Chainworks seeks suppliers in Mexico

In order to integrate Mexican suppliers into its value chain, Chainworks is looking for suppliers in the country.

"The issue of competitiveness in the Mexican market is growing, compared to foreign markets, and we want to take advantage of the benefits that local suppliers promote," said Armando Perez, operations manager at the company. He commented that since 2021, the company began trying to boost the Mexican market. "More and more the automotive industry is requesting to have more local material and suppliers, or at least from Latin America, and we are looking for that," he said.

According to the operations manager, it is estimated that today, 100 per cent of the inputs the company works with are still foreign. "However, we plan to have 20% of our inputs domestic in the next few years," he said. Perez pointed out that today, the company is looking for machined suppliers, who offer cold extrusion, as well as heat treatment, among other inputs.

Choosing its business partners

Among the requirements that suppliers, who want to be part of the Chainworks chain, must meet are ISO 9001:2015 and IATF 16949 certification.

For Perez, the ideal supplier is one that has its certifications, but also offers excellent response time, excellent price and has the volume and installed capacity to meet industrial needs.
To choose suppliers, the company conducts a thorough evaluation.

"We ask for verification of their quality certificates, such as ISO 9001:2015, IATF 16949. We conduct an assessment to see their process controls and assess their operational and quality capability. After that we verify who can be a potential business partner," Perez said.

Queretaro operation

The company has a plant located in Querétaro, from which it manufactures steel and aluminum tubes and bushings. "Our parts end up in the suspension. They are anti-vibration and anti-noise systems," he said.