Samsung opens Mexico appliance plant

Samsung Electronics Co.’s Mexican operation has opened a home appliance factory in Queretaro, a city 200 kilometers (120 miles) northeast of Mexico City. Samsung Electronics said the factory can produce about 500,000 units of home appliances, like refrigerators, washing machines and air conditioners per year.
At the plant’s opening ceremony a Mexican government official delivered a speech on behalf of President Vicente Fox, who was unable to attend because of a recent back surgery. The president expressed his country’s interest in setting a free trade agreement with Korea and encouraged further investment in Mexico by Korean companies, Samsung said.
“Mexico is a potential market of 130 million people with a per capita gross domestic product of around $6,000,” said Jeong Jong-mun, head of Samsung Electronics’s Mexican operations.

by Kim Hyo-jin