USMCOC’s Mexico as a Strategic Partner Conference Recap!

Yesterday, the U.S Mexico Chamber of Commerce and the Illinois Manufacturing Association hosted a half day conference: Mexico as a Strategic Business Partner. The event, divided into two panel discussions, covered many of the complex aspects of doing business in Mexico including, the country’s legal, labor, and fiscal framework, industrial development, supply chain, logistics, and manufacturing.

Source One’s Senior Project Manager, Diego De la Garza was a member of the conference’s second panel leveraging his nearshoring expertise. De la Garza provided an overview of how Source One helps top companies move to supply chain operations to Mexico and the different tools available for identifying suppliers. Among the questions discussed:

• How is the supplier base in Mexico today different from what it was a few years back?
• What are the challenges in identifying suppliers in Mexico these days?
• How should we address those challenges to develop a robust and sustainable supplier base?

Mexico is certainly experiencing a manufacturing renaissance. According to the MAPI Foundation, a research affiliate of Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation, Mexico is expected to be the manufacturing growth leader in Latin America through 2016. While suppliers continue to grow and improve, identifying the right supplier to meet specific manufacturing needs them remains challenging. Slight cultural differences when it comes to advertising and engagement are common hang-ups for companies looking to nearshore without third party support. However, Source One’s low cost country sourcing and nearshoring services minimize those complications. Source One has the network connections and vast experience to take the guess work out of the nearshoring process for identifying the right partner, and making the transition simple.