An interview with Index Reynosa President Raúl Setién

Reynosa, Tamaulipas - The State of Tamaulipas will have to improve the educational attainment level of its students if it is to land a giant manufacturing plant similar to Tesla in Nuevo León.This is the view of Index Reynosa President Raúl Setién. Index is the trade association for the maquiladora industry. “You mentioned Nuevo León. Nuevo León has been mentioned many times because of the Tesla investment. And Tesla, probably, as we heard before, took into account different factors. One of them is the level of education of the people that are in the area,” Setién told the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service.“Monterey has the Tecnológico de Monterrey which is recognized (as an excellent) professional school, a university. So that's one of the factors. So that's why, in our objectives, we're trying to strengthen the liaison that we have with the universities (in Tamaulipas), trying to make sure that we communicate continually so the preparation of the students or the professionals are in line with what we need in the industry.”Setién said the maquiladora industry always needs more skilled workers. “It (the maquiladora industry) is centered of continuous development skills and more knowledge and specialties and specific activities that we have inside of the plants. So it's a great opportunity, but definitely we need to do more in education.”Asked if the universities and colleges in Tamaulipas that Index is talking to appreciate the importance of producing a better skilled workforce, Setién said:“Definitely. They are very interested, not only the universities but the authorities also. The communications that I mentioned before, with the the secretary of development in the State… we always talk about this important aspect to make sure that we continue growing.”Setién gave his interview at Index Reynosa’s annual Día del Periodista (Day of the Journalist) event at the Holiday Inn Zone Dorada in Reynosa. The subject of Tesla's Monterrey gigafactory had come up in a Guardian question about Tamaulipas' chances of benefitting from the near-shoring phenomenon. Setién had earlier given his annual report to journalists.The three key topics Setién outlined in his report were security, labor and energy.  He gave a condensed version of these topics in his interview with the Guardian.Setién said there are currently 157 maquiladora companies operating in Reynosa. Of these, 134 are members of Index. The 157 companies employ around 130,000 workers.Asked by the Guardian if the maquiladora industry was growing in Reynosa, Setién said: “Well, as I mentioned, we call it organic growth, which means plants that are here are growing. I mentioned investments, over $200 million over the next few years. Next year, we expect $4,250 new jobs in the area. So, we are still growing.”Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.