Nearshoring Without New Plants: How Existing Factories in Querétaro Are Growing

Querétaro’s industrial growth doesn’t always start with a new company arriving or the groundbreaking of a new facility. A portion of investment also occurs within operations that have been established in the state for years, today adding capacity, technology, specialized processes, and production space.

Available data highlight the significance of this dynamic. According to Data México, a platform from the Ministry of Economy, Querétaro received $1.055 billion in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) between January and December 2024. Of this total, $946 million corresponded to reinvestment of profits, compared to $24.6 million classified as new investments.

This figure doesn’t mean all reinvestment was allocated to machinery, lines, or physical expansions. However, it does show that the flow of foreign capital was heavily concentrated in profits reinvested by companies with a prior presence.

Safran Expands Production Capacity in Querétaro

One of the clearest examples is found in the aerospace industry. In November 2024, Safran announced the expansion of its engine production capacity in Querétaro.

The project incorporated an additional 4,300 square meters of operational buildings and 8,500 square meters of logistics warehouses. The new capabilities were dedicated to the final assembly of fans and turbines to support the increased production of CFM LEAP engines.

The company estimated the creation of 150 jobs. Prior to the expansion, Safran Aircraft Engines Mexico had 26,000 square meters of operational space and 650 employees.

ITP Aero Modernizes High-Value Processes

Expansion also occurs through technology and internalization of processes. In October 2025, ITP Aero announced an investment exceeding five million euros to reinforce the capabilities of its engine test bench in Querétaro.

The company implemented its own quality and data acquisition systems. With this, it assumed integral responsibility for the testing process: engine reception, testing, results certification, and return to clients.

This project showcases a relevant dimension of industrial growth: not just producing more, but incorporating technical functions and specialized services within existing facilities.

More Capacity Within a Consolidated Industrial Base

These cases identify several forms of expansion that can go unnoticed when analysis focuses solely on new plants:

• Expansion of operational and logistics areas
• Incorporation of specialized processes
• Technological modernization
• Increased production and maintenance capacity
• Internalization of functions previously performed outside local operations

For Querétaro, this dynamic is significant due to the accumulated presence of global companies in sectors such as aerospace, automotive, manufacturing, and industrial technologies.

A New Stage of Nearshoring in Querétaro?

Not every business expansion can be automatically attributed to

. Investment decisions also respond to demand growth, global production programs, maintenance needs, operational efficiency, and corporate strategies.

However, reinvestment offers a key insight for Querétaro: production relocation can advance on existing infrastructure. An established company already has trained personnel, suppliers, regulatory knowledge, logistical connections, and accumulated operational experience.

The next chapter of the state’s industrial growth might be measured less by the number of new plants and more by what happens within existing ones: additional square meters, incorporated equipment, engineering processes, expanded capacity, and new functions within global supply chains.

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