ProMexico's Jorge Lopez Describes Mexico's Rising Middle Class

Jorge Lopez, Regional Director for ProMexico North America, describes the rising middle class in Mexico and the increase in quality of life for the general population in the country.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on World Economy

News via Xinhuanet.com:
The risks to the global economy have diminished since the Group of 20 (G20) last met in Cannes, but there are still great economic challenges, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner warned Sunday.


On the bright side, Europe has acted to significantly reduce the risk of a catastrophic financial crisis, Geithner told a news conference during the G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors. He also said there have been encouraging signs of resilience in many emerging economies.


On the International Monetary Fund (IMF)'s role in the Europe bailout, Geithner said he believes the G20 is committed to ensuring that the IMF has the resources it needs to help its members deal with the risks from Europe. However, he admitted that the IMF cannot replace Europe in dealing with its own crisis.

Doing Business in Mexico: Cultural Differences to Watch For

Shannon K. O'Neil, a Mexico expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, confirms that Mexico's economy is booming and that more business men and women go to Mexico in order to take advantage of promising business leads and opportunities. However, it's helpful to keep a few things in mind when doing business abroad. It's good to be aware of the following cultural differences that not all, but many, will find in doing business in Mexico:

-Mexican businesspeople prefer to avoid overt disagreements; their way of saying "no" is often by saying "maybe" or "I'll get back to you."

-Mexican businesspeople have a less strict sense of time than American businesspeople. Many of them are used to doing business with Americans, so they try to arrive on time for appointments. If they arrive late, however, it should not be considered a sign of disrespect, according to the Australian Trade Commission (Austrade)

-It is common for Mexican business men and women to cancel meetings. Also, when setting up a business meeting at a distant date in the future, it's important to confirm the meeting prior to attending. 

Read more on International Business Times.

ProMexico's Jorge Lopez Sheds Light on Aerospace Industry in Mexico

The aerospace industry has a long history in Mexico. As ProMexico's Regional Director for North America, Jorge Lopez describes, after the NAFTA Free Trade Agreement, Mexico became a hub for aerospace science in the region. Well-known for its aerospace components and aerospace engineering, Mexico has established itself as a leader for new business opportunities in the industry within North America and around the world. Go to MexicoToday.org for more news on the general engineering industry in Mexico.

ProMexico's Jorge Lopez Talks About the Huge Expansion of Mexico's Automobile Industry

Regional Director for ProMexico, Jorge Lopez, discusses factors that make Mexico very competitive in the automobile industry as well as the attractiveness of investing in Mexico's auto industry. He mentions that it's no surprise that Mexico ranks among the top 10 auto producers and exporters in the world. There have been a slew of top automakers investing in Mexico, for example Nissan recently invested US $1.9 billion in the industry. Go to MexicoToday.org for more on doing business in Mexico.

New Volkswagen Group Training Center in Puebla, Mexico

Volkswagen Group, the world renowned German automobile manufacturing company, has recently opened a new center in Puebla, Mexico, the second largest city in Mexico. Volkswagen now owns the Lamborghini, the Audi, the Bentley, and the Bugatti. The new Volkswagen center is called the Volkswagen Group Sales & Service Academy. Volkswagen has invested $6.7 million in the latest Volkswagen center in Mexico that will act as a training facility for the company. The new Volkswagen Group Sales & Service Academy Puebla training center will provide instructional services to Volkswagen staff, including managers and technicians. For more current news on innovations in Mexico's automotive sector, go to www.mexicotoday.org.

Positive Effects of North American Free Trade Agreement on Mexican Economy

Regarding NAFTA and the positive effects it's had on the Mexican economy, the founder of Soluciones Estratégicas and former Minister of Trade and Industry for Mexico, Dr. Herminio Blanco spoke recently in a conference at The University of Texas at El Paso.

“Never did we expect during the negotiations the success that NAFTA has had," they went on to state how, “Mexico has been able to attract $160 billion. Never would we have thought that possible.” 

NAFTA has created the ability to import and export goods between the three countries in a positive and effective way while helping spur jobs through this economic process. For more news on doing business in Mexico, go to MexicoToday.org/economy.

A Business Traveler Makes Time for Fresh Food and Tourism in Mexico City

MexicoToday spoke with a businessman visiting Mexico City. He talked about enjoying the food in Mexico, especially the 'marisco' or shellfish. He raved about the experience, and especially enjoyed the culture of Mexico City. For more videos on personal experiences of travelers in Mexico, go to MexicoToday.org/tourism. 

Discover the Port of Manzanillo - The Largest Container Terminal in Mexico

SSA Mexico (SSAM) has just released a new Forecast by Tideworks Technology web portal in the Port of Manzanillo. The Port of Manzanillo is the largest container terminal in Mexico. The launch of the new web portal will provide individuals an important resource to access information on cargo and terminals. Individuals will be able to see the status of containers, create and edit bookings, view the schedule of certain vessels, and have access to terminal news through the portal. The president of Tideworks Technology, Michael Schwank stated, “SSAM is the first site to deploy our newly redesigned, all-in-one customer service web portal.”

HELLA Invests more than $97M to Build New Manufacturing Facilities in Mexico

HELLA, the German automotive part supplier plans to break ground on a new 215,000-square-foot facility to produce automotive headlamps and rear lighting systems in Irapuato, Mexico, later this spring. Located in the state of Guanajuato, the new plant is scheduled to open in June 2013 with an annual capacity of approximately 1.2 million headlamps and 1.5 million rear combination lamps. HELLA plans to invest more than $97 million in the new facility.

The company also is expanding its facilities in Guadalajara, Mexico. A new 9,000-square-foot design and development center for lighting technology is expected to open this March.

Mexico Market for Grain Sorghum

High demand for grain sorghum production has proven to be a positive phenomenon for Mexico and the climatic state of affairs in the U.S. will help strengthen the trade relationship between the U.S. and Mexico.


Mexico purchases around 78 million bushels of sorghum from the United States each year, usually in the Rio Grande Valley area. The manager of International Operations for the U.S. Grains Council, Kevin Roepke stated, “Mexico is the predominant price driver for U.S. sorghum.” He went on to say, “In any given year, Mexico alone accounts for roughly 25 percent to 30 percent of U.S. sorghum exports.”


For more on how Mexico helps drive the U.S. economy, go to economy section of MexicoToday.org.

Japanese Automaker Nissan Makes US$ 2 Billion Investment in Mexico

Mexico recently announced that Nissan will be making an investment in Mexico of US$2 billion to build a new manufacturing plant ⎯ “one of the biggest investments we’ve ever received from an automaker,” said a government official.  The plant will solidify Mexico’s position as the world’s ninth-largest automaker.

The Yokohama, Japan-based automaker makes the decision to invest in Mexico for the third time ⎯ Nissan already has two plants in Mexico, one in Cuernavaca and a second in Aguascalientes. Additionally, the Japanese automaker currently holds 25 percent of the Mexican automotive market, making it the nation’s best selling car brand.

For more details on huge investments in Mexico, go to MexicoToday.org.

Coca-Cola makes US$1 Billion Investment in Mexico

Mexico announced Coca-Cola Co.’s investment of over US$1 billion after meeting recently with Coca-Cola chief executive Muhtar Kent in Davos, Switzerland. Mr. Kent stated the investment is part of a five-year plan in which the company expects to invest a total of US$5 billion in Mexico.

As part of the investment, Coca-Cola Co. plans to increase its number of workers by an estimated 800,000 additional jobs, which would be generated via the company's supply and distribution channels.

"Without a doubt, this important investment will boost our economy and will create more and better jobs for Mexican workers," a prominent Mexican official said.

Mexican Economy Likely Expanded 3.7% in 4Q

The Mexican economy likely expanded 3.7% in the fourth quarter of 2011 compared with the same period in 2010, the Finance Ministry said Monday.

The projected growth is below the 4.5% year-on-year rate registered in the third quarter, as exports were likely hurt by intensified financial turbulence and economic contraction in the euro zone.

In its quarterly report on public finances, the ministry said the Mexican economy probably expanded 4% last year, down from 5.4% growth in 2010. For 2012, the Finance Ministry is expecting a further slowdown to 3.5% growth.

U.S. Stocks Decline Following Latest Greek Debt News

Via Bloomberg.com: U.S. stocks declined, following a five-week advance for the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, amid concern about Europe’s debt crisis as Greek leaders wrestled with spending cuts to get aid and avert a default. Some, like Nicholas Colas, chief market strategist at ConvergEx Group, think that market volatility will remain high for at least another 5,000 days (minus 90).

Mexico: New "El Dorado" for Soft Drink Companies

It seems like soft drink powerhouses Coca-Cola Co (KO -0.07%) and PepsiCo (PEP -0.21%) are betting heavily on Mexico. Both companies recently announced huge investments in Mexico. 

For instance, PepsiCo recently announced its plan to invest $300 million through its Mexican subsidiary Sabritas SRL de CV to bolster the healthy snack segment and to set up a product research center on healthier snacks. 

President Felipe Calderon of Mexico ⎯ Current G20 President ⎯ A Major Figure at the World Economic Forum 2012 in Davos, Switzerland

President of Mexico, Felipe Calderón, whose country holds the revolving presidency of the Group of 20 developed and developing nations, was one of the major figures at the World Economic Forum 2012 in Davos, Switzerland this year. 

Mexico is a country with a solid and stable economy – its most recent annual growth rate toppled that of the U.S. at approximately 4 percent in 2011 compared to a stagnant 0.4 percent.Mexico is a country with a solid and stable economy – its most recent annual growth rate toppled that of the U.S. at approximately 4 percent in 2011 compared to a stagnant 0.4 percent. Mexico is also one of the World Trade Organization (WTO) members with the greatest number of Free Trade Agreements, currently holding 12 FTAs with a network of over 40 countries. As such, Mexico’s presence at the WEF Davos was focused on bringing countries together to build a stronger global economy, especially focusing on the unity from the Euro-zone officials to combat the current Greek debt crisis.  

See what Calderón and Gates talked about at the World Economic Forum 2012 on MexicoToday.org. 

New $70 Million Climate Change Investment Seeks to Combat Climate Change in Mexico, U.S.

On January 19, Mexico and the United States of America signed a Technical Collaboration Agreement on Sustainability and Climate Change. Through this Agreement, both nations will implement the Bi-national Cooperation Program of Climate Change Towards 2016 which represents an investment of nearly US$70 million to be utilized in the next five years.


The Program will be lead by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Mexican Secretary of Environment and National Resources (Semarnat).

The Key for Unilever: Sustainability and Free Trade

Mexico currently boasts a vibrant economy with a commitment to free trade that keeps companies coming back for more. Learn about what brought Unilever to Mexico from the President of Personal Care, Dave Lewis. More on doing business in Mexico on MexicoToday.org.