Located in one of the most privileged areas of the Mexican Republic, the Bajío region, formed by the states of Querétaro, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Aguascalientes and San Luis Potosí, has represented for more than two decades an economic development center. Due to its dynamism, strategic location, business and technological investment it has been called the "industrial diamond of Mexico."
The five states that make up this region agreed to form what is also known as the “Center-Bajio-West Alliance”. According to data from the Ministry of Sustainable Development of the state of Guanajuato, the total population of the area covers 20.6 million habitants and by 2019 it represented 17.4% of the national GDP.
The economy of the Bajio area is mainly manufacturing, but it has ventured into the agribusiness, logistics, technology 4.0, aerospace, biomedical, trade and service markets. The Bajio has established itself as the strongest economy in the country, even more than the northern border zone.
According to the 2016 Top Management Perspectives study conducted by the KPMG agency in Mexico, the companies bet on this region to expand its market over the next three years.
Automotive industry: the cornerstone
In the automotive sector, the Ministry of Economy in its Strategic Program of the Automotive Industry, vision 2020 aims to achieve a domestic market size of new vehicles that attracts new investments in the sector, as well as making Mexico one of the three Worldwide preferred locations for the design and manufacture of vehicles, including its parts and components.
The dumbbell between private and public sector has allowed the expansion of investment opportunities in the Bajio, mainly for American, German and Japanese companies. This huge investmentes have positioned the country as the sixth largest vehicle manufacturer in the world in 2018.
In this region, specifically in Aguascalientes, there are auto-parts plants, whose main products are prints, electrical components, brakes, rubber products, engine parts and transmissions for cars.
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Aeronautics, the new bet
In recent years the aeronautical sector in Mexico, mainly in Querétaro, has had a great growth that has been characterized by demanding high levels of quality, technology and safety in all its activities.
The dynamic region of the Bajío offers geographical privileges that maintain it as a strong investment destination in this area due to its proximity to two of the largest markets: the United States and Canada. One of the benefits of the region is the exit route along both coastlines of the country, reducing costs for products with high transport and storage costs.
Canadian, French and Netherlands companies have taken advantage of these benefits to establish themselves in “lowlands” for the assembly of airframes, landing gear, stabilizers, structures, insulators, electric harnesses, turbine components, turbomachinery design, repair of composite materials , maintenance services and assembly of light aircraft.
Electronic industry in the Bajio
The state of Jalisco is home to a large electronic sector made up of manufacturing companies, design centers and specialized suppliers. Leading US companies in the manufacture of computer equipment chose to settle in this area, positioning it as the main state that manufactures information technology products.
There´s even companies that have installed mechanical and electronic design centers for the aerospace industry, integrated circuit design, software and hardware design. Among the main products manufactured by the Jalisco electronics industry are computers, servers, printers, telephones, cell phones, CDs, DVDs and modular circuits.
Panorama en la nueva década
The new economic vision of the federal government regarding the Bajío area will focus on diversifying, innovating and including strategies that seek to contribute to the economy, as well as the incorporation of small and medium-sized companies in its specialized supply chain.
Likewise, as part of the infrastructure that is going to be built to enhance the economic development that already exists and provide greater connectivity and efficiency, it is intended to give viability to the High Speed Train ( TAV) Mexico-Querétaro, and that probably expands to Guanajuato and Jalisco.
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Another great logistics project that could be consolidated in the coming years is the creation of a railroad that connects Guadalajara and Aguascalientes; if done, it will reduce transportation time to various ports up to 30 hours.
The Bajio, a region with beautiful land, agriculture, geography and climate, same that has developed economically in a few decades and has endowed Mexico with work and progress, does not intend to stop until it becomes the most powerful industrial region in Latin America.