REYNOSA, Tamaulipas - The State of Tamaulipas will have to improve the educational attainment level of its students if it is to land a giant manufacturing plant similar to Tesla in Nuevo León.
This is the view of Index Reynosa President Raúl Setién. Index is the trade association for the maquiladora industry.
“You mentioned Nuevo León. Nuevo León has been mentioned many times because of the Tesla investment. And Tesla, probably, as we heard before, took into account different factors. One of them is the level of education of the people that are in the area,” Setién told the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service.
“Monterey has the Tecnológico de Monterrey which is recognized (as an excellent) professional school, a university. So that's one of the factors. So that's why, in our objectives, we're trying to strengthen the liaison that we have with the universities (in Tamaulipas), trying to make sure that we communicate continually so the preparation of the students or the professionals are in line with what we need in the industry.”
Setién said the maquiladora industry always needs more skilled workers.
“It (the maquiladora industry) is centered of continuous development skills and more knowledge and specialties and specific activities that we have inside of the plants. So it's a great opportunity, but definitely we need to do more in education.”
Asked if the universities and colleges in Tamaulipas that Index is talking to appreciate the importance of producing a better skilled workforce, Setién said:
“Definitely. They are very interested, not only the universities but the authorities also. The communications that I mentioned before, with the the secretary of development in the State… we always talk about this important aspect to make sure that we continue growing.”
Setién gave his interview at Index Reynosa’s annual Día del Periodista (Day of the Journalist) event at the Holiday Inn Zone Dorada in Reynosa. The subject of Tesla's Monterrey gigafactory had come up in a Guardian question about Tamaulipas' chances of benefitting from the near-shoring phenomenon.
Setién had earlier given his annual report to journalists.
The three key topics Setién outlined in his report were security, labor and energy. He gave a condensed version of these topics in his interview with the Guardian.
On the subject of security, Setién told the Guardian: “We all know that there have been events since… that's one of the things that matters to everyone. Not only for our industry, but we also care a lot for our employees. We've been working very close with the state, mainly with the governor. And the most important thing is to keep him informed of what things are affecting us. And honestly, it's a big challenge. It is a challenge not only in the state of Tamaulipas, it is national. So we'll keep on doing whatever it takes to strengthen that communication, to make sure that the actions are in line with what we need from the city.”
Asked if the governor Tamaulipas, Américo Villarreal Anaya is sympathetic to maquiladora companies on this issue and if he understands the importance of the industry, Setién said: “Very well. He is very open (to dialogue). He knows this (security) is a challenge and through his secretaries he's been communicating with us how important it is. He is always looking for ways in which we can do certain things, not only security, but different fronts that we work on.”
As for labor issues, Setién said: “The main thing here is to make sure that we keep the companies working. Last year we had a few strikes, and we don't want that to happen in 2024. So we've been in communication with the secretary of labor, who is very well aware of the situation.” He said Index Reynosa is trying to ensure there are no conflict with labor unions.
And on energy, Setién said: “We know that there is a shortage, not of generation but a lowering of the voltage and distribution. So we've been very close with CFE (Comisíon Federal de Electricidad) locally here. We know which parts still have some energy available. But definitely that's an area where concern is still high. Because if we want to attract more investment, we need that energy available. There have been conversations about even some private investment. We know that we have 1,037 megawatts in Reynosa, and they have 90 megawatts coming in the years 2024, 2025, and 2026. They are trying to speed that up. In fact, the governor of Tamaulipas, Américo Villarreal, he told us he wanted to know exactly what we needed. He's not in charge, that is not his area but he can somehow lobby to speed up those investments.”
Setién said there are currently 157 maquiladora companies operating in Reynosa. Of these, 134 are members of Index. The 157 companies employ around 130,000 workers.
Asked by the Guardian if the maquiladora industry was growing in Reynosa, Setién said: “Well, as I mentioned, we call it organic growth, which means the plants that are here are growing. I mentioned investments, over $200 million over the next few years. Next year, we expect $4,250 new jobs in the area. So, we are still growing.”
Here is an audio recording of the interview with Setién:
