Manufacturing or Assembling in the U.S. Is No Longer About Cost. It’s About Control.
January 22, 2026
The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) marked a key milestone during the visit of the Aguascalientes´s GIRAA Auto Cluster to the Rio South Texas Region, reinforcing a shared commitment to long-term binational collaboration in the automotive and advanced manufacturing sectors.
As part of this engagement, the delegation participated in a multi-day program designed to showcase the region’s industrial capabilities, logistics infrastructure, and investment-ready environment. The visit included a strategic immersion at the Port of Brownsville, with presentations from the Port, the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation, and the Harlingen EDC, followed by a windshield tour of port operations and the SpaceX facilities.
The agenda continued with regional presentations from Weslaco EDC, McAllen EDC, and Edinburg EDC, complemented by industry briefings on tariffs, McAllen Foreign Trade Zone #12 advantages, and permitting and registration considerations, key factors for companies evaluating cross-border expansion strategies.
In parallel, GIRAA presented the strengths of Aguascalientes’s automotive ecosystem, highlighting the complementarities between both regions and the opportunity to build more resilient, integrated value chains.
The MOU serves as a framework for continued cooperation, information exchange, and joint promotion efforts, supporting the attraction of new investment and the alignment of public and private stakeholders on both sides of the border.
The visit and MOU brought together representatives from the following organizations:
Dr. Monica Mendoza Jaquez, President, Auto Cluster GIRAA
Carolina Ponce Hernandez, Vice President, Auto Cluster GIRAA
Christian E. Gonzalez Medina, CEO, Mechanical 4.0
Gustavo Gutierrez Gonzalez, CEO, SIGUM Herramientas
Salvador Montaner Muntan, CEO, Solinda Tools and Devices
Catalina Ramirez, CEO and Founder, SpacePort MX
Orlando Campos, Executive Director, Harlingen EDC
Michelle Smith, CD&M Manager, Weslaco EDC
Jacqueline Hernandez, A&F Coordinator, Weslaco EDC
Jeffrey Salcedo, IBD Consultant, Edinburg EDC
Daniel Garza, BD Manager, Edinburg EDC
Susie Flores, VP of IB Recruitment, McAllen EDC
Abraham Guerra, President, ID&L
Sandra Barbosa, President & CEO, McAllen FTZ
Luis Cantu, Attorney, LPS International Law Firm
Jerry Briones, DE Director, GBIC
This milestone reflects COSTEP and the Rio South Texas Region’s ongoing strategy to strengthen cross-border partnerships and position the region for sustained, long-term growth.
