• DEVICES: At least 40 medical device plants in Mexico have expanded its operations in 400% in order to satisfy the explosion of demand created by the coronavirus emergency, according to industry officials. Among the most sought after devices are ventilators and testing technologies.
• DEMAND: With a manufacturing cluster centered in the US border city of Tijuana (pop. 1.6 million), industry is reporting a 10% growth in ventilators demand. Local officials in Tijuana have cited recently a soaring in demand of thermometers, probe covers and blood pressure monitors.
• INDUSTRY: “We are maintaining all manufacturing to its maximum capacity, especially those that have to do with ventilation and diagnostic technologies”, said Fernando Oliveros, head of Mexico’s Association of Innovative Medical Device Industries (AMID), comprised by 34 companies.
• POWER: Propelled by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Mexico is now one of the top eight producers of medical devices in the world with exports amounting to more than US 13.2 billion in 2018, according to Mexican government data.
