Mexican Medical Devices Suppliers Step Up During Global Crisis

The rapid increase of COVID-19 cases and the lack of supplies in the health sector in various countries has benefited the manufacturing industry and other productive sectors. The Mexican medical devices industry, the eighth-most important worldwide and the first in Latin America, has begun to use its productive capacity to supply internal and international demand for supplies in times of global emergency.

During recent weeks, the main products demanded have been masks, gloves, thermometers, beds, ventilators, oximeters (a device that measures oxygen levels in blood) and COVID-19 tests. As a result of COVID-19’s spread throughout the EU and the US, manufacturing companies have seen an increase in demand of medical supplies and have redoubled efforts to fill orders.

Mexico exports 91 percent of the medical equipment it manufactures to the US. An important part of these manufacturing companies operate in the Mexico-US border. Just in Tijuana, Baja California, there are 48 medical devices companies with a value of almost US$17 million. However, some medical devices companies are facing challenges. In an interview with the Spanish news agency EFE, the President of the Mexican Association of Innovative Industries of Medical Devices (AMID), Fernando Oliveros, acknowledged that he does not know until which point the industry will be able to maintain the flow of production chains in North America, in addition to supplying Mexico’s government. Also, current trade restrictions are beginning to difficult imports necessary during this emergency.

Aeroméxico Started Transfers of Protection Equipment for Health Professionals

During the pandemic, companies that do not traditionally work in healthcare are now supporting medical efforts. Due to the cancellations of commercial flights, Aeroméxico switched to the transportation of necessary medical equipment to deal with the pandemic. While some automotive companies including GM, Ford and Tesla have turned their operations around to manufacture ventilators, the Mexican airline is using its fleet to transport medical devices to different national and international destinations.

Last weekend, the airline made planes available to transport protection equipment for health staff to the Red Cross. Likewise, it reported that a first shipment has been sent to Chihuahua, Villahermosa, San Luis Potosi, Aguascalientes, Durango, Leon, Acapulco, Campeche and Zacatecas, as well as to Frankfurt, Germany.

This turn in the commercial activities of different companies shows the solidarity of some of them to face the current health crisis. However, once the emergency is over, they must find strategies that allow them to reactivate their activities and overcome the losses generated over the year.