• Nuevo Leon is located strategically along meridian 100.
• Its distance from the east coast of the United States is the same as its distance from the west coast of the United States.
• It is located along the main logistic corridor of North America, making it an ideal place for exporting to the United States while at the same time meeting the needs of the local market.
• The state is located near the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean.
• The capital city, Monterrey, is only 200 kilometers from the Texas border.
• It has direct access to the border towns of Colombia, Nuevo Leon, and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas.
• The Colombia International Bridge has the following characteristics:
  • Traffic capacity: 12,000 trailer trucks per day.
  • Actual current traffic: 33% (3,900 tractor trucks per day).
  • Average time to cross: 8 minutes.
  • Free Trade Zone: 332 hectares.

Infrastructure

• The availability of efficient railroad and highway networks.
• Direct access to Highway 57, a Mexican land route that becomes Interstate 35 on the U.S. side.
• A railroad system that is operated by private companies and has connections to the most important ports and cities in the United States.

Airports

• World class commercial airport in Apodaca, N.L.
• Approximately 190 direct flights each week to 10 cities in the United States: Atlanta, 28 weekly flights; Chicago, 14; Dallas, 28; Houston, 61; Las Vegas, 12; Los Angeles, 14; Miami, 7; New York, 4; and San Antonio, 13.
• New freight terminal (4,000 m²) with a capacity of handling 20,000 tons a year and the potential to duplicate that capacity.

Telecommunications Services

• Access to the latest communications technology.
• Extensive fiber optic network T1 and DSL; services provided by the following private groups: Telmex, Alestra (AT&T), and Avantel (MCI WorldComm).

Utilities and Industrial Infrastructure

• Abundant supply of natural gas in Monterrey; sources of natural gas supply located only 180 kilometers from the city.
• Excess supply of electrical energy.
• Availability of recycled water for industrial use (Monterrey treats 100% of used water).
• The capacity of available electrical supply exceeds demand by 2,350 MW.

Economic and Business Environment

• One of Mexico’s largest industrial economies, responsible for 6.9% of the country’s GNP.
• Produces 9.4% of the total goods produced in Mexico.
• Attracted $1.7 billion in direct foreign investment in 2002, or 11.9% of Mexico’s total direct foreign investment.  This generated 9,365 jobs.
• Monterrey was named the “Best city for doing business in Latina America” by Fortune magazine (Dec. 1999); the magazine America Economia, also categorized Monterrey as the city where it is easiest to conduct business, based on the existing cooperative effort between the economic and political sectors as well as the city’s attitude toward promoting new businesses.

World Class Level of Education

• The average number of years in school attendance is 9.2, compared to Mexico's national average which is 7.9 years.
• About 9.1% of the population has technical training compared to a 4.1% national average.
• About 20% of those 18 years of age or older have either post-secondary studies or a master’s degree or a doctorate, a figure significantly larger than the national average of 13%.
• About 68% of professionals have a specialization in engineering, administration, and social sciences.
• There are more than 30 institutions of higher learning with 124,000 students participating in professional and post-graduate studies.
  • Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL).
  • Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM), a leading university in Latin America and accredited by SACS.
  • Universidad de Monterrey (UDEM), accredited by SACS.
  • Universidad Regiomontana (UR)
  • IPADE y EGADE: Prestigious international schools with graduates in business.