After several years of enthusiasm around nearshoring — the relocation of manufacturing and supply chains closer to end markets — North America is entering a decisive moment. In 2026, the region will face its first major test: whether it can transform relocation into real integration.
The first wave brought factories back from Asia. The second must build bridges between neighbors. For Mexico, the United States, and Canada, success will depend less on cost and more on coordination — on how seamlessly goods, data, and energy move across borders.
This new phase is already evident in cities such as Monterrey in Mexico, Laredo in the U.S., and Windsor in Canada. In addition to assembly facilities, industrial parks are also developing data centers, logistics hubs, and renewable-energy corridors. Companies are discovering that trust is the primary advantage, rather than geography. Sharing infrastructure, digital platforms, and labor standards will define competitiveness in the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA), the regional trade accord that replaced NAFTA in July 2020 and is scheduled for its first formal review in July 2026.
What we are witnessing is not a return to the past of maquiladoras but a new ecosystem: supply chains that behave like regional organisms. Today, a container transported across the border carries more than just goods; it also contains compliance data, carbon footprint records, and algorithmic predictions of consumer demand. The challenge for 2026 is to ensure that efficiency does not compromise environmental responsibility or local development, thus establishing this ecosystem as genuinely continental.
This evolution from nearshoring to neighborshoring is more than a logistical shift; it is a cultural one. It means learning to compete together rather than against each other.
For decades, cost and speed drove trade; now, trust, transparency, and technology must guide it. Artificial intelligence can now reroute cargo faster than a customs officer can stamp a document. Still, integration will only be sustainable if small producers and suppliers are not left behind.
Energy will also be at the heart of this new wave of integration. The region’s ability to connect clean power generation in Mexico with industrial demand in Texas or Ontario could redefine competitiveness. But it will require more than infrastructure; it demands political alignment and cross-border regulatory trust. The new renewable-energy corridors between northern Mexico and the U.S. Southwest are a promising example. If these projects succeed, they will show how integration can reduce costs and emissions simultaneously.
Still, the transition will not be frictionless. Three structural dangers continue to threaten the region. First, overconcentration: an excessive reliance on a few industrial corridors can recreate the same vulnerabilities that globalization previously exposed. Second, asymmetric development: Mexico’s southern regions are lagging, posing a threat to the expansion of internal inequality. Despite this, northern Mexico continues to attract investment. And third, regulatory fragmentation: differences in labor, environmental, and data standards continue to complicate cross-border operations, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises.
These challenges suggest that integration cannot remain a private-sector task. It needs a diplomatic backbone. The upcoming USMCA review presents a distinctive opportunity to harmonize both the digital and the environmental commitments, as well as the norms of origin. Governments must collaborate with local authorities and industries to ensure that all processes are consistent, including carbon accounting and customs interoperability. This would represent the transition from a commercial treaty to a genuine regional partnership.
Workforce development will be an indispensable component. The manufacturing boom along the border is already straining the supply of qualified labor. The most strategic investment in North America could be programs that integrate technical training, bilingual education, and digital literacy.
In this regard, neighborshoring is as much about production as it is about individuals. A technician who has received digital training in Reynosa or El Paso makes a direct contribution to competitiveness on the other side of the border, in the same way as any piece of infrastructure.
One lesson from the last few years is that integration is no longer just economic; it is systemic. Supply chains are merging with data chains and energy grids. The old logic of comparative advantage is being replaced by collaborative advantage. Each country contributes a unique strength: Mexico’s manufacturing capacity, the U.S.’s capital and innovation, and Canada’s resources and regulatory stability. The next integration wave will depend on how well these assets are synchronized, not merely exchanged.
At the same time, we must remember that resilience has become as valuable as efficiency. The pandemic, trade tensions, and climate disruptions have demonstrated that logistics performance cannot be solely assessed by cost or speed. Regions that can adapt to duress without disrupting trade will be the most successful. Building redundancy, investing in digital monitoring, and ensuring that governments and the private sector maintain open communication channels will be indispensable.
This change is not abstract for those of us who live and work near the border; we see it daily. In Laredo, Nuevo Laredo, and across the Rio Grande Valley, trucks now carry as much digital data in bytes as physical cargo in pounds. Customs officers rely on sensors, algorithms, and predictive analytics as much as paperwork. The border is evolving from a line of separation into a network of coordination.
As 2026 approaches, North America stands at a rare moment of convergence. The political cycle, the USMCA review, and technological acceleration coincide. The region has the chance to prove that globalization can still work if it becomes regional, responsible, and resilient. The shift from nearshoring to neighborshoring is more than a buzzword; it is the next chapter of integration, one built not on distance but on proximity, trust, and shared purpose.
- Federico Schaffler has a PhD in Public Policy and is currently the Foreign Trade Administrator for Foreign Trade Zone #94 in Laredo, Texas. These comments and opinions are personal and do not represent or imply the official position of the City of Laredo.
