Automotive Industry Stands to Benefit From Altamira Expansion

Q: Which factors consolidated Altamira’s double-digit growth, and what role did the automotive industry play in this growth?

A: The Port of Altamira is very well-planned, as it is designed to host any kind of industrial development. Because of its wide territory, a client’s requirements can be adapted within the port’s infrastructural capacity. It is worth mentioning that API Altamira is considered to be the most extensive complex in Mexico and Latin America. Since its creation in 1985, Altamira has been the most developed project of its kind along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The port’s maritime terminals contain state-of-the-art technology and highly qualified staff, and its Regional Environmental Impact Manifest facilitates the establishment of new companies to take advantage of its expansion potential of up to 90 docking positions. The port currently has 12 terminals and 17 docking positions. Regarding the automotive industry’s role in the port’s activities, API Altamira closely collaborates with this industry by handling auto parts as well as the importing and exporting of cars, trucks, and chassis. API Altamira is the second largest Mexican port in terms of vehicle transportation through the Gulf of Mexico, mainly for exports to the US and South America.

Q: Which API Altamira facilities focus specifically on the automotive sector?

A: API Altamira has a company specialized in automotive storage: AMPORTS de México, which offers clients a full coverage of their global needs, cargo loading and unloading for ships and trains, inspections for pre-deliveries and pre-shipping, interior and exterior cleaning services, tire changes and replacements, paint jobs, and minor repairs, among others. AMPORTS currently operates four terminals in Mexico, at the ports of Mazatlan, Lazaro Cardenas, and Altamira, as well as Toluca. It also operates in Salamanca, Guanajuato, with a facility having an annual capacity of more than 500,000 vehicles, promoting direct vehicle distribution. The AMPORTS terminal in API Altamira has 27 hectares of paved surface that is safe, fenced, and has proper lighting in order to achieve the secure and adequate handling of vehicles given its annual capacity of 200,000 vehicles. The terminal also has 1.765km2 for additional construction of processing activities, such as assembly and mechanical operations.

Q: The National Infrastructure Program outlines an investment of US$4.7 billion in port infrastructure. What allocation can API Altamira expect from this?

A: According to President Enrique Peña Nieto’s statements, the investments planned for API Altamira are estimated at MX$10.7 billion (US$830 million) from 2013 to 2018. The most notable works will include the improvement of railway and other land transportation infrastructure within the port’s premises. These investments will yield great benefits for the cargo segments, especially the automotive industry, as railroad infrastructure will become more efficient, speeding up shipping movements.

Q: How is API Altamira collaborating with Ferromex and KCSM to improve its railway service?

A: API Altamira carries out specific promotion activities in collaboration with Ferromex and KCSM in order to increase cargo volumes transported by railways, fostering intermodal transportation and diversifying the logistic chain in the port. Ferromex currently offers a daily cargo service from Altamira to the country’s northeast region, receiving double and triple-level auto-carriers, double stack container trains, and single trains for the automotive industry. We also work with KCSM in pushing intermodal cargo movement, and we are working with SCT on modernizing and expanding the Valles-Rio Verde rail section, which links API Altamira and Tampico with San Luis Potosi and the central region. The expansion of the Valles-Rio Verde section will reduce logistics costs for bodybuilders in the central region, making API Altamira the best option for their operations.

Q: How has the Ports without Paperwork (PSP) system helped improve the efficiency of information transfers?

A: The PSP model consists of a virtual platform that speeds up transactions, requests for maritime and other port services, and information exchanges among the different actors involved in the port’s processes. PSP also helps to reduce costs, homogenize information, and make information available at all times. Regarding the automotive sector, users will find a new benefit, consisting of a mechanism that enables them to notify us of the services they will need and follow the status of their orders.