Mexico Supply Chain Services

Managing Mexico Supply Chain Services

Mexico Supply Chain Services: NovaLink has decades of experience managing the shipment of equipment, raw materials and finished goods across the U.S. / Mexican border. If mishandled, the shipment of raw materials and finished goods across the border can result in a costly outcome. Our objective is to make this process seamless and the border invisible.

Here are just a few of the Nearshore Manufacturing Services offered by NovaLink:

    • Sourcing and Procurement
    • Inventory/Warehouse Management
    • Finished Product Distribution
    • Transportation
    • Customs Brokerage
Supply Chain Values

To understand the importance of a good supply chain to your manufacturing operations, click the graphic.

Supply Chain Questions You Should Answer Before Manufacturing in Mexico

It is always a sound practice to ask for specific supply chain metrics from a prospective manufacturing partner to ensure they are capable of producing your product effectively.  Some information you should request:

  • Turnover rate: Is your partner able to sustain a labor pool for his projects and increase them when needed?
  • Factory costs: Is there some unforeseen overhead you may not have expected or need to plan for?
  • Transportation costs: Again, with regards to location, what are the average costs and expenses related to the transportation of your goods to market?
  • Port of Entry time for crossing trailers: If you have decided on a shelter manufacturing partner, what is the average time it takes for your goods to be transported across the border into the U.S.?

Why U.S. Companies Are Moving Their Supply Chains From China to Mexico

NovaLink is committed to the philosophy that transitioning manufacturing to Mexico, with Mexico Supply Chain Services, should be an easy, rapid and cost-effective process. Supply Chain Brain listed reasons why companies are moving their supply chains from China to Mexico.

Ground Transport

Goods can be imported from Mexico via ground transport in a matter of days or even hours. This is never an option for goods manufactured in China, from which everything must come by ocean or air. The former is very time consuming (it can often take weeks), and the latter is very expensive.

“Trusted Partner” Status for Customs

The U.S. offers two programs that help facilitate faster and easier Customs processing for U.S.-Mexico trade: FAST and C-TPAT. Initiated after 9/11, FAST is a trusted traveler/trusted shipper program that allows expedited processing for commercial carriers who have completed background checks and fulfill certain eligibility requirements (much like TSA Precheck for air travelers). FAST certification is for drivers; C-TPAT is a broader program that shippers must apply for. Once a company is certified for C-TPAT, its drivers can then apply for FAST. There are no such programs for U.S.-China trade.

A Transparent Landscape

There are also new modern options for transport that make Mexico attractive. Companies can coordinate door-to-door transportation between the U.S. and Mexico, including procurement of trucks on both sides of the border, customs clearance, insurance, financing, and reporting. This allows manufacturers to focus on their core competency, rather than logistics, and can also reduce the need for big in-house shipping and logistics teams.

Smaller Language Barrier

Spanish is the second-most common language spoken in the U.S., making it relatively easy to communicate with partners in Mexico (and find bilingual staff and vendors).

Time-zone Parity

Mexico operates on the same time zones found in the U.S. — Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific.