It is time to talk about the piece that connects the puzzle in the manufacturing industry, one of the main economic activities in the country.
We have heard a lot about the importance and growth of the automotive, agri-food and construction sectors, among others, and it is time to talk about the role and future of an industry that is key to the functioning and production of all manufacturing, the metal manufacturing sector.
The metal manufacturing sector is one of the most important worldwide, as it is totally linked to production capacity; its main purpose is to provide customized machinery and tools to the economic and industrial activity in general, as well as production systems and intermediate goods that are inputs for it.
To further understand the importance of the metalworking industry in Mexico, it represents almost 15% of Mexico’s industrial GDP. This industry is comprised of 23,120 companies in the country, according to data provided by INEGI.
Continuing with the impact it represents in our country, this industry is a great source of employment; it employs more than 707,226 people in Mexico, that is, 16.6% of the national manufacturing industry, which reaches 4.24 million people in total.
Sectors
The sectors that contribute the most value are the basic metal industries; the manufacture of metal products; engines and their parts; machinery and equipment; transmission systems; and the manufacture of steering systems and their parts.
It is important to mention that the boom of the automotive industry in Mexico plays a fundamental role in the growth of the metal manufacturing sector; however, the automotive industry depends mostly on metal manufacturing, since the main function of combustion in vehicles continues to be mechanical, metal-mechanical, and thermodynamic.
The future of the industry
Experts on the subject began to show concern about the integration of electric vehicles that could cause a lower demand for metal-mechanical products; however, they assured that the automotive industry will continue to drive the metal-mechanical sector from the raw material and machining of components. This statement resulted from the importance of 3 materials in the manufacture of a vehicle: electronics, which are increasingly present, plastic, which cannot be minimized, but above all the chassis, which is made of metal-mechanical parts.
As part of the automation and technological modernization process that companies have undertaken, the demand for metal-mechanical products has increased and is expected to continue growing with technological development and process robotization.
From all this we can conclude that the metal-mechanical sector has experienced significant growth in recent years, which has developed a base of solid companies dedicated to the manufacture of metal-mechanical products, which have been able to supply national and international demand.