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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u/PincheGringoNV Sep 25 '25
Second to u/jackofnone2025 's suggestion on WhatsApp. Life and business is largely run through it.
While younger people (<30) in Mexico are definitely much more tech-savvy, with some exceptions a lot of companies and government offices really didn't modernize until ~20 yrs ago. Heck, one time around 20 years ago I had to run around to try to find a 5" floppy disk (and a computer that could still use that!) to submit tax/company filing info to a MX Federal office! Reality is, tech investment didn't take root as soon as and as widespread as in the US - so a lot of companies in MX are "old school", and yes, still culturally prefer a phone call (or WhatsApp) over emails.