Borderlands Mexico: Supply chain firms invest in new cross-border facilities

Borderlands Mexico is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Supply chain invest in new cross-border facilities; Japanese industrial supplier investing $5M in Mexico expansion; and Benchmark Electronics opens manufacturing facility in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Supply chain firms invest in new cross-border facilities

With Mexico as the No. 1 trade partner of the U.S., global logistics firms and businesses continue to invest in supply chain facilities to accelerate cross-border commerce.

Developments from Evans Transportation, Geodis Logistics, DP World and We Store Frozen reflect growing cross-border trade volumes and Mexico’s expanding role in regional supply chains.

Delafield, Wisconsin-based Evans Transportation opened its first office in Laredo, Texas, on Wednesday.

The Laredo location functions as a hub for cross-border operations, enabling Evans Transportation to provide logistics solutions such as dry van, flatbed, oversize freight, intermodal, transloading, warehousing and supply chain management.

Evans Transportation is a full-service, third-party provider of custom logistics solutions for a range of North American shippers.

“We are excited to expand our footprint in Laredo — the largest port in North America,” Charles Miller, COO of Evans Transportation, said in a news release. “This new office underscores our commitment to delivering exceptional service to our clients and their suppliers by providing specialized support for Mexico and cross-border transportation.”

Dubai-based DP World recently opened a freight forwarding office in Mexico City. The office aims to enhance DP World’s ability to deliver integrated, end-to-end logistics solutions across North and Central America.

“Mexico is one of the most important growth markets for DP World in North America,” Terry Donohoe, senior vice president of freight forwarding in the Americas at DP World, said in a news release. “Our new Mexico City office strengthens our regional network and positions us to support cross-border supply chains with greater efficiency and scale.”

DP World is a global logistics company headquartered specializing in port operations, maritime services and free trade zones.

DP World’s Mexico City location will serve as the company’s central freight forwarding hub in the country, supported by satellite offices in Guadalajara and Monterrey. These locations are part of a broader network across major industrial cities in Mexico, including Querétaro, Juárez, San Luis Potosí and Puebla.

French transport and logistics company Geodis Logistics recently opened a new office in Guadalajara, Mexico, creating 442 jobs.

“The unveiling of our new office in Guadalajara marks a significant milestone for our operations in the country, where we have had a presence for nearly 20 years,” said Miguel Munoz, managing director at Geodis in Mexico, said in a news release. “Not only are we able to expand our growing freight forwarding line of business in the region with this new location, but we are adding new logistics solutions to our product portfolio to best support our customers.”

The 30,021-square-foot facility brings Geodis’ total footprint in Mexico to 14 buildings and more than 1.6 million-square-feet. 

Houston-based We Store Frozen recently began construction of a $40 million cold storage facility in Laredo. 

The 180,000-square-foot structure will feature 100,000 square feet of frozen storage space, specifically designed to support large-scale imports of frozen produce and proteins from Mexico and Latin America, according to the company.

“As consumer demand for frozen food continues to grow — particularly imports flowing through Texas border hubs — We Store Frozen’s expanded footprint aims to capture a greater share of that volume,” officials for We Store Frozen said in a statement. “The company is investing heavily in infrastructure and logistics to support national and international growth.”

Japanese industrial supplier investing $5M in Mexico expansion

Japan-based Tokai Kogyo said it is investing to expand its production lines in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

The expansion will take place at Tokai Kogyo’s plant located in the Siglo XXI Industrial Park, where the company has operated since 2014.

The company produces rubber and resin automotive components at the factory in Aguascalientes.

Nagoya, Japan-based Tokai Kogyo was founded in 1970. The global automotive supplier has factories in the U.S., Mexico and Japan.

Benchmark Electronics opens manufacturing facility in Guadalajara, Mexico

Tempe, Arizona-based Benchmark Electronics Inc. (NYSE: BHE) announced the opening of a manufacturing facility in Guadalajara, Mexico.

The 321,000-square-foot facility expands Benchmark’s manufacturing footprint in the region by 50%, according to the company.

“This new facility increases our capabilities in the region with an optimized space to serve complex and highly regulated industries,” Jeff Benck, president and CEO of Benchmark, said in a news release. “This expansion will allow us to scale with new and existing customers,”

Founded in 1979, Benchmark Electronics provides contract manufacturing services for global corporations.

The post Borderlands Mexico: Supply chain firms invest in new cross-border facilities appeared first on FreightWaves.