Neighbors International is a boutique consulting firm based in Mexico City that was founded in 2013. It assists over 135 companies annually across various sectors such as IT, medical, aviation, and energy. In 2019, key growing sectors in Mexico included agribusiness, cosmetics, e-commerce, renewable energy, and digital technologies. The USMCA agreement contains provisions that are favorable for the technology, banking, and manufacturing sectors in Mexico.

1. Mexico Network Consulting
December 10, 2019
OEDIT Webinar

2. Neighbors International
● Boutique consulting firm,
founded 2013
● Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City
● Mission: To support and
steward business relationships
built on good information and
clear communication
● Purpose: To generate
exchange that drives
beneficial ideas across borders

3. Neighbors projects by sector 2014-2019
Manufacturing 9%
Food 5%
Consumer Goods 5%
Data / IT / Telecom 14%
Medical / Life Sciences 12%
Aviation / Aerospace 8%
Security 19%
Energy / Electric 11%
Infrastructure / Construction 10%
Mining 6%
● 135 distinct
companies
formally assisted
● 2018
– Completed 18
formal consulting
projects
– Generated
approximately
900 new contacts
for companies

4. Mexico sectors that grew in 2019
For more information see US ITA Mexico Commercial Guide.
● Agribusiness & agriculture
● Cosmetics, personal care
● E-commerce
● Education & training
● Energy and resources
– Renewables, electricity
– Environmental technologies
● Financial services: SMEs
very underserved
● Agribusiness & agriculture
● Cosmetics, personal care
● E-commerce
● Education & training
● Energy and resources
– Renewables, electricity
– Environmental technologies
● Financial services: SMEs
very underserved
● Franchises
● ICT & digital technologies
● Manufacturing sector
– Right now packaging, food
processing & aerospace
– Automotive flat this year but
still positioned to overtake
Germany
● Travel & tourism
● Security: logistics, IoT
● Franchises
● ICT & digital technologies
● Manufacturing sector
– Right now packaging, food
processing & aerospace
– Automotive flat this year but
still positioned to overtake
Germany
● Travel & tourism
● Security: logistics, IoT

5. “Traditional Mexico”
● -2% average growth
● The vast majority of
Mexico businesses
“Traditional Mexico”
● -2% average growth
● The vast majority of
Mexico businesses
For more see McKinsey,
A Tale of Two Mexicos: Growth and
Prosperity in a Two-Speed Economy
For more see McKinsey,
A Tale of Two Mexicos: Growth and
Prosperity in a Two-Speed Economy
“Global Mexico”
● 6% average growth
● Generator of the vast
share of Mexico revenue
“Global Mexico”
● 6% average growth
● Generator of the vast
share of Mexico revenue
Demand dimensions: “The 2 Mexicos”

6. Tailored opportunities: know how you fit
The market
● How well does your
product pay for itself?
● B2C: the Moneyed;
the spectrum from
“Starbucks middle
class” to BoP
● Leapfrog
opportunities
Your company
● Ability to tolerate
or mitigate risk
● Marketing, sales
and distribution
practices
● Ability to adapt
to market
All photographs from Unsplash.

7. USMCA: wins
for tech ,
banking +
workers
General market access
updates
● Prohibits requirements to use
local distributors for importation,
creates new provisions on im/ex
licensing transparency
● Prohibits restrictions on used
goods destined for remanufacture
● E-commerce: minimum taxable
import value raised from 50 to
100 USD
Rules of origin + wages
● Automotive, chemicals, steel,
glass, optical fiber
● Demands for Mexican labor
reform are good for Mexico
● $16/hour reasonable for “robot
babysitters”
For more information see USTR and Mondaq
Digital products +
services
● IP: common patentability
standards, limited disclosure
reqs for source code and
algorithms
● Customs does not apply to
digitally distributed products
● Prohibits restrictions on goods
containing cryptography
Financial services
● National and most-favored
nation treatment of service
providers
● Ensures access to local, publicly
operated payment and clearing
systems
● Local data storage requirements
are prohibited

8. ● Manufacturing
– ExpoManufactura
– Monterrey, February 11-13
● Aerospace manufacturing
– BCI Aerospace Meetings
– Queretaro, February 18-20
● Packaging
– ExpoPack
– Mexico City, June 2-5
● Industry 4.0
– Industrial Transformation Mexico
– Leon, Guanajuato, October 7-9
● Manufacturing
– ExpoManufactura
– Monterrey, February 11-13
● Aerospace manufacturing
– BCI Aerospace Meetings
– Queretaro, February 18-20
● Packaging
– ExpoPack
– Mexico City, June 2-5
● Industry 4.0
– Industrial Transformation Mexico
– Leon, Guanajuato, October 7-9
Mexico events worth keeping in mind
● Digital transformation (big data,
IoT, AI, distributed ledger)
– Inteligencia Mexico Conference,
June 30-July 1
● Security and cybersecurity
– Expo Seguridad, April 21-23
– Info Security Mexico, May 20-21
– Infocomm, August 19-21
● Water and clean energy
– GreenExpo, September 8-10
● Construction
– Expo CIHAC, October 13-15
All of the above in Mexico City
● Digital transformation (big data,
IoT, AI, distributed ledger)
– Inteligencia Mexico Conference,
June 30-July 1
● Security and cybersecurity
– Expo Seguridad, April 21-23
– Info Security Mexico, May 20-21
– Infocomm, August 19-21
● Water and clean energy
– GreenExpo, September 8-10
● Construction
– Expo CIHAC, October 13-15
All of the above in Mexico City

9. Gracias.
Mary Claire Whitaker, General Director
Neighbors International, S.A. de C.V.
Mexico City
mc.whitaker@neighbors.mx
+52 55 5027 0012
www.neighbors.mx
www.twitter.com/neighborsmx
Global Network Consultant for Mexico