Integration of Ports
with Economic Zones - Mexico

Given Mexico’s entrance into the North American Free Trade Agreement, Mexico urgently needed to enhance its competitiveness in trade and logistics. 

GVE was asked to assist the Mexican government with the privatization of all of its 41 ports and to identify how to boost the traffic through the ports by developing adjacent economic zones.

GVE prepared a compelling case for economic zones linked to the port operations and provided a road map with clear milestones for its implementation.

GVE developed specific recommendations for the development of industrial, tourist, and service oriented zones.  This included the definition of all legal, financial, development, operational, and business model frameworks.

A key component of the strategy was the development of new foreign trade zones (FTZs) linked to multimodal corridors where duties and tariffs are deferred until merchandise is ready to enter the marketplace, allowing raw materials and components to enter Mexico duty-free for manufacturing, assembly and other services. The key advantage is that the FTZs are linked to ports and railroad terminals, with the possibility for cargo to clear customs on site, eliminating a great deal of red tape.