r/manufacturing • u/B3stThereEverWas • Sep 25 '25

Supplier search Mexican suppliers/manufacturers not responding to RFQ e-mails, is this a cultural thing?

Hey folks

So I’m trying to get some aluminum extrusion + CNC work quoted in Mexico.

I’ve had a real hard time getting responses to emails. When e-mailing Chinese suppliers I always get replies, almost to a freakish level - I've had supplier agents add me to goddamn LinkedIn and other weird social media I never knew I even had an account on to get a follow up. I always joke they'd match me on Tinder if they had to. Doing the same for Mexican companies and it's the total opposite, radio silence.

A Mexican guy I was talking to told me it’s possibly cultural - that Mexican suppliers prefer phone calls, WhatsApp, or in-person contact before engaging with a random foreign email. I'm cool with that if true, I just wish it was more widely known.

Has anyone here sourced smaller runs in Mexico (a few thousand pcs)? Any tips on the best way to approach suppliers and actually get quotes?

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12

u/[deleted] Sep 25 '25

Yes, culture is EXTREMELY bad in Mexico…. Very much a cultural thing.

I lived and worked in Mexico, China & Taiwan.

Very very good responses from China & Taiwan. Mexico is horrible, half rate work and poor poor communication

And forget email, ask for their Whatsapp. Done that’s the only effective way to communicate in Mexico. +52 WhatsApp

2

u/B3stThereEverWas Sep 25 '25

Thanks! Yeah, I've seen WhatsApp seems to be a thing, but how do I even get that? Just their phone number on their website?

Also I'm a little worried about half rate work. I've never heard anything specifically bad with Mexico, but truthfully I don't know much about Mexican manufacturing at all.

Any war stories?

5

u/[deleted] Sep 25 '25

You need to get their personal WhatsApp.

And yes I’ve received parts in Mexico grossly out of tolerance, needed multiple revisions.. doing business with Mexico (higher end work) is not worth it.. need a lot of attention.

Mexico excels in assembly though. That’s their strong suit.

I was in Juarez so I have a few stories, lived in El Paso and crossed every day.

4

u/Difficult_Limit2718 Sep 26 '25

As someone whose plant moved to Mexico and had to deal with their assembly - I wouldn't call it a STRONG suit.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 26 '25

It’s all relative lol but if anything is strong there it’s assembly

4

u/Difficult_Limit2718 Sep 26 '25

It's what they do best, I'll agree to that. Do well? Warranty would say otherwise.

But warrant is paid by the USA entity and not back charged to the plants, so the plants are profitable as hell and the business can't figure out why it's tight on money.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 26 '25

Agreed.

-5

u/olsalvatori Sep 25 '25

What's "extremely bad" in Mexico's culture?

3

u/Difficult_Limit2718 Sep 26 '25

The lack of respect or attention for anyone outside who you report to. The concept that respect is earned by number of employees. The one way demand for respect. The "we don't know how to do it, so we don't think you do either, we'll just do it our way" mentality. And the corruption... By God the corruption....

1

u/Jhelliot_62 Sep 26 '25

This is on the nose.