Business View Caribbean - April 2016 37
In fact, Garcia maintains that manufacturing in Puerto
Rico is on an upwards trajectory. “Manufacturing went
through a consolidation factor, globally, some years
ago, but right now it’s pretty stable, and we are now
growing sectors like aerospace and defense,” he re-
ports. “Puerto Rico offers a unique proposition be-
cause we are a U.S. territory with U.S. citizens, so we
meet all the requirements for providing products and
services for the aerospace and defense sector. And
we have a high capability of graduating engineers and
scientists, and that has made that sector grow. We’ve
been able to attract entities like Lufthansa who set up
their western hemisphere maintenance pod in Puerto
Rico,” he adds.
Garcia, himself, had 30 years of experience in Puerto
Rico’s manufacturing sector before leading the PRMA
and he sees the Association as a key player in the is-
land’s continual evolution as a manufacturing power-
house. “Our members are definitely amongst the most
competitive manufacturing entities in the world,” he
states. “They have kept abreast of technology changes
and continue to improve their productivity in order to
maintain competitiveness. And our conferences and
conventions and seminars provide unique opportuni-
ties to attract and do business in Puerto Rico with our
members. We have continued to evolve to meet the
challenges of the new world economy and to develop
our people and our systems in order to provide the best
environment in terms of manufacturing and services.”
