Mexico and North Carolina in many ways have a shared story in textiles. Both regions have a remarkable history as innovators and producers in the industry, and both were forced to change tack at the end of the 20th and start of the 21st centuries as global competition drove prices down. In North Carolina’s case, the key for the industry to thrive became a focus on innovation: intellectual property, design, research and development, and capital assets. For Mexico, the scenario was for companies to pivot to export-focused manufacturing (maquila, often for workwear and footwear) and technical textiles for the automotive and agricultural industries.Nevertheless, the industry in Mexico continued to suffer from a lack of investment and innovation, with dramatically reduced output overall. In 2024, the Mexican government began to take action to protect the remaining manufacturers by implementing new tariffs on textile imports from Asia, which were fortified in various ways throughout 2025. Most recently, and to our view perhaps of most fundamental importance, Mexico’s industrial strategy now includes financing for small and medium companies in textile production, with the explicit goal of helping them become more globally competitive in terms of added value, ie to help them invest in more innovative production operations.Financing initiatives announced late in 2025 to help companies invest in added value production include 6 billion USD equivalent to guarantee loans from the bank BBVA, for small and medium companies investing in textile and footwear supply chain productivity and competitiveness. (Mexico’s banks are historically horrendous at offering affordable loans to small and medium businesses due to structural inefficiencies making it difficult to guarantee repayment.)

Other measures include enhanced but precise (so as not to affect critical inputs) tariffs and less unpredictable customs enforcement. As former Congressman Salomon Rosas, now director of competitiveness and capabilities within Mexico’s secretariat of the economy, recently told Expansión magazine that he has been talking to the textile industry for 15 years and the complaint has been the same, that unfair competition from Chinese textile imports is what is keeping players from investing in machinery and innovation.

This amidst ever-increasing pressure to shore up and regionalize other important supply chains in North America, many of which include textile inputs (medical supplies, automotive, aerospace). Critical to facilitating this push for innovation in Mexico’s textile applications and industries will be not only Mexico ally organizations like CANAINTEX, ANIQ and COFOCE Guanajuato, but also input from and collaboration with North Carolina textile exporters. Stay tuned for updates from EDPNC on our upcoming textiles trade mission to Mexico City, Mexico State, and Queretaro and Guanajuato of the Bajio region. Meanwhile, below, we offer some numbers on the types of mills that are currently active in present in Mexico.

Census of Mexico Textile Mills by Activity

NAICS Activity

Total Plants

Large (>250)

Medium (30-250)

313210 Broadwoven Fabric Mills

875

32

93

314120 Curtain and Linen Mills

1,843

16

50

313310 Textile and Fabric Finishing Mills

543

9

41

313112 Yarn Texturizing, Throwing, and Twisting Mills

152

9

38

313113 Thread Mills

266

7

38

313220 Narrow Fabric Mills and Schiffli Machine Embroidery

265

5

33

314911 Textile Bag Mills

180

13

32

314991 Rope, Cordage, Twine, Tire Cord, and Tire Fabric Mills

25,798

3

26

314992 Tire Cord and Tire Fabric Mills

10,148

2

26

313320 Fabric Coating Mills

118

10

21

313230 Nonwoven Fabric Mills

56

6

19

313240 Knit Fabric Mills

261

10

16

314912 Canvas and Related Product Mills

682

4

15

313111 Yarn Spinning Mills

15,982

0

14

314110 Carpet and Rug Mills

1,359

1

8

314999 All Other Miscellaneous Textile Product Mills

38

1

5

314993 Textile Bag and Canvas Mills

113

0

4

Source: analysis of DENUE by Neighbors International

Additional sources for this blog posting:
  • https://www.modaes.com/global/markets/mexico-promotes-a-uss65-billion-plan-to-relaunch-textile-and-footwear-sectors
  • https://mexicobusiness.news/ecommerce/news/mexicos-textile-industry-eyes-recovery-amid-low-capacity
  • https://mexicobusiness.news/trade-and-investment/news/ministry-economy-bbva-modernize-textile-and-footwear-sectors
  • https://www.hinrichfoundation.com/research/article/trade-distortion-and-protectionism/mexico-protectionism-new-tariffs-impact
  • https://revistaprotocolo.com.mx/mexico-protagonista-del-impulso-global-de-textiles-lafayette-rumbo-a-2026/
  • https://expansion.mx/empresas/2026/02/03/ropa-mexicana-crisis-razones-ahorcan-industria-textil
  • https://www.eleconomista.com.mx/empresas/intermoda-pide-textileros-recuperar-industria-nacional-20260123-796677.html
  • https://canaintex.org.mx/canaintex-participa-en-las-mesas-tematicas-de-los-foros-de-diagnostico-sectorial-del-t-mec/