Interview with Inovaxe’s Jorge Gonzalez
Inovaxe Corporation, founded in 2003 and based in Florida, designs advanced material handling and smart storage solutions for electronics manufacturers. Its product lineup includes intelligent SMT reel storage systems and software platforms that streamline inventory tracking, improve accuracy, and reduce production floor space. Inovaxe serves both OEMs and EMS providers looking to optimize lean manufacturing and inventory control. We recently spoke with Jorge Gonzalez, Regional Sales Manager of LATAM/TX-OK-AR-LA, to find out more about the company’s presence in Mexico, including how its technology, capabilities, partnerships, growth strategy is growing in this region.
Can you tell us about Inovaxe’s current footprint in Mexico? Where are your key customers or operations located?
Inovaxe has been operating in Mexico for over 15 years and is widely recognized as the leader in smart material handling and warehousing solutions nationwide. Our footprint spans across the country, with key customers located in the northern, southern, and western regions—areas known for their concentration of advanced electronics manufacturing.
Many of these customers have fully integrated Inovaxe systems into their daily operations. In fact, our technology has become so critical to their workflow that removing it would significantly disrupt production efficiency and material flow. That level of reliance speaks volumes about the trust they place in our solutions.
These long-standing partnerships aren’t just proof of product performance, they’re a reflection of the value we deliver through reliability, support, and innovation. For our customers, Inovaxe isn’t just a vendor; we’re a strategic partner delivering a seamless, problem-free logistics ecosystem that supports their long-term success.
How would you describe the demand for smart material handling and inventory control systems in Mexico’s electronics manufacturing industry today?
Demand is growing steadily and for good reason. While manufacturers in Mexico continue to invest in faster, more accurate, and highly productive equipment to improve their production lines, many still face a common bottleneck: material logistics. Despite best efforts to improve automation, overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) often remains limited by inefficient material handling and inventory control.
This is where Inovaxe is making a real difference. Our smart rack technology addresses these gaps by streamlining material flow and ensuring the right components are always in the right place at the right time. By doing so, we directly improve all three pillars of OEE: availability, performance, and quality.
Without intelligent material management, critical processes such as kitting, replenishment, setups, return-to-stock, and material registration are manual, time-consuming, and error-prone. These inefficiencies create downtime, increase labor costs, and compromise production agility.
What sets Inovaxe apart is our distributed inventory control model. Unlike traditional solutions that centralize materials in one location, our system enables real-time visibility and access to inventory across the entire facility, that is at the line, in the warehouse, and at every touchpoint in between. It’s a smarter, faster, and more scalable approach tailored to the realities of modern electronics manufacturing in Mexico.
As local manufacturers push for leaner operations, faster response times, and greater traceability, the demand for smart logistics solutions like Inovaxe continues to grow, and we’re proud to lead that transformation.
What makes the Mexican market unique or challenging compared to other regions you manage?
One of the most unique aspects of the Mexican market is its strong reliance on peer references. Customers often want to see a solution already running in a nearby facility before seriously considering it for their own. In many cases, they even prefer to test the equipment within their own operations before making a final decision. This cautious, proof-based approach is deeply rooted in trust and practicality.
Another factor that sets Mexico apart is how return on investment (ROI) is evaluated. Due to comparatively lower labor costs, traditional ROI models based on headcount reduction don’t always resonate. Instead, decisions are often made through a more qualitative evaluation of efficiency, reliability, and long-term process improvements. As a result, the sales cycle can be longer and more resource-intensive.
This creates a unique challenge for us as suppliers. We need to invest time, equipment, and personnel to support detailed evaluations, pilots, and in-depth discussions. But it’s also an opportunity because once customers see the full picture, including time savings, process improvements, and error reduction, they understand the real value.
That’s why we focus on working closely with our customers, reviewing their entire operation to identify how smart storage impacts not just inventory control but labor efficiency, material flow, and overall productivity. When those elements are clearly communicated, the investment becomes a much easier decision, even in a cost-sensitive environment.
Which Inovaxe solutions are most popular among customers in Mexico, and why do they resonate so well in that market?
The replenishment process from the stockroom (commonly referred to as the “supermarket” at some companies) to the production line is a widely implemented solution among our customers. This system ensures consistent material availability at the line side, which is critical for maintaining production throughput and minimizing downtime.
However, traditional storage solutions such as wire or tubular racks introduce operational inefficiencies. These systems often require machine operators to manually search for the correct reels, leading to stress and delays—particularly when machines are close to running out of material. This risk of line stoppage can significantly impact productivity and output.
To address this challenge, our smart racks equipped with pick-to-light technology were introduced more than 20 years ago. These systems guide operators directly to the correct part, reducing search time and the likelihood of human error. The result is a more streamlined, reliable replenishment process that supports continuous production.
The ROI for smart racks is both rapid and measurable. For example, consider a production line operating at a throughput of 60 panels per hour, with each panel valued at $100. This line generates $6,000 in revenue per hour. Any unplanned downtime—such as a stoppage due to missing reels—translates directly to lost revenue. By eliminating such disruptions, smart racks help protect this value and improve OEE.
Additionally, our integrated min/max inventory control software further enhances this solution. The software continuously monitors inventory levels within the line-side smart rack storage units and communicates real-time consumption data to either the local or central warehouse. This proactive replenishment mechanism ensures that materials are restocked well before depletion, maintaining an uninterrupted supply chain at the point of use.
Are there any key distributor, integration, or service partnerships in Mexico that have been instrumental in your regional success?
Our CEO and Founder Ben Khoshnood envisioned a strategic partnership model that includes pick-and-place equipment manufacturers as channel partners. His rationale was clear: machine operators experience immediate benefits when Inovaxe racks are integrated into their systems. As a result, promoting a joint solution led by the placement machine manufacturer creates a compelling and logical value proposition. We are currently collaborating with several leading manufacturers and actively seeking new partnerships with companies interested in enhancing their operations through integration with Inovaxe technology.
In addition to our OEM partnerships, we work closely with Repstronics, a highly capable and respected manufacturer’s representative firm. With deep industry knowledge and a strong presence in the Mexican market, Repstronics brings significant marketing synergy and decades of experience to the table. Their portfolio includes leading solutions for SMT and final assembly, such as pick-and-place systems, solder paste application, SPI/AOI inspection, conveyorized automation, X-ray inspection, and Cartesian robots, making Inovaxe a natural fit within their line card.
Beyond sales and representation, Repstronics also provides technical support and process expertise. In the rare instance that Inovaxe equipment or software requires service, they serve as the first line of contact, ensuring prompt and knowledgeable assistance.
Have you seen growing collaboration with local tech hubs, training centers, or trade associations in Mexico?
As mentioned earlier, Repstronics is a highly professional and experienced manufacturer’s representative. A key factor in their success is the operation of three demonstration and training centers strategically located across Mexico. Through our partnership, Inovaxe equipment is installed at these facilities—not only to showcase the benefits of our smart storage solutions firsthand, but also to provide hands-on training in both hardware and software following system purchases.
We remain committed to educating both users and non-users of our technology about the advantages of modern logistics solutions. At Inovaxe, we don’t just sell machines; we deliver a complete, scalable, and user-friendly solution that combines hardware, software, process expertise, and innovative thinking.
As a global member of the SMTA, we actively participate in trade shows across Mexico each year. Whether represented by Repstronics, one of our channel partners, or through our own booth, we share our expertise with attendees through live equipment demos, educational videos, and detailed technical materials.
What does growth look like for Inovaxe in Mexico over the next 1–3 years?
Inovaxe is the market leader in Mexico for distributed inventory smart storage solutions. Unlike companies that offer only single-point storage systems, our approach delivers a complete, scalable, and intelligent logistics solution. As manufacturers continue to recognize the limitations of centralized, slow storage systems, we anticipate our market share to double over the next two to three years.
To support this growth, we’ve been strategically expanding our team across all departments. Despite operating as a lean organization, our responsiveness and customer support remain unmatched in the industry.
Because every aspect of our product is designed and manufactured in the U.S., we maintain full control over development cycles. This independence allows us to rapidly introduce product enhancements, new systems, and innovative software applications without delays caused by third-party dependencies. Looking ahead, artificial intelligence will play a major role across our solutions, driving greater efficiency by saving time, reducing labor, cutting costs, and significantly improving OEE.
Traditional towers and carousels represent outdated thinking: they offer single-point, passive storage that is slow, rigid, and expensive. In contrast, our high-density smart storage systems provide instant access—response times measured in seconds, not minutes or hours—all at a fraction of the cost.
We’re confident that Inovaxe will continue to lead the electronics industry with cutting-edge smart storage solutions that evolve with our customers’ needs and the demands of modern manufacturing.
From your perspective, what excites you most about Inovaxe’s future in Mexico and Latin America overall?
It’s an incredibly exciting time to be in this market. The world has become more connected, access to information is instantaneous, and competition has intensified, which only pushes innovation further. In this dynamic environment, Inovaxe is uniquely positioned for significant growth in the United States, Mexico and across Latin America.
What excites me most is the momentum we’re building. We’re expanding with new products, adding fresh talent to our team, entering new territories, and earning new customer references that continue to validate the value of our solutions. Inovaxe isn’t just keeping up, we’re setting the pace in smart storage logistics.
It’s hard not to feel like we’re winning. Every success story, every new customer, and every challenge we help solve reinforces that we’re doing something impactful. And we’re doing it alongside an exceptional team—people who are not only experts in their field but also deeply committed to innovation and customer success.
