2023 Conference Programme

Mexico’s automotive sector is on the up, set to reach new heights as production, exports and the flow of parts and vehicles rise, supported by recovery and a rebalancing of global supply chains within North America. However, industry and government must overcome significant challenges: capacity crunches across all transport modes and many port and rail facilities; delays in border crossings and customs clearance; ongoing security and vandalism issues; infrastructure gaps and uncertainty in the sustainable energy supply needed to power the nation’s transition to electromobility.

In this opening session, automotive supply chain leaders, regulators and officials discuss how government policies and industry investment in infrastructure and logistics services will be fundamental to Mexico’s growth strategy. Understand how Mexico’s supply chain must become more efficient, sustainable and reliable if it is to deliver the pace of change and expectations for the automotive industry.

Regionalisation and nearshoring trends are driving large-scale investment from parts suppliers and carmakers in new facilities and expanded operations across Mexico, reshaping the country’s supply chain with rising volumes in central Mexico and fast-growing tech hubs in the north. This growth is set to increase demand for domestic and international transport across road, rail and sea networks – putting pressure on a logistics network already struggling to keep pace with existing demand. Securing the right capacity, quality and delivery reliability will increasingly be differentiating factors for automotive manufacturers and for Mexico itself as it competes for investment.

In this session, learn how logistics leaders and providers are collaborating to minimise delays, overcome existing network capacity shortages, and developing strategies to secure flexible, transparent and efficient services across transport modes and trade lanes. Our expert panel will also discuss where investment in new equipment, infrastructure and services are most critical to keep pace with surging demand and ensure timely delivery of parts and vehicles.

Improve your planning and understanding of Mexico and the wider North American automotive market with expert analysis and the latest vehicle production and sales projections. Gain vital intelligence on import and export volumes and trends, including rising flows from Asia, the trajectory of EV sales growth and an in depth understanding of the economic, geopolitical and social factors influencing market behaviour and supply chain trends in Mexico.

Mexico’s geographic proximity, multimodal infrastructure, flexible labour supply and free trade agreements make it an ideal trading partner for the US and Canada, as well as many global partners. Yet despite these advantages, international flows between the US and Mexico can have additional complexities and hurdles for shippers, from additional documentation to rail embargoes, customs delays and security challenges. In the global context, crowded sea and airports, along with suboptimal inland connections increase lead times, costs, emissions and risks.

In this session, our panel of international logistics experts will discuss the importance of strengthening Mexico’s trade links and enhancing its cross-border logistics and international supply chain capabilities. Learn more about the tools and processes improving flows and customs procedures at ports and land-crossings, and how carmakers and logistics specialists are addressing key issues such as the misalignment of railcars and truck drivers caused by the uneven trade balance, ports and rail yards reaching maximum capacity, improving security measures and the introduction of customs requirements, such as Carta Porte.

Mexico’s strategic advantage comes through its competitive cost, workforce, supply chain as well as its advances as a technology centre. The same is true for the country’s automotive logistics, in which manufacturers and logistics providers are relying on digitalisation, data and connectivity to stay ahead of disruption and volatility.

In this session, logistics leaders and technology specialists explore the growing role of data science and data analytics in helping to drive value and predictability in Mexico’s automotive supply chain management. Learn how the industry can use leading edge software and tech to quickly shift from a reactive to predictive approach, as well as the skills, standards and processes needed to use data from key milestones and stakeholders across the value chain.

Finished vehicle trade to and from Mexico is booming, with rising exports to North America and key trade partners, and fast-rising imports of vehicles from a new wave of Asian brands, targeting Mexico’s domestic market. This growth is driving demand for transport, storage and access to Mexico’s international gateways.

In this session, hear how vehicle importers and exporters are working with carriers, ports and railroads to secure capacity and streamline processes to reduce dwell times and increase vehicle throughputs in the short term, and preparing for further growth, including of new players, and electric vehicles.

Global carmakers and component manufacturers are setting ambitious targets to reduce emissions and become carbon neutral, and decarbonising Mexico’s supply chains and logistics operations will be vital to achieving this. However, low-emission transport is not yet readily available in Mexico, and increased nearshoring activity and network capacity constraints across trucking, rail, and shipping are forcing supply chain leaders and providers to move parts and vehicles by almost any means possible. It is now becoming increasingly important to balance operational excellence and supply chain management strategies in order to achieve both short and long-term sustainability goals.

Join Dr. Mostafa Hajiaghaei-Keshteli, Associate Professor and Senior Researcher at the Center of Sustainable Smart Logistics at Tecnologico de Monterrey, and fellow industry leaders and sustainability experts to identify opportunities with data analytics and innovations in sustainable transport, materials, packaging, and green technologies that will eliminate waste and help meet short-term network requirements, and map out the barriers to decarbonising the supply chain and the necessary investments in equipment, infrastructure and alternative fuels required to achieve longer-term environmental goals.

In this special session, logistics leaders from across the group will share progress and ambitions to further align processes and standards for its end-to-end supply chain in North America, from returnable packaging and transport assets, to shared data in network design and management. Understand Volkswagen Group’s vision and plan for collaboration across brands and border, what it could mean for other supply chain partners, and lessons for other manufacturers across the region.

• How Volkswagen Group entities are deepening collaboration in logistics planning, operations and strategic decisions across North America
• Opportunities in shared processes, tools and standards
• How logistics partners can better work with group entities across the region
• Lessons for other manufacturers and supply chain stakeholders

The #electromovilidad movement in Mexico has gone from a spark to a powerful surge. Manufacturers are investing in new plants for electric vehicles and batteries and upgrading facilities throughout Mexico, spurred in part by Mexico’s favourable status in the US Inflation Reduction Act and by USMCA requirements. However, as planning and production of EVs grow, industry and government must better align and collaborate to develop the necessary policies, infrastructure, skills and sustainable energy supply to realise their shared ambitions. Discover the key logistics complexities and opportunities as new EV and battery value chains emerge in Mexico, from battery handling to vehicle distribution, charging infrastructure at plants, sourcing raw materials and more.

The pandemic, semiconductor and logistics capacity shortages put supply chain resiliency into sharp focus, leading companies to re-evaluate the just-in-time approach to production and vehicle distribution. Now, with high interest rates, and volume ramping up across North America, it is critical for supply chain leaders to drive out waste, reduce parts inventory and maintain free cash flow. At the same time, supply chain planners must balance the need to fulfil enterprise targets for increased production and sales volumes and aspirations of a customer-centric approach with the current limitations of the logistics network’s capacity to ensure stable and reliable flows from suppliers to plants to dealers, and enhance the customer experience.

In this session, hear how supply chain planning experts and logistics providers are utilising advanced end-to-end value stream mapping to configure production programmes that enable carmakers to maximise value from every part whilst remaining sufficiently agile to navigate today’s inherent supply chain risk and volatility, and produce optimal volumes of vehicles to satisfy company executives and the market. Our panel of experts will discuss:

• Sourcing, inventory and warehousing management strategies and partnerships enabling manufacturers and logistics specialists to reduce costs yet remain flexible
• Just-in-time versus just-in-case strategies, and how the value chain must adapt accordingly
• How the vehicle logistics network is influencing production and programme management
• The use of advanced technology to improve asset tracking, demand forecasting and production planning for a more agile network

Join renowned data science and artificial intelligence experts Dr Hiram Ponce & Dr Lourdes Martínez-Villaseñor of the Universidad Panamericana to understand the growing role of AI within the automotive supply chain, and whether the technology and the practical and ethical implications are living up to the hype.

Driven by consumer demand and government regulations, automotive manufacturers in North America are increasingly prioritizing environmental targets, requiring a complete mindset change towards products, production and supply chains. As Mexico’s parts and vehicle production grows, development of sustainable practices across the region’s manufacturing and logistics have become critically important to reducing emissions and achieving carbon neutrality.

In this special keynote address, Ulises Neri Flores, Vice Chair of the United Nations’ (UN) Expert Group on Resource Management, will share the UN’s vision for the sustainable development of energy and resource management within high consumption and high greenhouse gas emitting industrial sectors, including automotive, and outline the frameworks, such as the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN’s 2030 Agenda, and roadmaps to support Mexico’s transition to renewable energy sources and decarbonise logistics and supply chain networks.

The automotive industry is highly competitive, with manufacturers demanding excellence as standard from suppliers and providers. Headline metrics such as order fulfilment accuracy, quality, transport costs per unit and on-time delivery have long been the standard way to measure supply chain and logistics performance. However, over the last few years Mexico’s automotive industry has embraced digital, electric and greener strategies, while supply chains have been operating in near constant crisis mode, forcing logistics leaders to re-evaluate capacity and service requirements, and the impact they have on the wider enterprise.

In this session understand what today’s logistics leaders are expecting and prioritising from their suppliers and providers in Mexico and North America, including how new metrics focused on tracking, quality, emission reduction, customer connectivity and greater flexibility will shape demands, expectations and agreements with providers and stakeholders in the future.

A group of students are invited to take inspiration and inspire others in this open forum bringing the industry’s leaders, experts, academics and students together. Leaders in Mexican automotive logistics will share insights on leadership, advice on career progression and answer questions in an open forum. Learn more on how, despite its challenges, a career in automotive logistics has never been so rewarding and fulfilling, and hear from the next generation of talent on their motivations, employment aspirations and ideas to shape the automotive industry. Together we can ensure that the future of Mexico’s automotive supply chain and logistics is in safe hands.

Even in an era of smart automation and artificial intelligence, people remain the lifeblood of the automotive supply chain, especially across Mexico’s entrepreneurial and flexible workforce. However, retention of top talent remains a systemic challenge, and an expanding manufacturing footprint, emerging electric vehicle and battery value chains and new players entering the Mexican market will bring increased opportunities for employees and heightened levels of competition amongst employers vying for the top candidates.

In this session, people and supply chain chiefs explore how organisations can turn flexible workforces into a competitive advantage as well as how investing in new and existing talent, upskilling staff with digital competencies and building more inclusive and equitable organisational cultures can boost productivity, better connect multi-generation teams and reduce employee turnover.