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As global manufacturing priorities shift, Mexico has emerged as a central player in the North American supply chain. Nearshoring—the strategic relocation of production closer to end markets—has gained momentum, with companies increasingly choosing Mexico as a manufacturing base to serve U.S. and Canadian markets. Key drivers such as Mexico’s geographic proximity to the U.S., favorable trade agreements, and competitive labor costs make it an ideal nearshoring destination.
Additive manufacturing (AM) has the potential to play a critical role in shaping this trajectory, enabling companies to localize production, streamline logistics, and address the supply chain vulnerabilities exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical shifts. However, Mexico’s 3D printing capacity is still largely undeveloped, offering an immense opportunity for machine manufacturers, service providers, and others to establish the market for AM early on.
In an interview with 3DPrint.com, Javier Zarazua, Business Partner at JL Nearshoring Mexico, said, “I’m 120% convinced this nearshoring phenomenon is the greatest opportunity we have had in decades for Mexico. If we do things right, we can grow our economy. Mexico is 10 times better positioned than China was back in 1978 when they started their manufacturing reform.”
Since our conversation with Zarazua, a radical shift took place: the re-election of Donald Trump to the office of President of the United States. President-elect Trump has made bold proclamations regarding the reshoring of U.S. manufacturing that may or may not conflict with Zarazua’s sentiments. While he publicly called for 10 percent tariffs on Chinese goods, Trump kicked this number up to 25 percent for those coming from Canada and Mexico. In this article, we discuss the prospects for Mexico as a nearshoring partner as it relates to Trump’s re-election and the AM sector.
Why Mexico? Key Drivers of Nearshoring
Mexico’s appeal for nearshoring stems from several key factors:
Feature image courtesy of Juan Manuel Cortés from Pixabay.
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