Mexico benefits from proximity to USA

If you want to do business in Mexico, you cannot separate work and private life. Latin America's second strongest economy is the world's seventh largest car manufacturer – and relationships work completely differently than in Germany. "We go to dinner with customers, and afterwards we first talk business," reports Achim Scheppler, Regional Sales Manager at a. hartrodt Mexico. The German family-owned company enjoys an excellent reputation in the Mexican market. "We look after many major global automotive customers who appreciate here our personal approach," says Malte Schumann, Managing Director at a. hartrodt Mexico.

Established as a partner for the automotive industry

Malte Schumann manages a. hartrodt's Mexican operating company since it was launched in January 2010. In addition to its headquarters in Mexico City, the freight forwarder has offices in Puebla, where Volkswagen operates its second-largest plant worldwide, and in Queretaro, where there is also an automotive cluster. Motorcycle, car and truck manufacturers are currently massively modifying their production in Mexico for electric drive, reports Achim Scheppler.

Free trade agreement with USA and Canada offers advantages

Malte Schumann does not want to be dependent on one sector, but to further diversify the customer base: "For customers from various industries, we successfully consolidate air and sea freight in Germany for Mexico." The LCL offering is currently being established for Italy/Spain as well, among others for Food & Beverage. Mexico benefits from its proximity to the USA and the North American Free Trade Agreement USMCA. Due to the energy crisis in Europe, Achim Scheppler expects electricity-intensive manufacturing industries from Germany to relocate to Mexico. He works in the country for two decades and knows: "Engineers are very well trained here".

In Mexico, a. hartrodt scores with special services. These include hand carry services for urgent automotive parts by air freight or hot shot trucking for time-critical truck loads. "We have escort protection by security vehicles under the supervision of a third-party company via GPS," Achim Scheppler emphasizes.