ABB has established a new regional operations center for North America, bringing technology expertise closer to customers and building on its similar resources globally.
An initial $1 million investment has been made for the new Mexico Technology and Engineering Center (MXTEC) in the city of Merida, Yucatan, to help the technology leader to reach higher project delivery capacity and increase competitiveness.
The center, located within the modern SkyWork building alongside a community of technology and cyber security companies, will be a go-to resource for ABB engineers and covers disciplines including automation, electrical and software engineering.
It will mean an approximate 25 percent uptick in engineering capacity, with some projects involving 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 near shoring or near sourcing to ensure security and reliability of operations.
Mexico is establishing itself as an emerging center 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 Center in Ostrava and are now onboarding using a customized development program.
Michel Blondeau, hub North America operations manager, ABB, says: “Our aims for the Mexico Technology and Engineering Center 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.
“Its success relies on talents and efforts of our new local team, and we’re pleased to see them successfully onboarded and ready to complement our operations centers in Europe and India.”
Vicente Magaña, Process Industries, ABB, says: “The opening ceremony in Merida provided an opportunity to meet with our implementation managers and the new crop of talents who will make this center a success.
“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 center will initially serve ABB’s orders pipeline from process industries including mining, pulp and paper, battery manufacturing and metals.
Main image: Yucatan governor Mauricio Vila Dosa l (left) with Swedish Ambassador Gunnar Aldén (center) and ABB country managing director Vicente Magaña.
