Investments in the automotive sector in Guanajuato and the presence of 11 production plants of six of the world's largest automakers make the state a true center for the development of the automotive industry. This situation motivated the Swedish company KB Components to open its second plant in Mexico, in the city of Irapuato.
For KB Components, it is essential to be close to its customers. In Puebla, where it arrived six years ago to install its first industrial plant, its direct customers are Audi and Volkswagen, although some of its most important customers are in the Bajío region, where Guanajuato, Mexico's second largest automotive cluster, is located.
"In Puebla, Volkswagen recommended us to their own Tier 1 and we became Tier 2. Today we invoice five times more than we did in 2015," says Mr. Raúl Pineda, managing director of KB Components.
Now it is the city of Irapuato, Guanajuato, that welcomes KB Components to serve industrial and automotive customers who demand injection-molded plastic components, as well as assembly operations.
"Due to the great growth we are going to have in the following years, thanks to the projects we have won, we felt the need to look for a second alternative, and what better than to be close to such an important cluster as the Bajío and important customers that are located in this area. Our strategic decision is to grow in Irapuato and we are going to be in the same industrial park where two of our main customers are located, 600 kilometers away," states the managing director of KB Components.
Our strategic decision is to grow in Irapuato and we are going to be in the same industrial park where two of our main customers are located, 600 kilometers away.”Raúl Pineda, managing director of KB Components.
He adds that their new headquarters in Irapuato will allow them to make inroads with new Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and Tier 1. "We are already in advanced talks with Mazda, which is not currently our direct customer, however, when we told them that we will be 20 minutes away from them, they opened the doors to do business and gave us many possibilities to bring in new business. That is why the new industrial plant in Irapuato is a growth strategy to be closer to our customers and give them a competitive advantage, mainly in logistics."
Currently, 90 percent of KB Components' market belongs to the light automotive industry and 10 percent to the heavy automotive industry, although worldwide it covers other divisions, including the medical, industrial, furniture, lighting and plastic chrome plating sectors.
The goal is to generate 170 direct jobs and install 10 new injection molding machines during the first year of operation of the industrial plant in Irapuato.
Following the expansion, which is expected to be completed in early 2022, KB Components will operate from eight facilities located in Gislaved and Örkelljunga in Sweden, Kaunas in Lithuania, Zilina in Slovakia, Wuxi in China, Puebla and Irapuato in Mexico and Windsor, in Canada.
"Starting the first week of January, we will be delivering parts directly from the Irapuato plant to our customers," declares Mr. Raúl Pineda.
KB Components in the Marabis Castro del Río Industrial Park
The Swedish company will be installed in the Marabis Castro del Río Industrial Park, which in July of this year began the development of its sixth expansion stage in which 24 million dollars will be invested and 50 companies will be able to set up there, in addition to generating approximately 10,000 jobs.
It is worth mentioning that the Marabis Castro del Río Industrial Park stands out for its world-class infrastructure and as the only one in the State of Guanajuato that has the Secure Industrial Park recognition, granted by the Mexican Association of Industrial Parks (AMPIP), Ubiquity and the Safe Business Association.
This industrial park is home to companies from countries such as Japan, Germany, China, Belgium, France, the United States and Mexico, which together generate around 22,500 jobs.
"Initially we are renting a 59,201.51 square feet plant, which has the necessary infrastructure to install the state-of-the-art technology we need and to be able to address sustainability issues. Fortunately, our injection molding machines do not use so much energy because they are new state-of-the-art machines, made in Austria and Germany," says the managing director of KB Components.
KB Components' short term goal is to build its own industrial plant in Querétaro. "In approximately five years, instead of renting a 59,201.51 square feet plant, we are thinking of buying a 430,556.42 square feet plot of land on which we can build our own 269,097.76 square feet plant, perhaps in two phases, so we would start with 134,548.88 square feet. And this is because Swedish companies, first world countries, are betting on the Mexican market, they are seeing a positive trend and they know about the growth of the automotive industry and other industries that are on Mexican soil," Mr. Raúl Pineda concludes.
