Home > Mining > Insight

Magnetic Zacatecas Cluster Seeks Rapid Growth

Jaime Lomelín Guillén - Zacatecas Mining Cluste
President

STORY INLINE POST

Wed, 10/21/2015 - 11:43

share it

While the concept of clusters is nothing new in the mining industry, their growing presence across Mexico’s main mining regions shows that they are here to stay. However, this was not always the case as once prominent clusters in mining districts such as Parral lost importance over time. Modern clusters tend to stand out by being statewide and by looking to create a more resilient, embedded mining industry with a long-term development strategy. “As operating costs in the mining industry are on the rise, clusters aim to reduce costs by shortening the distance between suppliers and consumers while improving efficiency within the supply chain,” says Jaime Lomelín Guillén, President of the Zacatecas Mining Cluster (CLUSMIN), and Corporate Director for Grupo BAL. Founded in 2011, CLUSMIN’s main objective has been to improve cohesion in the industry, given that many of the companies operating in the state were working in silos and suffered from a lack of information. “For example, some of the mining companies operating in Zacatecas did not even know that there was a seal producer in the state, and were therefore sourcing for a supplier in Monterrey,” says Lomelín Guillén. “These sorts of connections can generate real savings for mining companies. It also helps the mining industry to operate more seamlessly by giving companies better access to local suppliers and service providers, who can in turn respond to their needs much more quickly.”

CLUSMIN has grown quickly, now boasting a membership count of around 45 companies, some of which have come from as far as San Luis Potosi, Durango, and Aguascalientes. A major attraction for CLUSMIN membership is the presence and active participation of the major mining companies operating in Zacatecas, such as Peñoles, Fresnillo, Grupo Mexico, and Goldcorp. Lomelín Guillén states that these anchor companies have been essential in attracting smaller companies to the cluster. The cluster is divided into five committees that focus on different areas of the industry: suppliers, human resources, health and safety, attracting investment, and innovation and technology. CLUSMIN is funded by the Council for the Industrial Development of Zacatecas. However, of all the different industrial clusters that sit under the Council, CLUSMIN has been developing the quickest, largely as a result of mining being the foremost industrial sector in the state. It also stands out among other mining clusters, since it has a bigger focus on underground mining, whereas the Sonora cluster is more focused on services for open-pit mines.

In essence, the role of CLUSMIN has been to spread the word about the elements that have contributed to Zacatecas becoming a major mining state. These include a number of factors, from geology and geography, to industry and the business environment. “For example, the state universities have excellent mining programs, ensuring the steady availability of mining engineers who are specialized in the regional geology of Zacatecas. Government support has also been evident in the government’s plans to construct several new industrial parks, many of which are focused on mining. One such example is the industrial park that has been constructed close to the airport, with Atlas Copco and Lasec already based there,” says the president of the cluster.

According to Lomelín Guillén, the positioning of Zacatecas in the center of Mexico and the state’s advantageous geology have been its major advantages. “Zacatecas represents an excellent opportunity to export from Mexico to the US and Canada, as well as to the rest of Latin America,” he points out. This is crucial for Lomelín Guillén, who laments the continued lack of advanced manufacturing in Mexico. Those major international companies that do have facilities in the country usually only use them for assembly and distribution, and both Lomelín Guillén and CLUSMIN would like to see this change. For this reason, one of CLUSMIN’s main objectives is to increase the proportion of major equipment being manufactured within the state. “The presence in Zacatecas of companies producing scoop trams, mine trucks, drilling equipment, and service equipment would not only benefit the mining industry, but also other local industries such as construction,” argues Lomelín Guillén. “The advantage for them is that they could produce more economically in Mexico than they can in more traditional locations such as Finland or Sweden. They would benefit from running their operations at lower cost, while also taking advantage of the exportation facilities. This will help make Mexico much more competitive when compared to Canada and the US.”

You May Like

Most popular

Newsletter