Mexico Business Blog

Posts Tagged Plastics

Recent and upcoming investment in Mexico

Jun 1

Posted by Tom in Energy, Investment, Manufacturing | No Comments

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Information collected from media reports over the past month:

  • Plastics: Mexican chemical and plastics maker Alpek will invest approximately US$2 billion over the next four years in petrochemical infrastructure and electricity generation, the company announced.  Mexico’s largest petrochemical group plans to boost output of ethylenglycol and PET plastic, among other projects. (Mexican Business Web, May 9, 2012)
  • Automotive: U.S. automotive fiber products manufacturer Janesville Acoustics inaugurated a new production facility in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato.  The US$4.5 million plant will produce fiber products to manage vehicle acoustic performance for the area’s thriving automotive manufacturing industry. (Automotive Business Review, May 15, 2012)
  • Retail: Leading Mexican grocery and general merchandise retailer Chedraui will invest approximately US$220 – 260 million this year in expansion and upgrades, the company reported.  Resources are earmarked for the opening of 16 new stores and maintenance systems for existing sites. (El Financiero, May 10, 2012)
  • Automotive: German corrugated pipe manufacturer invested US$3.7 million of a planned US$7 million to begin operations at a new production plant in the central state of Guanajuato.  The facility will produce fluid transfer and cable protection systems for automotive and industrial applications. (El Economista, April 25, 2012)
  • Energy: Mexican grocery and general merchandise retailer Soriana will begin construction this month on a wind energy plant in the northern state of Tamaulipas.  The US$100 million generating plant will be built in association with wind energy developer Compañía Eólica de Tamaulipas (CETSA).  (Milenio, May 16, 2012) Read the rest of this entry »

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Mexico joins Wassenaar Arrangement on export controls

Mar 15

Posted by Tom in Investment, Manufacturing | 2 Comments

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Made in Mexico, one of these days

Made in Mexico, one of these days

Effective January 20, 2012, Mexico was admitted to the Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies.  It may sound like an arcane treaty of interest only to trade policy eggheads, but it actually stands to have concrete impact on some of Mexico’s most advanced manufacturing industries and their foreign business partners.

The Wassenaar Arrangement is an agreement among 41 manufacturing countries to abide by common guidelines intended to enhance transparency and responsibility in the exportation of arms and “dual-use” goods and technologies, which means those which could be used for both civilian and military applications.  For example, a chemical used in plastics manufacturing that could also be used in chemical weapons would be considered a dual-use good.  Participants in the arrangement must each implement their own internal controls and procedures domestically in compliance with the guidelines of the arrangement.  Mexico applied for admission in June 2011, and was accepted as a member after implementing a system of export permits and reporting applicable to arms and dual use goods which entered into effect in October 2011. Read the rest of this entry »

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Recent and upcoming investment

Feb 2

Posted by Tom in Economy, Energy, Investment, Manufacturing | No Comments

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Information collected from media reports over the past month:

  • Aerospace: American aircraft maker Hawker Beechcraft is joining forces with Mexican executive jet operator Aerolineas Executivas to build a new maintenance facility to serve private aircraft in the northeastern city of Monterrey.  The US$2.2 million project is planned to provide repair and painting services in the country’s second largest private aviation hub. (El Financiero, January 2, 2012)
  • Automotive: Japan-based Nissan Motor Co. is preparing plans to build a new automobile factory in Mexico.  The new facility will add production capacity to the company’s two existing plants in Mexico which currently have capacity to produce over 700,000 vehicles a year. (Wall Street Journal, January 6, 2012)
  • Automotive: Japanese automaker Nissan announced it will construct a new vehicle assembly plant in the central state of Aguascalientes at an estimated cost of US$2 billion.  The large-scale plan includes a supplier park nearby the new manufacturing facility, which will become Nissan’s third in Mexico. (Autoweek, January 25, 2012)
  • Aviation: European aerospace manufacturer Airbus announced an order from Mexican airline Volaris for the purchase of 44 new A320Neo and A320 aircraft. The total value of the deal, planned for delivery 2015 – 2020, was estimated at approximately US$4 billion. (AFP, January 12, 2012)
  • Aviation: U.S.-based aerospace manufacturer Hawker Beechcraft announced the sale of six new T-6C+ training aircraft to the Mexican Air Force, with the possibility of additional future orders.  The value of the deal was not specified. (Defense Media Network, January 11, 2012)
  • Electricity: German electronics and electrical engineering giant Siemans inaugurated a Low Voltage Research and Development Center near the northeastern city of Monterrey. The company invested approximately US$22 million in the new facility, which will help to develop high efficiency electrical systems for Siemens products. (Reforma, January 13, 2012)
  • Retail: Mexican grocery and general merchandise retailer Soriana announced plans to open 50 new sales locations in the country this year.  The company currently operates 558 stores across its five formats. (Reforma, January 16, 2012)
  • Logistics: The Mexican affiliate of Philippines-based International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) has begun construction on a new container handling terminal at the Pacific port of Manzanillo.  The new facility will require investment of US$250 million.  (Maquila Portal, January 17, 2012) Read the rest of this entry »

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Recent and upcoming investment

Jan 3

Posted by Tom in Energy, Investment, Manufacturing | No Comments

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Information collected from media reports over the past month:

  • Telecommunications: Finland-based telecommunications technology provider Nokia Siemens Networks inaugurated a new Service Delivery Center in Mexico City.  The US$2.4 million facility will provide design, planning, optimization and assurance support for telecommunications networks in Latin America, according to the company. (Nokia Siemens Networks, December 7, 2011)
  • Metals: U.S.-based metals processor Ryerson Inc. recently opened a new processing center in the northwestern city of Tijuana.  The facility will provide services such as cutting, slitting and laser burning for the area’s large maquiladora and manufacturing industries. (Made in Mexico, Inc., November 7, 2011)
  • Aviation: Mexican airline VivaAerobus announced plans to invest US$20 – 25 million in 2012 for the acquisition of five to seven new aircraft.  The company has registered strong growth since its launch in 2006. (Mexican Business Web, December 3, 2011)
  • Mining: Canadian mining firm Excalibur Resources announced that it will proceed to develop a major gold and silver production facility at its Catanava mining property in Zacatecas, Mexico, following approval of permits by the Mexican government.  Plans for the development include the construction of office and warehouse space as well as crushing, milling, conveyance and laboratory installations. (Canadian Mining Journal, November 25, 2011)
  • Retail: U.S.-based electronics retailer Best Buy announced plans to double the number of its sales locations in Mexico next year.  Best Buy, which entered the Mexican market in 2008, plans to expand from eight to 16 stores in Mexico in 2012. (Reforma, November 29, 2011) Read the rest of this entry »

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New sustainability guidelines for plastics in Mexico City

Aug 5

Posted by Tom in Manufacturing, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

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Yuck

Yuck

On July 26, 2011, Mexico City’s Department of the Environment (SMADF) published new guidelines for the production and consumption of plastic products in the city.  The guidelines are scheduled to enter into effect in July 2012 in order to provide affected parties time to prepare for compliance.  The legislation’s lengthy official title could probably be reduced to “the plastic bag law,” as it serves largely as the next step in the ongoing process of trying to figure out how to reduce the volume and degradation time of all the plastic bags discarded daily in the vast metropolis.  The new guidelines were eagerly awaited — so eagerly, in fact, that members of three opposition parties in the city’s legislative assembly (ALDF) called for Environment Secretary Martha Delgado’s removal over the delay.

Any Mexico City resident can tell you that local grocery store baggers are generous to a fault with the plastic bags.  Most of these grocery bags go right in the trash once the purchases are put away at home, contributing to the more than 1,000 tons of plastic garbage the city produces daily.  With the municipal dumps overflowing, in 2009 the city government formed a working group of plastics producers, retailers, academics and other specialists to develop policy recommendations for reducing the volume of plastic bags flowing into the landfills.  But for the city fathers, the plastic bag problem has turned out to be rather like Borges’ aleph: the closer they look at it, the larger and more complex it becomes. Read the rest of this entry »

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Recent and upcoming investment

Nov 4

Posted by Tom in Economy, Investment, Manufacturing | No Comments

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Reports on some recent and upcoming investment collected from the local business media:

  • Steel: European and Japanese steelmakers Ternium and Nippon Steel Corp., respectively, announced an alliance to build and operate a new steel manufacturing plant outside Monterrey, Nuevo Leon.  Projected to come on line in 2013, the plant will produce galvanized steel sheeting for the automotive industry.
  • Aerospace: Canadian aerospace giant Bombardier inaugurated a US$250 million expansion to its manufacturing complex in the central state of Queretaro this month.  The new facility will produce fuselages and electrical components for the company’s Learjet 85 model aircraft.
  • Retail: Office products retailer Office Depot de México revealed ambitious plans to continue its expansion into the Central and South American markets.  The company, which currently operates sales locations in Guatemala, Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Honduras in addition to its 188 stores in Mexico, is projecting US$50 million in investment to open 50 new stores in Colombia during the next five years.
  • Manufacturing: U.S. sports equipment manufacturer Easton Bell Sports will invest US$50 million to open a production plant in Guadalupe, Nuevo Leon.  The company, which produces sports headgear for the NFL, MLB and NHL, initially will manufacture football helmets at the new plant for export to the United States.
  • Telecommunications: Telefonos de Mexico (Telmex), Mexico’s largest fixed telephone and internet service provider, estimated investment in network and internet infrastructure upgrades at over US$880 million in 2009 and 2010.  The company plans to continue investing in internet infrastructure despite a slight decrease in the strong pace of growth in recent years. Read the rest of this entry »

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Recent and upcoming investment

Feb 26

Posted by Tom in Investment, Manufacturing | No Comments

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Reports on some recent and upcoming investment collected from the local business media:

  • Plastics:  The Manufacturing Industry Chamber of Nuevo Leon (Caintra) announced an initial US$1 million investment to build the Mexican Institute for Technological Innovation in Plastic and Rubber in the Monterrey area.
  • Electronics: IBM formally inaugurated new manufacturing installations in Jalisco developed at an estimated cost of US$20 million.  The facilities are intended specifically for the production of IBM’s high-end XIV Storage Systems for export to the United States, Europe and other areas.
  • Toys: Spanish toy manufacturer and retailer Imaginarium announced ambitious plans to expand operations in Mexico with an initial investment of US$1.6 million.  The company plans to open over 40 new retail locations in the country by 2013, in addition to potentially manufacturing in Mexico.
  • Retail: Despite underwhelming economic recovery, Mexico’s top retailer Wal-Mart de Mexico announced plans to invest over US$900 million this year.  The plans include the opening of 300 new locations across the company’s various retail formats and the remodeling of existing stores.
  • Mining: Canadian mining company First MajesticSilver Corp. opened a mineral processing plant in the northern state of Coahuila in late 2009.  The US$22 million plant will produce gold and silver. Read the rest of this entry »

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