Integration in the steel industry between Mexico and the United States: Marcelo Ebrard

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Integration in the steel industry between Mexico and the United States: Marcelo Ebrard

29 enero, 2025

English

Integration in the steel industry between Mexico and the United States has not been carried out with the best of strategies, questioned Marcelo Ebrard, Secretary of Economy.

Mexico ranked as the first destination for U.S. exports of steel and its manufactures in the first 11 months of 2024, with 14,044 million dollars, which implies an inter-annual increase of 5.4 percent.

Conversely, in the same period, Mexico was the third largest supplier of these products to the U.S. market, with 9,661 million dollars, a decrease of 8.6 percent, below Canada and China.

Steel industry between Mexico and the United States

Participating in the 85th Annual General Assembly of the American Society of Mexico, in Mexico City, Ebrard said Wednesday that Mexico and the United States have placed tariffs on each other in the steel sector.

“We are in deficit, North America; but we keep putting tariffs on each other,” said the official.

Below is the trend of U.S. exports of steel and its manufactures to Mexico, in millions of dollars, according to Commerce Department data:

2018: 10,132.
2019: 9,519.
2020: 8,137.
2021: 11,795.
2022: 13,885.
2023: 14,314.
2024 (January-November): 14,044.

Productive and commercial integration

“What is wrong with these friends? Why do they both keep picking each other’s eyes if they are in deficit? Why don’t we organize ourselves so as not to be in deficit? Well, we have to solve these kinds of things,” Evrard added at the event.

According to him, Mexican steel represents 2% of the U.S. market, while U.S. steel represents 14% of the Mexican market.

“We make life difficult for the automotive and aeronautical industries (…) Every time we put a tariff on steel, you give a blow to your own company,” Ebrard criticized.

Here is the behavior of U.S. imports of steel and its manufactures originating in Mexico, in millions of dollars:

2018: 7,261.
2019: 7,128.
2020: 6,559.
2021: 10,879.
2022: 13,491.
2023: 11,337.
2024 (January-November): 9,661.

From around the world, U.S. imports of steel and its manufactures were $74.585 billion from January to November 2024, while its corresponding exports globally were $39.755 billion.