Yucatán was recognized by the National Council of the Maquiladora and Export Manufacturing Industry (Index) as an international benchmark for nearshoring and private investments due to its public security, geographical position, and new transportation projects promoted by the Government.
The expansion projects of the Progreso Deepwater Port, as well as the vocation of the Maya Train as freight transport, will improve Yucatán’s opportunities to attract foreign capital, considered the national president of Index, Humberto Martínez Cantú.
He stated this at the start of the 49th National Index Convention in Mérida, which brings together 18 associations from the country, representing 1,500 companies and generating 3.3 million direct jobs, in addition to more than 9 million indirect jobs.
“Many times we don’t realize it, Yucatán is a bright border with the United States because we are an hour and 10 minutes from Florida, Louisiana, Port Galveston. And this is completely favorable for the state,” he said.
Martínez Cantú also pointed out that from Yucatán it takes 48 hours by ship to the East Coast of the United States, so he believes it is important to continue the dynamics of synergies and initiatives of the sector he represents locally to weave those alliances.
According to state government figures, Yucatán is positioned as one of the main entities in Mexico in the field of nearshoring, along with Nuevo León and Coahuila, attracting 8% of foreign capital in the country.
Between 2019 and 2023, accumulated private investment in the state reached 147.7 billion pesos, according to official figures.
Over the past five years, more than 350 projects have been developed in key sectors such as textiles, aerospace, and automotive, consolidating Mérida as the most competitive city in the southeast, according to the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness (IMCO).
Yucatán has more than 400 private investment projects representing 168 billion pesos, of which 60% of the companies are located in the interior of the state, according to María Fritz Sierra, acting head of the state government, who participated in the inauguration of the Convention.
Official figures also report that international companies such as Amazon, Walmart, Tesla, and Airbus have invested in Yucatán. Examples include the $65 million investment by Uchiyama Manufacturing Corporation in an auto parts plant and the $150 million that Fincantieri is investing in the first stage of a shipyard.
Meanwhile, Alejandro Guerrero Lozano, president of Index in Yucatán, assured that the state’s public security boosts private investments.
“Yucatán will celebrate 30 years without a single container being stolen, and there are no highway robberies or high-impact crimes such as kidnappings, assaults, or bank robberies in Yucatecan territory,” he said.
At the inauguration of the Convention, Index executives also highlighted Yucatán as an example of how company relocation works.
State president Guerrero Lozano explained that the state no longer only manufactures high-fashion garments for subsequent export but has also made its way into manufacturing elements that immediately reach the shelves used in New York, Chicago, Paris, Tokyo, or Milan.
He also said that Yucatán is a benchmark in the manufacture of medical equipment, uniforms for U.S. police, furniture, export cabinets, and jewelry.
In recent years, he indicated that parts for the aerospace industry, as well as the automotive sector or fishing yachts, have been manufactured – said Guerrero Lozano.
The inauguration of the 49th National INDEX Convention took place yesterday morning at the International Congress Center of Mérida, with representatives from the federal government, business leaders, the mayor of Mérida, Cecilia Patrón Laviada; as well as the acting governor, María Fritz Sierra, and the governor-elect, Joaquín Díaz Mena.
In her speech, Fritz Sierra stated that the maquiladora and manufacturing industry is a key pillar for the development of Yucatán and Mexico, generating thousands of jobs and significant investments.
“Index has proven to be a fundamental ally in strengthening the business fabric, becoming a pillar and support of our economic development,” she expressed.
According to Martínez Cantú, national president of Index, last year alone, Mexico exported an amount close to 560 billion pesos, and he noted that 40 percent of this figure corresponds to the export manufacturing industry.
Vidal Lleneras Morales, representative of the Transition Team of the Ministry of Economy, highlighted that it has been the vision and effort that have made the export manufacturing industry a great driver of the local economy.
This event brings together decision-makers from maquiladora and export manufacturing companies, executives from the 18 Index associations, potential investors and opinion leaders, representatives from the public sector at all three levels of government, diplomats, and Binational Chambers of Commerce.
Topics related to the economy, automation, manufacturing, foreign trade and customs, taxation, energy, the USMCA, and human development are being discussed.
Yucatán is the third entity in nearshoring, along with Nuevo León and Coahuila.
Sinaloa and Yucatán stand out in attracting investments, where more than 20% of companies are aware of government programs focused on this objective.
Mérida is the most competitive city in the southeast, according to IMCO.
Companies like Amazon, Walmart, Tesla, and Airbus have invested in Yucatán.
Source: 24 Horas Yucatan
