Mexico City — Materials firm RTP Co. will grow in Mexico by opening a second production plant in Monterrey, Mexico, in the third quarter of this year.
The new plant will cover 180,000 square feet and be near RTP's existing Monterrey plant, Latin America General Manager and Sales Manager Julio Sauceda said at the Plastimagen trade show in Mexico City.
The additional production is needed to handle double-digit Mexican sales growth for many RTP materials, including long-fiber compounds based on nylon and polypropylene, as well as compounds based on high-temperature resins such as PPS and PEEK.
Sauceda, who's been with Winona, Minn.-based RTP since 2003, said that the firm's Mexican sales are "well-balanced" among several end markets, including automotive, appliance, industrial and medical. The firm is also posting solid sales of material into agricultural films, he added.
New materials that RTP focused on at Plastimagen included abrasion-resistant nylon alloys for material handling.
"The Mexican market has been growing very well for us," Sauceda said. "Our customers are looking for more specialty materials to supply local manufacturing."
RTP is one of North America's 30-largest compounders and concentrate makers, according to Plastics News data. The firm operates more than 20 plants worldwide, making compounds based on 60 different resins, as well as a line of film and sheet products.