South Korean multinational Dongwon Group will invest $80 million to build a battery manufacturing plant in Mexicali, creating 350 specialized jobs in Baja California’s capital city. The state Secretary of Economy and Innovation (SEI) and the Mexicali Industrial Development Commission announced the project on March 25.
350 Specialized Jobs at New Battery Factory
The new facility will produce batteries, though state officials did not specify the exact product type or timeline for when the plant will begin operations. The 350 positions are described as specialized manufacturing roles, consistent with the skilled labor force Mexicali has built over decades of cross-border industrial development.
Francisco Pérez Tejada, president of the Mexicali Industrial Development Commission, said the group remains committed to attracting strategic investments that strengthen the municipality’s economy. State authorities pointed to Mexicali’s border location, its logistics infrastructure, and its pool of trained manufacturing workers as key factors in landing the deal.
Mexicali’s Growing Role in Cross-Border Manufacturing
Mexicali sits directly across the border from Calexico, California, connected by two international ports of entry. The city is home to more than 200 maquiladoras and manufacturing plants, many of them serving U.S. supply chains in aerospace, medical devices, and automotive components. South Korean investment in Baja California is not new: companies like Samsung and Hyundai have long maintained operations in Tijuana’s industrial parks.
Dongwon Group, headquartered in Seoul, operates across food processing, packaging, logistics, and industrial manufacturing. The company has global operations in Asia, North America, and Europe. Its Mexicali plant adds to a broader pattern of Korean battery manufacturers expanding production near the U.S. market, driven in part by incentives under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act that reward North American supply chains for electric vehicle components.
The $80 million investment ranks among the larger single-project announcements in Mexicali in recent years. Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda has promoted the state as a destination for foreign direct investment, particularly in advanced manufacturing sectors.
State officials did not announce a construction start date or a specific industrial park location for the Dongwon plant, according to Punto Norte.