Bringing Jalisco to the world and bringing the world to Jalisco
Guadalajara International Airport is:
The second most important in cargo volume Second in international operations
The third largest
Mexico's logistics network consists of 117 seaports, 393,471 kilometers of highways, 27,000 kilometers of railroads, 76 airports, 46 customs points and 66 intermodal terminals, according to federal government data.
Jalisco has a privileged geographical position, as it is close to two of the most important commercial ports in the country: Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas. Rubén Masayi González Uyeda comments that having the Port of Manzanillo in the neighboring state strengthens the value chain, as it receives ships arriving from Asia, and most of these bring raw materials. “We have an entry of between 12,000 and 15,000 trailers with containers coming from those ships; about 6,000 or 8,000 go to feed the factories established in Jalisco, especially in the technology and pharmaceutical industries,” says González.
Another fact: Los Angeles, California is 2,104 km away, which means less than 3.5 hours in a direct flight from Guadalajara. On
average, there is a flight every hour to the United States from Guadalajara, according to data from the government of Jalisco.
The government’s goal is for Guadalajara to be seen as a crossroads for world trade and to be recognized for its great contribution to the growth of the national economy.
The government of Jalisco also wants to position Guadalajara as a logistics center and to let everyone know that the Guadalajara International Airport is the center of the most important tourist and commercial activities in the country. It currently has more than 100 cargo flights per week, has flights to 2,300 international destinations per month, and is expanding capacity to 30 million passengers per year.
“We are focused on turning Guadalajara airport into the main Latin American hub for cargo,” says Federico Lepe Montoya, head of Strategic Planning at Guadalajara World Trade Center (GWTC). He adds that, for now, the cargo terminal at the Guadalajara airport handles 175,000 tons per year,
and with the switching center, the projection is to dispatch half a million tons by 2025 or 2026. César Castro, elected coordinator of the Council of Industrial Chambers of Jalisco, said: “We have a direct Asia-Guadalajara flight, with which we are able to reduce costs and delivery time; we will continue supporting small and medium-sized companies to continue being importers and exporters.”
Founded in 1993, GWTC is the company that operates the cargo terminal at the international airport of Guadalajara. It is a business complex within the logistics sector that offers the infrastructure for a correct import and export, with the services of handling and warehousing. Therefore, GWTC promotes diverse industries such as pharmaceuticals, high technology, e-commerce, agri-food, automotive, aerospace, among others. GWTC has the support infrastructure to provide the best connectivity from Mexico. Thanks to their 29 years in the industry, they are experts in the storage, handling, and custody of international trade merchandise. They have 60 weekly international cargo flights in collaboration with various airlines, which allows them to provide a reliable and timely service. Within its wide national coverage, the offices at Guadalajara International Airport and Puebla International Airport are the key points for Mexican companies to send their products abroad, protecting their profitability with greater security, proximity, and speed.
“We are inspired by a deep commitment to the country, to the region and the desire to be part of foreign trade,” says López. He also states: “GWTC's success is due, among other things, to Jalisco's privileged and strategic geographical location near the Port of Manzanillo. In addition, the state has an important network of highways, as well as a high-tech and modernized countryside, and an industrial sector that has evolved significantly (…). Few states have the economic diversification that Jalisco has and its high distribution of capital,” he concludes.
Another challenge facing GWTC is Mexico's variable economic development. Lopez points out: “Some states in the Gulf have grown little, in contrast to the north of the country, which has had an accelerated growth. I do not abandon the desire to generate the conditions for the south, and the country as a whole, to grow and reduce this inequality.”
Facing the challenges, GWTC is aware of the importance of working with the authorities to provide Mexico and the Latin American region with a reliable and successful trade integration for all. “The trade agreements that arise from major negotiations, such as the GATT or the T-MEC, generate a solid infrastructure in the region and promote a more agile development of international trade; this is the beginning of true integration. Guadalajara World Trade Center is really interested in working on this dynamic and making Mexico a trustworthy, fast and efficient source of supply,” concludes López.
The internationalization of business requires that companies modernize through excellent logistical assistance. The Mexican company SBGroup stands out in this field.
We are focused on turning Guadalajara airport into the main Latin American cargo hub
SBGroup is a 100% Mexican company based in Jalisco. Logistics today is the difference between winning or dying for a company, says Raul Saucedo, president and CEO of SBGroup. Saucedo adds that the company has three business segments: SB Logistics (international transportation, warehousing, value-added and domestic distribution), SBFree Trade Zone (bonded warehouse, strategic bonded warehouse, IMMEX, customs brokerage) and SBFinancial Services (leasing, real estate, risk management consulting). SBGroup currently has operations in Laredo, El Paso and Los Angeles. In Laredo, the company will add a distribution center with capacity for 100 trailers, with an approximately 75,000-foot yard and warehouse. It should be operational in 2023.
On the other hand, through their Warehouse Management System (WMS), the company offers its customers abroad the possibility of creating interfaces that already work today for the automotive and electronics industry in China, Taiwan, Korea, the United States, among other countries.
In the SB Free
Trade Zone business segment, it is the first Mexican logistics company to have three strategic bonded warehouses in the country. It has two IMMEX services which have moved more than 650 million U.S. dollars of merchandise in 2019 and closed the second half of 2021 with 800 million U.S. dollars. These results are due to 80% of its clients being foreign companies and the company having a strong Compliance department.
SBGroup's objective is to show foreign companies they can do business with Mexico and SBGroup can be their strategic ally. “We know that in the U.S. market we must work with strategic partners to become 'niche players', providing unique solutions to reach Jalisco, Guanajuato and soon Mexico City. That is where our strategic bonded warehouses are a unique solution,” explains Saucedo.Together with the governmentof Jalisco and Guanajuato, SBGroup has provided importers and exporters with solutions that reduce time and costs, streamlining processes at ports, airports, and borders.
Logistics today is the difference between winning or dying for a company
in volume, grew around 15% in 2021. Another brand that had significant growth of 50% in 2021 was Tres Generaciones.
The 360° marketing strategies Casa Sauza employs give special attention to the Latino market in the United States, which represents more than 70% of the company’s volume, followed by Mexico with 20%, and the rest of the world with 10%.
Servando Calderón, CEO since 2007, seeks to continue consolidating Casa Sauza in the United States and Mexico, and to expand into markets in Asia and Europe.
The company has 270 employees and manages close to 11,000 hectares in different regions of Jalisco. There are employees who are fifth generation in the company, which creates close ties in their community. One example is the production manager, who is third generation; his grandfather and father were employees of the company.
The pandemic has been an opportunity to support the community in collaboration with Suntory, the multinational that currently operates Casa Sauza. Meanwhile, in the United States, Hornitos is carrying out a campaign to support migrants who are looking for an opportunity to start a business.
Casa Sauza has diversified its activities and also operates as a tourist destination. “La Quinta Sauza,” a large house which dates from 1836, receives around 85,000 visitors per year. The tours show the complete production of tequila. The experience concludes with a meal or cocktail at La Cueva de Don Cenobio, where chef Karla Castro resides. It should be noted that this restaurant is among the five trending topics worldwide on the online platform TripAdvito sor, dedicated to the tourism sector.
In addition, for the last 10 years, Casa Sauza has been collaborating in the annual event “Vallarta-Nayarit Gastronomic,” which seeks to promote international gastronomy with the regional cuisine of Jalisco and Nayarit. The event allows Michelin-starred chefs from Mexico and around the world to visit and explore the municipality of Tequila. Throughout the year, Casa Sauza carries out campaigns to increase tourism in Tequila, always aiming to show the greatness of almost 150 years of history, human development, social, and environment commitment.
Casa Sauza's CEO invites visitors
live the tequila experience, which not only consists of the beverage itself, but is accompanied by a rich gastronomic and cultural experience.
For his part, Don Eduardo de Orendain started in the industry in 1844, with a certainty: the key to produce and offer the best tequilas was in the field and in the ability to develop the best agaves in those generous lands. For this reason, the company cultivated its own land from the beginning. In addition, with the same interest, de Orendain proposed the creation of the National Chamber of the Tequila Industry, of which he was the first president, as a way to create awareness about the importance of agave as a raw material.
Today, his descendants proudly carry the Orendain brand, which continues to garner recognition, positioning itself as the best tequila in its category in blanco, reposado and cristalino presentations.
It is also present in more than 20 countries around the world, along with the philosophy that what people taste is a little piece of Mexico.
Meanwhile, Tequila 7 Leguas has managed to position itself from its origins to satisfy the most demanding palates. Throughout its 70-year history, the company has preserved artisanal production methods, taking great care in the quality of each bottle. After the early death of its founder, Ignacio González de Anda, and when it was still a predominantly male sector, the company passed into the hands of his wife, María Amparo. Determined to continue with a business that implied love for the land, she was able to take 7 Leguas forward. The brand is still 100% Mexican and enjoys national and international recognition.
In the United States, the consumption of premium and luxury tequila grew 30%, and now it is commonly consumed straight, as it is in Mexico.
Tequila 100% agave, the most select among the distilled agave beverages, represented seven out of every 10 liters of tequila produced in Mexico last year.
Arturo Lomelí and Juan Sánchez decided to venture into tequila production on their own terms, taking care of every detail, from the land where they grew its agaves to the moment the spirit reaches the consumer's lips.
Clase Azul is a 100% Mexican brand, committed to adding value to the entire production chain. The company even has its own ceramic factory -and is building a second one- where master craftsmen create each bottle. Clase Azul has its own distributors as well: one in San Francisco, California, for the North American market; another in Madrid, Spain, to cover Europe; and the last one in Tokyo, Japan, to serve Asia.
With a plant of 2,000 collaborators, they do not seek to consolidate themselves as a massive brand, but instead have selectively promoted the product in 56 countries.