Driving Mexico’s EV, Design-Build Revolution

Q: How does Copachisa’s Design-Build model assist in design review and execution to ensure a predictable outcome for your automotive clients? 

A: In the automotive sector, authorizations are often delayed despite having very well-defined production schedules. Even though decisions based on megatrends are made in the early stages, market speed forces constant adjustments that directly impact suppliers. The Design-Build model allows us to react much faster by compressing the total execution time, integrating design and construction simultaneously. This methodology, operating under turnkey or fast-track schemes, significantly reduces construction periods to respond to those unforeseen changes. 

We have even found ourselves at 60% completion on a project and had to adjust the layout because, even if the machinery remains the same, the part manufacturing process changes. This model gives us the necessary agility to resolve those shifts without coming to a standstill. 

Q: What has been the greatest cultural challenge in bringing this technology directly to field residents and subcontractors, and what is the next technological step for Copachisa? 

A: The main challenge has been overcoming resistance to change. Although the Building Information Modeling (BIM) methodology has existed for decades in the European Union, its formal adoption in Mexico is more recent; we began implementing it in 2011. Like all technology, it went through an initial stage of high costs until digitalization allowed for its democratization. It now helps us avoid coordination errors and interferences in real-time, even modeling production machinery within the 3D environment. 

Our next step is to consolidate 4D, which allows for construction simulation linked to the time factor, and 5D to integrate costs. Looking ahead, our goal is to reach 7D and create digital twins that exactly replicate not only the building's structure but also its operational behavior, energy consumption, and maintenance within a digital ecosystem. 

Q: When a client requests a change at a critical moment, what governance and leadership mechanisms intervene to absorb these changes without affecting the project? 

A: The first step is working with the client to define with total clarity what the change consists of, as sometimes the need is clear but the technical implications are not. Once defined, we take advantage of the fact that all our modeling is done collaboratively and in real-time through the Autodesk platform. This allows our designers in different cities to receive immediate notifications and make adjustments to the same model.

We agree on a window of three to five days to present an estimate of cost and schedule impact. If time becomes a critical factor, we evaluate alternatives such as accelerated construction methods or temporary installations, since the Start of Production (SOP) is a date that typically cannot be moved. 

Ultimately, we see ourselves as strategic partners; we understand that in today's market, changes are inevitable, and our job is to manage them with transparency. A clear example was our work with BMW, where we established a more flexible contractual framework that allowed us to proceed with urgent matters without waiting for slow bureaucratic procedures, ensuring the project was a success and delivered exactly on time. 

Q: How do you translate the concepts of risk mitigation and large-scale capital investment into your execution and scheduling strategies? 

A: We have institutionalized processes to identify these risks, assign who should assume them, and establish specific mitigation models. We evaluate each factor based on three variables: probability of occurrence, economic impact, and time impact; this provides a global rating that allows us to prioritize them and establish clear frameworks to share with the client. Ultimately, the choice between a lump-sum contract, unit prices, or their various iterations is actually a form of risk management. Our goal is for this analysis to be reflected in the contractual process to distribute responsibility fairly between the contractor and the owner. 

Q: What is your main competitive advantage against global firms? 

A: Our main competitive advantage is flexibility. This capacity for adaptation is intrinsically linked to risk management: when an identified factor arises, we are agile enough to restructure the project, bring in more resources, or even reverse the logical order of construction. The goal is always the same: everything in the project can change, except for the Start of Production (SOP) date. 

This flexibility is precisely what international clients like Pirelli, Scheaffler, or Visteon deeply value. Unlike many global firms that, due to their size, have internal processes that make them slow or dependent on absolute certainty, we operate with a different dynamic. In markets like the United States, it is unthinkable to start a project if the design is not 100% developed; here, we are capable of breaking ground on earthworks and foundations while we finish defining the specialized facility engineering.

Q: What are the main challenges in turning an internal combustion plant into a battery or EV plant? 

A: It is a fascinating adaptation process. Both EU and US automakers are adapting their existing lines to convert them into hybrid systems capable of assembling both types of vehicles simultaneously. This allows them to be extremely cost-efficient, which is critical in the automotive sector. Since the powertrain and batteries change radically, companies prefer to reuse their existing infrastructure to maintain competitiveness, adapting the assembly line so it can receive different components without the need to duplicate facilities. 

However, the battery building does represent a radical technical shift. Unlike a traditional combustion plant, a battery facility requires extremely rigorous humidity control and specialized fire suppression systems. In these environments, water is not always an option; deluge-type systems or special agents are used because the interaction of lithium with certain elements can be explosive. Safety and waterproofing take on critical importance to avoid any type of dangerous chemical reaction. 

Q: How do you ensure that subcontractors and partners, who may have different levels of digital maturity, stay aligned with your workgroups? 

A: Our strategy begins with an extremely rigorous selection process; we do not manage a massive base of subcontractors, but rather a select group that must meet strict standards. We evaluate not only their digitalization capabilities but also their tax compliance and social commitment. At Copachisa, we firmly believe in conscious capitalism and operate under the principles of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG). For us, a partner must share this ethical vision before joining our value chain. 

Once selected, we keep our partners updated through a constant training scheme. When we attend international technological innovation forums — such as Autodesk University or technological summits — we do so as an extended team. We bring our strategic personnel so they can later disseminate that knowledge, and we actively invite our key contractors to these fairs so they can adopt the same technologies we are implementing.

Q: How are you adapting your execution model to comply with the sustainability certifications that your clients demand? 

A: We have a track record of almost 20 years in this field. Our mission states that we build projects that harmonize with the ecosystem, a vision we inherited from our founder, Don Enrique Terrazas Torres, more than five decades ago. We have always approached this commitment not just as environmental sustainability, but as comprehensive sustainability. Since these standards began to be valued and measured by our clients, we decided to form internal teams dedicated exclusively to studying and updating international regulations, such as the evolution of LEED certifications. 

We have a sustainability department that manages the ESG critical spheres, ensuring transparency in decision-making and reporting to our board. Large companies are not just looking to be "green." They demand partners committed to social development and financial standards that report their sustainability level and the impact of these actions on their financial statements. 

Q: How has your role evolved from being a construction provider to a strategic partner advising on site selection, negotiations, and the identification of emerging zones in Monterrey, the Bajío, and new regions? 

A: We are witnessing an evolution from what we knew as nearshoring toward a concept of strategic regionalization. The United States is seeking to regain control of its supply chains to avoid depending on its main commercial competitors. This intent is generating a new wave of investment, but the landscape in Mexico is unique, as investors are more cautious due to pending challenges in both the energy and international trade sectors. 

What we are observing today is not necessarily an explosion of new large-scale plants or greenfields, but rather a trend toward expansions and the growth of installed capacity. 

Companies are optimizing what they already have here to increase production while waiting for clearer conditions for major investments. Consequently, a large portion of recent Foreign Direct Investment has been allocated to equipment and robotics rather than building new sites from scratch. 

Our role as strategic partners has shifted toward brownfields: we advise on how to reuse existing buildings, in order to increase idle capacity within current plants, and manage critical expansions. Although the construction sector has felt this caution, the opportunity remains latent. We are preparing for when this wave accelerates, positioning ourselves not just as builders, but as consultants who help the client navigate this transition, ensuring their facilities are competitive and ready for when the market demands that leap toward large-scale production.

Q: What are the most important bottlenecks to resolve in terms of legislation, permits, or energy to determine the location of a new industrial space in Mexico? 

A: The first determining factor is, without a doubt, energy, followed immediately by water. The government's new water regulation plan requires adjustments that provide long-term certainty; an investor needs guarantees that the rules of the game will not change during the productive life of their plant. Water availability is a problem, and although industrial and human consumption are not the primary users — with agriculture being the largest consumer of fresh water — it is the factor that generates the most media and operational impact. 

The third fundamental pillar is talent. For a long time, the challenge was communication and cooperation with governments to train personnel at the technical levels required by modern processes. Mexico has transitioned from being a "maquiladora" country to being an industrial country. It no longer just manufactures harnesses; it now produces complex plastic injections, electronic components, and medical devices that require a more educated and specialized workforce. 

Q: Looking toward 2027, what key performance indicators (KPIs) will define Copachisa’s success in the transition to electromobility and industrial infrastructure, specifically considering your automotive clients? 

A: The primary indicator will be the delivery speed of the digital twin. There is now a natural lag between the completion of construction and the update of the model for the client’s use , focused on accuracy and maintenance. Our challenge for 2027 is to make that delivery practically immediate, ideally within the same month the construction phase concludes. 

Another determining factor will be our ability to capitalize on the hybrid segment. Although the ultimate goal is the 100% EV, the market is temporarily returning to the hybrid model due to battery range limitations. Success will be measured by how much we manage to attract from this new segment, ranging from the construction of battery plants, where we have already successfully begun, to the development of lines for specific components, such as new independent in-wheel motor systems. 

Q: Beyond the technical aspects, how do you define success for Copachisa, and what do you want the brand to represent in the industrial corridor of Mexico and North America? 

A: Absolute success is fulfilling the mission established by our founder: to be a place where our collaborators achieve their personal and professional ambitions while we contribute to Mexico’s growth and give back to society. We seek to generate value that makes us sustainable over time, exceeding our clients' expectations and providing a fair return to our investors.

The key lies in our human capital. Copachisa is a design and construction services company; we do not sell a finished off-the-shelf product, but rather talent and technological management applied to infrastructure. Our main asset is not the cranes or the machinery, but the talent of our people. If the employee is motivated and we fulfill our value promise to the client, financial results and brand recognition follow naturally. Success for us is harmonizing profitability with sustainability across social, environmental, and governance spheres.