NAFTA’s Mission, Logistics and Outcomes: Two Decades of Success!
Published On: February 12, 2013
NAFTA’s Mission, Logistics and Outcomes: Two Decades of Success!
Published On: February 12, 2013
Mexico Maquiladoras
The maquiladoras (IMMEX Program) in Mexico are manufacturing plants in free trade zones. Mexico manufacturing is impacted by maquiladoras in that maquiladoras are mostly tariff-free and domestically tax-exempt assembly, processing and manufacturing plants. In terms of manufacturing in Mexico, nearly 1.5 million Mexican workers are employed in Mexico’s 3,000 maquiladoras. The IMMEX (maquiladora) program continues to expand and contribute to significant growth throughout the country, especially now that manufacturers are moving operations back to North America from China.
The North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation outlines conservation principles and provisions to protect the North American environment and way of life. The North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have sought to tightly regulate environmental damage accruing from maquiladoras in Mexico. Jose Luis Amelco, the Environmental, Health & Safety manager at North American Production Sharing, Inc. (NAPS), one the largest providers of outsourcedadministrative and compliance management services in all of Mexico stated, “Environmental compliance in Mexico is taken very seriously by the Mexican government and in many cases can be more challenging to manage than in the United States. It is important for foreign companies to understand the environmental laws in Mexico prior to expanding their operations and ensure the necessary permits are in place.”
