In Guatemala, SMEs are being invited to take part in the next Central American Manufexport fair, to be held in Antigua, in September 2018.
A call is being made to SMEs from the sectors of food and beverages, hygiene and personal care, cleaning for the home, plastic products, cosmetics, and other manufactured goods to participate in a business conference which will take place on the 26th and 27th of September 2018 in Antigua, Guatemala.
The French automotive group Delfingen will be building a vehicle wire harness manufacturing plant, and its entry into operation is scheduled for the first quarter of 2018.
The 1,500 square meter factory will specialize in the manufacture of electrical protection solutions for automobiles.
The U.S firm Communications System has announced the closure of its plant manufacturing Suttle telecommunications equipment in Alajuela, so as to move the operation to Minnesota.
The company has operated the plant manufacturing traditional telephony and telecommunications since 1989.The decision to close the operation, for which it employed 113 people, is due to a reduction in the revenues from the line produced in the country.
With an investment of $55 million the global company Smith and Nephew has started operating a new plant in Alajuela for manufacturing orthopedic devices.
From a press release issued by Smith Nephew:
British company expands operations in Costa Rica and expects to create up to 250 additional jobs for the next two years.
The Russian government invested $21 million in the construction and equipping of the plant, which in a first stage will focus on the production of 15 million vaccines against influenza.
According to the government of Nicaragua, the influenza vaccines that will be produced in the plant will be"marketed at best cost in Central America".
Operations have started at a plant in Alajuela owned by the company CooperVision, which manufactures soft contact lenses.
From a statement issued by the CINDE:
Coyol, Alajuela, June 15, 2016.CooperVision, an American company which is a leading manufacturer of soft contact lenses, today opened its new manufacturing facility in Coyol in Alajuela, where it will produce and distribute -initially to different regions of America and then the rest of the world - a line of silicone lenses for everyday use.
Improve productivity and use of technology and attracting new foreign investment is part of what the union of exporters has proposed to improve the performance of the industry in the country.
From a statement issued by Agexport:
Lack of innovation, poor performance of logistics and infrastructure in the country and high transportation costs, are some of the challenges to be faced by the manufacturing sector for growth in the next 8 years.
In 2015 Panamanian industry fell by 2% in production volume and 1% in value, while product prices rose by 1.1% in the same period.
From a statement issued by the National Institute of Statistics and Census in Panama:
The behavior of manufacturing observed through its global integrated volume indices, prices and value, saw in the period January to December 2015, compared to the same period last year, declines in volume and value by the order of 2% and 0.9%, respectively, and price growth of 1.1%.
The meeting in Guatemala will focus on various manufacturing segments, cosmetics, plastics, wood and food and beverages.
The 8th. edition of MANUFEXPORT Retail Supply will be held from on Septemberg 7th-8th 2016 in Santo Domingo del Cerro, Antigua Guatemala.
From a statement issued by Agexport:
The export manufacturing industry is a highly dynamic and innovative sector and every year implements new strategies and business models to potentiate its exports, which represent 30% of Guatemala's total exports and which generate about 200 thousand jobs. One of the goals set for this year, 2016, is to surpass by 6% the $3.585 million already exported, according to the Bank of Guatemala, from January to November 2015.
An environmental impact study has been submitted for the construction of a beverage production and distribution plant measuring 144 thousand square meters in Western Panama.
The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) submitted to the National Authority of the Environment in July 2015 by the company Pacific Brewery SA, indicates that the aim is to complete construction of the plant in 12 months, and that they plant will consist of 70,366 of open construction and 74,317 cubic meters of enclosed areas.
The permanent birth control device is being manufactured in the new plant that Bayer Medical started up in 2014, after making an investment of $12 million.
The plant began operating after the German company bought the assets of Conceptus, which included a patent for an inter-uterine contraceptive device to be manufactured in Costa Rica.
The company expects to produce 100,000 devices this year and increase production to 160,000 in 2016, for export to various international markets, including the United States, Canada and Europe. "
The industry says that the absence of an industrial policy is one of the reasons that 6 out of 10 subsectors in the industry decreased production in 2014 compared to 2013.
A lack of an industrial policy is added to "... The uncontrolled import of products and not having a concrete strategy so that domestic and foreign companies can made decisions on producing in the country." These three factors are what have led to a decline in manufacturing output in the last ten years, according to entrepreneurs.
It has been reported that 63 foreign companies operate facilities for manufacturing medical supplies and devices in areas such as neuromodulation, dentistry, cardiovascular, orthopedics and endoscopy.
At the end of 2014 exports of medical devices totaled $1.9 billion, ie 19% more than reported in 2013. It is estimated that the manufacture of these products brings an estimated $0.55 of value added for each dollar exported.
The purchase by the German company of the assets of Conceptus include a Patent for an intertubal contraceptive device which will go into production at the Metropolitan Free Zone in Heredia.
Bayer announced that the plant will be producing a new permanent birth control device. The first stage of the plant has been in operation since October 2014, dedicated to assembly and other tasks in the manufacturing process, but the product has not yet been marketed or exported because it is now in the certification stage.
The country will promote foreign investment in these sectors, especially in areas with less development further away from the Greater Metropolitan Area.
The Costa Rican Coalition for Development Initiatives (Cinde) will focus on promoting investment in these sectors, diversifying its strategy of attracting investment and giving greater emphasis to the development of areas further away from the capital, where there is a stronger link with the productive sectors and agribusiness.
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