TMASC Update

On November 13, 2009 Bexar County Economic Development Executive Director David Marquez presented to the Free Trade Alliance Mexico Group breakfast in San Antonio.  David updated the group on the TMASC initiative and our progress toward creating a more regionally-united vehicle manufacturing sector.

The presentation slides (available for download here) incorporate new data on the region’s competitiveness and resiliency amid difficult economic times.  The presentation also highlights continued corporate  investment in the region broadly and the automotive sector specifically.  To view the presentation online, visit the TMASC blog.

Defend Texas Jobs in Sealy

November 3, 2009 - BAE Systems’ plant in Sealy, Texas faces a very real and frightening threat of closure based on the U.S. Army’s recent decision not to renew a contract for the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) manufactured at the Sealy plant since 1992.

The Army recently announced a new contact with Oshkosh Corporation in place of a renewed contract with BAE Systems and the 3,000 experienced Texas workers currently manufacturing the FMTV.  BAE is protesting the contract decision, citing a faulty bid process.  You can learn more here.

Through 17 years of production experience on the FMTV, BAE has incorporated supply chain and manufacturing efficiencies that lower the production turn-around time without compromising quality: the vehicles produced by BAE Systems earn the Army’s “ultra reliable” descriptor. Read more...

Texas-Mexico Automotive SuperCluster (TMASC) Region

The Texas-Mexico Automotive SuperCluster Region (TMASC) is a collaborative marketing strategy aimed at developing and diversifying the automotive industry throughout the Border’s five-state region to generate long-term economic benefits.

A result of TIP Strategies’ Texas/Northeastern Mexico Vehicle Manufacturing Industry study, TMASC was created to leverage the changing geography of automotive assembly and automotive markets in North America, as well as build upon the region’s existing global brands and innovative assets.

Already well-positioned, the region hosts nine global vehicle manufacturers and over 200 Tier 1 original equipment suppliers who employ 133,000 workers and occupy almost 37 million square feet of facilities. To complement production strength, the region provides companies with a strategic logistics infrastructure to move Asian and Latin American goods into production facilities and to move finished goods into central, centraleastern and Atlantic markets.

On November 13, 2008, Bexar County sponsored the Texas-Mexico Automotive conference in San Antonio, Texas, which presented the study and findings to strategic economic development partners and government entities located in Texas and Northeastern Mexico. A consensus was formed with regards to the viability of TMASC as a major economic driver for future regional development and a regional strategy for the future automotive industry.