Executive Search Success Story: Building the Leadership Team to Shift a Private-Equity-Backed Industrial Manufacturer’s Production From Asia to Mexico

How JRG Partners executed a confidential, multi-role North American and Mexico executive search strategy that equipped a private-equity-backed industrial products manufacturer with the Mexico operations, transition, supply chain, engineering, and finance leadership required to move 60% of its production from Asia to a new operation in Monterrey, exit a shelter arrangement into a standalone entity, and protect customer service through the transition.

The Challenge

A private equity sponsor’s industrial products company had built its cost structure on Asian contract manufacturing, but tariffs, freight volatility, and customer demands for shorter lead times had eroded the model, and the sponsor’s value-creation plan now depended on moving 60% of production to Mexico within two years. The company had started under a shelter arrangement in Monterrey but had no one to run it, no transfer methodology for hundreds of products, no Mexican supply base, and no understanding of IMMEX, VAT certification, transfer pricing, or Mexican compliance as it moved to a standalone entity. Executive leadership and the sponsor identified several critical vulnerabilities threatening the plan:

• Sixty percent of production to move from Asia to Mexico within two years with no Mexico leadership
• Hundreds of products to transfer with tooling, process, and qualification requirements
• A shelter arrangement to exit into a standalone IMMEX entity with VAT certification and transfer pricing
• No Mexican supply base for castings, machined components, and packaging
• Customer service and inventory risk during the transition
• Sponsor margin targets dependent on landed cost savings being realized

Recognizing that the transfer required a leadership team experienced in Mexico operations and production transitions, the sponsor and CEO engaged JRG Partners to recruit a Vice President of Mexico Operations, Director of Production Transfer & Transition, Director of Supply Chain & Supplier Development, Director of Manufacturing Engineering & Process Transfer, and Director of Finance, Tax & Compliance for Mexico. The company required an executive search partner with deep nearshoring expertise and an established network of bilingual industrial leaders in Mexico.

Why They Chose JRG Partners

Nearshoring & Mexico Manufacturing Focus

JRG Partners maintains a dedicated practice serving manufacturers nearshoring production to Mexico, with a clear understanding of production transfer, shelter and IMMEX structures, supplier development, and the bilingual leadership profiles that deliver transitions on schedule.

Production Transfer Experience

Our firm has extensive experience recruiting executives who have moved production from Asia to Mexico, with a clear understanding of product transfer sequencing, qualification, and customer service protection.

Private Equity Portfolio Expertise

Our team works routinely with sponsors on nearshoring leadership builds tied to value-creation plans, with a clear understanding of landed cost underwriting and timelines.

Our Executive Search Strategy

Phase 1 — Transfer Plan Alignment

Our consultants partnered directly with the sponsor’s operating partner, CEO, and Chief Financial Officer to review the product transfer scope, shelter arrangement, supply requirements, compliance needs, and savings underwriting, defining five leadership profiles sequenced to the transfer plan.

Phase 2 — Talent Identification & Mapping

Our research team performed an extensive talent mapping initiative targeting Mexico operations, transfer, supply chain, manufacturing engineering, and finance leaders at industrial manufacturers operating in Mexico who had led documented Asia-to-Mexico production transfers and shelter exits. Over 380 executives were systematically assessed across these sectors.

Phase 3 — Candidate Engagement

Priority during outreach was given to bilingual leaders with a documented history of transferring large product portfolios into Mexico, exiting shelter arrangements into standalone IMMEX entities, developing Mexican supplier bases for castings and machined components, and managing Mexican tax, customs, and compliance. Only candidates meeting these strict performance baselines advanced.

Phase 4 — Selection Process

Finalists presented transfer plans to the sponsor, CEO, and Chief Financial Officer, completed structured leadership assessments in English and Spanish, and underwent reference verification focused on quantified transfer, cost, and service outcomes.

Key Outcomes

• 380+ industrial manufacturing executive profiles with Mexico experience mapped across North America.
• Successfully placed a synchronized Mexico leadership tier spanning operations, transfer, supply chain, manufacturing engineering, and finance within six months.
• Transferred 420 products from Asia to Monterrey in twenty months with no customer line-downs.
• Exited the shelter into a standalone IMMEX entity within twelve months.
• Reached 50% local content with 45 qualified Mexican suppliers.
• Reduced landed cost 22% and lead times from twelve weeks to three, exceeding the margin plan.