Mexicali, Baja California
To server Alma Ponce and Captain Angel Vazquez (in picture) of Fonda de Mexicali Restaurant at Araiza Hotel, a smile and positive first impression followed by a vigilant, attentive and efficient service, is the key for a hotel guest to come again.
“The hotel business in Mexicali has been a positive contribution to our local manufacturing companies. On a daily basis, we host many international executives visiting Mexicali from companies such as National Oil Varco, Constellation Brands, Gulfstream, Rockwell Collins, UTC, Sun Power, Kenworth, Nippon Sheet Glass, and Furukawa among others, as well as those considering to establish plants in Mexicali; therefore, our contribution is to provide good service with a positive attitude,” said Captain Vazquez. PIMSA would like to recognize and thank those men and women hosting our international business visitors in Mexicali. “This is an important complement to generate a pleasant and friendly face to potential industrial investors in Mexicali,” said Cesar Ponce, who represents 38 international companies in PIMSA.
Hotel service in Mexicali is prime. Araiza, Lucerna, Calafia, Holiday Inn, Real Inn, among others are in high gear. Several new hotels are now under construction adding to this important Mexicali hosting service with quality brands such as Four Points by Sheraton of the Wong Family.
“A warm welcome for our visitors is important to us! Attitude is the secret!”- Xavier Rivas, VP of Busniess Development, PIMSA.
We are glad to share the efforts of ITR (Technological Institute of Rehabilitation), a nonprofit organization currently designing and developing medical devices, from conventional prosthetics to bionic limbs for kids and adults who need prosthetic hands and/or legs.
On this occasion Bosch Power Tools Mexicali, through its Robert Bosch Mexico Foundation and in coordination with ITR, made it possible for Iker, a 4-year old child with a congenital malformation in his left arm, to receive a hand prosthesis.
At Bosch facilities in PIMSA, Iker received the prosthesis from Bosch Mexicali Plant Director, Arturo Contreras, and the Director of the Robert Bosch Foundation, Rogelio Santos, in the presence of Manuel Castañeda, President of ITR, and Iker’s mother.
Furthermore, Bosch supported ITR during its Christmas event “Believing in Smiles” by donating 400 blankets to people in low-income neighborhoods.
Bosch will continue to support ITR with machines and tools so they can expand their social program.
We are pleased to congratulate Bosch and ITR for being role models in improving the living conditions of Mexicali’s society.
If interested in supporting ITR social program, please contact Ruben Castañeda rcastaneda@itrmexico.com.
Today, Commissioner John Renison from Imperial County, California, paid a visit to PIMSA offices.
In picture, PIMSA’s Francisco Fiorentini presenting a PIMSA desert hat to Commissioner Renison; meeting included Cesar Ponce of our Think Tank Industrial intelligence Group and Xavier Rivas, the objective is to introduce the PIMSA worker discount card “Para Darte Más” and to coordinate economic networking with PIMSA associates.
Imperial County with a population of 180,000, is an important US farming region, including the cities of Brawley, Calexico, Calipatria, El Centro, Holtville, Imperial and Westmorland, becoming a production sharing area to complement Mexicali’s manufacturers. Imperial County is also the home of the Navy’s Blue Angels.
“We are bound to a Twin Industrial Region, Mexicali and Imperial Valley, are only separated by an international boundary. Commissioner Renison’s visit is a testimony of interest and importance to our future”– Xavier Rivas of PIMSA.
Mexico’s Federal Government has created these training centers to provide an opportunity for those unable to attend universities. Accessible and short technical programs are ready and benefit many young and potential workers with required training.
These schools are an important manufacturer’s complement in training Mexicali workers in several disciplines, including Certified TIG, MIG and Conventional Welding, CNC, Electronics, Sewing, English as second language, or any specific trade as needed by interested companies.
There are three campuses in Mexicali, one near PIMSA 1, one in Mexicali´s Civic Center, and another in Km 43 Guadalupe Victoria in Mexicali Valley.
Rockwell, Emerson, Chromalloy, GKN Aerospace, Kenworth, CCN Precision, National Oil Varco, Nassco Timsa, are among Mexicali manufacturers using CECATI trade programs.
Aerospace Machining Center at CECATI 84
Prospective interested manufacturers are invited to visit and explore CECATI options.
Manufacturers already operating in Mexico considering training are welcome to see how it could be done at CECATI.
Contact: Judith Leyva
Director
CECATI No. 84
Av. Brasil, Parque Industrial Mexicali I, Col. Alianza para la Producción
Tel: +52 (686) 565-9370
www.cecati84.org
Fifty five years ago, Don Ignacio Guajardo, a University of Stanford graduate himself, set his mind on a vision by leading a group of Mexicali businessmen into a series of actions to build a Non-Profit Organization with the objective of creating a private university of the highest quality.
Today CETYS University, with campuses in Tijuana, Ensenada and Mexicali, has a student population of 7,225 with a curricula including Engineering, Business Administration, Psychology, Graphic Design, Law and Education Sciences.
Eugenio Lagarde, now retired, was CETYS’s first enrolled student 55 years ago. As many others today, he managed a USA manufacturing corporation in Mexicali. Honored to have been the first enrolled, “Never imagined that our university would become such an important educational complement to our region and international community” – Lagarde said.
Next September 18, 19 and 20, CETYS University will be celebrating its 55th Anniversary with several events, including an International Seminar on Innovation in Higher Education.
International corporations can be certain that CETYS University is an important source of bilingual management talent. Many of our manufacturers have relied on this educational center since 1961, up to date.
“Every year that we hold our Alumni Reunion of CETYS graduates, you can feel the ambience with a pride factor” – Oscar Peralta, coordinator of this annual event.
If interested please email erick@pimsa.com.mx
CCN Group, located in PIMSA Mexicali, and PRAE-TURBO are affiliates of German holding company Booster Precision Parts GmbH as of January 2016 and aim to become an international, integrated group. Following the management buy-out of PRAE-TURBO in February 2015, the companies had initiated the globalization of PRAE-TURBO’s production base via CCN locations.
Both firms combined had a total output of € 133 million and a staff of more than 1,000 in Germany, France, Slovakia, Mexico and China. Clients include most manufacturers of exhaust turbo charger systems for cars and commercial vehicles. They procure highly stress-resistant precision components made by Booster from aluminum, Inconel or Titanium. Turbo chargers are a critical element for the automotive industry’s compliance with tighter regulation of exhaust emissions and fuel consumption. Over the next five years, demand is expected to reach double-digit annual growth rates. In the first quarter of 2016, Booster Precision Parts’ order book already covered a high percentage of total output planned for the year.
International expansion of production is developing according to plan: A mixed team from both companies had manufactured the first compressor wheel at CCN’s plant in Mexicali, Mexico, in early March 2016. Following the automotive industry’s usual production trials and client approvals, full operation is to start during the year. Since 2013, CCN also runs a plant in China where joint production is planned to come online six months after the ‘go’ for Mexicali. Over this period, a new top management will be established for Booster Precision Parts Holding to provide strategic and organizational support to international growth.
Combining CCN and PRAE-TURBO establishes a substantial contender as Booster Precision Parts is one of the leading independent providers of precision components for the exhaust gas-propelled turbine and the compressor in the air-intake of turbo chargers. “We are most excited with CCN Mexicali future plans, so far so good! We’ve gotten Momentum!” – Hector Richarte
Source: Halder Magazine MBO
“The World’s Aquarium” said the great ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau about the Sea of Cortez, also known as Gulf of California and Mar Bermejo.
This PostandFly video explores the islands of San Jose, San Francisco and Espiritu Santo. The Sea of Cortés (Gulf of California) is the body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland. The Sea of Cortés is thought to be one of the most diverse seas on the planet, and is home to more than 5,000 species of micro-invertebrates. A large part of the Sea of Cortés is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Several rivers feed the Sea of Cortés, including the Colorado, Fuerte and Yaqui. The Sea of Cortés has more than 300 estuaries and other wetlands on its shores, of which the delta of the Colorado River is especially important.
Source: Geo-Mexico
For Guillermo Salcedo, General Manager of BD CareFusion, a world class leader manufacturer of medical products located in PIMSA Mexicali for over 33 years, the key to their success is based on a working team of people that have equal responsibility. “Management and direct employees are one unit” this is why today we have 3,000 associates working with quality and efficiency.
Guillermo is originally from Mexico City. He came to Mexicali at a young age, a dedicated student graduated from CETYS University Mexicali Campus, School of Industrial Engineering. His wife and daughters are also graduates of CETYS; again, a whole family educated at this university.
One of Guillermo’s passions is outdoor activities especially in Mexicali Valley where he spends some weekends with his family.
CareFusion, partner with Becton Dickinson and Company (BD), is a medical technology company that provides various healthcare products and services.
“Soft-landed by us and located at PIMSA III since 1983 on a 600,000 square feet facility, CareFusion is a solid example of why Mexicali is a prime location for medical manufacturers. Labor stability, competitiveness and quality minded in world production, continued expansion, make us proud to be the home for this outstanding corporation” – Xavier Rivas, Vice President of Business Development, PIMSA.
We believe in Mexicali and it’s people, the land, the workplace culture and the dynamics of world class businesses in the city that empower our industry.
Operating with state of the art technology and a global network, NOV Mexicali has refined its procedures making them swift and error free when designing and constructing structures of striking proportions that exceed the highest standards within the industry.
Its production plant in Mexicali plays an important role in the corporate world of the distinguished NOV family.
Mexicali Plant Facts
Mexicali’s production plant allows NOV to increase its ability to offer even better services to our customers.
This unsung wine region in Baja California has it all, from cutting-edge wines to glamorous hotels.
Six hundred miles south of Napa Valley, just past Tijuana, lies a series of lush, green vineyards that are turning out some of the world’s most exciting New World wines. The main highway is quiet and dusty, and the landscapes are dotted by rock-strewn hillsides and grazing cows.
Turn onto any side road and you’ll start to unearth the many gems of Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico’s first, burgeoning wine region. There are restaurants with international acclaim, stylish boutique hotels, and sprawling wineries–most with panoramic views—where you’re as likely to mingle with locals as with the winemakers themselves. Encuentro Guadalupe, a sustainable (but incredibly stylish) resort in Valle de Guadalupe. Photographer: Luis Garcia.
For wine lovers in the know, Mexico is buzzing. Two decades ago, you could count Valle de Guadalupe’s wineries on both hands. By 2012, there were about 50 of them. Now,Baja’s Ruta del Vino boasts more than 100 wineries.
Despite the exponential growth, Valle de Guadalupe still has a low-key feel that’s reminiscent of a pre-commercial, pre-tourism Napa.
“All of the wineries here are family-based,” says Fernando Perez Castro, owner of Valle’sLa Lomita and Finca La Carrodilla wineries. “We all live here. When you visit a winery, there’s a great chance you’ll see the owner or winemaker or the son of the owner hanging around.” Deckman’s en el Mogor, one of Valle’s hottest restaurants. Photographer: Cintia Soto
Getting there is easy. You can drive two hours south from San Diego or fly to Tijuana. Once you’re in Baja, you can use UberValle to get around; it’s an Uber service that dispatches private drivers to chauffeur you all day long, from Tijuana’s airport to the wineries and to dinner or beyond. It’s a common approach for San Diego- and L.A.-based day trippers and weekend visitors, though well-heeled nationals from Tijuana are also pouring in.
Here’s a guide to the best in food, wine, and hotels. If you want to hit them all, plan to stay for four or five days.
Where to Sample
Finca La Carrodilla, one of Valle’s top wineries. Source: Finca La Carrodilla
Valle de Guadalupe’s regional climate is similar to those of Bordeaux and Rioja, albeit more arid. So it’s no surprise that well-ripened, jammy blends of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are among the most popular pours. That said, mono-varietals are the area’s current obsession.
Start with the Nebbiolos from Las Nubes and L.A. Cetto, one of the region’s oldest, most respected wineries. Then head to Finca Carrodilla, the only winery in the region that uses certified organic grapes. Its Cabs and Shirazes are high in demand and best enjoyed in the leafy rooftop garden.
Make your last stop Decantos Vinicola, noted for its modern, minimalist architecture and groundbreaking techniques; it uses gravity, rather than mechanical decanting, to transfer wine from tank to barrel, which helps maintain the integrity of the wines’ aroma, flavor, and color. Nightfall at the trailblazing vineyard, Decantos Vinícola. Source: Decantos Vinícola
These wines aren’t just good by local standards—top sommeliers in the U.S. are also buying in.
“I love pouring a glass of [Mexican] wine and not telling someone where it’s from,” says Greg Majors, who worked as Tom Colicchio’s wine director at Craft in New York before joining San Diego-based Blue Bridge Hospitality. “Then you tell them it’s from Mexico, and their eyes pop.”
Where to Eat
Drew Deckman in his open kitchen. Source: Deckman’s en el Mogor
Restaurants are seasonal and fiercely farm-to-table, with some of Mexico’s most noteworthy chefs in the kitchens.
In the case of Deckman’s en el Mogor, Georgia-born chef Drew Deckman—who studied with Paul Bocuse and was executive chef of the Michelin-starred Restaurant Vitus, in Berlin—is front and center at the glorified campsite restaurant, where he grills grass-fed meats and vegetables picked from the property’s on-site garden. Oysters at Corazón de Tierra. Photographer: Fernando Carmela
At Corazón de Tierra, the restaurant at the hacienda-style bed and breakfast La Villa Del Valle, chef Diego Hernandez’s tasting menus are made up of such modern Mexican dishes as pig’s trotters dusted with onion ashes. It’s the only Valle restaurant to be featured as one of Latin America’s Best 50 Restaurants since that list debuted in 2013.
Where to Sleep
Bruma, one of Valle’s first chic stays. Source: Bruma
While the roads in Valle may be dusty, the accommodations are anything but. Look to the many design-forward boutique properties for proof. Bruma, the brainchild of eight childhood friends, is a year-old, 75-acre property that includes a five-bedroom bed and breakfast (dubbed Casa Ocho), a pool, spa, and event space, with a winery and restaurant opening soon. Decked out with beautiful tile work and wood detailing, it feels like a log cabin-turned-art gallery, with design led by famed local architect Alejandro d’Acosta. An eco-villa at Encuentro Guadalupe. Source: Encuentro Guadalupe
Modernity is the guiding principle at Encuentro Guadalupe, which opened in 2012 and offers 20 sustainably built lofts and villas on a rocky hillside. The hotel bar is a hip hangout for well-to-do Tijuanese and hipster SoCal travelers.
Chefs are getting in on the hotel game. Tijuana-bred chef Javier Plascencia, who runs the Valle restaurant Finca Altozano and numerous hotspots throughout Tijuana and San Diego, opened Finca La Divina last year. The six-room bed and breakfast feels more like a glamorous Airbnb, complete with pool and grill; four more bedrooms are to come by the end of 2017. In the cellar at La Lomita. Source: La Lomita
