Mexico is prime territory for Austrian plastics recycling equipment maker Erema Engineering Recycling Maschinen und Anlagen GmbH. Erema's latest sales success there includes a 1,102-pound-per-hour shredder to a Mexican plastics recycler, but the company is also targeting its machinery at other parts of Latin America and the Caribbean, according to Clemens Zittmayr, international sales manager responsible for the region.
Ansfelden-based Erema does not disclose the names of its customers: “Customer names [should be] kept confidential, please,” Zittmayr insisted. But the sales director at Replas México SA de CV, Juan Puente, confirmed that Replas was the Mexican buyer of the model WLK 6S/45 shredder. Replas operates recycling plants in San Luis Potosí and San Juan del Río.
Neither does Erema share its sales figures, according to Zittmayr. In a question-and-answer e-mail interview with Plastics News, he did disclose, however, that Mexico accounts for 50 percent of the firm's total business in Latin America and the Caribbean. 2010 might also be “a great year” for the firm in Colombia and in Peru — where Erema recently sold what it called a “complete package,” he added. In fact, Zittmayr claims the company has a presence in every country in Latin America, a region that makes up about 10 percent of Erema's total annual sales —with Mexico being the largest piece of that, he said.
The following is the rest of Plastics News' Q&A with Zittmayr.
Q: What were Erema's sales in the largest Latin American market in 2009 and what are your sales projections for the largest Latin American market in 2010?
Zittmayr: Looking at one year only, Colombia and Mexico were top, but it does not say much, as just one or two big orders kick the statistics up.
Q: Which part of the world offers Erema the biggest potential for growth?
Zittmayr: At the moment we think that the U.S., Europe and China have the biggest potential for growth regarding plastic recycling markets.
Q: I was told you have 400 customers in Mexico. Is this true?
Zittmayr: [We have] 400 machines installed and operating in Latin America, including Mexico. [We have] 200 machines installed in Mexico [and], in total, they produce … 400,000-500,000 tonnes [882 million to 1.1 billion pounds] per year of first-grade, recycled polymer.
Q: How do you see your company's growth potential in Mexico in the coming years?
Zittmayr: We are always positive and, compared to competitors, Erema is famous for its presence and service support.
Q: How pleased or disappointed were you with Plastimagen Mexico 2010?
Zittmayr: The number of visitors was medium. We definitely expected more … [but the] quality of visitors to the Erema booth is always very good and enthusiastic.
Q: How easy or difficult is it to import machinery into Mexico?
Zittmayr: Rather easy, compared to others. Mexico's plastics industry is very positive to imported efficient technologies from Europe and appreciates our benefits. The Austrian Chamber of Commerce office in Mexico is very helpful in this respect.
Q: Which country in Latin America is the most difficult to deal with?
Zittmayr: Every country might have its challenging aspects but, out of the industrialized countries, maybe Venezuela is the most difficult.