Merida, Mexico – ABB has established a new regional operations center for North America, bringing technical expertise closer to customers and building on its global similar resources.
An initial $1 million investment has been made in the New Mexico Technology and Engineering Center (MXTEC) in Merida, Yucatan, to help technology leaders achieve higher project delivery capabilities and increase competitiveness.
Housed in the modern SkyWork building, adjacent to a community of technology and cybersecurity companies, the center will be the go-to resource for ABB engineers, covering disciplines such as automation, electrical and software engineering. This represents an increase in engineering capacity of around 25 percent, some of which involve commissioning ABB Ability System 800xA distributed control systems (DCS) at customer sites.
Further capabilities in supply chain, project management and sales support may be added in the future.
ABB’s move comes as industrial companies address their supply chain issues and ensure the safety and reliability of operations through close support, or close procurement. 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 gaining momentum and will link ongoing operations in North and South America.
The recruitment and placement of 30 engineers, mainly from the local talent pool, is underway, while ABB has also established meaningful links with Mexican universities. The newest employees have been trained at ABB’s Czech operations center in Ostrava and are now being onboarded using a customized development plan.
“Our goal for the Mexico Technology and Engineering Center is to increase our engineering capabilities and capabilities to deliver projects with local resources in the same time zone as Mexico, the United States and Canada, while being part of Merida’s technology-focused community where people can Stay here for a long time and develop their careers,” says Michel Blondeau, ABB Hub North America Operations Manager. “Its success relies on the talent and hard work of our new local team, and we are delighted to see them successfully onboarded and ready to complement our operations centers in Europe and India.”
“The opening ceremony in Mérida provided an opportunity to meet our implementation managers and the new talent that will make the center a success,” said Vicente Magaña, ABB’s Process Industries division. “Locations and people have been carefully chosen, and as a business ABB can expect to see engineering projects delivered primarily in North America using regional resources. We are part of the emerging technology scene in Mexico and have the opportunity to be part of that community.”
The new center will initially serve order channels for ABB’s process industries, including mining, pulp and paper, battery manufacturing and metals.
