Cutting CO2 From Packaging to Disposal: Nefab

Q: As global OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers consolidate production footprints in Mexico, how is Nefab positioning its LiB and automotive division to function not merely as a packaging provider but as a strategic enabler of end-to-end supply chain efficiency?

A: We position ourselves in Mexico through strong local engineering and a broad portfolio that covers fiber-based solutions, wood, multi-material options, and returnable systems, including injection-molded and thermoform designs. We also support our customers with digital capabilities, such as connected packaging, and with solutions tailored to the different flows that they manage.

These flows include serial production packaging, export packaging, and aftermarket or service packaging. This combination allows us to provide more than just packaging. It enables us to help customers save resources through better protection, more efficient logistics, and more sustainable end-to-end supply chain performance.

Q: How has Mexico’s integration into the North American EV manufacturing corridor reshaped the requirements for compliant, traceable, and low-carbon packaging solutions?
A: Mexico’s integration into the Electric Vehicle (EV) corridor has increased expectations for packaging that is compliant, traceable, and low-carbon. Nefab’s strength comes from integrating all our capabilities, spanning multi-material engineering, digital traceability, and sustainable design. With our GreenCalc tool, we can track and reduce CO2 emissions for our customers.

Q: To what extent does the Guadalajara expansion represent a shift from manufacturing support to innovation leadership within Nefab’s global operations?

A: The Guadalajara expansion represents a real shift toward innovation leadership by combining design, advanced thermoforming, circular material flows, and digital capabilities in one location. This integration allows us to develop smarter and more sustainable solutions locally while supporting our purpose of saving resources in supply chains for a better tomorrow.

Q: Lithium-ion batteries are subject to complex international transport regulations. How does Nefab’s engineering process balance the tension between regulatory rigidity, cost optimization, and design flexibility?

A: We rely on a global team of more than 250 engineers and subject matter experts with deep experience in lithium battery transport. This expertise enables us to design solutions that comply with all international transport regulations while remaining practical and cost-effective. We are backed by more than 16 years of experience and over 900 UN-certified designs produced across 35 UN-approved manufacturing sites worldwide.

In Mexico, we combine this global expertise with local engineering to select the right materials, apply proven design fundamentals, and use tools such as GreenCalc and connected packaging from the very beginning of the design process. This approach allows us to meet regulatory requirements without overengineering, while maximizing protection, logistics efficiency, and sustainability from concept through final design.

Q: Nefab reports that on average, its engineered solutions achieve a 31% carbon footprint reduction for its customers. What material science, reverse logistics, and digital control mechanisms have helped you achieve that?

A: Through advanced material engineering, fiber-based and lightweight alternatives, and returnable systems, we are able to achieve substantial carbon footprint reductions for our customers, further enhanced by logistics optimization. Our GreenCalc tool quantifies both CO2 and financial savings, and our digital tools strengthen traceability and control. Here in Mexico, we build on more than 75 years of Nefab’s global experience in developing automotive and industrial packaging. We apply this proven global knowledge locally through our engineering teams, allowing us to cut emissions and save resources in a measurable way.

We maintain a global database of designs that we can reference to evaluate solutions proven in other countries. Our global engineering network is available for local implementation, working through our local engineering teams.

Essentially, we combine a global reach with a local approach. While our engineering efforts are backed by a global network, we rely on local engineers to effectively support local customer needs.

Q: How would you characterize the evolution of the market over the past year?

A: There was indeed more uncertainty earlier in the year, which pushed buyers to prioritize solutions that prove value quickly. Consequently, we see a higher demand for faster turnarounds from design and concept to production, and for solutions that generate financial and environmental savings. The market continued to grow in both the automotive and e-mobility sectors, but customers are now more focused on cost efficiency, measurable CO2 emission savings, and overall supply chain stability.

Q: In your experience working with OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers in Mexico’s e-mobility and automotive sectors, what are the most recurrent pain points your clients face across their packaging and logistics operations, and how does Nefab help them address those challenges?

A: Common pain points include part damage and rejection caused by poor packaging, inefficient sizes that waste transport space, weak traceability, and pressure to cut logistics costs and emissions.

Nefab addresses these issues through its strong engineering capabilities and multi-material options, which include fiber, wood, reusable injection-molded, and thermoform solutions. We complement this with connected packaging and optimized designs. Equally important, we focus on product quality, fast responsiveness, and building strong, long-term relationships. We maintain a real sense of urgency to ensure our customers receive reliable support precisely when they need it most.

Q: The new Guadalajara plant integrates closed-loop recycling, collecting, shredding, and re-sheeting packaging materials. How scalable is this model, and can it realistically support circularity at an industrial level across Mexico’s dispersed manufacturing clusters?

A: We have facilities spread throughout Mexico, including sites in Leon, Monterrey, Chihuahua, and Juarez. The Guadalajara closed-loop model is scalable because we take obsolete or end-of-life plastic packaging from our customers or other sources and convert it into new, usable material for new trays and components.

In Guadalajara, we combine this capability with the heavy-gauge thermoforming we do in Leon, the support from our facilities in the north, and our sites in Mexico City and Veracruz. This approach allows us to support circularity at an industrial scale throughout Mexico, serve the regional clusters, and reduce overall reliance on virgin materials.

Q: How are you tackling emerging trends in sustainable manufacturing and logistics, such as circular material flows, carbon-neutral transport, and digital traceability?

A: We tackle these trends by focusing on the circular life cycle and the responsible use of plastics. Our goal is to keep materials in use longer and return them to the loop, preventing them from becoming waste. We support carbon reduction through optimized engineering, and with our GreenCalc tool, we give our customers clear visibility regarding their CO2 and financial savings. On the digital side, connected packaging and traceability tools allow our customers to track assets, monitor location and condition, and reduce losses, thus improving overall control of their flows. Together, these capabilities help customers operate more efficiently and more sustainably, ensuring they do not compromise one objective while fulfilling the other.

Q: Now that we are starting 2026, to what extent has Nefab’s LiB and automotive division in Mexico met its operational and sustainability objectives for the year? What key priorities will define the next phase of Nefab’s growth?

A: In 2025, our main goals were achieved by expanding local capacity, improving engineering responsiveness, and reducing CO2 emissions for our customers. Looking toward 2026, we continue investing. A new factory was just opened a few weeks ago in Monterrey, which is twice the size of the previous location. This investment will support the Mexican market with plywood packaging, utilizing efficient and more modern machines. Across all of Mexico, we will focus on deeper circularity, stronger digital integration, and continued investment in local capabilities, ensuring we can create even more savings in supply chains for a better tomorrow.

Nefab is a global company that offers packaging solutions and logistics services to customers all over the world.