Q: How prepared is Mexico’s industrial base and energy infrastructure to absorb an electricity demand that is already growing at 2.5% annually, and is projected to double or even triple in the coming decades?
A: The core challenge is less about generation capacity alone and more about infrastructure, the physical networks needed to move and distribute energy at the scale the country requires. Mexico has untapped growth potential, but that potential is constrained by infrastructure limitations. States in the Bajío corridor, for example, could attract and support considerably more industrial activity if adequate energy capacity were available. Infrastructure is the binding constraint.
Q: What role do Siemens’ electrification and automation capabilities play in addressing this growth in demand?
A: The fundamental shift on electrification and automation we are navigating is the increasing complexity of energy networks. The era of a single centralized generator supplying an entire region is largely behind us. Today’s grids incorporate multiple renewable sources, distributed generation, and bidirectional flows, and managing that complexity intelligently is one of the most significant challenges in the sector.
The Spain-Portugal blackout is an instructive example: two-thirds of the Iberian Peninsula’s energy disappeared in seconds. In retrospect, the tools to have anticipated and mitigated that event existed. AI, applied to grid monitoring and prediction, can provide that kind of foresight, but it requires the right data infrastructure, and the willingness to invest in systems that are proactive rather than reactive.
Q: What would a more predictive approach to energy challenges look like for a country like Mexico, and what practical steps can the country take to move in that direction?
A: The technology exists; what is often missing is the decision to take the first step. Mexico is sometimes characterized as being behind in areas like solar energy, but that framing misses an important point: being a late adopter means you can deploy leading-edge technology immediately, without having to maintain aging infrastructure built 20 or 30 years ago. The learning curve has already been paid by others. Mexico is commiting, hence it can move faster and more efficiently than markets that began earlier.
My practical recommendation is to start with data. Instrument your electrical installations, build a picture of how energy is actually flowing through your systems, and then use that data as the foundation for intelligent decision-making. Energy efficiency is one of the most significant and underexploited opportunities in Mexican industry.
A large portion of the country’s industrial infrastructure was built in earlier decades and has never been optimized. There is substantial value to be captured, and it does not require radical new investment to start. It requires the willingness to take that first step.
Q: Siemens’ Mitras plant recently achieved Platinum LEED certification and the “Hecho en México” designation. What do these certifications signal about Mexico’s industrial ambitions, and how do they connect to the company’s broader sustainability commitments?
A: These certifications represent a genuine commitment, not a marketing exercise. Siemens has pledged to achieve carbon neutrality across its operations by 2030, and building a new facility without embedding energy efficiency and sustainability into its design from the outset would make that objective impossible to reach. The LEED Platinum certification is the physical expression of that commitment.
These standards are not just internal aspirations, they are increasingly the entry requirement for global commercial relationships. We have had international clients approach us not to ask about our technical capabilities or pricing, but specifically to ask what percentage of clean energy we use in our production processes. Sustainability is becoming a procurement criterion, not a differentiator. If you want access to global markets, you need to meet global standards. That is the reality, and it is one we are actively building toward across all our new developments.
Q: How much of what is produced at your Mexican facilities is exported, and what does that tell us about Mexico’s role in global manufacturing?
A: The export intensity is quite high. About 90% of all products manufactured in our Monterrey facility is exported, as is about 86% of products from our plants in Queretaro. That reflects both the quality of what is being produced here and the demand from global customers who have come to rely on Mexican manufacturing.
Having a strong production presence in Mexico also benefits the domestic market. The more we produce, the more we connect with international clients who bring their own ideas, requirements, and expectations. That exposure raises the capabilities of everyone involved, including suppliers, engineers, and operators, helping build a manufacturing ecosystem that is genuinely competitive at a global level.
The glocalization imperative has also grown stronger in the context of current geopolitical dynamics. When global supply chains are disrupted, as they have been repeatedly in recent years, having production close to the end market provides resilience. Our parent company in Germany has actively encouraged greater glocalization, and that direction aligns well with Mexico’s geographic advantages.
Q: How will you expand production capacity at your plan in Queretaro to address market demand?
A: The plant’s growth has been remarkable, and it reflects a broader story about electrification demand. We are now capacity-constrained, as there is more market demand than we can fulfill. Data centers represent a growing portion of that demand: Mexico, and Queretaro in particular, has become a major data center hub, and those facilities require substantial electrical infrastructure that needs to be delivered and serviced with a high level of reliability and speed. We understand the specific requirements well, and our ability to offer around-the-clock service within the region is a meaningful competitive advantage.
Our expectation is that electrification demand will continue growing at its current pace through at least 2030 and beyond. A capacity expansion investment is not a question of whether, but when, and the sooner the better.
Q: What signals give Siemens the confidence to continue investing in Mexico, given the uncertainty of recent years?
A: Siemens has operated in Mexico for more than 130 years and has navigated considerably more turbulent periods than the present one. The fundamental conviction has not changed.
What we focus on is the long-term structural picture: Mexico’s geographic position, its workforce, its manufacturing capabilities, and the enormous infrastructure development needs that will require exactly what we provide. Rather than reacting to short-term political or economic noise, we invest in the conditions that make the market work well over time, which for us means supporting universities, running dual education programs that give young people practical experience alongside their studies, developing local suppliers, and investing in the communities around our factories.
We are also working to address a real gap in talent: the perception that electrical engineering means manual outdoor work. Modern electrical engineering is fundamentally about designing intelligent, complex networks, with software, AI, and data at its center. We are actively working with educational institutions to change that narrative.
The EcoTech sustainability certification that our Queretaro products carry, alongside the Made in Mexico designation, reflects this same long-term orientation. Close to 40% of the energy we use at our Queretaro facilities comes from on-site solar generation. We reprocess all water used in our operations. We have invested in native landscaping and green spaces. These are not peripheral activities, they are part of what it means to operate with a genuine long-term commitment to a place.
Q: How is the architecture of electrical networks evolving to serve the specific demands of data centers, and where does Siemens fit in that picture?
A: Data centers represent a concentrated, continuous, and extremely demanding energy load,which creates specific challenges for the surrounding grid infrastructure that was not designed with that kind of density in mind. The physical infrastructure buildout is the primary constraint right now, and both the private sector and the Queretaro state government are investing heavily to close that gap.
From a technology standpoint, the trajectory is encouraging: today’s data centers are more energy-efficient than those built a decade ago, and the technology continues to improve. But the fundamental requirement, continuous, reliable power with no tolerance for interruption, means that data centers cannot rely on intermittent renewable sources alone. The path toward clean energy for data centers is real and being pursued, but it requires grid stability that comes from a well-designed mix of generation sources.
Siemens contributes across multiple dimensions: the electrical distribution infrastructure, building management, thermal control systems, and the data and AI-driven monitoring tools that help operators use energy more intelligently and detect issues before they become failures. The phone analogy is useful here: you do not wait for your device to break down before checking whether it is functioning properly. The same logic applies to complex electrical infrastructure, and the technology to make that possible exists today.
Q: How is Siemens supporting the mining sector in Mexico, where ESG and decarbonization requirements are intensifying?
A: We have a meaningful installed base in several mining operations, and our focus there is on helping existing operations become more efficient. The longer-term picture, however, is compelling. Every conversation about AI, battery storage, and advanced technology eventually leads back to minerals. The metals and materials required to build the infrastructure for the energy transition, as lithium, copper, cobalt, and others, come from mines. The mining sector is structurally important to everything the energy transition requires, and once a regulatory and investment framework that works for both the industry and the country is established, we expect activity to accelerate significantly. We are positioning ourselves to be prepared for that moment.
We have also moved deliberately toward a vertical market organization. Rather than approaching all clients through a generalist lens, we have dedicated teams that understand the specific needs, concerns, and decision-making drivers of each sector. Mining companies have different entry points and priorities than pharmaceutical manufacturers or data center operators. Understanding those differences, and speaking the language of each industry, is where we create real value beyond the product itself.
Q: If you had to name the central theme of Siemens’ next twelve months in Mexico, what would it be?
A: Connected growth with purpose. The electrification business needs to grow, not by doing fundamentally different things, but by doing more, and by ensuring that everything we deliver is increasingly intelligent and data-enabled. A proper analogy could be a modern car: when you start it, it runs through hundreds of diagnostic checks before it moves. That is the standard we are working toward for electrical infrastructure, not just equipment that operates, but equipment that is continuously monitored, self-aware, and prepared to perform when it matters.
The goal is not growth for its own sake. It is growth that creates real value for Mexico and for its people. We have the resources, the technology, and the local presence to make a genuine contribution to this country’s energy future. The opportunity is clear, and the technology to capture it exists today. The step that matters most is simply deciding to take it.
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