Mexican Customs Gets a Makeover H ow bad is security and theft in Mexico? So bad that Customs is GLOBALLOGISTICS ‹ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21
The government hopes to improve its tax collection with the new system, Canabal says, noting that more than 40 percent of Mexico’s value-added tax is collected at customs. The primary ben- efit, however, will be stopping the flood of pirated and cheap goods that under- mine Mexican industries. The new agents, more than 70 per- cent of whom are university educated, underwent a strict selection process that included psychological and toxicological checks, as well as criminal background checks. They are trained in legal aspects
of foreign trade and taught to use new equipment installed at border crossings. Dogs trained to sniff out drugs and other banned goods are also being added. Previously, Mexico had been checking only 10 percent of the 230,000 vehicles that cross the border each day, according to the federal Attorney General’s Office. Now, with new technology, agents weigh and photograph every car and truck that crosses the border and run license plate numbers through a data- base of suspicious vehicles in the hopes of catching more hidden contraband.
starting from scratch. The government recently replaced all 700 of its customs inspectors with 1,400 newly trained agents to detect goods smuggled into the country to avoid import duties. The shake-up–part of a broader effort to root out corruption and improve vigilance at Mexican ports with new technology–doubles the size of Mexico’s customs inspection force, accord- ing to Pedro Canabal, Mexico’s Tax Administration Service spokesman.
As The Wind Blows D emand for renewable energy sources worldwide is precipitating a global gale-force storm, and the forecast for the wind industry is pretty clear: steady long-term growth with periods of calm. Wind component manufacturing is now showing its long-promised growth and market development, with record levels of capacity under construction, according to UK-based analyst Douglas-Westwood’s latest World Offshore Wind Report 2009-2013 . The industry’s growth is stimulating economic development as well as the need for transportation and distribution infrastructure and resources to facilitate increasing demand. Deployment rates will grow in the near term, with levels of installed capacity peaking in 2011, and declining slightly in 2012 and 2013, the firm anticipates. Capital expenditures through 2013 will amount to US $31 billion as 6.6 gigawatts (GW) of new capac- ity are installed globally. With 1.5 GW of capacity currently online, this represents significant market growth and will lead to an
annual capital expenditure of more than US $9 billion at peak. In terms of specific markets, Douglas-Westwood reports:
The United States has made great progress in establishing the necessary mechanisms to develop offshore wind projects. Supply chain development must now follow suit, and work
The United Kingdom is dominant, with three GW of new capacity forecast by 2013 — a market worth US $15 billion. Long-term prospects are good, with round three of offshore wind licensing underway. Recent changes to the Renewables Obligation Certificate mechanism — a green certificate issued to an accredited generator for eligible renewable electricity generated by suppliers and distributed to customers within the UK — have projects finally moving forward. This temporary boost will, however, have a mixed effect and drive up costs throughout the supply chain.
New projects off Denmark currently under construction and tendering will see the country add 857 megawatts of new capacity in the five-year outlook. Longer-term potential is strong as the country benefits from good wind resources in shallow waters.
is needed in procurement, installation, and logistics support.
Germany will be the second-biggest player in the forecast period, installing more than 1.5 GW of capacity. Strong market mechanisms helped Germany kick off what will be one of the biggest markets in the world for the next decade. Strong supply chain development has already taken place and the country is gaining significant value from offshore wind.
22 Inbound Logistics • September 2009
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