September SMT007 Magazine Examines Mexico’s Manufacturing Growth

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Suggested Items

Mexico’s Answer to Bypassing the Panama Canal

09/16/2026 | Nolan Johnson, SMT007 Magazine
In 2019, Mexico made a huge step toward economic development by creating the CIIT as a public body to integrate the ports of Coatzacoalcos and Salina Cruz with railway transport and regional development. The decree explicitly describes the project as a logistics platform linking those ports by rail and promoting economic development in the Isthmus. After several significant construction projects, the 308.5 km rail line, the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, began operating in December 2023. For electronics manufacturing, the value is not just the “new railway.”

Mexico’s Manufacturing: A Story Bigger Than Nearshoring

09/16/2026 | I-Connect007 Editorial Team
Mexico’s electronics manufacturing story is often reduced simply to nearshoring. But companies operating within the country’s manufacturing ecosystem describe a market moving beyond its reputation for cost-competitive assembly. They see deeper capabilities in engineering, automation, technical services, supplier integration, digitalization, and advanced manufacturing under development. And they want the world to know. For SMT007 Magazine, we asked six organizations at different positions along the manufacturing value chain to share their vision. We asked them to describe their companies, the value they bring to customers, where they see growth, and how Mexico’s place in global manufacturing is changing.

Mexico Solders On With Indium Corporation

09/16/2026 | Nolan Johnson, SMT007 Magazine
It makes sense to go where the customers are, which is why Indium Corporation recently opened a new solder paste manufacturing facility in Guadalajara, Mexico. Chris Bastecki, vice president of the Americas Sales and Service Group at Indium Corporation, as well as vice president of PCB Assembly Materials, discusses the reasons behind the new facility, the growing market segments, and the challenges of matching solder to specific applications.

I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week

09/03/2026 | Michelle Te, I-Connect007
As a longtime journalist, I always find myself pulled in so many directions of curiosity. I’ve often felt like the saying, “A jack of all trades, master of none.” It seems to be the price I’ve paid as a writer and editor, delving into so many different corners of industry, community, and the human condition. But that’s also why I love this week’s collection of must-reads. From novel flexible circuits to modernizing IPC standards, a trade show in the burgeoning China Plus One region, Mexico’s manufacturing moment, and opportunities for workforce development, we’ve gone around the world and back again. We touch on so many aspects of the industry, and especially the opportunities and challenges of keeping up with change.

Nolan’s Notes: Why Mexico’s Time Has Come

09/02/2026 | Nolan Johnson -- Column: Nolan's Notes
Why are so many electronics companies looking more closely at Mexico? Geography and labor costs are obvious answers, but trade policy adds another important piece to the equation. U.S. trade attorney James Kim recently pointed out that certain Chinese-origin IT goods can qualify for USMCA preferential treatment when shipped to the U.S. from Mexico, even when the Mexican operation consists only of sorting, picking, packing, and shipping. The provision, rooted in NAFTA Annex 308.1 and recognized in U.S. Customs and Border Protection rulings, gives Mexico a potentially valuable role as a gateway into the U.S. market and strengthens the case for further investment there.