The center, located within the modern SkyWork building alongside a community of technology and cyber security companies, will be a go-to resource for ABB engineers and covers disciplines including automation, electrical and software engineering. It will mean an approximate 25% uptick in an engineering capacity, with some projects involving the commissioning of ABB Ability™ System 800xA® distributed control system (DCS) at customer sites. Further competencies for supply chain, project management and sales support may be added in the future.
ABB’s move comes at a time when industrial companies are addressing their supply chains and either nearshoring or near-sourcing to ensure the security and reliability of operations. Mexico is establishing itself as an emerging center of excellence for communications, engineering, IT and manufacturing across industries, including automotive, process industries and energy. For ABB, it is well-placed for growth and will link ongoing operations in both North America and South America.
Recruitment and employment of 30 engineers, mainly from the pool of local talents, is ongoing while ABB also establishes meaningful connections with Mexican universities. The newest employees have received training at ABB’s Czech Operations Center in Ostrava and are now onboarding using a customized development program.
“Our aims for the Mexico Technology and Engineering Center are to grow our engineering competencies and capacity to deliver projects with local resources in the same time zones as Mexico, the US and Canada, but also become part of a technology-focused community in Merida where people can stay for a long time and grow their careers,” said Michel Blondeau, Hub North America Operations Manager, ABB. “Its success relies on talents and efforts of our new local team, and we’re pleased to see them successfully onboarded and ready to complement our operations centers in Europe and India.”