Decision Engine — Tool 01
Manufacturing Cost Comparison Engine.
The headline labor-cost gap between US and Mexico manufacturing, modeled with the most recent published data from each side. v1 ships labor-only — the next pass adds tariff posture, logistics, and state-by-state Mexican wage variation.
US data
BLS · series CES3000000003
Latest period: 2026-03 · Refreshed: 2026-05-03
MX data
Tetakawi · fully fringed operator
Last verified: 2026-04 · Curated: 2026-05-01 · Manual
Access
Open · v1
All eight Decision Engine tools open in v1. Contact us when you'd like the precise read tied to your sites.
United States
$36.59/hr
BLS · 2026-03 · automated
Differential
6.6×
US is 6.6 times the MX rate
Mexico
$5.56/hr
Tetakawi · 2026-04 · curated
US figure: BLS series CES3000000003 — average hourly earnings of production and nonsupervisory employees, broad manufacturing. Mexico figure: fully fringed entry-level operator (includes the ≈33% Mexican mandatory social-insurance, IMSS, INFONAVIT, and severance-fund stack), Tetakawi quarterly research, last verified 2026-04. The two figures are scope-comparable but not identical — read this as "the headline gap," not a precise apples-to-apples match.
Configure your scenario
Adjust headcount and hours-per-worker to model annual labor outlay in each country. The math is straightforward: rate × hours × 12 months × workers.
What this v1 does not model
- Logistics, freight, and inland-distribution differentials
- Tariff posture — USMCA preference, Section 122 surcharge, MFN baselines
- Real estate, energy, water, and infrastructure costs
- State-by-state wage variation inside Mexico (Tijuana ≠ Saltillo ≠ Yucatán)
- Productivity differentials (output per worker-hour)
Each of these moves the answer in different directions. Use the headline gap as a directional anchor, then bring an Atlantis advisor in for a scenario-specific model.
How this tool will grow
v1 is the directional anchor. v2 adds the variables that actually decide a relocation case.
v1 — live now
US production-and-nonsupervisory hourly earnings (BLS, monthly) compared against Mexico fully fringed entry-level operator cost (Tetakawi, quarterly, hand-curated until INEGI's API ID format is unblocked — see the roadmap log in decisions/0009). Configurable headcount and hours surface annual labor-outlay differentials.
v1.5 — qualified access
Per ADR 0010, deeper functionality unlocks behind a short qualification form. v1 ships ungated to validate the math and the framing first.
v2 — landed-cost framing
Adds USMCA preference vs Section 122 surcharge vs MFN baselines from the USTR HTS pipeline (currently scaffolded), plus inland and ocean freight differentials. The tool starts answering "what's the all-in delivered-to-Detroit cost?" not just "what's the wage gap?"
v3 — state granularity
Once INEGI's BIE API ID translation resolves (Playwright session or support email), the Mexico side splits into 32 state-level wage figures and the tool starts answering "Tijuana vs Saltillo vs Yucatán" rather than a single national headline.
Adjacent reading
The thesis
The macro thesis the wage gap fits inside — including the tariff posture, demographics, and where the thesis bends.
The catalog
All eight tools in scope, ordered by build sequence. Tools 02–08 ship through Phase 4.
Scenario-specific
A modeled answer for your specific volume, location, and product. The tool gives the headline; an advisor gives the full picture.