The following items were gathered by Plastics News reporter Steve Toloken at the PlastImagen trade show, held Sept. 9-12 in Mexico City.
Ferro Mexicana adds PP compounding line
Ferro Mexicana SA de CV spent $1.5 million to build a new polypropylene compounding line at one of its Mexico City plants in November. The line will produce 1,000 tons a year, and will serve the automobile and appliance markets, said Luiz Hernandez Islas, director of the chemical division.
Ferro has no plans to expand any of its Mexican facilities, but it is looking to enter into a joint venture or buy another company in the chemical and plastic additives business in Mexico, he said.
``It's open,'' he said of the firm's next project in the area. ``It could be anything that is a new product.''
In mid-1996, Cleveland-based Ferro restructured its Latin American operations, putting all of the divisions for the rest of Central and South America under the Mexican wing, Islas said. The company is very optimistic about the Mexican market because the plastics business is growing, the political situation has stabilized and Ferro's products into Brazil face stiff tariffs, unlike Mexico.
DeGussa builds up additive offerings
DeGussa Mexicana, the local arm of the $9 billion chemical giant DeGussa AG, has beefed up its plastics offering and is considering its options for the market, including building production facilities, said sales and marketing director Daniel Tello.
The Mexico City unit began distributing three products in Mexico this year: plastic additives from Struktol of America in Stow, Ohio; titanium dioxide pigments from Kronos Inc. in Houston; and PVC stabilizers from German-based Barlocher GmbH. DeGussa also offers black ultraviolet-protectant pigments in Mexico.
The firm considers Mexico ``a very good opportunity'' to start up a plant but is in the early stages of such debate, Tello said.
DeGussa Mexicana does about $45 million in sales in all its markets, including rubber, mining and food, he said.
