Is there a crisis of ‘godmothers’ in the transfer of cars in Mexico?

Odracir Barquera, director of the Mexican Association of the Automotive Industry, expressed his concern about this problem in the middle of the year. “There is a great shortage of car nannies, not only in Mexico, but also in the United States.”

This phenomenon has worsened in recent months and has had a significant impact on freight costs, with increases that, according to Gerardo Macías, Sales Manager of the Suzuki car division, reach 100%.

In the past, in situations of shortage of nurses, manufacturers used the “self-drive” method to remove vehicles from the docks. However, Barquera said that this practice is currently limited, which leads to a greater need to find long-term solutions, such as buying more nannies.

Guillermo Rosales, president of the Mexican Association of Automotive Distributors, and some manufacturers point out that “the existing supply of mothers does not immediately respond to the need that is needed at this time.” The wait for the production of godmothers, estimated by Macías de Suzuki, 18 to 24 months. “If I go now and pay money for a godmother, they will give her to me in two years,” he said.

In addition, the alternatives to buy a witch are limited. Car manufacturers are looking for suppliers in Puebla and elsewhere in the United States.

Own nannies run by third parties

In response to this problem, some Chinese manufacturers have begun to explore importing godmother structures from their country of origin to speed up the process. “The only way to guarantee the availability of godmothers is for them to be mine,” said a person with knowledge of the matter.

However, the ban that only allows Mexican citizens and Mexican companies to provide transportation services has led some companies to consider the option of running their customs agents on acquired transporters. This strategy will allow manufacturers to have control over conveyors while complying with local regulations.

“If we import the structure and pay the tax, buy the chassis here in Mexico, then we have our own sponsors, and we are looking for a partner to operate it,” the source explained.