Mexico Still Draws
Textile Investment

Despite the lure of low wages in Asian countries, which has attracted a lot of new textile industry investment that heretofore might have gone to Mexico, textile investment continues.
        One company to recently build in Mexico is London-based Coats plc, one of the world's largest manufacturers of industrial thread. Coats is building its third plant in Mexico, this time in Orizaba, which is just east of Puebla, one of the country's leading centers of textile manufacturing. The 130,000-sq.-ft. (12,000-sq.-m.) plant, which will employ about 300, is under construction and will be complete by the end of 2003. It will serve markets in North America, Europe and the Caribbean.

Colombia Project Focuses On Smart Border Growth The Colombia project in Nuevo Leon is creating a planned city just across the border from Texas. Adjacent to one of the busiest border crossings, Colombia is attracting light industry to its industrial park. In the short "neck" of Nuevo Leon, which borders the U.S., Colombia, Mexico's first planned border city, is rising. The ambitious project includes an industrial park, development of affordable housing and refurbishing of the old town of Colombia. Connecting this area to the U.S. is the Colombia International Bridge, which opened to traffic in 1991. It is one of four border crossings serving Laredo, Texas.         One of several infrastructure components of the Colombia Project is the Colombia International Trade Facilities Center (CECFI), the largest functioning bonded area on the border allowing for expedition of customs processing of goods coming in and out of Mexico. The center contains forwarding, logistics and distribution services as well as light manufacturing.         Samuel Alatorre is director of planning and development for FIDENOR, a trust established by the Nuevo Leon government to oversee the development of the northern area of the state. He says the Colombia Project is closely tied to international trade and is an ideal location for warehouse and distribution facilities.         "Colombia has the largest infrastructure on the border for inspection of meat products," Alatorre says.