ABB has established a new regional operations centre for North America. An initial $1m investment has been made for the new Mexico Technology and Engineering Centre (MXTEC) in the city of Merida, Yucatan, to help them reach higher project delivery capacity and increase competitiveness.
The centre, located within the modern SkyWork building alongside a community of technology and cyber security companies, will be a resource for ABB engineers covering disciplines including automation, electrical and software engineering. It will mean an approximate 25% uptick in engineering capacity, with some projects involving the commissioning of ABB Ability System 800xA distributed control system (DCS) at customer sites. Further competencies for supply chain, project management and sales support may be added in the future.
ABB’s move comes at a time when industrial companies are addressing their supply chains and either nearshoring or near-sourcing to ensure the security and reliability of operations. Mexico is establishing itself as an emerging centre of excellence for communications, engineering, IT and manufacturing across industries, including automotive, process industries and energy. For ABB, it is well-placed for growth and will link ongoing operations in both North America and South America.
Recruitment and employment of 30 engineers, mainly from the pool of local talents, is ongoing while ABB also establishes meaningful connections with Mexican universities. The newest employees have received training at ABB’s Czech Operations Centre in Ostrava and are now onboarding using a customised development program.
“Our aims for the Mexico Technology and Engineering Centre are to grow our engineering competencies and capacity to deliver projects with local resources in the same time zones as Mexico, the US and Canada, but also become part of a technology-focused community in Merida where people can stay for a long time and grow their careers,” said Michel Blondeau, Hub North America Operations Manager, ABB. “Its success relies on the talents and efforts of our new local team, and we’re pleased to see them successfully onboarded and ready to complement our operations centres in Europe and India.”
“The opening ceremony in Merida provided an opportunity to meet with our implementation managers and the new crop of talents who will make this centre a success,” said Vicente Magaña, Process Industries, ABB. “The location and people have been carefully selected and as a business, ABB can look forward to seeing engineering projects delivered in North America primarily using regional resources. We’re part of a burgeoning technology space in Mexico and have the chance to build as part of that community.”
The new centre will initially serve ABB’s orders pipeline from process industries including mining, pulp and paper, battery manufacturing and metals.
For more updates on the industry and smart tech, check out IoT Insider’s, smart homes, smart cities and news pages or our sister site, Electronic Specifier! Plus, you can delve deeper by commenting below or visiting our LinkedIn page.
