Presenter: Rolando González Barrón UTRG, IBC, and United Brownsville co-hosted the first Border Talks event in Brownsville, Texas, in April 2016.

2. Congressman Beto O’rourke once
said
“when we fail to define the border, we
allow others to define the border for
us.”

3. The maquiladora industry has been our
catalyst and changed the face of
Matamoros and the region driving out the
economic growth for the last 50 years.

4. In 1966 the Mexican Federal Government created
the maquiladora program with 4 big objectives:
•Generate new jobs
•Transfer technology
•Economic impact
•Talent development

5. AFTER 50 YEARS THIS IS THE
CURRENT PICTURE:

6. Employment
• 117 companies.
• Directly employ over 75,000 people in
Matamoros.
• Indirectly employ 22,000 people in
Matamoros.
• 97,000 Jobs out of 114,000 formal jobs in
Matamoros.
• This is, 85% of the jobs in Matamoros are
generated by the Maquiladora Industry.

7. Transfer of Technology
Matamoros is an advanced manufacturing center with high class manufacturing
processes.
The main strength of the city is the auto-part industry closely followed by the
electronics and heavy metal industries.

8. Economic impact
• In 2015 the industry paid 550+ millions of
dollars in salaries.
• More than 350 millions of dollars were spent
by the industry on goods and services.
• 60+ millions of dollars paid on Social Security
for the workers of the industry.
• 500+ millions of dollars spent on domestic raw
materials.
• Total exports in 2015 was 8 billion of dollars
into Brownsville, Tx.
Fuente: INEGI

9. Talent Development
After 50 years of operation, the maquiladora industry has built
a well defined working philosophy and has developed human-
capital intensive, high-value-added intellectual capital.
Matamoros has highly qualified engineers and
technicians top of the line in a global market.

10. Social Responsibility

11. Adopt a school
“The future of children depends on the present where they live”
Vision:
Improve the life of students through a healthy
school environment.
Mission:
Repair and maintain in good condition school
facilities and support teachers with to improve the
teaching-learning process.

12. ANTES DESPUÉS
Adopt a school

13. ANTES
DESPUÉS
Adopt a school

14. Adopt a school
ANTES
DESPUÉS

15. Adopt a school
ANTES
DESPUÉS

16. Charity Funds

17. Donations

18. Donations
Cruz Verde

19. Donations

20. Children day
More the 2,000 toys for Children

21. Matamoros Bilingual
OBJECTIVE
Increase significantly the number of
bilingual people in Matamoros.
COMPANIES PARTICIPATING
Global English

22. Health Activities
1.8 millions of health actions1.8 millions of health actions

23. Generation 5 suns
Order and cleanness: The Secret to Shine
Program for children using the methodology of the 5's.

25. Generation 5 suns

26. Generation 5 suns

27. Generation 5 suns

29. What is next?
• We all know that a community will be successful if we develop in the short
time capabilities of basic scientific research.
• In the mid time we need a better system for commercializing research,
and submitting new patents.
• In the long run if we don’t get together as metro regions, we will not be
able to compete in this new world.
• Metro regions are the engines of our economy, the sites of new
technological breakthroughs

30. Having said that
Today we have a huge challenge, we are at the edge of the industrial
revolution 4.0 and we need to be smarter and more creative to drive our
communities from where we are to a community based on value-creation

31. In this regard the Matamoros-Brownsville area need a new
catalyst
And we found that the milestone for this is fostering an
economy driven by innovation, that is really the key to
improve the standard of living.

32. • Where the talent enhancement, the develop of regional R&D
capabilities need to be deployed to build our own
technological revolution.
• An ambitious goal that will make the Matamoros-Brownsville
area a value adding region, encouraging young talents into
being more research oriented, and support their creativity.

33. GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY
LAST MARCH 30 OF THE MATAMOROS INNOVATION CENTER

35. Groundbreaking Ceremony
Innovation Center

36. Groundbreaking ceremony
Innovation and Research Center
Index Matamoros

37. We partnered with Krinova Innovation Center in
Kristiansand, Sweden
Right now we have an
intern there copying the
innovation model.

38. INNOVATION CENTER
Graduate
Studies
Research Technological
Services
Robotics/advanced
Manufacturing
Mechanical
Engineering an
materials
Training
Evaluation
of Materials
Materials Mechatronics/
Automation
Engineering/
Advanced
Manufacturing
Metrology/Calibration
Modeling/
Simulation
Lab of Engineering,
Product Design,
Equipment
Lab. of
Material
evaluation
Lab. of
automation
and Control

39. Ladies and gentleman, the border is not easy, the
border is magic, the border is not united states or
Mexico the border is unique and only ourselves that
grew and live here understand it and have the
responsibility to strive for the betterment of our
communities.

40. “Failure is an option here. If things are not failing,
we are not innovating enough”
Elon Musk

41. THANK YOU VERY MUCH
ROLANDO GONZÁLEZ BARRÓN
PRESIDENT OF INDEX MATAMOROS