Agenda 2025, Day 1
Conference open for registration, networking and refreshments
Pick up your badge, explore the exhibition space, and enjoy a snack before a day packed with cutting-edge content and activities.
Welcome to Automotive Logistics & Supply Chain Mexico
Main stage - Keynote
Mexico & North America vehicle sales and production outlook
Hear the latest production and sales forecasts for Mexico and North America, with expert analysis on the market drivers and disruptors, including analysis of the impact of Chinese OEMs in the market, policy direction for Mexico’s new government, as well as implications from the US elections. Get data and insight into how they will influence domestic and international supply chains in Mexico.
Gerardo Gómez Gálvez
Senior Director & Country Manager Mexico
J.D. Power
Moderator:
Christopher Ludwig
Chief Content Officer
Automotive Logistics & Ultima Media
Main stage - Panel
Delivering under pressure: Driving logistics performance to meet nearshoring demand
Discover how nearshoring is driving new requirements in Mexico’s logistics network, heightening competition for logistics capacity and services, and increasing demand for investment into infrastructure, security, equipment and skills.
As carmakers and component manufactures continue to invest in Mexico, logistics leaders must contend with rising pressure, new players entering the market and intense competition for logistics capacity and services. Hear how nearshoring activities are driving new requirements in Mexico’s logistics network, including increased demand for transport and multimodal solutions, cross-border services and warehousing, as well as improvements in logistics security and quality. Learn more about which investments in infrastructure, capacity and skills will be essential to keep pace with demand.
Chris Styles
Vice President, Supply Chain Management, North America
Nissan
Helen Quirke
Vice President Supply Chain & Business Development
Canadian National
Tom Kretschmer
Vice President of Sales
Ryder System Inc.
Moderator:
Christopher Ludwig
Chief Content Officer
Automotive Logistics & Ultima Media
Networking, meetings and exhibition
Main stage - Keynote
Driving automotive growth in the State of Mexico
The Secretary of Economic Development for the State of Mexico will share her vision for economic growth, outlining the major plans, policies and programmes that will drive sustainable and long-term investments and generate employment opportunities from new and existing automotive manufacturers, logistic service providers and key stakeholders in the automotive value chain.
Laura González Hernández
Secretary of Economic Development
State of Mexico
Moderator:
Christopher Ludwig
Chief Content Officer
Automotive Logistics & Ultima Media
Main stage - Keynote
Global vision, local excellence
Hear how Audi is developing its global logistics and supply chain strategy and understand more about the carmaker’s vision for achieving high performing and electrified automotive logistics, including through sustainability, digitalisation, automation and localisation across its operations – a strategy that it is is implementing in Mexico, too.
Audi’s head of supply chain, Dieter Braun, will give an exclusive keynote that showcases the carmaker’s vision for logistics and operational excellence, including through advanced digitalisation and automation, reducing emissions and waste in transport, opportunities to localise supply and production, and through reducing unnecessary complexity. Dieter Braun will demonstrate the importance of having a global strategy, and how successful implementation of this plan will play such an important role in ensuring strong performance. As Audi Mexico further advances its production and supply chain, with plans for electrification and wider collaboration with its partners and the Volkswagen Group, this strategy will help it to meet its supply chain objectives and to remain competitive.
Dieter Braun
Head of Supply Chain
AUDI AG
Moderator:
Christopher Ludwig
Chief Content Officer
Automotive Logistics & Ultima Media
Main stage - Keynote & panel
Mastering Mexico’s supply chain unpredictability
Mexico’s logistics leaders face a growing mix of uncertainty, from geopolitical to extreme weather, new competition, policy and geopolitical uncertainty, making supply chain risk management, scenario planning and network agility more important than ever.
Francisco Bravo Gomez
Senior Director Supply Chain
Audi México
Mauro Rodrigo Gonzalez
President & Chief Commercial Officer
Ascent Global Logistics
Luca Winters
Head of Southern Border Operations
C.H. Robinson
Moderator:
Richard Logan
Senior Conference Producer
Automotive Logistics
Breakout - Workshop: Track and triumph
Improving finished vehicle logistics visibility
Join BMW and real-time visibility experts Cognosos in an interactive exploration of data-driven solutions to boost efficiency, close visibility gaps, and mitigate network capacity constraints, bottlenecks and growing uncertainty across Mexico’s evolving vehicle logistics network.
Mexico’s finished vehicle network is rapidly changing, with new players entering the market, increasing imports, and production shifting from the US to Mexican plants. Despite have successfully navigated recent extreme capacity shortages, carmakers continue to face bottlenecks at ports, VDCs and rail ramps and securing logistics capacity remains challenging, even with strategic partnerships and agreements in place. Improving visibility of the finished vehicle network is now vital for logistics planning, programme planning, streamlining vehicle movements and maximising capacity across transport modes.
With finished vehicle logistics leaders from BMW and real-time visibility specialists Cognosos, this interactive workshop will explore how data and improved network visibility can be used to increase the efficiency and performance of the vehicle supply chain, and give manufacturers greater control despite growing uncertainty and volatility in the market. Connect with fellow experts and join this dynamic breakout to
- Identify visibility gaps in the vehicle supply chain and solutions to address them
- Learn how to capture, share and leverage data across the vehicle logistics network, from carriers to ports, 3PLs, manufacturers and VDCs
- Explore FVL’s growing influence on production programming and opportunities to integrate information on vehicle logistics capacity, dwell times and disruptions into total supply chain management steering
- Discuss opportunities and practical use cases for digital tools and technology, including AI, to automate processes, speed up decision making and drive efficiency in vehicle logistics
Claudia de la Maza
Finished Vehicle Coordinator
BMW Group Plant San Luis Potosí
Mike Ueland
Chief Revenue Officer
Cognosos
Lunch & networking
Hosted by:
Main stage - Hitting the accelerator: Speeding up the vehicle supply chain
Hear how finished vehicle flows in Mexico are changing, as new carmakers enter the Mexican market, and OEMs redraw import, export and domestic distribution patterns. Understand how OEMs, port and logistics providers are responding to increase throughput and capacity, exploring alternative transport modes, locations and distribution routes.
Hector Martinez
Export Sales & CBU Logistics Department Head
Honda de México S.A. de C.V.
Carlos Eudave
Senior Manager, Finished Vehicle Logistics
Nissan Mexicana
Roberto Zavala
Vice President Mexico Operations
Wallenius Wilhelmsen
Kaizad Dalal
Head of Automotive – Mexico
Maersk
Moderator:
Christopher Ludwig
Chief Content Officer
Automotive Logistics & Ultima Media
Main stage - Keynote & panel
Gateway to success: Boosting throughput, capacity and connectivity at Mexico’s ports
As a global hub for vehicle and parts imports and exports, strengthening and streamlining Mexico’s port operations and customs processing and inspection services are critical for enabling free-flowing international trade, and efficient, reliable and competitive supply chains.
Mexico’s RORO and container ports are a cornerstone of the region’s supply chain and central to the country’s growing importance in the global automotive industry. However, rising volumes of parts and vehicles flowing in and out of the country mean that ports are operating at maximum capacity, causing deep congestion and disruption to imports, exports and onwards flows. Meanwhile, the challenges with the country’s new customs systems and vehicle inspection processes, along with restrictions to port operating hours are exacerbating delays and inefficiencies across Mexico’s logistics networks. In this session, hear how manufacturers, port operators and customs specialists are working together and investing in critical infrastructure and digital tools to increase throughput, maximise capacity and improve logistics links for seamless connections to road and rail services.
Bernardo Taboada Cortina
Head of Logistics Planning
Volkswagen de México
Felipe Quijano Montoya
Commercial Manager
ASIPONA Veracruz
Antonio Zepeda Torres
Commercial Director
CSI Group
Moderator:
Richard Logan
Senior Conference Producer
Automotive Logistics
Networking, meetings and exhibition
Main stage - Unified vision: Aligning government and the supply chain for Mexico’s automotive growth
Join key industry leaders and officials as they discuss how Mexico's new government and automotive stakeholders can unite to drive sustainable growth and innovation through localisation and resilient supply chains.
Mexico’s automotive industry is primed for continued growth through localisation, resilient supply chains and its creative workforce. To ensure that the industry reaches its potential, the new government in Mexico needs to align closely with automotive and supply chain stakeholders in Mexico and North America to address key issues that range from transport infrastructure investment and maintenance, energy supply and cargo security, to trade policy and preparing for electrification. In this session, hear from key industry leaders and officials on how government and industry must unify their vision and align policies and investments that will support sustainable growth in localisation and nearshoring in Mexico to enable Mexico’s automotive sector and the supply chain to flourish.
Lizette Gracida
Senior Director of External Affairs & Trade Compliance
Toyota México
Claudia Ávila Connelly
International trade, nearshoring & economic development expert
Francisco N. González Díaz
Executive President
Industria Nacional de Autopartes, A.C.
Victor Salazar
International CCO
Trayecto
Moderator:
Christopher Ludwig
Chief Content Officer
Automotive Logistics & Ultima Media
Automotive Logistics & Supply Chain Mexico Gala Dinner at Espacio R.
Exchange business cards and views on the day’s highlights and key discussion points whilst enjoying fantastic food and refreshing beverages at the spectacular Espacio R in the heart of Mexico City. The gala dinner provides the perfect forum to catch up with colleagues, connect with new and existing business partners and relax with a margarita or two!
Dress code - Business Casual
End of Day 1