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Solunet Infomex, Cheektowaga, NY
Frequently Asked Questions
What
is the Twin Plant Guide three-volume database?
How often are the records updated?
How are the records updated?
How is the Twin Plant Guides three-volume
database different from the competitors?
Which companies are in the Twin Plant Guide
database?
What exactly is the Twin Plant Guide on CD
ROM?
Can I use the data in other applications?
Can it do mailing labels and electronic lists?
What type of computer do I need?
Can I search by cities, states, etc.?
Does the Twin Plant Guide contain information
on the listing such as credit history or credit rating?
Who uses it and how long has it been around?
Is the Twin Plant Guide suitable for everyone?
How much does the Twin Plant Guide cost?
What is the return policy for purchased Twin
plant Guide product?
Does the Twin Plant Guide make any updates
to the product between each publication?
How can I use the Twin Plant Guide data?
Are there any restrictions?
Is the Twin Plant News related to the Twin
Plant Guide? Can we advertise?
What is a maquiladora?
When did the maquila program begin?
Why is it called the maquiladora or maquila
industry?
Who owns these maquiladoras?
What are these plants making?
How many plants are there and where are they
located?
Are U.S. based suppliers allowed to sell
to the maquiladoras?
What
is the Twin Plant Guide three-volume database?
The
Twin Plant Guide database is an in-depth information profile of Maquiladora
companies and related parent and border companies. Twin Plant Guide
is so detailed it tracks up to 40 individual attributes about each
organization in the database.
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How
often are the records updated?
Maquiladora information changes rapidly.
Plants close and open all of the time and the personnel at these
operations also change frequently.
We attempt to update every company each year. Taking into account
companies that are difficult to obtain information on and those
that are new to the list, we ensure over 90% of the records are
updated annually. This would place the average age of a company
record at six months. This age of record puts The Twin Plant Guide
in the top echelons of databases in Canada in terms of freshness
and quality.
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How
are the records updated?
All
companies are called every year by qualified researchers. English
and Spanish speaking researchers contact all current and newly identified
listings. In addition to these calls, many companies request and
receive fax-based updates , which they fax back to
us. This dual update strategy ensures the most current and relevant
information is available at all times.
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How
is the Twin Plant Guides three-volume database different from the
competitors?
The
depth of company, variety of functions in our contact data and the
average age of the records is what sets the Twin Plant Guide apart
from its competition. Other data collectors don’t.
For example, where Twin Plant Guide has an average of 5 or 6 contacts
per company including Manager ,Purchasing Manager, Personnel Manager,
Materials Manager, Production Manager, Comptroller, MIS Manager,
Plant Engineer, Parent Contact, Border Contact. Competing databases
may have only one or two and in many cases these competitors will
only have a past CEO.
In an industry where records can be on 3-5 years old, the Twin Plant
Guide frequent update strategy will save you time, money and reduce
wastage caused by incorrect information.
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Which
companies are in the Twin Plant Guide database?
Maquiladora companies the border and parent companies of the Maquila’s
are contained in each volume.
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What
exactly is the Twin Plant Guide on CD ROM?
The Twin Plant Guide is available
in print or on CD-ROM. The CD is designed to help you extract the
data content to be used for your marketing and sales development
needs. You can export data on companies for use in direct marketing
campaigns, for further research based analysis and for use in contact
management software such as Maximizer™, Pivotal™ or Goldmine™.
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Can
I use the data in other applications? Can it do mailing labels and
electronic lists?
Yes, the Twin Plant Guide prepares data for export
in ASCII text delimited. Any common application will be able to
import information from any one of these file types.
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What
type of computer do I need?
The Twin Plant Guide on CD ROM will run on any
PC with a Windows 95 or better operating system. Any PC purchased
in the past four to five years should be powerful enough to handle
the software.
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Can
I search by cities, states, etc.?
Yes, you can search by all the common search
parameters such as city, state, product, SIC or NAICS Code, Plant
name, number of employees and certifications.
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Does
the Twin Plant Guide contain information on the listing such as
credit history or credit rating?
No,
there is not information about the company and their financial history.
Who
uses it and how long has it been around?
The Twin Plant Guide database
was first introduced in 1987. Since its launch just over 15 years
ago, thousands of customers have tapped the Twin Plant Guide database
for their direct marketing and research needs. Now the entire Twin
Plant Guide database can be installed directly onto your desktop.
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Is
the Twin Plant Guide suitable for everyone?
The Twin Plant Guide is
aimed at users who require an industry leading information tool
on Maquiladoras and related organizations. Obviously, this is not
for all businesses. If a potential user sells to industrial organizations
in Mexico and the US and would like to increase their client base
with similar companies, The Twin Plant Guide will become an indispensable
client development and marketing tool for them, among many other
uses.
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How
much does the Twin Plant Guide cost?
You can purchase one volume
for $395, two volumes for $790 all three volumes for $995 or All
three print and CD volumes for $1,495. Custom mailing list rentals
for as little as $500. Discounts are available during our prepublication
period usually from November to January.
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What
is the return policy for purchased Twin plant Guide product?
Unopened product can be
returned within 14 days however; if the seal on the product has
been opened we will not accept any return.
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Does
the Twin Plant Guide make any updates to the product between each
publication?
Presently the Twin Plant
Guide is published annually and no updates are made during the year.
Please let us know if this is important to you and where demand
exists we will endeavor to add this service in the future.
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How
can I use the Twin Plant Guide data? Are there any restrictions?
The Twin Plant Guide data
is licensed for a single user to use for one year in an unlimited
capacity. This means that for a period of one year from the purchase
date a single user can export and use the data for unlimited marketing
and contact of these companies. Multi user licenses are available
and come with multiple discs.
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Is
the Twin Plant News related to the Twin Plant Guide? Can we advertise?
Owen Media Partners publishes
the Twin Plant Guide. The Twin Plant News is not owned or operated
by Owen Media Partners or any affiliate.
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What
is a maquiladora?
A maquila or maquiladora
refers to a special Mexican industrial program which allows under
a unique customs allowance, mostly non-Mexican operations to set
up manufacturing or assembly plants in Mexico that can temporarily
bring duty free raw materials, equipment machinery and replacement
parts. It also allows 100% foreign ownership of any maquiladora
operation.
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When
did the maquila program begin?
Maquiladoras began operating in 1966 in North and South Baja California
and the state of Chihuahua, with the first significant plant opening
in 1967 under the RCA name in Cd. Juarez across from El Paso, Texas.
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Why
is it called the maquiladora or maquila industry?
Private investment and government involvement from both the U.S.
and Mexico initiated a study conducted by the Arthur D. Little Foundation
that took place in Ciudad Juarez in 1965. A U.S. researcher, Dick
Bowlin and a Mexico based analyst conducted a study to alleviate
the growing Mexican unemployment rate along the Northern Mexican
border regions. The maquila program was initially known as "The
Border Industrialization Program." However, over time two key buzzwords
– maquiladora and twin plant – were coined by the researchers.
The researchers chose "Maquiladora"
or "maquila" because it is derived from the old Spanish word "maquilar"
which means to mill. Historically, a wheat farmer would hire a miller
to grind his crop. The farmer would then compensate the miller with
a portion of the grain. Such a relationship indicated a production
sharing process between the producer and the manufacturer, and as
such "maquilar" was applied to the industry.
The second buzz word was "twin
plant," which was coined by Bowlin to emphasize the joint effort
between two operations - one in Mexico and one in the U.S.
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Who
owns these maquiladoras?
At the moment there are 27 countries participating in the maquiladora/twin
plant program with the majority of foreign ownership by U.S. companies.
The following is an overview of the top 10 countries with the most
maquiladora ownership participating in this program in as of March
2002.
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What
are these plants making?
Each Mexican city where maquiladoras are located vary in the type
of product that is produced which results in a wide range of maquila
production.
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How
many plants are there and where are they located?
As of December 2002 there were 3285 registered maquiladoras in Mexico,
employing 1.1 million Mexican workers. However, 69% of these plants
are located within one to 30 miles from the U.S./Mexico border.
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Are
U.S. based suppliers allowed to sell to the maquiladoras?
Yes. Ninety-seven percent of all raw materials, equipment and supplies
come from U.S. suppliers. The estimated value of these components
and supplies purchased by the MaquilaÕs exceeded $61 billion in
2002 and continues to grow.
Note: * Of the 3285 plants about 3,000 are operating
constantly. The remaining 285 plants approximately are seasonal
manufacturers or have applied for a registration but have not commenced
operations.
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