Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Seko Logistics to open new hub in Dallas; China firm opens $10 million auto parts plant in Mexico; medical device firm expands in Reynosa; Nippon Express opens new facility in Guanajuato.
Seko Logistics to open new facility near DFW Airport
Seko Logistics recently inked a deal for a 100,000-square-foot distribution center near Dallas-Fort Worth Airport.
The Itasca, Illinois-based firm’s new facility will be at the DFW Airfield Logistics Center, according to The Dallas Morning News.
The 250,000-square-foot building features 39 truck docks, 52 parking spaces for trailers and two drive-in doors for trucks.
Seko Logistics is a transportation, logistics, forwarding and warehousing company with operations in 40 countries.
Other companies located in the DFW Airfield Logistics Center include DHL Express, UPS Supply Chain Solutions, American Airlines, Ceva and CAE Flight Training Centre.
Seko also operates another distribution center in Dallas, as well as its Seko Logistics Aerospace & Aviation Headquarters.
Seko Logistics also has facilities in Austin, San Antonio, McAllen and Laredo. The company has operations in Monterrey, Mexico City and Guanajuato City, Mexico, as well.
Seko has not disclosed what it plans to use the new facility for. Company officials did not return a request for comment.
Seko Logistics acquired New York-based freight forwarder and international e-commerce shipping firm Air-City in January 2020.
Air-City and Seko recently launched an international parcel delivery service across the United States. The company has approval from U.S. Customs and Border Protection to process Section 321, Type 86 ocean imports through Seko’s container freight station in Long Beach, California.
The new service also offers ground transportation to Mexico and Canada, according to a press release.
Chinese firm opens $10 million auto parts plant in Mexico
Daimay Automotive Interior Co. recently opened its second plant in the northern Mexican city of Ramos Arizpe.
The 250,000-square-foot facility, known as Daimay Plant 2, manufactures sun visors for the interior of passenger vehicles. The $10 million plant currently employs 300 people and could expand to 750 workers.
The Shanghai-based company also announced plans for a third plant in Ramos Arizpe. The third plant is currently under construction and scheduled to be completed around February, according to company officials. The amount of investment and job openings for the third plant has not been disclosed.
In 2018, Daimay Automotive started operations in Ramos Arizpe through the $147 million acquisition of Motus Integrated Technologies, which operated a 300,000-square-foot facility with 850 workers.
Daimay Automotive produces sun visors, seats, headrests, steering wheels and roof consoles.
The firm’s customers include GM, Ford, Chrysler, Volkswagen, PSA and Mitsubishi, as well as Chinese automakers SAIC, FAW, Dongfeng, Chery and Great Wall.
Ramos Arizpe is located near Monterrey, Mexico, around 139 miles from Laredo, Texas.
New York medical device firm expands in Reynosa
iiMED Medical Manufacturing Solutions is expanding its manufacturing operation in Reynosa, Mexico.
The Amherst, New York-based firm is planning a new 80,000-square-foot building and an investment of more than $2 million in equipment and infrastructure, according to news outlet Mexico Industry.
The new facility will be in the Prologis Industrial Park and will employ 500 people. Company officials said the facility is scheduled to open during the first quarter of 2021.
iiMED already occupies a 140,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at Prologis Industrial Park that employs 1,100 people.
iiMED manufactures medical goods such as orthopedic bracing, sterile supplies, compression devices and patient mobility products.
iiMED is the medical division of iiMAK, a Buffalo, New York-based global manufacturer of industrial and medical applications. iiMED and iiMAK both serve more than 4,000 customers in 90 countries, including hospitals, clinics, urgent care centers, and assisted living residences.
Nippon Express opens new facility in Guanajuato
Nippon Express de Mexico recently opened its new Guanajuato-Apaseo Logistics Center in the Mexican state of Guanajuato.
The 172,222-square-foot facility has 34 docks for trucks, with incoming and outgoing truck docks segregated.
The facility was built near the warehouses of major manufacturers and suppliers to serve as a collection hub for milk-run trucks (transporting mixed loads from different suppliers to one customer), as well as United States-Mexico traffic, according to a release.
The facility also has a Manufacturing, Maquila and Export Services Industries Program (IMMEX) license, required for bonded processing in Mexico.
Japanese automaker Toyota has two major manufacturing plants near the Guanajuato-Apaseo Logistics Center, where the company produces Tacoma pickups and Corolla sedans.
Tokyo-based Nippon Express Co. is a global logistics services company. The company also has logistics centers in the Mexican cities of Aguascalientes and Monterrey.
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