[muh-kee-luh-dawr-uh; Sp. mah-kee-ah-daw-rah] 
z; Sp. ‑daw-rahs] | a factory run by a U.S. company in Mexico to take advantage of cheap labor and lax regulation. |
| ma·qui·la (mə-kē'lə, mä-kē'lä) n. A maquiladora. |
maquila
manufacturing plant that imports and assembles duty-free components for export. The arrangement allows plant owners to take advantage of low-cost labour and to pay duty only on the "value added"-that is, on the value of the finished product minus the total cost of the components that had been imported to make it. The vast majority of maquiladoras are owned and operated by Mexican, Asian, and American companies
Learn more about maquila with a free trial on Britannica.com.