Mexico Maquiladora (IMMEX) and their Free Trade Agreements

Why Should You Attend:

The Mexican Maquiladora/PYTEX programs have evolved over the past 60 plus years into today's IMMEX (Industria Manufacturera, Maquiladora y Servicios de Exportacion) program. It allows qualifying companies a greater range of activities they can take part within the Mexican territory. Given its temporary imports under bond options, this program has a rigorous documentation maintenance requirement. It will review this special regime's bonded production/assembly options, how you can best take advantage of it and how to maintain it.

As importers or exporters, we must learn how to manage costs attributed to duties that can be imposed by the customs authority of the transactional region. This webinar will explore how this trade agreement review process will explain the merchants’ responsibility in understanding and use the various duty management options in compliance with multilateral trade agreements.

It will also focus on why it is imperative that merchants have a good understanding of trade agreements and duty compliance processes, which can lead to legal and coordination challenges that might cause delays in their product entering the marketplace.

Learning Objectives:

• Aim of the IMMEX program
• Who is eligible to obtain an IMMEX program
• How to manage an IMMEX program
• Non-tariff measures application
• IMMEX obligations
• Difference between IMMEX and other export promotion programs
• How the FTA's affected the application of import tariffs to IMMEX importations
• Customs value on IMMEX operations

Areas Covered in the Webinar:

• Brief history
• Maquiladora formation and regulations
• IMMEX registration requirements
• NAFTA Certificate of Origin
• Combining IMMEX and NAFTA
• Annex 24 & 31- IMMEX
• Eligible operations
• Benefits
• Program cancellations
• Mexican FTAs
• Gain awareness for the regime
• Understand its requirements
• Recognize the program's benefits
• Distinguish the program's obstacles and resource requirements
• Be aware of the penalties and program cancellations

Who Will Benefit:

• CFOs
• Trade and Finance Controllers
• Logistics Professionals
• Plant Managers
• Supply Chain Professionals
• Sourcing Specialists
• Shipping/Receiving Staff
• Procurement Analysts
• Global Trade Managers
• Integration Managers
• Risk Management Manager
• Decision Makers

Rossano V Gerald
Academic Professor, Texas A and M University

Dr. Rossano V. Gerald is an academic professor and founder of RVG International Consulting Firm, LLC. He has over thirty years of business experience in strategic management, marketing analysis, and supply chain management. Dr. Gerald is a veteran of the United States Army. He has worked with small and medium-sized businesses to help improve their business logistic processes through verification of operational and supply chain programs. Further, he has developed management and marketing strategies that were used to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of business operations in the global economy. He earned a Doctor of Business Administration in International Business and Advanced Professional Business Certification in Marketing from Argosy University/Sarasota; Master of Science Degree (J.S.M.) for International Tax and Finance Services in the risk compliance and management field from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law.

Dr. Gerald is a member of the Free Trade Alliance, San Antonio Transportation Association, Inc., San Antonio SCORE, TX, Supply Chain Council and Institute of Business Forecasting & Planning, and CATO Institute of Research & Analysis and Academy of Business Research. He is a certified supply chain manager, inventory planner and property forecaster, and certified consultant for business value analysis and methodology. He is also a certified export leader, certified master management consultant, certified CCA, certified marketing analyst and registered business analyst. He is a member of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals and has published several scholarly papers including one on NAFTA -Transportation Challenges: Case Study US-Mexico for the Journal of International Business and Economics.

Topic Background:

Manufacturing in Mexico as a Maquiladora under the IMMEX program (formally known as the Maquiladora Program) can offer tremendous benefits for virtually any foreign manufacturer, especially those selling into the North American market. Established in 1965 by the Mexican government to reduce unemployment along the borders, the Maquiladora program offers foreign companies easy access to inexpensive labor, favorable tax benefits and special import/export terms via some 44 free trade treaties and agreements with countries around the world. The IMMEX program, however, requires companies to follow strict regulations and compliance, especially in the areas of customs (import/export) and accounting. A strong administrative team is highly recommended.

Mexico's IMMEX program is defined as an instrument to temporarily import goods and services that will be manufactured, transformed, or repaired, and then re-exported without payment of taxes, compensatory quotas, and other specific benefits. In the past there used to be two separate programs in Mexico: Pitex for temporary imports and exports, and the Maquila program for maquila-specific operations. The new IMMEX program consolidates the benefits of these legacy programs and facilitates interaction with government authorities to operate under the program.

The main benefit of the IMMEX program is the ability to defer taxes on goods that are temporarily imported into Mexico and the ability to consolidate import declarations. Mexico's IMMEX program is defined as an instrument to temporarily import goods and services that will be manufactured, transformed, or repaired, and then re-exported without payment of taxes, compensatory quotas, and other specific benefits. Recently, Mexico prohibited use of U.S. re-export sugar in IMMEX program.

As importers or exporters, we must learn how to manage costs attributed to duties that can be imposed by the customs authority of the transactional region. In doing so, importers and exporters must not only rely on the customs authorities to inform them about the duty management requirements for each trade agreement that might alert them to allowances that applied to their business goods. For this reason, the duty management role in the reviewing and assessing the trade barriers that are associated with quotas, nontariff, punitive damages and special duties that were designed by the country of origin to restrict trade and increase coordination costs for their benefits. Thus, it is imperative that merchants have a good understanding of trade agreements and duty compliance processes, which can lead to legal and coordination challenges that might cause delays in their product entering the marketplace.

Follow us :