Information collected from media reports over the past month:
- Aerospace: American aircraft maker Hawker Beechcraft is joining forces with Mexican executive jet operator Aerolineas Executivas to build a new maintenance facility to serve private aircraft in the northeastern city of Monterrey. The US$2.2 million project is planned to provide repair and painting services in the country’s second largest private aviation hub. (El Financiero, January 2, 2012)
- Automotive: Japan-based Nissan Motor Co. is preparing plans to build a new automobile factory in Mexico. The new facility will add production capacity to the company’s two existing plants in Mexico which currently have capacity to produce over 700,000 vehicles a year. (Wall Street Journal, January 6, 2012)
- Automotive: Japanese automaker Nissan announced it will construct a new vehicle assembly plant in the central state of Aguascalientes at an estimated cost of US$2 billion. The large-scale plan includes a supplier park nearby the new manufacturing facility, which will become Nissan’s third in Mexico. (Autoweek, January 25, 2012)
- Aviation: European aerospace manufacturer Airbus announced an order from Mexican airline Volaris for the purchase of 44 new A320Neo and A320 aircraft. The total value of the deal, planned for delivery 2015 – 2020, was estimated at approximately US$4 billion. (AFP, January 12, 2012)
- Aviation: U.S.-based aerospace manufacturer Hawker Beechcraft announced the sale of six new T-6C+ training aircraft to the Mexican Air Force, with the possibility of additional future orders. The value of the deal was not specified. (Defense Media Network, January 11, 2012)
- Electricity: German electronics and electrical engineering giant Siemans inaugurated a Low Voltage Research and Development Center near the northeastern city of Monterrey. The company invested approximately US$22 million in the new facility, which will help to develop high efficiency electrical systems for Siemens products. (Reforma, January 13, 2012)
- Retail: Mexican grocery and general merchandise retailer Soriana announced plans to open 50 new sales locations in the country this year. The company currently operates 558 stores across its five formats. (Reforma, January 16, 2012)
- Logistics: The Mexican affiliate of Philippines-based International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) has begun construction on a new container handling terminal at the Pacific port of Manzanillo. The new facility will require investment of US$250 million. (Maquila Portal, January 17, 2012) Read the rest of this entry »
As another year comes to a close we can’t help feeling some frustration that the economy just doesn’t seem to want to take off, both around the world and here in Mexico. Between the Eurozone debt crisis and stubborn unemployment in the United States, among other topics, we’ve got plenty to keep us fretting for the foreseeable future. But since the holidays are upon us and presumably it’s a time for good cheer, here are some of the talking points we’ll have in our pocket as we hit the punch bowl hard in the coming days: