Hardware Podcasts

Nearshoring Manufacturing from Asia to Mexico: Risks, Rewards, and Realities w/ Matt Hannula

The Manufacturing Executive · 7 Oct 2025 · Episode 288

What this episode covers

Matt Hannula, CEO of Tinker Tin, explains the strategic decision to nearshore manufacturing from China to Mexico, citing quality control, speed, and geopolitical risks as primary drivers. He details how Tinker Tin scaled to $20 million in revenue by leveraging facilities in San Diego and Mexico to serve brands like Boot Barn and Red Bull, avoiding the complexities and hidden costs of overseas shipping. Hannula emphasizes the importance of overcoming cultural 'good enough' mindsets through rigorous engineering standards and building redundant, diversified supply chains to mitigate risk.

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Tinker Tin, Boot Barn, Red Bull, Maxi Cozy, Gorilla 76
Also
USMCA

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • EMS@C-LEVEL · 24m

    EMS@C-Level 2022 Season, episode 13 - USA or Mexico with Benchmark Electronics

    Pete Stanius, Vice President of America's South at Benchmark Electronics, and Jennifer McAlpine, Product Marketing Manager, discuss the strategic shift in manufacturing geography from China to North America. They analyze the trade-offs between US and Mexico locations, highlighting factors like proximity to design, labor costs, and the impact of the USMCA. The conversation details Benchmark's dual-site strategy in Tijuana and Guadalajara, emphasizing how automation and emergency preparedness plans mitigate supply chain risks. Finally, they describe the evolution from transactional EMS to deep EMP partnerships, where engineering collaboration helps customers navigate component shortages and redesign products for availability.

    Manufacturing partners & offshoringSourcing & supply chain
    9 chapters

  • The Robo Success Podcast · 35m

    Ep. 15: Can Mexico Become Robotics’ Next Powerhouse? | The Robo Success Podcast

    Aldo Luevano, Chairman and Co-Founder of Roomie IT, explains how his company pivoted from consumer robotics to enterprise AI software due to the difficulty of proving ROI for humanoid robots in Latin America's low-labor-cost market. He argues that Mexico is positioned to become a strategic robotics manufacturing hub for the U.S. by leveraging low tariffs and compliance advantages to produce components like actuators and servo motors, or full robots, avoiding Chinese supply chain risks. Luevano highlights that while R&D capabilities in Mexico are strong, the region lacks the deep-pocketed investors needed for hardware development, making partnerships with U.S. design partners and Silicon Valley investors critical for scaling.

    Robotics & autonomyValidation & product-market fit
    7 chapters

  • EMS@C-LEVEL · 22m

    VEXOS Launches Mexico Facility As Part of Global Growth Strategy - CEO Paul Jona Joins EMS@C-Level

    Paul Jona, President and CEO of VEXOS, announces the opening of a new 40,000 square foot factory in Juarez, Mexico, to support their global growth strategy and serve North American and European customers closer to home. The facility, scheduled to start production in late April, will initially run two Panasonic SMT lines and replicate the high-quality standards of their Markham, Canada, site through extensive training and shared software systems. Jona explains that this greenfield investment addresses geopolitical shifts and supply chain resilience, allowing VEXOS to offer regional production that reduces logistics fragility and improves sustainability. The company is also managing a post-pandemic inventory correction while onboarding 75 new customers across its expanded footprint of six facilities.

    Manufacturing partners & offshoringScaling production
    7 chapters

  • EMS@C-LEVEL · 6m

    BONUS - Koh Young's Ramon Hernandez talks all things Mexico at APEX 2023 - EMSNOW & SCOOP On Location

    Ramon Hernandez, Head of Sales and Service for Mexico and South America at Koh Young, discusses the manufacturing landscape in Mexico, highlighting growth in regions like Guadalajara, Chihuahua, and Tamaulipas driven by reshoring and nearshoring trends. He explains how Koh Young addresses talent shortages by promoting internally and leveraging Industry 4.0 technologies like CaseMar to help small EMS providers automate processes. The conversation covers labor inflation, the importance of company culture in retaining staff, and the current lack of domestic EMS players in the region.

    Manufacturing partners & offshoringHiring & workforce
    6 chapters

  • The Builder Circle · 1h 17m

    S2 E9: Global Supply Chain Strategy with Ying Liu

    Ying Liu, CEO of BlueLake Packaging and former Apple supply chain leader, explains how to navigate outsourcing versus insourcing by evaluating company stage, product complexity, and team skills. She details the critical metrics for selecting global suppliers, including project management capability, willingness to handle engineering change requests, and quality culture, while warning against IP risks with turnkey vendors. Liu shares her experience scaling Apple’s China operations from zero to high volume, emphasizing that quality must be designed in from day one and that startups must budget for hardware iteration errors and leave runway for changes.

    Manufacturing partners & offshoringScaling production
    8 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by The Manufacturing Executive. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.