Kirk LaughlinThe natural belief for most US nearshoring customers is that the big cities – Bogota, Guatemala City, Mexico City, Santiago among others – are the optimal destinations to establish services relationships.
The reality, as we are seeing more clearly than ever, is that the big cities are not the only option, and that prospective buyers should look very closely at some of the rising secondary cities across Latin America. Many of them have international airports, are located near a major university and are eager to welcome new business investment. The other critical factor is there is often less wage pressure which helps both providers and clients anticipate how to manage projects for the longer-term, knowing that competition for workers won’t spiral out of control.
For bigger countries like Mexico, Brazil and Colombia, there are a long list of secondary cities that are well positioned to become more visible on the global services map.
Doug Gattuso of Neoris says Cuiliacan, Mexico has been a star performer
Doug Gattuso of Neoris says Cuiliacan, Mexico has been a star performerSuch is the case for Neoris, a global IT services and consultancy firm with a strong Nearshore presence, which employs several hundred staffers at a satellite center in Cuiliacan, Mexico. Speaking this week with Doug Gattuso, Neoris’ vice president and managing director for the US, he talked about the appeal of “rural” centers (Cuiliacan is tiny compared to Mexico City, with about 600,000 residents.) The city hosts two universities, including a technical college – Instituto Tecnologico De Culiacan – where Neoris pulls much of its talent.
For bigger countries like Mexico, Brazil and Colombia, there are a long list of secondary cities that are well positioned to become more visible on the global services map. Barranquilla, Colombia – for example – is a city with over 1 million residents and, is becoming better known for its professional services capabilities.
Other cities to watch for in Central America are San Pedro Sula in Honduras, which has a well organized street system and is blessed with tremendous natural beauty, and Antigua, Guatemala, a place with rich history that is just beginning to show up on the BPO landscape.
What other cities are “off the radar” but need more attention? Tell us your thoughts.
Excellent point. Our BPO, call center, is located in Barranquilla Colombia. Barranquilla is a secondary city in Colombia, but has everything the capital has, including an international airport, numerous colleges and universities, bilingual schools, as much as 5 fiber optic cable connections, government support, and more.
I welcome inquiries and the visit of any interested party to Barranquilla, Colombia so we can demonstrate all the many advantages it has to offer to the worldwide outsourcing market.
Thank you,
Manny Paez, President
AXS Americas Inc.
Very Good article. But the author didn't mention other Latin American countries that offer outsourcing services to US, such as Bolivia and Chile.
There are as you mentioned at least a dozen cities in Brazil with more than 2 million people and solid IT Services capabilities. In the south of Brazil HSBC and Renault choose Curitiba for their captive centers. Porto Alegre hosts Dell, HP, SAP IR service centers along with several local providers. The so called second tier cities have advantages when compared to the larger cities such as lower labor cost, lower turn over and better quality of life.