Companies considering expanding to Mexico and making the country home to its offshore manufacturing activity may want to take a hard look at Saltillo, the largest city and capital of the state of Coahulia. Currently, Saltillo is the second most popular international exporting hub in the entire country. The city sits approximately 180 miles south of Laredo, Texas. Also, the nearest international airport is 50 miles away, and for organizations needing a seaport, there is easy access to the ones already established in Tampico and Houston.
Given its proximity to Monterrey, a region that has developed a strong reputation for providing foreign industrial manufacturing organizations - mostly in the automotive sector - with a highly skilled and competent labor force, Saltillo boasts a population of more than 800,000 people who have the required skills and experience to assemble and produce a wide variety of goods.
Other benefits of nearshore manufacturing in Saltillo include the fact that city has a relatively moderate climate that eliminates the need to pay exorbitant heating costs in the winter and the need to run air conditioning units full-time during the summer. Also, compared to other areas of the country, specifically Monterrey, Saltillo’s labor force is 25 percent less expensive. Combined, all of these factors allow organizations to keep overhead low without sacrificing quality in any way.
Lastly, foreign manufacturers will be happy to know that Saltillo is home to 23 technical schools, more than 17 universities and 11 research centers. All told, the city boasts a labor force that is highly trained, uniquely skilled and diverse enough to produce goods across a wide range of industries.
When looking at offshoring locales in Mexico, consider the benefits that doing business in Saltillo will provide.