Driving Automation, CNC Growth in Mexico’s Automotive Sector

Q: What specific manufacturing challenges does Grupo Hi-Tec solve for automotive clients?

A: Grupo Hi-Tec is the largest distributor of CNC solutions in Mexico and Latin America. Our portfolio includes CNC machines, accessories, consumables, and spare parts. We manage over 16 CNC brands, as well as robotics solutions, cell automation, and tooling. About 70% of our clients belong to the automotive industry.

We offer high-quality Japanese brands such as Nakamura, Kitamura, and Citizen. We focus mainly on serving the top 20% of the industrial pyramid, meaning Tier 1 suppliers and OEMs. We provide solutions like multitasking lathes and five-axis machines, which are widely used due to their precision, repeatability, and high quality. We also offer industrial robotics and collaborative robotics solutions. This portfolio makes us the most complete distributor for these types of needs, offering a value proposition under the one-stop shop concept.

Q: What competitive advantage does being the exclusive distributor of Haas machinery give you?

A: We have had a relationship with Haas in Mexico for over 29 years. Since 2018, we have expanded our presence to Latin America, including Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua, always as the exclusive distributor. Depending on the year, Grupo Hi-Tec ranks within the Top 3 Haas distributors worldwide. Haas has over 170 distributors globally, and we have proudly been leaders in sales for over 10 years, selling around 700 machines annually.

In Mexico, we serve over 6,000 clients, 70% of whom are SMEs. Haas allows us to offer a very competitive proposition in quality, price, and technology, highlighting the use of their own CNC control system, which facilitates training and rapid adoption by technicians. We also offer very accessible financial solutions. We have been financing machinery in Mexico for over 20 years and have arranged more than US$800 million in financing through Haas. This enables us to offer complete machinery and financing packages tailored to each client’s needs.

Since beginning our relationship with Haas in 1996, we have sold and installed over 18,000 machines in Mexico, demonstrating the strength of the brand and our offering.

Q: How do you contribute to professionalization and technological advancement of the automotive industry?

A: In recent years, we have developed multiple training initiatives for CNC operators. Every year, we train over 1,300 technicians at our facilities, with hands-on, in-person training directly on the machines. Our application engineers train the client technicians who purchase our machines, and as a policy, with every machine sold, at least two technicians are trained.

We work to reduce the gap between the industry’s needs and the training offerings in the market. For this reason, we created the Hi-Tec Institute platform, which offers digital courses that anyone can purchase or take for free. This platform includes basic, intermediate, and advanced courses on CNC and manufacturing topics.

We have also established agreements with various universities and educational centers. For example, in the last two years, we have collaborated with the Universidad Politécnica Nacional, CECATIS, CBETIS, CENALTEC, Tec de Monterrey, and the Universidad Aeronáutica en Querétaro (UNAQ) to develop specialized CNC curricula. Our involvement has helped update academic programs to better align them with current manufacturing needs.

Q: What actions are necessary to close gaps in technological education?

A: The main challenge is that the demands of the automotive industry have increased significantly with the arrival of EVs and Industry 4.0. Additionally, topics like AI are now part of industrial operations, creating a significant skills gap in manufacturing.

Although Mexico has a large number of engineers, the challenge lies in strengthening talent with specific technical skills. The industry requires knowledge in electromobility, additive manufacturing, composite materials, heat treatments, as well as techniques for machining new materials like aluminum and key components in EVs, which differ from those in internal combustion engines. This specialized knowledge is difficult to fully cover, but we seek to add value by helping reduce the technical skills gap through practical and updated training programs.

Key skills include mastery of materials, heat treatments, operation of five-axis machines, high-volume production processes, and knowledge of software development, CAD, CAM, and CAE. For this reason, we actively work with various educational institutions and training centers to update curricula and reduce this skills gap, providing value to the industry in terms of training and technological development.

Q: What challenges does high-employee turnover present to the technological sector and how does the company tackle this challenge?

A: Highly-qualified technical talent is increasingly in demand, both within Mexico and abroad. Companies in the northern border region face the constant challenge of engineers migrating to the United States. This presents a significant challenge for companies: not only to train and develop talent but also to find ways to retain it. Competition is intense, and often other companies or industries can offer better salary conditions, which causes a brain drain of highly skilled profiles.

Grupo Hi-Tec develops its own talent. We have ongoing talent pools where we train groups of 10 to 15 engineers who rotate through different areas — service, sales, engineering, applications, automation — before fully integrating into operations. This transformation is a great opportunity for employees. 

Incorporating the new generations has also become a challenge for all companies, as they also care about the organizational culture in which they will work. Many young people tend to change jobs in short periods, which complicates organizations’ ability to implement long-term career plans. Investing in training and development is complex when there is a possibility that the employee will seek new opportunities in the short term.

Q: How has demand for smart machines or connected services evolved in recent years?

A: There has been a significant growth in demand for solutions related to automation, Industry 4.0, robotics, and advanced manufacturing cells in the past three years. Mexico has a solid installed base, especially in the automotive industry, but it also has a growing need for more advanced technologies, such as machines with multi-pallet systems and automated processes. 

In Germany, for example, every machine already includes a robot, mainly due to labor costs and efficiency reasons. In Mexico, historically, hiring operational personnel was more affordable, which discouraged automation. However, this has changed. The sustained increase in the minimum wage has led companies to rethink their strategies and seek greater automation to maintain competitiveness. The demand for robots, both industrial and collaborative, is growing rapidly. Last year, about 6,000 robots were sold in Mexico, and projections point to an annual growth close to 20% through 2030.

Grupo Hi-Tec develops solutions under the brand Hi-Tec Smart Data. These solutions connect CNC controls to an intelligent system capable of real-time monitoring of key variables such as spindle operating time, production per shift, and overall efficiency. This information is presented on dashboards both on the shop floor and in the cloud, facilitating decision-making at all levels, from operators to executives. We see strong interest among EV suppliers, where the use of robotic cells is already standard, especially for welding, stamping, and automated handling of parts within production lines. Fully automated lines with minimal human intervention are becoming increasingly common. This phenomenon is not limited to automotive; it is also very relevant in the aerospace industry, where technical demands are equally high. Without a doubt, this trend will continue to grow.

Q: How do your solutions contribute to the demand for more sustainable and energy-efficient manufacturing processes?

A: We collaborate with entities such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which sets clear sustainability metrics. Sustainability is no longer optional but an essential competitive differentiator. Our CNC and automation solutions are designed to contribute to more efficient production processes. We incorporate high-precision machining technologies that reduce waste, optimize tool paths, and minimize scrap generation, especially in critical materials like aluminum and composites.

Moreover, our machines include low energy consumption technologies, complying with global standards such as IEC. Most of our solutions, sourced from Japan, the United States, and Taiwan, are already configured to operate with high energy efficiency and lower emissions.

Q: What are Grupo Hi-Tec’s main strategic objectives for the rest of 2025 and for 2026, especially in the automotive sector?

A: Our main goal is to consolidate ourselves as the strategic partner for all automotive OEM and Tier 1 companies. We want every client that arrives or expands their production capacity in Mexico to think about us when thinking about machinery, automation, robotics, tooling, or advanced manufacturing. 

We will continue strengthening our value proposition to always meet the demands of the automotive industry. We will expand collaborations with brands from Asia, the European Union, Japan, and the United States, while staying at the forefront of automation. We participate annually in international fairs such as Hannover in Germany and visit key markets like Japan to update our solutions in industrial robotics, Industry 4.0, and AI. We will continue expanding our connection with educational institutions to not only sell machinery, but also help reduce the technical skills gap that the manufacturing industry in Mexico faces.

Q: What are some milestones or achievements you expect to reach this year?

A: We now sell about 1,200 machines per year in Mexico, and this year our goal is to maintain or exceed that figure. However, this is challenging due to the complex economic situation, changes in supply chains, tariffs, and trade discussions that affect machinery purchasing decisions. Despite the situation, we trust Mexico’s great potential for manufacturing. The country will continue receiving foreign direct investment. 

Grupo Hi-Tec aims for double-digit growth in 2025, preparing for when demand rebounds and we can reach those growth levels.

Grupo Hi‑Tec, founded in 1992, specializes in distributing and servicing high‑performance CNC machinery, including turning and vertical machine centers, milling machines, EDM, sheet‑metal equipment, plastic injection, metal 3D printing and automation solutions, for the automotive sector. As Mexico’s exclusive Haas Automation distributor, it supports OEM and supplier production through turnkey supply, technical support, financing via Hi‑Fin Solution, and training.