Companies find refuge from recession in McAllen

(Employment : McAllen-Edinburg-Mission) 8/17/2009 1:00:00 PM
(McAllen) - RECON

International companies uprooted by the nationwide recession are planting roots in the Rio Grande Valley.
ALPS Automotive Inc., Fujitsu Ten Corp. and Panasonic Electronic Devices Corp. are moving large portions of their businesses from the Midwest and the South to McAllen. The three auto parts suppliers have had a presence in Reynosa for years, but want to cut costs as auto sales sag.
Fujitsu Ten is moving its distribution and logistics operations from Rushville, Ind., to a newly leased building on Ware Rd. The move, which should be complete by the end of September, will create 32 new jobs in McAllen.
Panasonic has found itself in a similar situation. The company — which produces speakers, switches and censors — announced last week it will move its headquarters from Knoxville, Tenn., to McAllen.
It is also moving its speaker assembly operation from Forks of the River, Tenn., to its manufacturing plant in Reynosa.
The speaker assembly operations move should be complete by December. Headquarters will open in April 2010.
ALPS decided to move its support operations — quality control, customer services, planning and purchasing — from Detroit to McAllen when it learned the McAllen Economic Development Corp. (MEDC) was working to create a college-educated workforce.
And the recession has accelerated the move.
The MEDC has been cooperating with the engineering department at University of Texas Pan-American to prepare Valley residents for careers with these companies.
The department graduated four engineers when it opened in 1995. It now graduates 100 engineers a year.[Brownsville Herald]