Nearshoring spurs C.H. Robinson expansion in Texas

Borderlands Mexico is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Nearshoring spurs C.H. Robinson expansion in Texas; Safran invests $115M to expand aerospace operations in Querétaro; and $80M logistics campus takes shape in Tucson.

C.H. Robinson is expanding its U.S.–Mexico border footprint with an additional 450,000 square feet of warehousing and cross-docking capacity in El Paso, Texas.

The brokerage giant said the investment strengthens its position as one of North America’s largest cross-border logistics providers as nearshoring accelerates and shippers demand more resilient supply chains.

“We continue to see El Paso emerge as a vital gateway for not just high-tech freight, but also automotive, medical devices, and healthcare products,” Jay Cornmesser, vice president for Mexico cross-border services at C.H. Robinson, said in a news release.

C.H. Robinson (NASDAQ: CHRW) is headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, with more than 300 offices and over 15,000 employees in North America, Europe, Asia, and South America. The logistics provider manages 37 million shipments annually and has 35 years of operations in Mexico.

The company’s latest move along the border comes as cross-border trade continues to grow. Mexico was the top U.S. trade partner for the second consecutive year in 2024, totaling a record-breaking $840 billion.

So far this year, U.S.-Mexico trade has jumped 21% to $507 billion, outpacing 2024 levels, according to the Census Bureau.

Increased manufacturing in Mexico is driving rising freight volumes through key gateways Ciudad Juárez, directly across the border from El Paso, Cornmesser said.

“Juárez, located just across the border, has a substantial maquiladora manufacturing base. Our expansion in El Paso is a direct response to the evolving needs of our customers in today’s dynamic trade landscape,” he added.

The El Paso expansion complements the company’s continued growth in Laredo, Texas, and its broader strategy to build a scalable border network amid shifting global trade patterns. In 2023, C.H. Robinson opened a 400,000-square-foot cross-border facility in Laredo.

In September, C.H. Robinson launched a U.S.-Mexico freight consolidation service aimed at trimming shippers’ costs by up to 40%.

C.H. Robinson isn’t the only logistics company expanding its operation on the border. Last week, Kuehne+Nagel announced a 217,431-square-foot facility in El Paso, next to its existing site to support growing U.S.-Mexico trade flows.

The Safran Group announced an investment of more than $115 million to expand three aerospace manufacturing and maintenance facilities in Querétaro, Mexico, according to Mexico Business News.

The investment will create 238 specialized jobs and strengthen the region’s growing aviation cluster, officials said.

Safran S.A., a French multinational corporation in aerospace, defense, and security, was founded in Paris in 1896.

Lincoln Property Co. has completed the first phase of its I-10 International Logistics Campus in Tucson, Arizona, according to a news release.

The $80 million phase I includes two Class A warehouse buildings totaling 373,811 square feet on a 79-acre site near Tucson International Airport and the I-10/Valencia interchange.

At full build-out, the campus will exceed 1 million square feet, designed for e-commerce, logistics and manufacturing users.

Features include cold-capable infrastructure, 32-foot clear heights and Foreign Trade Zone benefits, offering access to more than 46 million consumers within a 500-mile radius.

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