Will the Mexican auto parts maquilas be able to transit to I4.0?

Resumen

By analyzing the automotive sector, this paper discusses the progress of global suppliers and knowledge-intensive local suppliers in the border city of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, in the adaptation and development of I4.0 technologies. Based on interviews with managers, entrepreneurs and heads of business associations, as well as visits to companies in 2018-19, we seek to identify the strengths of the business ecosystem, which facilitate local companies moving into I4.0, as well as to highlight the weaknesses, which prevent their progress. Our findings show that local firms are active in adapting and developing technologies associated with the I4.0 along different paths, but also at different rates and speeds, especially if one is considering subsidiary plants in Mexico, which have followed a peripheral development model.