Mexico City — Engel Holding GmbH is ramping up production at a new manufacturing facility in central Mexico to supply markets across the Americas.
Located in Querétaro, 120 miles north of Mexico City, the "newly acquired" facility will manufacture the e-mac (all-electric small machine) and Wintec t-win (hydraulic, two-platen large machine) series, as well as custom robots and automation solutions.
In an interview with Plastics News at the Engel booth during Plastimagen, Vanessa Malena, president of Engel Machinery Inc., said the facility in the Márques industrial park will be expanded rapidly.
The manufacturing workforce will increase by 300 percent in the next two years, she said, adding that 200 currently work in that area.
"We have had no issues with finding people. The people we take on have been to university, are very technical and speak good English. About 30 percent of the production team are women."
Asked how President Donald Trump's proposed import tariffs on Mexico might affect Engel's plans in the Americas, Malena said: "Like everyone else in the world tariffs concern us. But we have always looked at the longer term."
In politics "policies change and politicians change," she added.
Malena said the Querétaro facility is Engel's 10th manufacturing center. The facility is Engel's only manufacturing plant in the Americas. It shuttered a Canadian facility in 2008.
Engel views Mexico as a "key industrial and production hub. The country offers a strong manufacturing base and skilled workforce, making it an ideal location for long-term investment."
According to a news release, the Querétaro facility offers "ample space for future expansion. The decision to acquire this property was made with long-term growth in mind, ensuring that Engel can increase production capacity if market demand continues to rise."