South Texas and Mexico: Built for Advanced Manufacturing

IBC founder points to modern factories and the skilled work needed to support automation. 

For Francisco Peña, founder and managing principal of IBC International Business Consultants, the manufacturing opportunity in South Texas begins with recognizing the capabilities already operating on both sides of the border. Modern facilities, industrial infrastructure and workers able to support sophisticated production deserve a larger place in the region’s business pitch, he said.

Peña, spoke with Pro Texas Industry during the COSTEP–UTRGV gathering about why companies should take a closer look at the Rio Grande Valley and its connection to Mexico.

Some investors, he said, underestimate the border’s industrial sophistication. He pointed to manufacturing facilities on both sides that he described as “state-of-the-art right now.”

His argument extended to the changing relationship between technology and employment. Peña described a highly automated project under development in McAllen as an example of how production is evolving. Although he did not identify the company in the interview, he emphasized that robotics still requires people to keep equipment and facilities operating.

“But guess what? Who’s going to be maintaining the robots? Who’s going to be maintaining the facilities?” Peña asked.

“Who’s going to be maintaining all of the infrastructure that comes around with it?” he added.

For South Texas, that observation connects manufacturing recruitment with workforce preparation. As factories automate, the opportunity includes the technical work behind production: maintaining equipment and supporting the infrastructure on which those operations depend.

Peña also highlighted the complementary capabilities across the border, pointing to Mexican manufacturing of complex devices used in automotive, aerospace and medical applications. He presented cost competitiveness alongside existing industrial capacity as reasons businesses should evaluate the region.

“There’s a lot of incentives to come to the border,” he said, describing its business appeal.

His perspective reinforced the gathering’s broader discussion of regional investment and cross-border operations. The opportunity for South Texas is to demonstrate that its relationship with Mexico supports sophisticated manufacturing—and to prepare the people who will keep that increasingly automated industrial base running.