A new golden age appears to beckon for Mexico's "maquiladoras" -- factories that for decades have been processing and assembling imported materials and components, then sending them back to the United States. "We're in a privileged location due to our proximity to the border to be able to export to the main market, which is the United States -- the largest market in the world," says Juan Jose Ochoa, director general of Aztec Technologies in northeast Mexico's Monterrey. Geopolitical frictions between the United States and China and supply chain gridlock during the Covid pandemic have prompted a growing number of companies to move manufacturing operations to the doorstep of the world's biggest economy. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES