Mexico City — Orbia Advance Corp. SAB de CV's Polymer Solutions' business group AlphaGary is boosting annual production capacity at its manufacturing facility in Altamira, Mexico, by 22 percent.
The facility's current capacity is about 72,000 metric tons per year. This will increase by 15,000 tonnes Denise Linton, Orbia AlphaGary's marketing manager, told Plastics News on Nov. 13.
The Boston-based company, which supplies compounds and additives across the world, began installing a new production line to "process materials with FDA-sanctioned ingredients" since July, Orbia AlphaGary said in a mid-October news release.
It is expected to be operational by Christmas, "catering to applications in health care, food contact and skin contact industries," the company added,
The line features "state-of-the-art equipment with advanced safety features," according to Rick Correia, Orbia AlphaGary's operations director.
"We are committed to incorporating the latest safety technologies in our operations that will significantly enhance the working environment for our employees, reduce potential risks and improve overall efficiency.
"This investment in safety is just as important as the increased production capacity because we believe that operational excellence starts with the well being of our people and the reliability of our processes."
Linton said the company has more than 125 employees at the facility. "Since we've invested in new technology that's highly automated, we do not anticipate the need for additional employees at this time," she added.
She declined to reveal the size of the investment in the new line and the name or names of the technology supplier/suppliers.
"The chosen equipment is designed to use less energy and reduce waste, contributing to a more environmentally friendly production process," the company said in its news release.
"The new production capabilities will strengthen the company's position in the market and enhance its ability to provide high-quality materials for critical applications," it added.
Orbia AlphaGary has 1,000 employees in nine facilities in the U.S., United Kingdom, Mexico, Colombia and India. It has customers in 80 countries.
Orbia Advance Corp. employs 24,000-plus people in five business groups. Its global headquarters are in Boston, Mexico City, Amsterdam and Tel Aviv. The company generated $8.2 billion in revenue in 2023 and is listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange.