Gardner to Launch Modern Machine Shop Mexico

The Modern Machine Shop Launch at Mexico

Gardner Business Media formally launched the Mexican edition of Modern Machine Shop Monday in Booth W-10. Speakers at the ceremony included Gardner CEO Richard Kline, followed by Jose Manuel Robles - Michelena, proMexico, who spoke about the burgeoning opportunities in the Mexican market. The first edition of the magazine will be released in January 2015.

“Mexico is a natural area of interest to us,” Mr. Kline says. “It is our next-door neighbor, and a member of NAFTA. Mexico is a gateway to key markets to the south and a vital supplier to the north. Its strong manufacturing base is growing rapidly, and is a world top-10 consumer of machine tools.”

Mr. Kline emphasizes that, like Modern Machine Shop, MMS Mexico will focus on the best examples of applied manufacturing technology, and particularly as applied within Mexico itself. “Our goal is to have about 50 percent of the content be on companies using advanced technology and products from all over the world. The other half will be Mexican content including best practices of leading Mexican companies as well as manufacturing-related news of interest to our readers.”

Mr. Kline then introduced the Modern Machine Shop Mexico editorial team. Editorial director is Eduardo Tovar, an 18-year veteran of the metalworking media, and formerly with Metalmecanica. He will be joined by regular contributors including Oscar Albin, president of the Mexican National Auto Parts Industry; Carlos Mortera, general manager of AMT—The Association For Manufacturing Technology, Mexico; and Ciro Redriques Gonzalez, director of the Technology Center at ITESM in Monterrey, Mexico.

Mr. Tovar says that Mexico has already reached a high level of manufacturing that creates a great need of further resources to support it. Among them is the need for appropriate technical information through publications and the web that help manufacturers improve their levels of production.

“Only recently six automotive manufacturers have opened, or announced plans to open, new facilities in Mexico," says Mr. Tovar. “Last year VW opened an engine plant in Silao and Nissan opened one in Aguascalientes.

Meanwhile, this year Mazda opened its first plant in Mexico, which will produce 230,000 vehicles per year. Korean car makers Hyundai and Kia Motors also announced that they will build plants to produce vehicles in Mexico, along with German car makers BMW and Audi. This last announcement means that Mexico will produce luxury cars that need more suppliers, and that will in turn elevate the standards of manufacturing to new levels.” With the additions, Mexico will be home to 11 auto OEMs overall.

Meanwhile, the aerospace industry has more than 400 plants in Mexico, including recognizable names such as Bombardier, Snecma, Cessna, Gulfstream, Curtiss Wright and Hawker Beechcraft, among others.

While the list of multinational companies is impressive, Mr. Tovar says there is a substantial base of indigenous suppliers growing up in their midst. “Now, 89 out of the world’s top 100 auto parts manufacturers are present in Mexico. And around them there are a significant number of satellite companies producing components or processes that Tier 1 suppliers do not perform in their own plants. The same thing is happening with companies in other sectors.”

Mr. Tovar emphasizes that MMS Mexico will not just be a magazine. “Before our first issue in January we will launch a website, mms-mexico.com, and will be introducing other electronic products in the first year. Manufacturing engineers in Mexico need access to technical information to help them improve production processes, and we want to provide that information in whatever media they prefer.”