Courtesy of the Las Cruces Bulletin
New Mexico Economic Development Secretary Jon Barela, on his “32nd trip to Las Cruces and Doña Ana County since I joined the administration,” announced Tuesday, March 6, that Interceramic, a Chihuahua, Mexico-based manufacturer of ceramic tile, will establish a warehousing and distribution operation in Santa Teresa in the Santa Teresa Business Center. The company will lease an 80,000-squarefoot facility in Santa Teresa and create 30 jobs at its new operation.
“A major factor in the company’s selection of Santa Teresa was the establishment of an overweight cargo zone north of the Santa Teresa Port of Entry, which allows trucks with weights up to 96,000 pounds into this limited zone,” Barela said. “The establishment of this zone was a joint effort between the New Mexico Economic Development Department, the New Mexico Legislature, the New Mexico Partnership and the Border Industrial Association. Interceramic is the second company to take advantage of this unique zone on the U.S.-Mexico border within the past seven months.”
Barela was in Las Cruces speaking at the monthly Business in the Borderplex Forum hosted by the Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance.
At the forum, Barela said the Interceramic announcement illustrates the economic potential of the entire border region, and how opportunity in Mexico, specifically Chihuahua, can benefit Doña Ana County.
“In the past four or five years, 75 Fortune 500 companies have moved to Chihuahua,” Barela said. “Mexico’s (gross domestic product) has grown 5.4 percent and their tax level is 10 percent lower at the state, federal and local levels than here in the states. “There have been 20,000 maquiladora jobs created in Juárez the past two years alone.” He said growth in Chihuahua benefits New Mexico: “What’s good for them is good for us.”
“It’s a golden opportunity for this region,” he said. “Whatever’s manufactured in Mexico has got to travel somewhere, and we want it to go through the distribution system here in New Mexico. It’s incredible what’s happening here. “We’re now competing with Texas.”
Interceramic, founded in 1979, is one of the largest tile manufacturers in North America, with a total production capacity of 450 million square feet per year in nine facilities in four different manufacturing complexes – three in Chihuahua and one in Garland, Texas.
“This is another sign that New Mexico is serious about attracting new employers, putting people to work, and fostering economic growth along our southern border,” said Gov. Susana Martinez. “Since day one, we have worked to make it easier to do business and create jobs in our state and Interceramic’s decision to come to Santa Teresa shows that those efforts are paying dividends.”
According to Gabriel Grijalva, Interceramic’s director of Supply Chain and Logistics, “The overweight zone and the rapid crossings at the Santa Teresa Port will allow us to transport our product into our U.S. market more economically and efficiently. In the future, we hope to expand our operations in Santa Teresa.”
With annual sales of approximately $500 million, Interceramic is a leading manufacturer of ceramic tile, bathroom fixtures, setting materials and natural stone. The company uses 240 franchise stores to distribute its product in Mexico, 14 stores in the south region of the U.S. located across Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Georgia, and 65 independent distributors for the rest of the U.S. and Canada.
