonath, Shimon Peres and Mario Vargas Llosa were among the authors, thinkers and politicians in attendance at the 27th Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL).

From November 30 through December 8, the editorial world’s second-largest event drew 600 authors, 20,000 publishers from 42 coun-tries and over 700,000 visitors.

French poet Yves Bonnefoy was awarded the FIL Romance-Language Literature Prize in the presence of writers like Alessandro Baricco, Camilla Läckberg, Etgar Keret, Gonçalo Tava-res, Colm Tóibín, Jöel Dicker, Dani Umpi, Paula Parisot, Aleš Šteger, Use Lahoz, Rosa Montero, Javier Cercas, Nicholas Sparks, Ildefonso Fal-cones, Forrest Gander and Leonardo Padura, to name just a few.

This year’s guest country was Israel and next year the honors will go to Argentina. Over the 27 years it has been running, the FIL has attracted some 10 million visitors.

www.fil.com.mx

Tourists visiting the fortified colonial city of Veracruz can now take a tour of the recent-ly restored San Carlos Military Hospital, built in 1764 by the Spanish Crown.

Made of stone removed from the ocean, the hospital was planned after the taking of Havana in 1762 by the English to tend to soldiers protecting military bas-es along the coast. San Carlos was the first hospital of its kind in Latin America and the wounded from three of the four inva-sions of Veracruz by France and the US passed through its wards.

After two years of painstaking restora-tion work carried out by the Mexican Army under the supervision of the National An-thropology and History Institute (INAH), the hospital has now been turned into a museum on the history of medicine in the eighteenth century, while its state-of-the-art auditorium will be used for cultural events.

www.sancarlos-museohospital.org

ARCHITECTURE

A Colonial Gem Restored

pho

to

arc

hiv

e

53

Negocios ProMéxico | The Lifestyle

52

The Lifestyle | Negocios ProMéxico

December 2013 / January 2014 December 2013 / January 2014

Blessed with great beaches and breathtaking scenery, most of Mexico’s major tourist destinations have a fine selection of boutique hotels to make your stay a bit more memorable.

Boutique Hotels,the Fine Art oF Service And Attention to detAil

pho

to

co

urt

esy

of

ho

tel

b co

zum

el

Not having to make the bed or wonder-ing if there’s a clean towel in the bath-room. Leaving your room a mess and knowing it’ll be spick and span when you get back. Cooking? Why bother when you can lift the phone and order a piping hot bowl of soup, a delicious steak and a glass of wine.

The upside of traveling is being pam-pered by your hotel. From the moment you check in at the front desk to the mo-

ment your car is brought around front or the receptionist orders you a taxi to take you to the airport, you expect to be wait-ed on hand and foot.

The world’s top hotels have mastered the fine art of making their guests feel special without being intrusive. And if it’s personalized attention you’re after, a bou-tique hotel is your best option.

This type of hotel offers exclusivity and attention to detail. Some will make

note of the radio station you were lis-tening to in the morning before leaving your room and make sure the dial is at the same station when you get back. Oth-ers will go to enormous lengths to offer their guests meals tailored to their dietary requirements.

We bring you a selection of Mexico’s best boutique hotels. What better excuse to take that vacation you’ve been putting off for so long?

by patricia peña

Hotel B cozuMelCozuMel, Quintana Roo

The crown jewel of the Caribbean, Cozumel is one of Mexico’s larger islands. Its predominantly lime-stone composition has propitiated the formation of cenotes –under-ground freshwater caves that can be explored with dive guides and that are one of the region’s main tourist attractions.

If you plan on staying the night, a great option is Hotel B Cozumel, the only one on the is-land certified as a boutique hotel. B Cozumel has rambling gardens, gourmet restaurants and organiz-es art exhibitions, painting, cook-ing, photography and yoga classes to ensure guests a fun, memorable stay. Local arts and crafts are on sale at the hotel store and rooms are available for guests traveling with their furry friends.

www.hotelbcozumel.com

pho

to

co

urt

esy

of

casa

de

mit

a

pho

to

co

urt

esy

of

ho

tel

b co

zum

el

cAsA de MitAPunta Mita, nayaRit

Overlooking the beautiful beach of Car-eyeros on the Nayarit Riviera, Casa de Mita offers its guests a unique experience in the hands of discreet staff that instantly make you feel at home.

The hotel has only a handful of guest-rooms –each decorated in its own style with original artwork and hand-carved furniture– so peace and tranquility are guaranteed.

Leave your worries behind as you lay in the shade of a palm tree in this secluded Pacific hideaway and lap up every well

deserved minute of rest and relaxation. And when you’re done taking in the ocean view, why not go horseback riding or play a round at one of the nearby golf courses? If you come between November and April, a boat trip to see the whales is another in-valuable option.

Aside from its excellent service, Casa de Mita is famous for its delicious cuisine. We promise you’ll come away wanting seconds!

www.casademita.com

55


54



pho

to

co

ur

te

sy o

f h

ote

l ca

sa s

and

raph

ot

o c

ou

rt

esy

of

l’h

ot

el t

re

s v

ida

s

Hotel cAsA sAndrA Holbox iSland, Quintana Roo

Famous for its turquoise blue waters and white sand beach-es, Mexico’s Caribbean coast has some of the most breath-taking natural scenery in the world. Cancún and Playa del Carmen are two of its bet-ter known destinations but if you’re looking for something different, we suggest Holbox, an island just over 150 kilo-meters from Cancún Interna-tional Airport, north of the Gulf of Mexico.

Holbox is a world unto it-self, far removed from the hus-tle and bustle of everyday life. In this sanctuary for the body and soul, time seems to come to a standstill.

Ideally located on the island is Casa Sandra, which is deco-rated with original works by its owner, Sandra Pérez, and other Cuban artists. Art is the calling card of this hotel, where guests are assured great service, excel-lent amenities and good food. The perfect choice if you’re af-ter a quiet but unconventional vacation.

www.casasandra.com

l’Hotel tres VidAsaCaPulCo, GueRReRo

There’s a reason Acapulco is Mexico’s most famous tourist destination and that’s because it has it all: fantastic weather and beautiful

beaches, not to mention all the best restau-rants, clubs and hotels.

Like L’Hotel Tres Vidas. Located in the club house of the Tres Vidas residential de-velopment and golf club, this sophisticated boutique hotel has just 10 luxury ocean view suites, each with a spacious private terrace,

perfect for winding down.A Pacific hotel to die for in the beautiful

state of Guerrero, L’Hotel Tres Vidas is ideal for golf lovers or anyone dreaming of an ex-clusive vacation in the lap of luxury.

www.tresvidas.com.mx

Hotel cApellA ixtaPa, GueRReRo

In the northwest of the state of Guerrero lies the tourist destination of Ixtapa, which boasts a unique combination of luxury re-sorts, quiet beaches and a relaxed ambience that draws couples and families for a relax-ing, no-worries vacation.

Adding to Ixtapa’s charms is Hotel Ca-pella. Luxury, comfort and impeccable ser-vice are the hallmarks of this amazing hotel, whose spacious suites command striking Pacific views. The guestrooms and com-mon areas are decorated in exquisite taste and guests are guaranteed an unforgettable dining experience at any of the hotel’s three restaurants. To complete the experience, Ca-pella has a full-service spa and offers a host of fun activities. Whether you’re on your honeymoon or a relaxing getaway, you can’t go wrong with Capella.

www.capellahotels.com/ixtapa

Hotel HAciendA sAn ÁngelPueRto VallaRta, JaliSCo

Puerto Vallarta is one of the country’s top tourist destina-tions, one that offers visitors the best of both worlds: the incredible beaches and mod-ern resorts of Nuevo Vallarta, world-class restaurants serv-ing up regional and interna-tional fare and clubs where you can make new friends and party till the sun comes up.

Flanked by clubs, bars, restaurants and boutiques on one side and the Pacific on the other, a trip to Puerto Vallarta wouldn’t be complete without a stroll down its promenade, which recently underwent a makeover.

In the town of Puerto Val-larta, close to the Church of Guadalupe, is Hacienda San Ángel, a hotel comprised of four traditional, newly-ren-ovated houses, a villa and a

charming chapel. Accommo-dations range from an ex-clusive Presidential Suite to luxurious Junior Suites. But whichever you choose, com-fort is assured and all ameni-

ties are laid on so guests have absolutely nothing to worry about except enjoying their vacation.

An exclusive boutique hotel that promises a totally

unique experience you’ll want to repeat the minute you’ve checked out!

www.haciendasanangel.com

pho

to

co

ur

te

sy o

f h

ote

l ca

pell

a

pho

to

co

ur

te

sy o

f h

ote

l h

acie

nd

a sa

n á

ng

el

57


56



A WIndoW To MExICo’s ConTEMpoRARy ART sCEnE

José LUIs CUEvAs

Mexico has a wealth of internationally-renowned artists. Some are well established, while others are just starting to make a name for themselves. We bring you a pick of eight of the country’s most representative creative talents.

by patricia peña

pho

to

dre

w l

eavy

Judging from the many and varied media Mexico’s contempo-rary artists draw on, the fine arts have not escaped the onslaught of globalization.

An explosion of visual, literary and plastic talent all rolled into one, these multifaceted artists force us to question the world around us, while remaining true to their roots. But rather than a conscious attempt to defy classification, their aesthetic has been shaped more by personal experience and the irresistible urge to see the figments of their imagination materialized.

Some of the artists featured in this issue were born in the mid-20th century and others are barely approaching 40 but all of them are making the world sit up and take notice with works that express their rationale and colors that reflect what is in their heart of hearts.

Perceptive and provocative, José Luis Cuevas has been making history on Mexico’s art scene for the last half century. He was born in 1931 in a Mexico City whose stark contrasts formed his uniquely monstrous perception of beauty.

Sodium vapor tinged memories of the bars and prostitutes in the working class neighborhood where he grew up were etched in the

mind of young José Luis as he walked down the street holding his nana Lupe’s hand. These same images would later reappear in his paintings, drawings, engrav-ings, illustrations and sculp-tures.

The artist’s favorite sub-jects are voluptuous women, who tend to bare more of their souls than they do their bodies. Early on in his career, it was these solid masses that grabbed the attention of international critics like José Gómez Sicre, the gal-

lery owner Phillippe Bruno, the collector Álvar Carrillo Gil, the engraver Lola Cueto and sculptors Henry Moore and Giacomo Mansur, with whom Cuevas began touring and showing in the US, Latin America and Europe.

Cuevas is often classed in the neo-figurative genre due to his work with lines and is associated with the Break-away Generation formed as a reaction against the estab-lished Mexican School of Painting, otherwise known as the Mexican Muralist

Movement. He has shown at venues like the Edouard Loeb Gallery in Paris, where Picasso purchased two of his works, and was named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government in 1991.

Prostitutes, beggars and lunatics remain his models of choice, yet despite this unsavory leitmotif the crit-ics always applaud his work, perhaps because of his un-canny ability to elevate the grotesque to a state of aes-thetic ecstasy.

photos archive

FRAnCIsCo ToLEdo Drum beating horses mounted by dogs, frog children and lizard men who slither up and down vertical ladders. Toledo draws no line between the human and animal worlds. His phantasma-gorical hybrids reveal a deep ap-preciation for the aesthetics of nature. In particular, he shows a fondness for “scary” creatures like bats, iguanas, toads and insects –representations of his Zapotec roots, which he imbues with the colors of the earth and the flavors of his native Oaxaca.

Irreverent, mystical, pro-vocative, millenary, sensual and playful, Toledo has always been a lone ranger, associated more with the Breakaway Gen-eration of the Fifties than the Mexican muralists. He started out as a potter and went on to experiment with drawing, painting, engraving and sculp-ture after studying at the Fine

Arts Institute (INBA) in Mexi-co City but it wasn’t until 1959 that he began showing at inter-national galleries.

The originality of his work has appealed to intellectuals like Henry Miller, who stated that “his audaciousness stems from certainty” in his write-up for the catalog to Toledo’s ex-hibitions in London and New York in the 1960s.

A champion of social, cultur-al and environmentalist causes, this natural-born philanthropist has devoted a large part of his energies to the promotion and preservation of Mexico’s artistic heritage and is a staunch advo-cate of free access to education in the arts. It was with this mis-

sion in mind that he founded the San Agustín Arts Center (CaSa) and the first Eco Art Center in Latin America.

In 2005, his tireless efforts in defense of the cultural heri-tage, environment and society of Oaxaca earned him the Right Livelihood Award, sometimes referred to as the “Alternative Nobel Prize.” Other accolades he has garnered include the National Prize for Sciences and the Arts (1998) and the Prince Claus Award (2000), while his work has been exhibited in mu-seums throughout Mexico and at prestigious venues abroad, such as the New York Public Library and the Tate Gallery in London.

59


58



ALEJAndRo CoLUngA

This self-professed “Rolling Stone of painting” views him-self more as a “rocker, bum and madman” than a contem-porary artist.

Colunga’s world is a fan-tasy one that verges on the nightmarish and that has been 20 years in the making. “The Magician’s Hall” and “The Uni-versal Magicians” are two series of sculptures by this self-taught artist that are on public display in downtown Guadalajara.

A native of Guadalajara, where he was born in 1948, his paintings and sculptures have been shown at collective and solo exhibitions in major gal-leries in the US and Europe, like the Museum of Modern Art in Washington, D.C. and the Rudy Müller Gallery in Zurich, Swit-zerland.

Colunga currently alter-nates painting with an ambi-tious sculpture project involv-ing water tanks, steel, glass and live fish.

JAvIER ARévALo

Pre-Columbian culture is col-orful to begin with; add to that the magic of Javier Aréva-lo’s brush and you get an en-chanted world populated by modern art icons that retain vestiges of ancient cultures.

Born in a working class district of Guadalajara in the western state of Jalisco, from an early age Arévalo was ea-ger to get out and explore the world. “I knew I wasn’t go-ing to be a studio artist and quickly realized all my poten-tial was in my hands,” he says. That love of traveling shines through in his paintings, which

are signed and dated in places as close to home as Acapulco and as far flung as Turkey.

What began as an adven-ture illustrating medical texts for the University of Guadala-jara led him to experiment with lithography and later turn his hand to painting, which finally opened international doors for him with a show in California in 1963. Since then, he has shown in several countries in Latin America and Europe.

Labeled a surrealist or hy-perrealist by the critics, Aréva-lo prefers to be known as a creator of magical worlds who wakes up every morning try-ing to forget what he painted the day before.

photos archive

MAnUEL FELgUéREz

Born in a Mexico in the full throes of revolution, politi-cal unrest forced Felguérez to leave his father’s ranch and head for the big city. Little did he know that this move would put him on the path to be-coming one of Mexico’s most prominent abstract artists of the late 20th century. Much less could he have imagined he would be mounting one of his most iconic sculptures, Gate 1808, here almost half a cen-tury later in 2007.

As a young man, Felguérez met the writer Jorge Ibargüen-goitia, who introduced him to Mexico City’s thriving cul-tural scene. Having attended some of the country’s most prestigious art schools, in the 1950s he decided it was

time to broaden his horizons and enrolled at the Grande Chaumière Academy in Paris, where he was mentored by the French-Russian sculptor Ossip Zadkine. It was from Zadkine that he inherited his Cubist tendencies.

A member of the Break-away Generation of abstract artists openly opposed to the so called Mexican School of Painting dominated by Di-ego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros and José Clemente Orozco, in the Seventies, Fel-guérez began taking a more serious interest in the artis-tic applications of technol-ogy. Two interrelated projects in this vein, Multiple Space (1973) and The Aesthetic Ma-chine (1975), finally earned him international recognition.

In addition to receiv-ing a scholarship from the

French government (1954), he won second prize in the Painting category at the First Triennale-India in New Delhi (1968) and the Grand Prize of Honor at the 13th Sao Paulo Biennial (1975) for his Mul-tiple Space series, a scholar-

ship from the Guggenheim Foundation (1975), the Na-tional Prize for Sciences and the Arts in the Fine Arts cate-gory (1988), and was decreed a Creator Emeritus (1993) by Mexico’s National System of Artistic Creators.

61


60



gAbRIEL oRozCo

When he was six, Gabriel Oro-zco moved from his native Ve-racruz in Southeast Mexico to Mexico City, where he would watch his father, Mario Orozco, turn listless walls into striking murals under the watchful eye of David Alfaro Siqueiros.

The year was 1970 and an idealistic ambience reigned in the capital. It was the kind of en-vironment in which a boy could talk about art with the most prominent maestros of the day, the kind of environment that propitiated the birth of an art-ist with a unique style, one who was destined to break with tra-ditional paradigms.

Orozco was educated at the Fine Arts Circle of Madrid but on his return to Mexico in 1980 it was the get-togethers

at his home with other artists and intellectuals that inspired the artistic and cultural proj-ects that were to give rise to a new school.

Considered one of the 10 most influential artists in the world, Orozco’s work is not limited to canvas but dabbles in sculpture and installations that form part of international museum collections.

Eclecticism is a distinguish-ing trait of this highly original artist, who juxtaposes every-day objects and materials with no seemingly obvious connec-tion and invites the spectator to make creative associations between them.

According to the critics, the unifying elements of Orozco’s work are recurring themes and techniques that manifest them-selves in constantly changing forms and configurations.

photos archive

yURI zATARAIn

The God of Love turned his gaze to Earth and fell in love with a woman. As the days passed, he was unable to bear his mortal feelings for her and decided to lock her in a cage. But when he realized she didn’t love him back, he opened the cage door to free his feelings for her. That is the story behind the first of 50 paintings that comprise Za-tarain’s All for Love series.

Born on January 17, 1972, in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, the characters in the paintings of this young artist immediately engage the spectator, project-ing emotions that seem to jump out from the canvas. The brush strokes and colors demand to be taken serious-ly, while the stories they tell move some to tears and others

laughter, perhaps because they are based on personal experi-ence and real-life anecdotes of friends and acquaintances.

The God abducted the woman with the intention of making love to her but didn’t have the courage and instead took her to a lake in whose waters the truth was reflected. When they sailed over the lake, his desire was unmasked… and so the saga continues.

After years of trying to get noticed, one day Zatarain says he woke up with the idea of making love the central theme of his paintings and sculp-tures. International fame came virtually overnight.

Winner of the coveted Las Vegas Desert Star Award, All for Love –the artist’s most important collection to date– opens at the Rimonim Art Gal-lery in Miami in April 2014.

sERgIo gARvAL

Born in 1968 in Guadalajara, Garval has earned a name for himself in Mexico’s con-temporary art circles and his works have been shown in the US, Spain, Italy and other European countries.

The artist’s choice of subject matter is undeniably raw, a prime example of this be-ing his Ants series, in which we see humans indulging in animalistic behaviors from a bird’s eye perspective and where gradual transitions unexpectedly lapse into impul-sive, expressionistic brush strokes, creating an aesthetic impact not easily forgotten.

Deemed a breath of fresh air by the crit-ics, Garval expresses collective attitudes in the form of men and women wandering, rowing or scavenging through heaps of toys, chairs and other detritus worn out by use but at the same time impregnated with sig-nificances new objects lack.

To contain and transport this “emo-tional trash,” as the artist calls it, we need suitcases, which symbolize man’s existential journey and are another recurring image in Garval’s work.

63


62



Mexican inGReDienTS InfluencIng InternatIonal Palates

by antonio vázquez

Imagine a pizza without tomato sauce or a chilidog without chili. And where, oh where, would we be without chocolate? Along with avocado, corn, beans, agave and chia seeds, these are a mere sam-pling of the ingredients that form the backbone of Mexican cook-ing and that have added oomph to international cuisines.

Thousands of years ago, the land that is today Mexico produced foodstuffs that were to cross the ocean centuries later and end up on dinner tables the world over.

For over four centuries, Mexico has been sharing its pro-duce with the rest of the world. The following are eight foods that have traveled exceptionally well and that Negocios has chosen as examples of how Mexico has influenced palates all over the globe.

GReen BuTTeR Under that dark, wrinkled skin is a yellowy greenish pulp with a unique flavor and soft, buttery texture. The avocado is a fruit native to Mexico but one that has been consumed worldwide for some 500 years.

A member of the flowering plant family Lauraceae, its name comes from the Náhuatl ahuácatl, which means “testicle.” The Span-iards referred to it as the “pear of the Indies” but its scientific name is Persea americana.

Avocados contain large amounts of ole-ic acid, a “good” fat that helps reduce cho-

lesterol levels in humans. There are 500 varieties of this fruit in Mexico, some of which can be eaten skin and all.

As a spread on bread, crackers or tor-tillas or a welcome addition to any salad, all it takes is a little imagination to turn an avocado into a culinary event. Guaca-mole is perhaps the most well-known av-ocado-based Mexican dish. Simply mash it in a bowl with some diced tomato and onion and add chili, salt and a splash of lime juice to taste.

photos archive

TeMpTinG TenDeR

A symbol of power and eco-nomic wealth in ancient Me-soamerica, the Maya used cacao as currency and were the first to roast and grind the beans. They then mixed the resulting cocoa powder with hot water and added vanilla and aromatic flowers to produce chocolate, a name derived from the Náhuatl xocolátl, which translates as “fermented beverage.”

Word of this Mayan de-light reached the ears of the Aztec in Central Mexico and Emperor Moctezuma ordered that his tributes be paid in cacao. Every year he received

millions of cocoa beans, se-curing 50 cups of chocolate a day for himself and his family.

Even the Spanish conquis-tadors were won over by its attributes. “A single cup of chocolate is enough to keep any soldier awake all day,” Hernán Cortés wrote King Carlos V.

A potent antioxidant, this reddish colored oval fruit has a rough skin and grows mainly in Southeast Mexico. Chocolate also stimulates the central nervous system and accelerates the heart rate but its most notable quality has to be its irresistible taste.

pRicklinG The SenSeS

Poblano, jalapeño, chipotle, pasilla, chilaca, habanero, de árbol, cascabel, piquín, tabas-co, serrano, ancho, verde, gua-jillo… There are over 140 vari-eties of chili pepper in Mexico, all of which will make your eyes water, your lips burn, your nose drip and your forehead glisten with beads of sweat –to a greater or lesser extent de-pending on the amount of cap-saicin they contain.

This hot, spicy fruit is a member of the Solanacea fam-

ily and is a basic ingredient in Mexican cuisine, forming part of the staple diet of our ancestors, along with corn and beans. The name is derived from the Náhuatl chilli, mean-ing “hot,” although the Span-iards called them “peppers” because this was the closest food they could liken them to. In the fifteenth century, the conquistadors introduced them to Europe and Asia, where new varieties of one of the world’s most widely con-sumed condiments were subse-quently produced to prod and prickle the senses.

Mexico’S GifT To The WoRlD

Would a hamburger taste the same without that mandatory slice of tomato and squirt of tomato ketchup? There can be no question that tomato has been one of Mexico’s most valuable contributions to international gastronomy.

The Spanish may have conquered Mexico but the Aztec conquered Europe with the tomato or xitomatl, which literally means “fruit with navel.” The Italian for tomato is pomodoro or “golden apple.” This is because the first tomatoes grown here were yellow and if it weren’t for Mexico, this country would be short of its classic pomodoro sauce.

In Mexico, tomatoes are eaten in salsas, soups and salads. An authentic Mexican preparation is a salsa known as pico de gallo, which is basically a mixture of diced tomato, onion and cilantro, with some chili thrown in for good measure.

65



THE HUMbLE bEAn The humble bean, known simply as the fri-jol in Mexico, was a basic foodstuff in Pre-Colombian Mesoamerican cultures like the Aztec, who demanded it as a tribute of the peoples they conquered. There are some 500 types of beans currently produced in Mexico but the most popular are bayos and negros –common and black beans, respec-tively.

Refried with chorizo or served with rice, beans are a comfort food that finds its way into countless Mexican dishes and broths. The good news is they’re low in fat, have no cholesterol and are recommended for dia-betics because their complex carbohydrates are absorbed more slowly than those found in sugar, honey and other sweeteners.

A sUCCULEnT ELIxIR

Few plants are as mystical as the agave. Named after the Greek goddess Agave, who was a maenad or female follower of Dionysus, the God of Wine and Merry-making, the agave plant is an unmistak-able symbol of Mexico.

Its broad, fleshy stalks, or pencas, are used to produce mezcal, tequila and pulque, alcoholic beverages that are appreciated all over the world, so much so that in 2012, Mexico exported 165.7 million liters of te-quila, 65% of that year’s total production.

The agave plant grows in several semi-arid regions of Mexico but Jalisco is the

photos archive

A MIgHTy sEEd

They say good things come in small pack-ages and in the case of chia, the adage most definitely holds true: this minuscule seed is literally bursting with nutrients.

The Aztec would grind chia seeds to make atole and obtain a type of oil called chiématl, both of which were offered up as gifts to Chicometóatl, the Corn Goddess.

Chia is still used today as a food sup-plement and is often added to lemonade for a nutritious, thirst quenching drink when it’s hot out. In Michoacán, the seeds are used to make chapatas, small tamales that are presented as offerings to the dead. And in the state of Guerre-ro, artisans use oils extracted from chia seeds to paint with.

Chia production has increased in Mexico in recent years, ever since scien-tists discovered how rich it is in fiber, an-tioxidants, calcium, proteins and Omega 3 fatty acids.

state with the highest tequila output. Plan-tations of blue, tequila-producing agave are concentrated in the Valles region and stretch for 35,000 hectares, taking in the municipalities of Tequila, Magdalena, El Arenal, Amatitán and Teuchitlán. In 2006, this “agave landscape” in Jalisco was de-clared a United Nations Educational, Sci-entific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) World Heritage Site.

But this noble plant has more than one trick up its spiny stem. It is also a source of fibers like henequen and istle, used to make hammocks, ropes, paper and even drums.

67


66



Meals on Wings

These little six-legged creatures have inspired writers and film-makers like Guillermo del Toro but for centuries they’ve also been inspiring the chefs of Mesoamerica. In these times of calo-rie-counting and body image consciousness, insects are in.

If you haven’t tried them, you don’t know what you’re missing. Not only are they tasty but also they’re clean and nu-tritious to boot. According to the United Nations Food and Ag-riculture Organization (FAO), insects are the key to combatting world hunger and Mexico is particularly rich in these “foods of the future.”

Some 549 species to be exact, that can be found everywhere from local markets to the country’s finest restaurants. Research conducted by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) indicates that the central, southern and southeastern states of the country have the greatest quantities of edible bugs, namely Estado de México, Hidalgo, Chiapas and Oaxaca.

Butterflies, flies, aphids, ants, bees, grasshoppers, fireflies, worms, chinicuiles (the larvae of the Hypopta agavis moth), stink bugs (Euschistus taxcoensis) and escamoles (the larvae of the Liometopum apiculatum ant)... And the list goes on.

Mexicans, it seems, discovered the boons of insect eating centuries ago. The earliest mention of entomophagy –the scien-tific term for the human consumption of insects– is to be found

There are some 549 species of edible insects in Mexico, many of which have crawled, hopped or flown out of the country’s marketplaces and into gourmet restaurants.

by antonio vázquez in Fray Bernardino de Sahagún’s Florentine Codex. According to this 16th century document, insects were a staple foodstuff in several Pre-Hispanic civilizations and were offered up as gifts to the gods.

And it’s not hard to understand why. To begin with, insects are found in abundance all over Mexico, which, incidentally, consumes a third of all edible insects in the world. Another advantage is that no sophisticated tools are required to collect them. A pair of nimble hands will suffice!

Not only are they practical but also, according to UNAM research, insects are a great source of nutrients, packed with vitamins A, B, C and D, large amounts of phosphorous and mag-nesium and amino acids. And because they generally feed off wild plants, they’re organic into the bargain.

Several studies have found that insects contain as much protein –and in some cases more– as beef: as much as 75% compared to 57% in a 100-gram sample, depending on your grub of choice.

As for fat content, you’ve nothing to worry about when you bite into a roasted grasshopper, guzzle down a maguey worm or chew on a beetle larva. Insects contain no saturated fats, only polyunsaturated ones that are beneficial to the human body.

They also have low cholesterol levels, which puts insect eat-ers at a lower risk of obesity, high blood pressure and heart conditions.

A Hop, Skip And A Jump from tHe field to tHe plAte

For decades the Mexican comedian Ro-berto Gómez Bolaños entertained view-ers with El Chapulín Colorado, a 1970s television program that parodied super-heroes.

And in case you’re wondering what a chapulín colorado is, it’s a red grass-hopper native to the state of Oaxaca in Southwest Mexico. This wild insect has an acidic taste and is usually roasted to give it a distinct crunchy texture.

The grasshopper is the most widely consumed insect in Oaxaca –baskets of them fill the local markets– and is com-monly served as an accompaniment to guacamole in the gourmet restaurants of the state capital, although chefs the world over have come to appreciate its unique flavor.

photos archive

BeetlemAniA

Of the 500-plus species of ed-ible insects in Mexico, the best known is the beetle.

Some 88 types of edible beetle grubs have been identi-fied in Mexico, most of which are to be found in Estado de México, Hidalgo, Tabasco, Guerrero, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Puebla, Chiapas, Nayarit and Mexico City.

Chauis, for example, are tasty beetle grubs that feed off the mesquite tree, but have a bitter aftertaste if not roasted beforehand.

eScAmoleS, mexicAn cAviAr

Known as “Mexican caviar,” escamoles are the larvae of ants endemic to the states of Gua-najuato, Puebla, Hidalgo and Tlaxcala.

They are generally eaten as an accompaniment to other Mexican dishes, like barbacoa (meat baked in an earth oven) or mixiote (meat wrapped in banana leaves and oven baked). Simply sauté them in a hot pan with a dab of butter and a sprig of wormseed for a delicious dish that has a pro-tein content of between 40% and 60% –higher than that of beef or chicken.

Considered a delicacy, es-camoles can cost as much as 100 usd a kilo in markets in Mexico City. Why are they so expensive? The answer is simple. The larvae can only be collected in March and April during the breeding period but because the ants build their nests underground –usually at the base of the maguey plant– they are difficult to get to, plus the ants of this species are ex-tremely aggressive.


68

Negocios ProMéxico

Para ExPorTadorEs

méxico EN EL muNdo:el coMercio

internacionalde México en cifras

La cErTiFicacióN haLaL y el acceso de los Productos

Mexicanos a Mercados con gran Potencial

iNVErsióN JaPoNEsa EN La iNdusTria dE

auToParTEs:en creciMiento

La población musulmana radicada en distintos países del orbe representa un mercado con enorme potencial para los productos mexicanos. Ante esta oportunidad, la certificación halal es un paso estratégico para las empresas mexicanas que buscan diversificar sus mercados y fortalecer sus exportaciones.

78

74 80

oPorTuNidadEs dE ExPorTacióN dE

cárNicos a rusia:iMPacto en el sector ganadero Mexicano

76

fot

o a

rch

ive

JuMILES, thE MountAIn BuG

The jumil, commonly known as the mountain bug, is a type of stink bug that is a common ingredient in Mexican cooking. The holm oaks it feeds off are what give it its cinnamon-like flavor.

Jumiles can be eaten cooked or alive, which is how the inhabitants of the state of Encino, Guerrero like theirs. This insect has no proteins or calcium but contains large amounts of iodine.

In Pre-Columbian Mexico, jumiles were eaten as part of Day of the Dead festivities. The Aztec would make a pilgrimage to Taxco in the state of Guer-rero and climb the Huixteco Mountain, where they would collect hundreds of them.

thE MAGuEy WorM, GourMEt GruBS

The maguey worm –the same one found in bottles of mez-cal– is a butterfly larva that grows on the stalks and roots of the maguey plant. There are two species of this insect: white and red. The latter is known as a chinicuil.

The larvae are collected af-ter the rainy season but each maguey plant yields only four worms on average and their scarcity is what makes them so sought after. Together with escamoles, this grub is consid-ered a gourmet food and enjoys international prestige: an entrée of maguey worms can cost as much as eight euros in a good Mexican restaurant.

photos archive

december 2013 / January 2014

BreVeSnegocios proméxico |

70 Diciembre 2013 / Enero 2014

Para Exportadores

deproméxico.

México, además de ser un líder exportador de manu-facturas, es un proveedor esencial tanto de alimentos frescos como procesados.

Una óptima diversificación de mercados también debe contemplar los requerimien-tos de consumidores potenciales que ade-más demandan productos con certificacio-nes orgánicas, kosher y, en este caso, del potencial mercado musulmán consumidor de productos halal. En la presente edición de Negocios ProMéxico, se describe la gran oportunidad que ofrece este mercado para los productos mexicanos, y se hace especial énfasis en la relevancia de impulsar la cer-tificación de más empresas en afán de que conquisten a los consumidores musulmanes esparcidos en el orbe.

Este número también contiene una nota sobre la relevancia de la cadena de provee-duría del sector automotriz en México, y re-

salta el papel que ha tenido en este tema la creciente Inversión Extranjera Directa (IED) proveniente de Japón. Este país asiático se ha consolidado como un promotor sustanti-vo de la industria automotriz y de autopartes mexicana. Cabe destacar que, según datos de la Industria Nacional de Autopartes (INA), México es el quinto ensamblador de auto-partes en el mundo, posicionamiento que se ha concretado en parte por la creciente ins-talación de empresas de este tipo en el país.

Por último, se incluye una infografía con los indicadores comerciales más represen-tativos de México, la cual revela cómo es la relación del país con sus principales so-cios comerciales, al tiempo que destaca la composición puntual de sus exportaciones (manufacturas, petroleras, agropecuarias y extractivas). Además muestra la integración nacional de las mismas por sector (automo-triz, eléctrico, electrónico, químico, equipo médico y farmacéutico).

xii congreSo mundial de las ciudades del patrimonio mundial 2013

Oaxaca de Juárez fue sede del Congre-so Mundial de Ciudades Patrimonio en 2013, evento que reunió a alcaldes de los cinco continentes para discutir la pro-blemática de estas metrópolis y plantear estrategias integrales a fin de salvaguardar el patrimonio y fomentar el desarrollo humano. Más de 1 mil 400 personas par-ticiparon, entre alcaldes y asistentes pro-venientes de 117 ciudades en 52 países. En total se registraron 739 congresistas y se acreditaron 289 periodistas.

En este contexto, más de 3 mil personas asistieron a las actividades

CULTURA

fot

o o

mar

bár

cen

a

paralelas como la 4ª Feria Mexicana de las Ciudades del Patrimonio Mundial; la Bienal de Arquitectura, Urbanismo y Diseño: Ágora de Bordeaux; a las ex-posiciones Oaxaca Ciudad Patrimonio, México en el Patrimonio Mundial, El Arte de la Cartografía: Memoria y Pa-trimonio, así como al Recorrido Multi-cultural Ciclista, entre otros eventos.

El ciclo de conferencias del Congreso inició con un diálogo en torno al crecimien-to acelerado de las ciudades consideradas patrimonio mundial, sobre el deterioro de sus centros históricos y la importancia de la elaboración de políticas sustentables. En respuesta a dicha problemática, se concluyó que es imperativo instrumentar políticas públicas que garanticen la sustentabilidad del bien común de estas urbes.

Asimismo, en el marco del Congreso se firmaron dos importantes documentos que consolidan el compromiso de las au-toridades por la conservación, difusión e investigación del patrimonio cultural, así como de las manifestaciones cultu-rales contenidas en este entorno: 1) De-claración de Intenciones (preservación y protección del patrimonio cultural) y 2) Convenio de Colaboración para el Desa-rrollo Cultural del Estado de Oaxaca.

Por último, se determinó que la Ciu-dad Sede del XIII Congreso Mundial de las Ciudades del Patrimonio Mundial será Arequipa, Perú durante 2015.

ocpmoaxaca2013.org

www.ovpm.org

¡Bienvenidos a Negocios ProMéxico!

BreVeS BreVeS

Grupo Puratos, empresa belga proveedora de insumos para la industria panificadora, inauguró una nueva línea de producción en su planta de Tizayuca, Hidalgo, para pro-ducir crema de origen vegetal, jarabe de tres leches y sustitu-to de huevo.

La nueva planta, en la que se invirtieron 80 millones de pesos, tiene capacidad para producir 20 mil toneladas anuales de dichos productos, de las cuales la compañía es-

pera exportar 30 por ciento a Estados Unidos y Canadá.

El complejo industrial operará con tecnología UHT (Ultra High Temperature) o de ultrapasteurización, que ofrece mayor vida a los productos y evita su refrigeración.

Puratos comenzó operacio-nes en México en la década de 1980. Hoy en día cuenta con cinco líneas de producción en el país.

www.puratos.com

fot

o a

rch

ivo

PlexuS Se exPande

La compañía de electrónica Plexus Corp. inverti-rá aproximadamente 40 millones de dólares para iniciar operaciones en Guadalajara, Jalisco. La empresa instalará un centro de manufactura en el Parque Tecnológico de Guadalajara, donde esti-ma que iniciará operaciones a finales de 2014.

Plexus Corp. participa en la industria elec-trónica mundial como proveedor de servicios de manufactura para bajo y medio volumen en áreas de redes, comunicaciones, salud, ciencias de la vida, industria y comercio, seguridad y aeroespacial, segmentos a los que enfoca el diseño y desarrollo de sistemas electrónicos.

www.plexus.com

ELECTRÓNICA

fot

o c

ort

esía

de

pura

tos

fot

o a

rch

ivo

BelcorP llega a méxico

La compañía peruana Belcorp anunció una inversión de 110 mi-llones de dólares para construir su primera planta en México, en la que espera producir alrededor de 60 millones de unidades de cos-méticos –en una segunda fase la producción podría ubicarse en 140 millones de unidades– para satisfacer la demanda local, de Centro-américa y de Estados Unidos.

La planta, que se ubicará en el Parque Industrial Aerotec en Querétaro, tendrá una superficie de más de 140 mil metros cuadra-dos y permitirá la creación de casi mil empleos directos, de los cua-les, de acuerdo con la compañía, alrededor de 70 por ciento serán ocupados por mujeres

www.belcorp.biz

COSMÉTICA

PuratoS: en crecimiento

ALIMENTOSméxico, claVe Para el crecimiento de dHl

nueVa Plataforma logíStica

El Estado de México contará con una nueva plataforma logística sobre una superficie de 300 hectáreas, en la que se invertirán 2 mil 400 millones de pesos.

La nueva plataforma –denominada Arco 57 porque está ubi-cada en el vértice que hacen la carretera 57 (México-Querétaro) y el Arco Norte–, proveerá de servicios a la industria de expor-tación y contará con infraestructura de comunicaciones para enlazarse con los puertos del Golfo de México, el Pacífico y la frontera con Estados Unidos.

Además, el proyecto desarrollado por el Gobierno del Estado de México y la Asociación Mexicana de la Industria Automotriz (AMIA) contará con aduana.

www.edomex.gob.mx

LOGÍSTICA

México es un mercado clave de crecimiento para Deutsche Post DHL y sus tres unida-des de negocio: DHL Express, DHL Global Forwarding y DHL Supply Chain, que pla-nean invertir en conjunto alrededor de 235 millones de euros para expandir sus redes y operaciones, en los próximos cuatro años.

LOGÍSTICA

BoSch mantienesu apuesta por méxico

TECNOLOGÍA

El grupo alemán Robert Bosch planea invertir 460 millones de dólares en México durante los próximos cuatro años.

Parte de esa inversión se destinará a la construcciówn de un nuevo Centro de

fot

o c

ort

esía

de

dh

l

fot

o a

rch

ivo

DHL Express planea invertir 127 millones de euros en México entre 2012 y 2017. Como parte de dicho plan, el año pasado la división de logística, mensajería y paquetería, abrió un nuevo hub en Cuautitlán, que brinda servicios terrestres nacionales, el cual representó una inversión de 27.7 millones de euros. Actualmente está en expansión su nuevo hub aéreo nacional que será terminado en octubre de 2014 en Querétaro, al cual se destina un presupuesto total de

11.2 millones de euros. La flotilla de unidades terrestres ha sido mejorada por vehículos de combustión eficiente inclu-yendo camionetas Sprinter, que requirió recursos por 17 millones de euros en los últimos dos años.

DHL Supply Chain, que ya opera 875 mil metros cuadrados de instalacio-nes de almacenamiento en México, pla-nea ampliar su capacidad para atender a sectores clave de rápido crecimiento, como las industrias automotriz y del cuidado de la salud.

DHL Global Forwarding espera acti-var un Centro de Competencias de Cien-cias de la Vida en México el próximo año, para ofrecer su nueva solución “Thermo-net”, un servicio de embarques de flete aéreo compatible con las regulaciones para productos sensibles a la temperatu-ra como vacunas y medicamentos para clientes relacionados con las ciencias de la vida y el cuidado de la salud. DHL Global Forwarding también planea expandir sus servicios de transporte con la incorpora-ción de nuevos tráileres.

www.dhl.com

Investigación y Desarrollo en Guadalajara, Jalisco, donde la compañía espera generar unos 200 empleos de alto nivel.

Las nuevas instalaciones de la empresa en Guadalajara serán el centro de servicio más grande de Bosch en toda América, comparado con los que la firma tiene en países como India y Vietnam.

www.bosch.com

fot

o c

ort

esía

de

bosc

h

negocios proméxico |


Para Exportadores

MÉXICOEN ELMUNDOEl comercio internacionalde México en cifras

Fuente: Banco de México

Por sector

ExportacionesMillones de dólares

VariaciónMismo periodo en 2012

Automotriz

8.7%

58,229

ESTADOS UNIDOS

220,01078.2%

#3

#4

#7

#9

#8

#1

#2

#6

#5

#11

COLOMBIA$3,591 | 1.3%

CANADÁ$7,718 | 2.7% ESPAÑA

$5,675 | 2.0%ALEMANIA

$3,120 | 1.1%INDIA

$2,904 | 1.0%CHINA

$4,799 | 1.7%JAPÓN

$1,646 | 0.6%

BRASIL$4,161 | 1.5%

CHILE$1,617 | 0.6%

Electrónico

-1.5%

36,057

Enero- agosto 2013Millones de dólares

Eléctrico

6.1%

18,268

Farmacéutico

-0.3%

1,643

Químico

8,298

Equipo médico

7.6%

4,333

Manufactureras29,549

5.0%

261,872

4.3%

Extractivas357

-10.9%

3,806

-7.1%

RubroOctubre ‘13

Variación ’12

Enero-octubre ‘13

Variación ’12

Petroleras4,345

-6.4%

41,552

-7.1%

Agropecuarias837

10.3%

9,170

1.0%

Principalessocioscomercialesde México

$Exportacionesacumuladas deenero a septiembre de 2013Millones de dólares

%Participación delas exportacionesmexicanas totalesEnero a septiembre de 2013

316,399millones de dólaresentre enero y octubrede 2013 (un incrementode 1.4% con respecto almismo periodo en 2012)

VENEZUELA$1,641 | 0.6%

10#

0.5%

infografía oldemar

75

| negocios proméxico

Diciembre 2013 / Enero 2014

Para Exportadores

77





Para Exportadores Para Exportadores

oportunidades de exportación de cárnicos a rusia:

impacto en el sector ganadero mexicano

Rusia es uno de los mayores consumidores –e importadores– de productos cárnicos en el mundo. El mercado ruso representa grandes oportunidades para los productores

mexicanos, pero también plantea diversos retos.

por RAfAEL LÓpEz INCLáN*

En 2012 Rusia fue el mayor importador de carne de bovino congelada y repre-sentó casi 18 por ciento de las importa-ciones mundiales (2 mil 583 millones de dólares). Asimismo, fue el tercer mayor importador de carne porcina fresca o congelada, con 8 por ciento del mercado mundial (2 mil 407 millones de dólares), según datos de la Organización Mundial del Comercio (OMC). En ese mismo año, la economía rusa creció 3.4 por ciento y se estima que mantendrá ese ritmo en 2013 y 2014.

Rusia es un país dependiente de cier-tos productos del exterior. El consumidor ruso tiene un mayor ingreso promedio; existe un crecimiento de la clase media, mismo que incentiva un mayor consumo de alimentos importados –diversos es-tudios de mercado estiman que en 2020 Rusia superará a Alemania como el ma-yor mercado de consumo de la región europea.

En 2012, con la adhesión de Rusia a la OMC, se esperaba una reducción considerable de aranceles a los produc-

fotos archivo

tos agropecuarios de importación. Sin embargo, dicha incorporación ha coinci-dido con la implementación de barreras técnicas a la importación de carne de res y puerco. Desde 2012 el gobierno ruso ha instrumentado políticas para limitar el acceso de cárnicos de baja calidad. Rusia ha pedido a sus proveedores de cárnicos que realicen la certificación correspon-diente a efecto de que el producto esté libre de sustancias como la Ractopamina (utilizada para estimular el crecimiento del músculo en animales).

Los cierres de fronteras rusas a la importación de cárnicos benefician a sus productores locales, y esto les permite aumentar su capacidad productiva.

En abril de 2012 Rusia lanzó un pro-grama enfocado a dirigir inversiones en sectores públicos y privados de la indus-tria de procesamiento de alimentos por 24 mil 900 millones de dólares (presu-puesto a ejecutar entre 2013 y 2020). Este plan tiene como objetivo moderni-zar la capacidad productiva y lograr la sustitución de importaciones alimenti-cias (los productos cárnicos son un com-ponente estratégico).

Los inventarios de ganado bovino en Rusia han aumentado debido al apoyo que otorga el gobierno por medio de subsidios a programas de producción de ganado. Du-rante 2012, las autoridades rusas proyecta-ron un crecimiento de 24 por ciento en el ganado bovino respecto al año anterior. En este contexto, Rusia busca la autosuficien-cia en producción de cárnicos para 2020.

El consumo de carne y aves per cá-pita en Rusia ascendía a 67 kilogramos (kg) en 2009 y para 2012 fue de 69 kg. Se estima que el mercado de importación de carne de res en 2013 crezca 20 por ciento. Sin embargo, algunas agencias de

gobierno de los Estados Unidos pronosti-can que 50 por ciento de la carne consu-mida en centros urbanos y 70 por ciento de los cárnicos procesados en las plantas rusas también son de origen extranjero.

En este marco, el mercado ruso de cárnicos presenta diversos retos para México. Hay una fuerte competencia por parte de países latinoamericanos como Brasil –en 2012 exportó mil 42 millones de dólares de carne de res congelada a este país, siendo el líder del mercado con 41.6 por ciento de las ventas.

Asimismo, existen diversos controles productivos con complejas adecuacio-nes que pueden ser vistas como barreras técnicas para limitar las importaciones. También prevalece una política nacional para concretar una sustitución de im-portaciones alimentarias, así como una afectación en la importación de cárnicos dada la competencia de otros países en Europa que venden productos con meno-res estándares de calidad y precio.

Por último, cabe mencionar que aún prevalece una infraestructura logística insuficiente aunada a las posibles barre-ras culturales entre ambos países.

No obstante lo anterior, y de acuerdo con cifras de la OMC, las exportaciones mexicanas de carne de bovino congela-da a Rusia durante 2012 alcanzaron los 112.2 millones de dólares –casi 44 por ciento del total de las exportaciones mexicanas. Sin embargo, este monto re-presentó únicamente el 4.5 por ciento de las compras totales de Rusia.

México y Rusia aún negocian medidas alusivas a los protocolos zoosanitarios que permitirán la exportación de carne porci-na mexicana a este mercado.El sector de cárnicos de alta calidad es el que tiene una mayor oportunidad de negocio para los productores mexicanos y representa un ni-cho que demanda un mayor conocimiento de las tendencias que definen el mercado de alimentos ruso.

La globalización y estandarización de las empresas y consumidores rusos incen-tivan cada vez más la demanda por ingre-dientes de calidad que cumplan con están-dares internacionales, y es justo ahí donde los cárnicos mexicanos podrán encontrar un nicho de mercado privilegiado. n

*Socio Director, Asia Business Consulting.

algunas agencias de gobierno de los estados unidos pronostican que 50 por ciento de la carne consumida en centros urbanos y 70 por ciento de los cárnicos procesados en las plantas rusas también son de origen extranjero.

79





Para Exportadores Para Exportadores

La certificación halal y el acceso de los productos

mexicanos a mercados con gran potencial

La población musulmana radicada en distintos países del orbe representa un mercado con enormes oportunidades para los productos mexicanos. Ante esta oportunidad, la

certificación halal es un paso estratégico para las empresas mexicanas que buscan diversificar sus mercados

y fortalecer sus exportaciones.

foto archivo

por yOLANdA AbARCA*

México ha promovido estrategias para cubrir la creciente deman-da de productos gastronómicos por parte de los mexicanos radi-cados en el exterior o por las exigencias de alimentos y bebidas de negocios o franquicias en constante crecimiento. Asimismo, ha explotado la relevancia del mercado hispano en Estados Unidos, Europa e incluso en países de la región latinoamericana. De he-cho, México es un productor de artículos muy demandados por consumidores que no solo exigen garantías de inocuidad sanitaria o certificación orgánica. En este sentido, la estrategia de diversifi-cación comercial debe contemplar otras variantes para potencia-lizar su incursión en mercados que, dado su consumo, tienen un enorme potencial.

Según estimaciones del Pew Research Center sobre religión y vida pública, la población musulmana en el planeta aumentaría 35 por ciento en los próximos 20 años, al pasar de 1.6 mil millo-nes en 2010 a 2.2 mil millones de personas para 2030. Si las ten-dencias actuales continúan, los musulmanes constituirán el 26.4 por ciento de la población total proyectada a nivel mundial para 2030. Tan solo en los países europeos, se espera que la población musulmana crezca en casi un tercio en los próximos 20 años. Casi dos terceras partes de la población musulmana en el mundo (62 por ciento) radican en la región Asia-Pacífico.

La aLimEntación haLaL Los musulmanes tienen ciertas restricciones alimenticias como parte de su fe. Consumen alimentos y bebidas que son permiti-das por la ley islámica Shariah llamados halal. Específicamente se podría traducir como lo permitido, autorizado, saludable, ético o no abusivo. Lo halal no solo alude a los alimentos y bebidas, sino a un estilo de vida integral de la población musulmana, siendo todo lo haram lo que está prohibido. Los productos halal también abarcan el sector farmacéutico, de higiene personal y cosmético, financiero e incluso turístico.

Según el Instituto Halal de España, el cual se rige por la nor-mativa islámica, algunos de los alimentos que se consideran ha-ram son: la carne del animal hallado muerto; la sangre; la carne de cerdo y jabalí (y sus derivados); aquellos animales sobre los que no se ha invocado el nombre de Dios, en el momento de su sacrificio; los animales carnívoros y carroñeros; las aves con garras; las bebidas alcohólicas y las sustancias nocivas o vene-nosas; y las plantas o bebidas que causan intoxicación. Asimis-mo, no deben consumirse ingredientes procedentes de animales o productos haram como la gelatina de cerdo ni los aditivos, conservadores, colorantes o aromas que hayan sido elaborados con ingredientes haram.

Dada la importancia del mercado halal y la expansión que tendrá en los próximos años, debemos tomar en cuenta que es-tos productos tienen un futuro muy prometedor, mismo que de-bemos aprovechar. Países como Brasil se están beneficiando de las oportunidades que ofrece este mercado. Tan solo en 2012, el país sudamericano le exportó mil 500 millones de dólares de carne de bovino a este segmento, y se espera que para 2013 el resultado sea mayor en un 10 por ciento.

cErtificación haLaL En méxicoViva Halal, A.C. y el Centro Cultural Islámico de México, son las instituciones que apoyan a empresas nacionales e internacionales en la obtención del certificado halal, al facilitarles la comerciali-zación de diversos productos a países del mundo islámico. Ambas instituciones cuentan con el reconocimiento internacional de la Sociedad Islámica de Norteamérica (ISNA), la Liga Mundial Islá-mica en Mecca, y el Consejo Islámico para la Región del Sudeste Asiático y Pacífico (Riseap).

En este contexto, ProMéxico ha tenido un acercamiento con ambos organismos a fin de apoyar una estrategia que permita pre-parar a las empresas mexicanas en el aprovechamiento del mercado musulmán. El director del organismo Viva Halal ha manifestado

que las compañías mexicanas que se han acercado a este organismo en busca de apoyo para la certificación halal, han sido básicamente aquellas que ocasionalmente tienen oportunidad de exportar a ese mercado. Sin embargo, debe fomentarse que las empresas conside-ren al mercado musulmán dentro de su plan de negocios.

Firmas mexicanas de diferentes estados de la República Mexi-cana, principalmente del norte, del Distrito Federal y del Bajío, han certificado diversos productos para atender este mercado, tales como: carne para hamburguesas, ajonjolí, productos deshi-dratados como la clara de huevo, tomate y productos químicos orgánicos e inorgánicos que se utilizan en pequeñas cantidades para alimentos y productos pesqueros, entre otros.

Sin embargo, otros productos factibles de recibir certificación halal son: lácteos, miel de agave, carne bovina, pollo, mayonesa, cátsup, cacao y sus derivados, dulces de guayaba, colorantes ali-menticios, vainilla sin alcohol, carbón de origen mineral o vegetal, y aromáticos químicos. Este importante mercado sin duda es una gran oportunidad para los productores mexicanos que deseen di-versificar mercados e incrementar las exportaciones del país. n

*Subdirectora de Proyectos de Exportación, Unidad de Promoción de

Exportaciones (UPE), ProMéxico.

Viva halal, a.c. y el centro cultural islámico de méxico, son las instituciones que apoyan a empresas nacionales e internacionales en la obtención del certificado halal, al facilitarles la comercialización de diversos productos a países del mundo islámico. ambas instituciones cuentan con el reconocimiento internacional de la Sociedad islámica de norteamérica (iSna), la liga mundial islámica en mecca, y el consejo islámico para la región del Sudeste asiático y Pacífico (riseap).


80 diciembre 2013 / Enero 2014

Para Exportadores

nado, sistemas de salida de escape, y com-ponentes de tablero principalmente para Nissan Mexicana.

Actualmente Calsonic-Kansei abastece a 25 marcas automotrices como Nissan, Maz-da y General Motors (GM); todo ello en 15 países alrededor del mundo.

Con esta apertura, la empresa suma mil 500 nuevos empleos y proyecta ven-tas anuales por mil 300 millones de dó-lares para 2016.

Por su parte, Hirotec, grupo japonés que maquila autopartes para Ford, GM y Mazda, anunció su ampliación en las dos plantas con las que cuenta en Guanajua-to, con lo que entre 2014 y 2017 inverti-rá 59 millones de dólares y generará 370 nuevos empleos.

El 23 de abril de 2013, Hirotec Tooling de México abrió una planta en el Guanajua-to Puerto Interior, en Silao, donde invirtió 40 millones de dólares y generó 70 empleos. La

foto archivo

inversión japonesa en la industria de autopartes:

en CReCimienTo

En los últimos meses, varias empresas japonesas del sector de autopartes han anunciado nuevas inversiones en México, con lo que se confirman expectativas optimistas de los inversionistas sobre el futuro

de la industria automotriz mexicana.

La empresa japonesa Nagakura MFG co-menzó la construcción de una nueva plan-ta en el municipio de Calera, Zacatecas. Esta será la primera planta de la empresa en América Latina, y en ella se fabricarán autopartes para las plantas de Toyota y Nissan, ubicadas en los estados de Gua-najuato y Aguascalientes.

Nagakura MFG se dedica a la fabri-cación y venta de productos de precisión elaborados en forja fría, para automóviles y motocicletas, así como a la investigación y desarrollo de nuevos modelos y procesos para la elaboración de las autopartes. Su nueva planta en México requerirá una inver-sión aproximada de 20 millones de dólares.

Calsonic-Kansei inauguró una nueva planta en Aguascalientes, donde invirtió 150 millones de dólares.

La planta, ubicada dentro del Parque Industrial San Francisco, se dedicará a la producción de sistemas de aire acondicio-

otra planta de Hirotec se ubica en el Parque Industrial Fipasi.

Con esta ampliación Hirotec busca diversificar su cartera de clientes y con-vertirse en proveedor de las nuevas arma-doras que han decidido instalarse en el estado de Guanajuato.

De igual forma, la empresa japonesa de manufactura automotriz Showa Cor-poration invertirá 50 millones de dólares en una planta de manufactura de sistemas de dirección eléctrica para el mercado do-méstico y de exportación.

Showa Corporation es la firma núme-ro 39 que decide constituirse en los Par-ques Industriales Santa Fe, en el munici-pio de Silao, Guanajuato. N

www.nagakura-mc.co.jp

www.calsonickansei.co.jp

www.hirotec.co.jp

www.showa1.com

Date post:	26-Sep-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	duongnhu
View:	221 times
Download:	1 times

Logistics in Mexico - PROMEXICO | Gobierno | gob.mx€¦ · Logistics in the Globalization Era ......

Documents