Spanish automotive masterbatch supplier opens plant in Mexico

Mexico City — Spanish raw materials producer and distributor Delta Tecnic SA has opened a 4.5 million euro ($5.3 million) plant in Querétaro, in central Mexico, coinciding with the launch of its micromasterbatch product.

The company claims to be the first specialist in color concentrates for automotive cable to open a manufacturing operation in Mexico. It has two other plants in Sant Celoni, its home base near Barcelona.

According to an Oct. 7 news release, the micromasterbatch pellet is smaller than normal and thus "improves dilution when extruding cables."

"Our commitment to micromasterbatches is essential to [our] offering a new and sustainable product that can speed up production processes while lowering costs," Delta Tecnic CEO Eric Xirinachs said.

The 32,000-square-foot facility is 130 miles northwest of Mexico City. An additional 21,528 square feet is available for future expansion. The company owns the land and buildings.

Delta Tecnic plans to supply customers across the Americas from the plant, which employs 10. Xirinachs expects to add another 20 or 30 employees over the next 12 months.

In its news release the company says it "accepts the technological challenge" to develop new materials for electric cars.

It adds that it is formulating tailored solutions to supplement other new technological developments such as wind and photovoltaic solar energy projects, among others.

Founded in 1982, Delta Tecnic is among the world's largest producers of masterbatches for the cable and PVC industries. DeltaColor Masterbatch is the most important of its three divisions and has a production capacity of 18,000 metric tons a year, the company says. The division has 11,000-plus products and 22 production lines, the company says.

The Delta Trading Pigments and Plastics divisions distribute brands such as Eckart, Cabot, Cinic and Aralon. Delta Tecnic employs 160 in Sant Celoni and exports to 60-plus countries. It says it dedicates 3 percent of its total turnover to research and development. Sales in 2019 totaled 42 million euros ($50 million).