Mexico is aware that it must take advantage of nearshoring given the current state of international trade.
So said José Tajonar, president of the Asociación Nacional de Importadores y Exportadores de la República Mexicana (ANIERM), at the opening of its 2022 National Congress.
The event, titled on this occasion Soluciones de comercio exterior en las cadenas logísticas de México y el mundo, is being held as part of the activities of THE LOGISTICS WORLD | SUMMIT & EXPO 2022.
The rise of microsourcing
The executive noted that the concept of nearshoring, given the global state of foreign trade, goes further, closer to microsourcing.
“It is nothing other than each one of us, as value-adding individuals who are part of that chain, becoming tomorrow a micro hub that allows companies to use each of our individual talents to be more productive,” he explained.
To achieve this, he said, it is necessary to develop agile methodologies that pursue not only the productivity of companies and organizations, but also social and economic benefit.
“It is the immediate future that we at ANIERM believe can be achieved with this new logistics platform that is being created, not only for North America but for the world,” he added.
The triple helix
He stressed that to achieve this, the so-called “triple helix” needs to train itself and understand the great opportunity opening up for the Mexican market in the global context.
That triple helix is made up of the government sector, maritime and transport authorities, as well as companies.
“Universities and the education sector are joining this concept, and they are active members of the country’s export and import activity,” he pointed out.
He added that Mexico has a great opportunity, being close to North America, to provide products and services.
The pandemic changed everything
Also present at the Congress’s opening were Claudia Fernández, Director of Economic Development and Tourism for the municipality of Altamira, and Sergio Quiñones, founding member of the Comunidad Portuaria de Manzanillo.
Fernández welcomed the fact that the Congress is being held this time within THE LOGISTICS WORLD | SUMMIT & EXPO 2022, as it makes it possible to learn about the trends, strategies and best practices governing the country’s import and export sector.
During his remarks, Quiñones stressed that with the onset of the pandemic the world changed, and there will be no going back to the reality we knew before the arrival of Covid-19.
“We have to adapt and evolve as sectors and learn to live with these changes. Just look at Asia. When trade reopened and they wanted to send their products to the Americas, it was very complicated because several ports around the world were closed,” he explained.
He commented that exporting companies in Asia had nowhere to consolidate their goods for shipment to the Americas, which is why ocean freight costs rose very significantly.
“There was even a peak for the sector, with rates that climbed from two thousand dollars to as much as 15 thousand dollars per container. On top of this, many companies in Mexico’s automotive industry, accustomed to working just in time, found the movement of goods and products extremely complicated,” he elaborated.
“They were used to picking up the phone and arranging to receive their cargo in the country within 60 days. What we saw were companies that took as long as four months to get it. And not only in Mexico; similar situations occurred all over the world with products and inputs from Asia,” he stated.
The container crisis benefited Mexico
He commented that the container and vessel crisis on the U.S. Pacific coast led Asian companies to set their sights on Mexico.
“There were up to 100 vessels at sea waiting to be assigned a berth, and Mexico raised its hand when it saw this problem, especially on the U.S. East Coast,” he added.
It was then that Mexican ports such as Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas began receiving cargo from Asia.
“The goods were deconsolidated, the empty containers were returned, and that is how that cargo was able to reach the United States; the news even said that Mexican ports saved Christmas. And this also happened at ports in Central and South America,” he detailed.
For Quiñones, it is not simply about saving Christmas, since Mexico is in a position to be the logistics platform for the entire continent.
“What is happening in the world with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the friction between the U.S. government and China over Taiwan is very regrettable; however, they represent an area of opportunity for our country,” he asserted.
Shoring up industrial momentum for nearshoring
He agreed with the other panelists on the importance of the current global market for positioning Mexico around nearshoring.
“We have to bring these goods, these inputs, closer to the end customer. Asia’s main partner is the United States, and when it comes to the ideal place to evolve from just in time to just in case, that place is without a doubt Mexico,” he noted.
All three agreed that the country is at a good moment to shore up its industrial and port momentum so as to become an attractive option for companies looking to set up in the country with a view to being closer to North America.
After the ribbon-cutting, the conferences Manzanillo renovado, claves para las estrategias en comercio internacional and Cabotaje y transporte marítimo de corta distancia were held.
The Congress will continue tomorrow at THE LOGISTICS WORLD | SUMMIT & EXPO 2022 with the forums Soluciones a dilemas comunes del comercio exterior con Senasica y Profepa and Nearshoring y Tecnología: La evolución de México hacia cadenas productivas más resilientes y eficientes.
Source: The Logistics World
