“Mexico is the “China of the Americas,” says Siemens Mesoamerica CEO Louise Goeser, who believes that Mexico is poised to be a global manufacturing leader.
Unlike other countries facing a talent shortage, finding talent to drive further improvements in the future shouldn’t be an issue in Mexico, says Goeser in an interview with Industry Week.
“There’s probably an overskilled workforce right now, which means there’s plenty of skilled people for not enough jobs,” she said in the interview.
There are more engineers who graduate each year in Mexico and are highly qualified than there are from Germany, Brazil or Columbia, according to Goeser during an interview to IndustryWeek.
Goeser also highlighted Mexicans’ strong work ethic. “They really appreciate the job and work very hard. If you give them training, they want to learn, absorb, apply,” she said.
Its proximity to the United States is another advantage that has made Mexico the most competitive market for building and shipping to the United States, Goeser says.
But Mexico’s cost advantage does not mean poor quality, Goeser contends.
Goeser joined Ford in 1999 as vice president of quality before taking over the company’s Mexico operations in 2005. She retired from Ford in 2008 before accepting her current role with Siemens. In September 2011, the American-born CEO declared that she intends to stay in the country and that she has applied for Mexican citizenship to the government sponsored program Mexico Today.
Mexico has free-trade agreements with more than 70% of the world’s economy, abundant natural resources and a lower inflation rate than India and China, Goeser says.
In September 2011, Goeser spoke with Mexico Today.
