By Carlos Canseco and Sergio Nava
In this era when nearshoring is becoming increasingly more important for North American companies, they must decide where they should base their operations. The options they have are the three members of the USMCA : the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
In this article, we introduce readers to Querétaro, a state located in Central Mexico that offers an excellent opportunity for investing, working, and living in a great community.
Why Querétaro?
This is a brief detail of the most important features of the state: competitiveness; foreign investment; logistics, transportation, and customs; innovation and technology; and cluster strategy.
Competitiveness
According to predictions of Latin American innovation cities of the future, Querétaro is ranked number five with the highest economic potential in 2021- 2022 KPMG International, Ltd., ranks Querétaro second best for investment in Mexico.
Querétaro is one of only two states with zero debt to the country, according to the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit of Mexico. Its location provides easy access to the main cities in Mexico: it is two hours to Mexico City, five hours to Guadalajara, eight hours to Monterrey, and 10 hours to Nuevo Laredo.
Foreign investment
The Mexico Ministry of Economy shows the following foreign investments in Querétaro:
| Country | Companies | Investment |
| USA | 559 | $ 6,391.00 |
| Canada | 102 | $ 2,296.00 |
| España | 202 | $ 3,653.00 |
| United Kingdom | 27 | $ 322.00 |
| Nederlands | 40 | $ 399.00 |
| Swiden | 13 | $ 361.00 |
| Germany | 197 | $ 1,100.00 |
| Japan | 57 | $ 852.00 |
| Corea | 70 | $ 242.00 |
| Italia | 62 | $ 132.00 |
| 1329 | $ 15,748 | |
| *million dollars |
The main industries in Querétaro are textiles, agriculture, food and beverage, metal mechanics, appliances, chemistry, plastics, automotive, OEMs, electrical, aeronautical, IT, energy, and financial services.
Transportation and customs
Querétaro is an important stop on Highway 57, an international highway that connects directly to Laredo, Texas, one of the most important borders in the USMCA, and one of the top five customs operations in the world.
Many of the top 100 Mexican truck companies such as Egoba Transportation; SID Group; TDR Logistics Solutions; San Juan Transport (Transportadora San Juan de SA de CV); Transportes Mexamerik; and Grupo Transpormex, S.A. de C.V., among others,
operate in Querétaro.
Additionally, several U.S. truck companies with facilities in Querétaro are J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc., and Charger Logistics. Additionally, Freight App, Inc. (FR8), Transplace an Uber Freight Company, and Sunset Transportation have corporate offices in Querétaro.
The state’s transportation connections are not limited to roads; Querétaro is also connected throughout Mexico and the U.S. by the country’s two main railroads, Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (CP) and Ferromex.
Querétaro has four intermodal terminals operated by Networks and Logistics and V Modal Mexicana, S.C., both Mexican Intermodal Marketing Companies. Querétaro Intercontinental Airport (AIQ) is the third most important cargo airport in the country with the number one bonded warehouse operated by Términal Logistics SA de CV.
Customs operations in Querétaro are very customer-service oriented. Customs brokers are the fastest in cargo merchandise clearance. Valverde Internacional, Grupo Galván, and CARMI Logistics are some of the most prestigious customs brokers in Mexico.
Transportation and customs and Cluster strategy.
CILQRO (Cluster for Logistics Innovation from Querétaro) is focused on developing key performance indicators (KPIs) for all sizes of companies established in the state. The main KPIs are: fill rate, inventory levels, forecast accuracy, and logistics costs.
Cluster strategy
Querétaro has eight separate clusters working with governmental agencies, academic institutions, and the public. The clusters are: automotive, aerospace, information technology, plastics, medical, energy, wine, and logistics. The ninth cluster data center will be operational in 2023.
Each cluster has its own ESCA (the European Secretariat for Cluster Analysis) and JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) certification. Every cluster director is also trained through Strategy Tools, Global Cluster Leadership Program. Strategy Tools is a world leader in assisting “leaders, cluster managers, cluster staff, and people that want to develop the next generation of clusters in their countries.”
Innovation and technology
Querétaro is well-positioned as a technology center with 56 research and development facilities to assist communities in creating successful projects. The state has very close relationships with several of its main universities including Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM); Autonomous University of Queretaro (UAQ); The Universidad Anáhuac México (Anahuac University); Technological University of El Salvador (UTEC); Aeronautical University in Querétaro (UNAQ); Arkansas State University; and Polytechnic University of Querétaro (UPQ).
Among the corporations with strong presences in the state are: Bombardier Inc.; Brose Excellence in Mechatronics, General Electric; Kellog Co.; and IBM. Currently, there are 48 of the world’s top innovation and technology companies operating in Querétaro such as Google, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.; Alestra; and KIO Technologies.
What does this all mean?
Given all of this information about the businesses, technology, academic and transportation assets, and the state’s financial stability, Querétaro is a great place to invest, work, and live. It offers unlimited opportunities to those seeking a thriving community. In summation, if you invest in Querétaro, you will not regret it.
Carlos Canseco is a founder, and director general of Querétaro Cluster for Innovation in Logistics. Sergio Nava is a finance director for Innovation Logistics Cluster of Querétaro Founders.
