Maquiladoras are "assembly-for-export factories along the Mexican border." In Spanish, "máquina" means "machine," so we can think that "maquiladora" (which sounds similar) has to do with making machines, or that the maquiladora itself is run like a machine, since the employees often work in assembly lines. Another word for "maquiladora" is "maquila," which further bolsters this word association to "máquina."
