Coparmex Nuevo Laredo promotes SMEs toward the USMCA

Coparmex Nuevo Laredo presented the Business Competitiveness Program: a strategy aimed at strengthening the capacity of MSMEs in the new USMCA environment, with the goal of developing a model that, in the initial phase, will be implemented at the regional level and may subsequently be proposed as a nationwide pilot project, according to information released by the business organization.

The initiative arises in response to a call by Coparmex Nacional to use the annual review of the trade agreement as an opportunity to boost productivity, drive innovation, and increase the participation of Mexican companies in North American value chains.

The organization highlighted that Nuevo Laredo accounts for more than 40% of land-based trade between Mexico and the United States and approximately 36% of the country’s foreign trade operations—figures the organization attributes to institutional data used to underscore the city’s significance in trade, although these percentages have not been independently verified.

The program begins with the implementation of the Business Competitiveness Index (ICE), a digital self-assessment tool that takes approximately seven to twelve minutes to complete and evaluates corporate, corporate governance, contractual, and compliance aspects to identify strengths and areas for improvement within companies.

The long-term vision includes the creation of a Coparmex Business Competitiveness System and a Coparmex Business Competitiveness Seal to recognize organizations that adopt processes of institutionalization and continuous improvement.