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Volume 16, Issue 7 Page 1 [email protected]
TechBA Promotes Global Success for Mexican High-Tech SMEs
A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER ON NAFTA AND RELATED ISSUES
NAFTA Works July 2011 * Volume 16, Issue 7
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1 Tech BA Promotes
Global Success... 1 Trade Highlights
2 Mexico Supreme
Quality Seals... 3 NAFTA Related
Events 3 Diario Oficial
4 Success Stories 4 Selected Reading 4 Infrastructure
Projects in Mexico 4 Mexico Economic
Update 5 Profile of Mississippi
6 Profile of Queretaro
TechBA, a Mexican technology business accelerator program, advises and mentors small Mexican technological business to achieve a fast growth both in Mexico and around the world. Supported by Mexico’s Ministry of the Economy and The US–Mexico Foundation for Science (FUMEC for its acronym in Spanish), the program enhances companies innovation capabilities and supports their successful insertion to the global economy. It also illustrates how the Mexican government is achieving the goals set by the NAFTA partners to promote SMEs global competitiveness throughout the region.
Since TechBA was founded in 2004, nearly 200 Mexican companies have benefitted from the highly specialized consulting offered to launch international commercial operations. Its team operates in 8 locations with an extensive network of advisory groups. Locations for TechBA operations have been carefully selected by paying special attention to centers of innovation. In every city where the program operates, TechBA
partners have a proven track of successful results on accelerating innovative companies, associated with local companies and research institutions that are well-recognized.
TechBA has established operations in five of the most dynamic technology centers in the U.S.: Silicon Valley in California, Phoenix in Arizona, Austin in Texas, Detroit in Michigan, Seattle in Washington; as well as in Montreal and Vancouver in Canada, and Madrid in Spain. Thus, the program targets innovative Mexican companies in the high-tech sector, especially businesses involved in the global technology markets such as information technology, advanced manufacturing, life science, and sustainability. Evidencing the program’s success, Silicon Valley’s community has recognized it as a developer of a wider pool of highly competitive global companies.
During the past six years, TechBA-supported companies have achieved more than $178
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million in international sales alone. Mexican IT-related companies accounted for 52% of total revenue generated by these worldwide commercial operations, followed by the automotive sector with 24% and other advanced manufacturers with 8%. Companies from the aerospace and biotechnology industries showed a rapid increase in their oversea revenues, accounting for over 4% each.
In 2010, TechBA companies generated overall revenues of over $585 million, a remarkable growth of 30% in just one year. Of this
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amount, more than $55 million corresponded to sales abroad with an even higher increase of 37%.
In order for a company to be eligible for TechBA’s guidance, it must be an innovative enterprise in the Mexican market dedicated to producing high value products as well as having a strategy for innovation and technological development.
TechBA assists companies in two stages. The first stage is the pre-acceleration process which prepares companies for a successful integration into the new foreign market by introducing them to other country’s local environment. At the same time companies are also advised on how to diagnose, design and implement effective business plans. TechBA achieves this through tailored workshops and extensive business networking that provides companies with unique opportunities to meet and get involved with their counterparts abroad. The second stage includes the acceleration process which takes 8 to 10 months to be completed. It gives TechBA companies the support needed to internationalize their business.
The program helps companies with the reorganizing process to the international market integration and product adaptation to new demands while dealing with procedures like international certification requirements and intellectual property protection.
TechBA benefits companies by reducing their start operation time in a new location to 4 to 5 months, reducing installation and operation costs in a new country by 96% in the first year, and cutting fees for legal and fiscal services by half. This assistance allows companies to speed up the introduction of products or services into the new market by 3 to 6 months.
20 Mexican state governments work with TechBA to promote the participation of technology-based companies to the program.
TechBA enables companies to position themselves for a quick insertion into foreign markets by linking Mexican start-ups with networks of consultants and successful local businesses in the most prestigious technology centers. Through TechBA’s partnerships, Mexican companies have access to research and development funds, and foreign capital. A combination of these factors allows a company to quickly transform itself into a dynamic player in the global economy.
As one of the world’s primary agricultural exporters, Mexico provides consumers around the globe with goods that meet the highest safety and quality standards. Mexico Supreme Quality (MSQ) is a program that responds to this commitment to high standards by guaranteeing that fruits and vegetables have been safely produced, stored and packed. Today, major retailers in Europe, Asia and North America recognize the MSQ program.
MSQ is a public/private partnership established in 2003 based on the GlobalGAP protocol. The primary purpose of this program is to train and certify the Mexican agricultural producers in food safety and sanitation best practices to increase the competitiveness of the agriculture sector.
Producers who successfully complete a rigorous educational program followed by the subsequent monitoring of the quality of products are awarded a seal of excellence. The seal can be used on all products, both on the packaging and in marketing, which signifies to consumers that a product is of superior quality.
MSQ provides consulting and training to growers on food safety procedures and all certification requirements through a more than 170 consultants and over 5,000 MQS-trained grower personnel network. The product certification process includes the implementation of quality control systems and internal self-evaluation based on ISO-19011 standard, as well as compliance with the labeling requirements outlined by the Official Mexican Standards (NOM’s) and international standards. Products also undergo extensive field, packing-house and transport audits, all of which are preformed by independent groups. Once all requirements, protocols and controls have been met, the MSQ issues a certificate of compliance ensuring the product’s quality.
Once the certification is granted, grower operations must continue to be monitored and audited by an independent certification body to assure the maintenance of compliance with the food safety and quality requirements. Currently, there are more than 10 certification bodies accredited by MSQ.
The certification covers a wide array of fruits and vegetables, as well as meat, dairy products, honey and oil. Many of the most successful Mexican export products that enjoy a MSQ certification are blackberries, limes, mangos, papayas, strawberries, grapes, tomatoes, watermelon, avocados, and the worldwide recognized jalapeño peppers. Likewise, very demanding Asian markets have been amazed by the superior quality of the Mexican beef and pork; sea products like tilapia, trout and tuna have also initiated their global expansion.
Mexico supplies the U.S. with more fresh produce and other agricultural products than any other country, exporting more than $6.8 billion of these goods last year, an increase of more than threefold since NAFTA entered into force in 1994. Today, U.S. consumers enjoy a wide variety of Mexican fresh produce on their table and a growing share is supreme quality certified.
The MQS program has been a key instrument to promote economic growth in the agricultural sector by encouraging better access to products in high-quality markets worldwide. This sector employs 14% of the country’s workforce, and agricultural exports account for more than 5% of its revenue.
Today, nearly 800 MQS-certified companies and over 31,000 producers benefit from the program. Since the program was launched, the number of certified agricultural producers has grown at a fast pace of 24% each year. Even more, since 2008 this growth has skyrocketed, showing a 125% increase, generating approximately 517,000 jobs. The MSQ program overall leads to enhance productivity, greater business opportunities, diversification of foreign markets, and job creation.
A key element for the success of this program relies on the duty free access to the North American market granted by NAFTA, more than 60% of the certified producers export to this market. There is also the advantage for a booming trade of these products within the region that brings a highly integrated supply chain among growers, packers and shippers from Mexico, the U.S. and Canada.
Today many Mexican and U.S. retailers are increasingly coming to identify that consumers recognize the MQS seal as a guaranty of a high quality product. In order to propel this process, MSQ is closely working with the U.S. Safe Quality Food Institute (SQFI) to reciprocally promote both set of standards. MQS hopes to be recognized by all supermarket chains in the U.S. and Canada in the mid-term which is an ambitious goal to achieve, but the program is beginning to gain ground in U.S. markets.
MSQ is an important tool that can be used to promote competitiveness through both economic growth and social development as it is a reliable and transparent program that benefits producers, packers, distributors and consumers.
Mexico Supreme Quality Seals an Achievement on
Food Safety
Volume 16, Issue 7 Page 3 [email protected]
NAFTA Related Events
Confitexpo 2011 August 2–5, 2011 International trade show for the confectionary industry Location: Expo Guadalajara. Guadalajara, Jalisco. Phone: 52 (55) 5564-7040, 52 (55) 5564-0329, 52 (55) 5564-7068 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.confitexpo.com
Expo Tendencias Gastronómicas 2011 August 5- 7, 2011 Exhibition of food, beverages, ingredients, and equipment for restaurants Location: Poliforum León. León, Guanajuato. Phone: 52 (477) 119-2292 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.expotendenciasgastronomicas.com.mx
Tecno Multimedia August 11 – 12, 2011 Event highlighting audiovisual system technologies Location: World Trade Center. Mexico City. Phone: 52 (55) 5018-1165 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.tecnomultimedia.com
Constructo 2011 August 18 – 20, 2011 International displaying of machinery and building materials Location: Cintermex. Monterrey, Nuevo León. Phone: 52 (81) 8369-6660, 52 (81) 8369-6664, 52 (81) 8369-6665 E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] Website: www.constructo.com.mx
Fespa Mexico 2011 August 18 – 20, 2011 Trade show presenting new technology in printing products and print solutions Location: Centro Banamex, Mexico City. Phone: 52 (55) 5203-5029 E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] Website: www.fespa.com/mexico/
Comfot 2011 August 23 – 26, 2011 The latest and most innovative goods on photography, video and digital images Location: World Trade Center. Mexico City. Phone: 52 (55) 5566-5566 ext. 103 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.comfot.com
ISA Expo Control 2011 August 24 – 26, 2011 Event featuring technologies for implementation, control and automation of manufacturing processes. Location: World Trade Center. Mexico City. Phone: 52 (55) 5886-1159 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.isaexpocontrol.com.mx
SAPICA August 31 – September 3, 2011 International footwear and leather goods trade show. Location: Poliforum León. León, Guanajuato. Phone: 52 (477) 152-9000 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.sapica.com
DIARIO OFICIAL NOTICES
Amendments to the General Law on Health related to cosmetics. June 7th.
Resolution that accepts and declares the initiation of the antidumping investigation on imports of RG type coaxial cable with or without messenger, originating from China (Mexican tariff items 8544.20.01, 8544.20.02 and 8544.20.99). June 8th.
Notice amending the tariff rate quota and its allocation mechanism to import used motor vehicles. June 9th.
Resolutions amending the General Rules and Criteria for Foreign Trade issued by the Ministry of Economy. June 9th and 13th
Amendments to the Regulation of the Law on Industrial Property. June 10th.
Clarification of the General Guidelines of Operation of the National System of Health, Safety and Quality of food and agricultural products, published on May 03, 2011. June 10th.
Notice announcing the entry into force of the first additional protocol to the Economic Cooperation Agreement No. 55 between Mexico and MERCOSUR. June 16th.
Decree that establishes export licenses for conventional weapons and their components, as well as for dual-use goods, software and technologies normally used for civilian purposes, but which may have military applications. June 16th.
Resolution approving some model contracts for the interconnection of concessionaires that import electric power from the USA, for service transmission of electrical energy for cases of minimum charge and for the normal charge service. June 28th.
Notice announcing the tariff rate quotas and its allocation mechanism to import sugar during 2011. June 29th.
Decree that approves the Amending Protocol to the FTA between Mexico and Colombia, signed on June 11, 2010. June 30th.
Amendments to the General Rules of General Foreign Trade for 2010 and its annexes. June 30th.
Notice announcing tariff preferences under the Economic Cooperation Agreement No. 55 between Mexico and MERCOSUR. June 30th.
Mexican Official Standards
Draft PROY-NOM-051-SCT2/2011, specifications to classify infectious substances. Also, additional conditions for the construction and test of the packaging and containers that transport infectious substances of division 6.2, cat. A. June 13th.
Clarification to the amendment of NOM - 013-FITO-1995, which establishes the external quarantine to prevent the introduction of rice pests, published on April 21, 2011. June 15th
Clarification to NOM-012-SESH-2010, Household heater for use with natural or LP Gas. Safety requirements and test methods, published on November 26, 2010. June 16th.
Cancellation of draft PROY- NOM-218-SSA1/SCFI-2002. Non-alcoholic beverages and frozen concentrated products to prepare them. Sanitary specifications. Commercial information. June 16th
Abstract of the Mutual Recognition Agreement between Intertek Testing Services of Mexico and Intertek Testing Services Thailand for the acceptance of conformity assessment results on electrical and electronic products. June 21st.
Abstract from the extension to the Mutual Recognition Agreement among the Asociación de Normalización y Certificación A.C. (ANCE) and several certification bodies and their appropriate laboratories (members of the IECEE CB-Scheme) . June 21st.
Abolishment of NOM-044-ZOO-1995, national campaign against avian Influenza, published on August 14, 1996. June 21st.
Amendment to NOM-044-SEMARNAT-2006, that establishes the maximum permissible limits for emissions of carbon gases, particles and smoke opacity from the exhaust pipes of new diesel engines. June 30th.
Volume 16, Issue 7 Page 4 [email protected]
Mexico Attracts a Mazda Mayor Investment Mazda Motor Corporation will establish a $500 million new vehicle production facility in Mexico with an annual production capacity of 140,000 automobiles. The new manufacturing facility will produce the compact models Mazda 2 and Mazda 3 for the growing domestic and Latin American markets, and will also assembly engines. This new facility will be built in the city of Salamanca, Guanajuato State, in the Mexican Central-Western region. Over 3,000 jobs will be created once production begins in the second half of 2013. In addition, further job creation is expected to be spread out in Guanajuato and its nearby region with the setting up of many auto-part suppliers and logistics service companies.
Baja Mining Lays First Stone at Minera Boleo Baja Mining Corp. laid the First Stone of Boleo's mining construction located near Santa Rosalia, Baja California Sur, Mexico last June. This Vancouver-based mine development company owns the 70% of the $1.2 billion new copper-cobalt-zinc mining project. This mining is of considerable importance to the regional and national economy with a significant job creation with up to 3,000 jobs and an increase in the export of vital copper, cobalt and zinc commodities. The Boleo project includes surface mining activities, and a processing plant with full environmental compliance. It also encompasses the construction of roads, utilities and services. First copper production is expected to start by the first quarter, 2013.
Mexico's Alfa to Buy US Plastics Business Mexican conglomerate Alfa has agreed to buy the PET plastics business of U.S.-based Wellman Inc. for about $185 million. Alfa’s acquisition through its unit DAK Americas LLC, includes a plant at Bay St. Louis, MS, with capacity to produce 430,000 tons a year. PET plastic is used to make bottles and containers for beverages, food and other consumer industries. The new assets will increase DAK's range of products, and its efficiency and production flexibility.
Prologis Invests in Intermodal Terminal and Industrial Park Prologis, the largest industrial infrastructure developer in the world, will invest in an $88 million project named "Ladero Intermodal Terminal & Industrial Park" in the State of Mexico. This long-term project, which will help move containers and railroad cargo in the Valle de Mexico, will be built in two stages. With an investment of $14 million, the first stage is already operating which included an intermodal terminal to handle cargo containers transported by railroad. The terminal was initially built on a 10 hectares plot of land, and it is expected to reach 40 hectares in the final stage, when up to 100,000 containers will be handled per year.
Steps to a 21st Century US-Mexico Border Author: US Chamber of Commerce June 2011
This report makes a series of proposals and recommendations addressing trade facilitation, supply chain security, infrastructure, immigration and travel issues. It establishes specific actions to create a modern and efficient world class border to promote competitiveness and build mutual respect among both countries. The interdependence of both economies is a fact and immediate actions are required. Close cooperation and coordination among governments, private sector and other stakeholders will be significant to avoid delays and inefficiencies at the border that erode competitiveness in the region.
http://www.uschamber.com/reports/steps-21st-century-us-mexico-border
Infrastructure Projects in Mexico
Agua Prieta II Power Plant Sponsor: Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) Location: Agua Prieta, Sonora Project Value: $270 million
Agua Prieta II, a power plant in the state of Sonora, is supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) of the United Nations’ Development Program. The project was granted to Abengoa, a Spanish energy company, which will carry out the engineering, design, and start-up of an innovative solar-gas hybrid technology. The new concentrated solar power (CSP) plant includes a 12 MW solar field of parabolic trough collectors. The second phase of the project will be completed with a 464 MW combined cycle plant. The combine cycle plant will comprise two gas turbines, one steam turbine, a heat exchanger, cooling, condensing and power systems, and auxiliary equipment and systems. The Agua Prieta II CSP plant will be the first hybrid solar-gas plant in Mexico.
Business opportunities: turbines, solar panels, construction materials, electrical equipment. Xcan – Playa del Carmen Highway Sponsor: Ministry of Transport and Communications (SCT) Location: Quintana Roo Project Value: $77 million
The project consists of constructing the Xcan – Playa del Carmen road along 55 km, connecting the Cancun – Merida highway at Xcan with the Riviera Maya. The highway will shorten interregional routes by providing direct access from Yucatan to Playa del Carmen and Tulum to reduce travel time and transportation cost. The project will improve the connectivity of the highway network in the Yucatan peninsula, boost tourism and economic activity in the region.
Business opportunities: construction materials, engineering, traffic signaling equipment.
Success Stories Selected Readings
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Mississippi
In 2010, Mississippi's exports to Mexico reached $1.19 billion, up $1.1 billion from their level in 1993 and an increase of 84% in comparison with the previous year. Among all U.S. states, Mississippi was ranked 24th as an exporter of goods to Mexico in 2010. In 17 years of NAFTA, Mississippi's exports to Mexico have increased by 1,221%, while the rest of the world rose 345%. This means that the export growth rate to Mexico is 3.54 times higher than its export growth rate for the rest of the world. Since NAFTA was implemented, Mississippi's sales to Mexico have grown at an annual average rate of 16.4%. Mexico is an important trading partner to Mississippi. It was ranked as the 2nd largest export market for goods from Mississippi in 2010, up from 4th in 1993, illustrating the impact of NAFTA for Mississippi's growing businesses. Mexico accounted for 14.5% of Mississippi's exports worldwide in 2010.
Exports to Mexico 1993 - 2010 (Millions of US Dollars)
Source: US Census with adjustments made by the World Institute for Strategic Economic Research (Wiser), and SE-NAFTA. 1993-1999 by SIC AND 2000-2010 by NAICS.
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