Which storage mechanism fits your Mexico–US flow?

Draw the route before comparing a zone or warehouse proposal. Identify where the goods arrive, where they will be processed, when they enter a domestic market and who will control the inventory. A quoted facility name needs a jurisdiction and an authorized activity beside it.

Compare the proposal at the correct border

The Mexican warehouse-regime guide develops the Mexican categories. A broker should confirm the conditions for the particular goods and operation, including restrictions that survive storage or processing.

Compare two possible routes for the same inventory

Suppose a buyer sources housings from a Mexican factory for US distribution. One proposal holds the finished goods in Mexico until a US order arrives. Another moves stock into a US FTZ for later domestic sale or export. Write down the same demand forecast, lot sizes, handling steps and destination mix for both.

For the Mexican option, identify the regime for those goods and who can authorize the eventual release. For the US option, identify the admission status, later entry or export procedure, and who bears the inventory and reporting work. Customs and tax timing require a product- and date-specific review.

A designated FTZ site needs more checks

Look up the zone and relevant notices in the official FTZ information system. Confirm the particular building and operator. FTZ Board approval and CBP activation are distinct steps. Production involving foreign-status components can require advance Board authorization; read its written scope and any restrictions. FTZ Board overview · Production authority

Give the feasibility reviewer the operating numbers

Collect average and peak inventory, expected holding days, inbound/outbound movements, domestic versus export sales and any processing. Add proposed classifications, origins, duty assumptions and the dates behind them. Compare:

• Facility, handling, transport and insurance costs for the same route.
• Implementation, inventory systems, administration and recurring reporting.
• Any duty or fee timing benefit that the responsible professionals can substantiate.
• Minimum charges, exit costs, product restrictions and capacity at the forecast peak.

An attractive tariff scenario can be outweighed by fixed administration or extra transport at low volume. Ask for both the ordinary and peak cases, with sources for each duty assumption.

Prepare the site-specific handoff

Use the existing Warehouse Requirements Worksheet to record the route, volume and open regime questions. Enter a US FTZ option and a Mexican option explicitly in the requirements field if comparing both. Treat an operator’s promised availability or authorization as pending until documented. The next step is a facility-specific feasibility review, with the governing authority and release procedure identified.