Mexico cuts freight and customs risk, but not every part belongs there. We quote the split, hold ±0.005 mm on machined features, and ship first articles in 3–5 days.
Most plans fail on part selection, not on geography.
You move a part family to a Mexican supplier, then discover the volume is 400 pieces a year. Setup gets amortized over too few parts, so the piece price climbs and the line waits on a machine slot that keeps moving.
A drawing with a 0.4 mm internal corner, a deep 3 mm slot, or a 0.05 mm flatness callout goes straight to quoting. Nobody flags it. The first article comes back out of spec and the launch date absorbs the rework.
Mexico machines the housing, Asia machines the insert. Hole positions are measured on different fixtures, the CMM reports do not line up, and assembly finds the mismatch after both lots are already on the floor.
Parts cross a border twice because finishing was quoted in a different country. Duty, brokerage and a week of transit turn a 12% labor saving into a wash, and nobody modeled the reverse leg.
Sort each part family before you send an RFQ anywhere.
Nearsourcing pays off on parts that are geometrically simple, made in steady volume, and expensive to move. Brackets, plates, weldments and housings with 3-axis access and loose cosmetic requirements are the natural fit. The freight saving is real, and a short truck leg beats an ocean container when the line runs weekly.
The same logic fails on a part with a 0.01 mm bore tolerance or a 5-axis contour. A Mexican shop may hold it, but you will be qualifying a new process on a deadline. If the feature is the reason the assembly works, keep the process where it is already proven and move something else.
A near-sourcing plan still needs one supply base that can hit the tolerances the design actually calls for. We run 16 simultaneous 5-axis centers and 16 mill-turn centers, so a part that needs four faces in one setup or a turned feature with cross-drilling does not get re-fixtured and re-datumed. That is where position error usually comes from.
For engineers building the split, the practical rule is: if the mating interface is a press fit or a bearing seat, hold it at ±0.005 mm in one shop and ship the finished part. Do not split a critical interface across two suppliers in two countries and expect the CMM reports to reconcile.
Use this as a first filter before the RFQ goes out.
| Part characteristic | Mexico / near shore | Asia precision machining |
|---|---|---|
| Simple 3-axis geometry | Best fit | Workable, freight adds cost |
| Position tolerance under 0.02 mm | Qualify first | Held at ±0.005 mm |
| Annual volume under 500 | Setup cost dominates | No minimum order quantity |
| 5-axis contour or mill-turn | Limited capacity | 16 five-axis, 16 mill-turn |
| Cosmetic anodized surface | Local finishing preferred | Anodizing and hardcoat in house |
| Bridge or first-article run | Slower to start | Production starts in 24 hours |
Six capabilities that keep a nearsourcing program moving.
Simultaneous 5-axis for contoured surfaces, deep pockets and parts that need four or five faces in one setup. Ø400 mm rotary table available.
3-axis and 4-axis milling plus mill-turn centers for turned parts with cross features. Tolerances held to ±0.005 mm where the print calls for it.
First articles and bridge quantities before tooling is committed. Quotation and free DFM analysis within 12 hours of upload.
Brackets, panels and chassis work that pair with machined interfaces. Good candidates for the near-shore leg of a split program.
Anodizing, electroless nickel, zinc plating, powder coating, bead blasting and laser marking to a 1.5 mm minimum character height.
ADC12 and magnesium castings for housings where the machined features are limited to a few critical interfaces.
Numbers engineers ask for on the first call.
| Item | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum part size | 4,000 mm | Large-travel machines |
| Tightest tolerance | ±0.005 mm | ±0.0002 in |
| Fine finish | Ra 0.2–0.8 μm | As-machined is Ra 1.6–3.2 μm |
| Aluminum | 6061-T6, 7075, 2024, ADC12 | Also 5052, 5083, 6063, 6082 |
| Stainless | 303, 304, 316L, 17-4PH | Plus 420, 430, 440C |
| Titanium | TC4 (Ti-6Al-4V), TA1, TA2 | Inconel and magnesium on request |
| Order size | 1 to 10,000+ | No minimum order quantity |
Six facts that decide whether a split program holds schedule.
Three wholly-owned plants and 7,600 m² of manufacturing space built around prototype-to-production transitions, not one-off jobs.
16 five-axis, 12 four-axis, 27 three-axis, 16 mill-turn. Capacity exists to absorb a ramp without moving your part to a new supplier.
Tolerance is held on the machine and confirmed by inspection. 100% inspection before shipment, with reports on request.
Upload a model and we return pricing plus a manufacturability read within 12 hours. Production can start within 24 hours of release.
Raw material check, in-process monitoring and final inspection feed a qualification rate measured across shipped lots.
Scheduling is built around the historical late-delivery probability staying below 2%, which is why we quote 3–5 day shipping.
Powertrain and bracket parts where process control is audited, not assumed.
Housings and shafts that need four faces machined in one setup.
Linkages and joint housings with contoured surfaces and tight bore spacing.
Enclosures and heat-sink interfaces finished to cosmetic requirements.
Send parts with simple 3-axis geometry, loose cosmetic calls and steady volume to the closer plant. Freight and duty savings are real there.
Keep anything with a position tolerance under 0.02 mm, a bearing seat, or a 5-axis contour in a shop where that process is already running. Qualifying a new process on a launch deadline is the expensive part, not the labor rate.
Agree on datums and inspection method before either shop cuts chips. Put the datum scheme on the drawing and state the fixture assumption in the purchase order.
Better still, avoid splitting a critical interface. If the mating features interact, machine them in one setup at one supplier and ship a finished part.
±0.005 mm (±0.0002 in) on machined features, confirmed by inspection before shipment. That is a production number, not a one-off best result.
Surface finish runs Ra 0.2–0.8 μm when fine finishing is specified, and Ra 1.6–3.2 μm as-machined. Tell us which surfaces are functional and which are cosmetic so we do not over-machine the whole part.
Quotation and free DFM analysis come back within 12 hours of upload. Production can start within 24 hours of release, and parts ship in 3–5 days.
There is no minimum order quantity, so a bridge run of five parts and a 10,000-part release go through the same quoting path.
Anodizing, electroless nickel, zinc and silver plating, powder coating, black oxide, bead blasting, tumbling, brushing and polishing are done in house, along with laser marking to a 1.5 mm minimum character height.
Keeping finishing in the same building removes the second border crossing that usually erases a nearsourcing saving.
Raw material check, in-process monitoring and final inspection records exist for every lot. Inspection reports are available on request.
We hold ISO 9001:2015, IATF 16949:2016, ISO 13485:2016 and ISO 27001:2022 certification. A non-disclosure agreement is available on request, and uploads are kept secure and confidential.
Yes, and that is usually the right answer. Send the simple, high-volume families near shore and the tight-tolerance or 5-axis families here.
We quote the portion you send, flag which features drive cost, and give a manufacturability read so the split decision is based on the print rather than on a guess.
When volume is low and setup dominates the piece price, or when the part needs a process the closer shop has not qualified. Moving it anyway adds a qualification cycle to the schedule.
When the assembly has one critical interface, splitting it across two countries adds measurement risk that no freight saving covers.
Upload a model for a quote and a free DFM read, then decide the split with real numbers on the table.
12-hour quote100% inspectionNo minimum order quantityNDA on request
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Upload your 3D model or 2D drawing and get a quotation with a free DFM analysis. Maximum processing size 4,000 mm.
CNC Metals 13 grades
CNC Plastics 10 grades
Machines & processes 12 options
Surface & post-processing 10 options
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