El Paso - Ciudad Juarez:
Both sister cities of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez are situated at the
crossroads of two nations and three states. These two nations
(U.S. and Mexico), three states (Texas, New Mexico and
Chihuahua) and two cities (El Paso and Ciudad Juarez) are
also the custodians of the famous Rio Grande River. The river
that is the fifth largest in North America and the same river that
many early pioneers and settlers said “was a mile wide and an inch
deep”. This border region where El Paso and Ciudad Juarez grew
from is rich in history dating back to over four hundred years when
the Spanish explorer Juan de Onate founded the first settlement in 1598
southeast of present day Ciudad Juarez. Many important events that molded the future of the two nations
took place in this border region. In the year of 1848, an army fort was commissioned to protect the early
settlers from Apache Indians. The fort was called and still is today, Fort Bliss. In 1881 the Southern Pacific
Railroad reached the two border towns and spurred the first major economic growth of the area. In 1911
the Mexican Revolution was fought in Ciudad Juarez when Francisco Madero captured the town from
President Porfilio Diaz and then became the president of Mexico. One of the legendary commanders for
Francisco Madero whom fought and lived at times in Ciudad Juarez was Pancho Villa. These two sister
cities have shared a lot history over hundreds years. They have shared land, water, family bloodlines, music,
culture and economics. Today the sister cities make up the largest metropolitan region that joins Mexico
with the U.S. Their synergy drives a committed partnership in the multi-billion dollar Maquiladoras industry
that has created an economic bounty unprecedented in history. The U.S. and Mexico Maquiladoras
partnership is a model for the world and it is the two sister cites of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez that are the
crown jewels and the home of ACE Designers Services.
The serious Designers after reading this page need to read the Assembly in Mexico page to understand
the advantages that exist within the Maquiladoras industry in the sister city region. ACE Designers Services
is specifically positioned in the sister city region to utilize these advantages.
Origins and Spirit of Maquiladoras:
The Maquiladoras industry can trace its roots back to the creation of two critical
fundamental building blocks of World Trade. The first was the creation of the Free
Trade Zones on each side of the U.S. and Mexico border. In the U.S., Free Trade
Zones were created by congress in 1934 and were enhanced by the U.S. Custom
act of 1980. On Sept. 1, 1965, the Mexican President Diaz Ordaz established the
Maquiladoras Program and the Free Trades Zones within Mexico. Although the
Maquiladoras had begun to take off in 1980, a second fundamental building block
was created called the 1994 North America Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which further encouraged the
use of the the Maquiladoras and Free Trade zones already existing on both sides of the border. An excerpt
from the Preamble from the North America Trade Agreement captures the spirit of the Maquiladoras.
It states: The Government of Canada, the Government of the United Mexican States and the Government
of the United States of America, resolved to: STRENGTHEN the special bonds of friendship and
cooperation among their nations; CONTRIBUTE to the harmonious development and expansion of
world trade and provide a catalyst to broader international cooperation; CREATE an expanded and
secure market for the goods and services produced in their territories.
