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Automotive parts production turns on in NL
One of each five registered suppliers in Mexico is located in the state
By: Ivonne Lara and Jesús Castilleja
En español
Although Monterrey does not have automotive manufacturers plants, one of each five suppliers of automotive parts that operate in the country, is established in the region, which is well recognized for the production and processing of steel, glass and plastic products and electronic components.
“The automotive sector in Mexico continues growing. On the one hand, the present plants have continued investing to increase their capacity of production; by the other, new automotive plants are looking for location in the country to supply the North American market mainly”, says a source of Nemak, company of Alfa dedicated to the production of automobile motor heads and monoblocks of aluminum.
In the case of Monterrey, the city offers favorable conditions for the establishment of plants of automotive parts, by its location near the border with the United States, its channels of communication, its easy access to the ports of the Gulf of Mexico and qualified labor force, among other advantages.
“The great number of Original Equipment Manufacturers that for many years have been operating in the country, in Mexico, and specially in Monterrey, exists the capacity needed for respond to the demand. For example, chassis, automotive batteries, glasses and of course, automobile motor heads and monoblocks of aluminum “, cites a civil employee of Nemak.
Vitro, company that produces automotive windshields and glasses, Metalsa, that provides chassis to different automotive plants in Mexico and Ternium, which processes the steel that use numerous manufacturing companies of automotive pieces, are among the main companies that support the automotive sector.
In addition, other companies that produce injected plastic pieces, like Industrias Gesta and Ficosa, have found a great market in the region. The quality of the products and the services to the clients, are both fundamental aspects and the automotive industry is one of the most demanding sector, mainly in these two aspects, reason why to work altogether with the client to understand and still to go ahead to their requirements and the speed of answer, are key aspects in order to be a successful supplier in this industry.
On the one hand, a great experience in this industry exists. For many years the companies of Monterrey have been focused as suppliers of automotive parts and little by little have been extending their supply of products. In addition, exists the infrastructure in practically all the areas, including the development of technology that favors the establishment of manufacturers of automotive parts.
Analysts of the sector are forecasting that the automotive industry will continue growing at a rate similar to which has doing in the present year. Although the three great North American producers of automobiles are making deep changes in order to impel their growth again, this will take some time.
Even in this environment, in the case of Nemak Mexico, exist favorable conditions due to the high potential of growth in the demand of monoblock of aluminum, since only 40 % of monoblocks of the automobiles made in North America are of aluminum and the rest of iron, reason why there is a tendency of iron substitution by aluminum to make the motors most efficient.
Hernán Belden, General Director of Industrias Gesta, company dedicated to manufacture of pieces of plastic by injection, expresses that expectation that new Original Equipment manufacturers (OEM) facilities, like General Motors, that it is building a plant in San Luis Potosí, or General Motors in Silao, or Toyota, who constructs a plant in the country, will bring an important growth in the area.
“The amount of national integration of automotive products, by governmental regulation, must be increased; then, more and more the level of national integration is raising, and thus the automotive companies must come to construct in Mexico or to be associated with Mexican companies”, says Belden.
He expresses that already is very difficult to maintain in the United States the fund of pensions of all automotive plants, that implies costs of the order of $1.700 dollars by automobile, which go directly to the fund of pensions and moving to Mexico, eliminates that cost.
“This is very important for all the manufacturers, move to Mexico, and I hope that it is going to have an important automotive boom in the next years”, he assures.
Manuel Montoya Ortega, Director of the Automotive Cluster of Nuevo León AC, says that continuously a clear interest of foreign companies in settling in the state, has observed, since the proximity to the United States is very important to compete, and Nuevo León is an excellent option.
Thanks to their proximity with the border and with Saltillo, and the excellent human capital, great companies manufacturers of automotive parts are interested in the state to install their plants and supply the automotive industry of the country.
“With the intention to be more competitive, the foreign companies come to Nuevo León, because in the state they find great benefits, as its qualified human resources”, Montoya Ortega says.
He indicates that the automotive industry has carried out an excellent and decisive role in the process of industrialization of the country and Nuevo León is considered like the manufacturing industry that generates the greater employment at the moment, because at in the nation have been created more than 500.000 jobs and in the state the number is of near 50,000.
The state concentrates 20% of the producing companies of automotive parts in the Mexican Republic, being one of the five states with the most number of manufacturers and suppliers of the automotive industry.
Some figures show that in Nuevo León exist 160 companies of the industry of automotive parts, and are suppliers of first, second and third level. In the region, these companies make great variety of parts for the automotive industry, but evidently by the industrial vocation of the state, metal-mechanical parts and glass take place in a greater amount.
The industry of automotive parts is linked obviously to the manufacture of cars and forecasts indicate that in 2015 automotive industry will grow 50%, reaching a manufacture of 3 million cars in the country and Nuevo León expects to be part of that growth.
However, Montoya explains that the industry faces some challenges to fulfill, as the training of technicians specialized in automotive industry.
“The automotive industry of automotive parts in Nuevo León requires specialized technicians, electromechanical, welders, technicians in machines of numerical control and automotive technicians in general” he says.
Montoya adds that another challenge that exists in the state is the technological innovation and the companies must design the product and the manufacture processes. “The Spanish company Ficosa is an example of the interest by the technology and the design; part of the design operations that the company made first in Detroit, now already it is made from its center of engineering located in Escobedo, Nuevo León”, says Montoya.
He expresses that Nuevo León must go beyond, and in addition of being a state of maquiladoras, must be a state that create its own processes, and thus giving value of technology in its products. For this purpose, the raw material producers must
improve to become competitive in aluminum, steel and iron, and to be competitive in machined parts.
“It is necessary to fortify the technological foundation at a federal and state government levels, through the committees of automotive cluster to fortify the competitiveness, the chain of supplies and the technological foundation”, Montoya says.
Potential manufacturers
In Nuevo León there are companies of great importance in the industry of automotive parts and great suppliers for the manufacturers of automobiles, among them are Nemak, Metalsa, Arnecom, Ficosa as well as International, one of most important trucks assemblers in the world.
Montoya assures that Nemak has presence at international level, and one of each two cars in North America, has monoblocks made by this company, which is located in the state. “It is a very important company for Nuevo León, and thanks to their quality, service and coverage, has been positioned in the industry”, says Montoya.
Another company that is located in Nuevo León and is a supplier of the automotive industry is Parker Hannifin of Mexico, which produces equipment for the movement of fluids for the automotive industry and the automotive parts sector.
Seals, pumps, filters, hoses and equipment for the fluid movement, are some of the products that the company makes in its five plants located in the state, of which 90% are related to the automotive industry, in equipment for conditioned air, combustible, water and oil.
Jesus Diaz Mathey, Manager of Financial Services- México de Parker, says that Nuevo León is very important for the company, because here are located potential clients who provide to the great companies in the North region of the country, as well as the great automobile builders are located here o nearby, like Chrysler, General Motors, Ford, Freightliner and John Deere, among others.
“Around 80% of all the different vehicles from the automotive industry of world-wide level, like airplanes, automobiles and trucks, use some product of Parker”, expresses Diaz.
The Manager of Financial Services of Parker thinks that the automotive industry in Nuevo León is consolidating everyday, because more manufacturers of automotive parts settle in the state.
During the current year, Parker was recognized by Freightliner, one of their customers, like one of the most reliable suppliers for the automotive industry, by their excellent quality in their products and services.
Metokote is another of the companies that this installed in Nuevo León and has among its clients Conmet of Mexico, Novocast, Anchorlok, Olson International, Bettcher Mfg., LLC, Sisamex, Baymex, John Deere, DBG Mexico, Maq. and Troq. Rega, Teknik, Termotrol, Velvac de Reynosa, Takata, Monroe of Mexico, Metalsa and Danfoss Industries.
The company is dedicated to the anticorrosive painting manufacture for the automotive industry and paints in average 1,200.000 square feet per month, this is more than 800.000 pieces, of which 85% of them are for the automotive industry and trucks and the rest 15%, for diverse industries.
Martín Rodriguez, Plant Manager of the company indicates that the facility of Apodaca has a daily capacity of painted material around120.000 square feet.
Patrick Lammertyn, Sales Manager, says that the company has a participation of 70% in the automotive industry of trucks in Monterrey, and the technology has a participation of 80% in the market of North America.
The epoxic painting of Metokote is used to paint the supports of pieces that are used in the engine compartment, for parts of suspensions, in emission systems, and in the interior of the automobile in rails of the seats and brackets of the lap belts. This painting helps the material not to suffer corrosions in the next 15 or 20 years after the application by means of immersion.
To the call of the industry
With the intention of encourage the growth of the automotive industry in the state, in December of 2005 was created the Citizen Advice, for the request of governor of Nuevo León José Natividad González Parás.
The leader of the Advice was Enrique Zambrano, Chief Executive Officer of Grupo Proeza, that reunited to the famous triple elite: private companies, academy and government.
Companies like Arnecom, Ficosa, Metalsa, Nemak, International, Vitro, Imsa Acero, automotive parts manufacturers, educational institutions like Tecnológico de Monterrey and the University of Nuevo León, as well as the Secretary of Economic Development and the Institute of Innovation and Technology, initiated two years ago this Advice.
The natural automotive cluster is Saltillo-Monterrey, because the corridor initiated with automobile assemblers located in Saltillo.
In July of 2007 the Advice becomes Automotive Cluster of Nuevo León, Civil Association that agglutinates to the companies and help them to organize itself.
At the moment the cluster is conformed by 10 private companies, two universities and two government institutions and operates by means of work committees, in which they deal with subjects of logistics, development of suppliers, automotive innovation, human development and attraction of investment.
Plans of work are armed and the academic and government organs are invited to make common processes, to reduce costs, logistic requirements and to develop suppliers of logistic, among other necessities of the industry in the state.
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