"Alianza 4 Cero" to Boost Industry 4.0 in San Luis Potosi

Alianza 4 Cero (Partnersip Four Zero) is a cluster fully committed to advance Industry 4.0 in San Luis Potosi. This state, part of the northern Bajio area in central Mexico, is home to BMW, GM, and Cummins, as well as several top Tier 1 suppliers.

The cluster was developed by San Luis Potosi's Ministry of Economic Development (SEDECO) and incorporates not just automotive companies but also those of other strategic sectors, including agribusiness, aerospace, healthcare, energy, logistics, home appliances, education, and IT. In the same vein as other clusters, Alianza 4 Cero will bring together the efforts of the industry, government, academia, environmental associations and society. Its goals include creating new jobs in the sector and promoting entrepreneurship and articulated supply chains.

The cluster has held meetings with Herald Gootsche, President and CEO of BMW’s plant in San Luis Potosi, "to achieve synergies focused on deploying digital transformation initiatives for our ecosystem" announced the cluster via LinkedIn. The cluster has also held meetings with Mexico’s Ambassador to Germany Francisco Quiroga and the VP and General Manager of Siemens Digital Industries Software Alejandro Canela, as well as the Mexican Business Council on Foreign Trade (COMCE).

Gustavo Puente Orozco, Minister of Economic Development of San Luis Potosi, and the former CEO of Nissha PMX Technologies and member of the Nissha USA Board of directors, Fernando Ibarra, are leading the initiative. "We are confident that this project can reduce the digitalization gap in San Luis Potosi," they said during the presentation of the cluster.

Alianza 4 Cero was launched in late April 2021 with the presence of industry and government leaders from a wide variety of sectors, automotive included. "I am glad to see how Mexicans are getting more organized. In terms of technological gaps, organization can better accelerate our capabilities. At Zacua we are happy to explore different manufacturing locations in different regions of the country to cover local supply. I see San Luis Potosi as a really strong region and initiatives such as this are important for these developments," said Nazarth Black, Brand Manger of Zacua Mexico.

"(San Luis Potosi’s) manufacturing sector has enjoyed four years of sustainable growth. This is strongly linked to the automotive sector. With two OEMs and a vast supplier base, San Luis Potosi is thriving as an automotive hub, unleashing a domino effect that is touching the agricultural, tourism and service sectors," said Juan Manuel Carreras, Governor of San Luis Potosi, to MBN.

You can read our full interview with Gustavo Puente, for Mexico Automotive Review 2019/20