Mexico Business Blog

Posts Tagged Recycling

Recent and upcoming investment in Mexico

Jul 3

Posted by Tom in Investment, Manufacturing | No Comments

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Information collected from media reports over the past month:

  • Automotive: Japanese auto parts maker Yachiyo began construction of a new manufacturing plant in the central state of Guanajuato.  The US$20 million facility is planned to produce to manufacture fuel tanks, sunroofs, sheet-metal parts and plastic parts for a new Honda auto plant also under construction in the state. (El Economista, May 30, 2012)
  • Manufacturing: U.S. Corporate group 3M will open a new research and development center in the northeastern Mexican state of San Luís Potosí, the state government announced.  The new facility, which will conduct research in support of product development in areas such as bioscience, energy, lighting, chemicals, automotive and aerospace, is part of US$60 million in planned investments in Mexico by the company. (El Financiero, May 28, 2012)
  • Transport: U.S. rail carrier Kansas City Southern plans investments worth US$125 million this year in its Mexico rail network.  Resources will be put into maintenance and infrastructure in areas such as track, locomotives, railcars and other equipment, the company reported. (El Financiero, May 28, 2012)
  • Food processing: Mexican multinational flour miller Gruma will invest US$57 million in its Mexico operations this year, the company reported.  The resources for the company’s corn and wheat flour production plants will support upgrades in production capacity and advanced processing technologies.  (Reforma, June 14, 2012)
  • Hospitality: U.S. hotel operator Hyatt will be ramping up its presence in Mexico through the recent acquisition of Mexico City’s emblematic Nikko hotel as well as construction of six new hotels in the country, the company reported.  In addition to the US$190 million cost of the Nikko, to be renamed Hyatt Regency Mexico City, the company will spend another US$40 million on upgrades to meeting facilities, audio visual technology and Wi-Fi connections. (El Financiero, May 28, 2012) Read the rest of this entry »

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Bordo Poniente closure brings opportunities and challenges

Jan 10

Posted by Tom in Energy, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

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Destination unknown

Destination unknown

As Mexico City residents slowly returned to work and normal life after the holidays, we discovered we had a garbage problem.  Not just the bags of empty liquor bottles by the door; a real problem for the whole city and surrounding State of Mexico.  The largest solid waste disposal facility used for city garbage was shut down in December, and suddenly the city’s sanitation department wasn’t sure what to do with the garbage.

The dump in question, called Bordo Poniente, was closed with great fanfare on December 19, 2011 after over 25 years of service.  In line with Mayor Marcelo Ebrard’s ongoing effort to implement ecologically friendly public policies, city agencies developed a plan to recycle the site’s estimated 70 million tons of garbage in a number of ways.  According to the plan, the city will issue a tender for private companies to compete for a contract under which the winner will partner with government agencies to build a plant to harvest biogas from the decomposing organic waste.  Read the rest of this entry »

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Recent and upcoming investment

Nov 1

Posted by Tom in Economy, Investment, Manufacturing | 3 Comments

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Information collected from media reports over the past month:

  • Automotive: German auto parts manufacturer Robert Bosch projected investment in its Mexico operations at US$78 million for 2011.  The resources are earmarked to support introduction of new technologies and preparation for the manufacture of new brake pad and battery products at the company’s 13 Mexico production locations. (El Informador, September 29, 2011)
  • Aerospace: Canadian aircraft maker Bombardier announced it will invest US$50 million to outfit its Queretaro plant to produce the aft fuselage for its new generation of long range business jets.  Mexico is now producing major composite structures for the company’s Learjet 85, such as fuselage lay-up and subsystem installation, wiring harness fabrication and installation, wing assembly and horizontal and vertical stabilizer assemblies. (The Montreal Gazette, October 25, 2011)
  • Recycling: Germany-based industrial services firm Ferrostaal AG announced plans to build a tire recycling plant in Mexico.  The facility will convert used vehicle tires into rubber granules for potential use in the manufacture of sports and recreation surfaces, soundproofing insulation or water hoses, among other uses.  The amount of investment in the new plant was not specified. (Ferrostaal, September 26, 2011)
  • Mining: Minera Autlán, subsidiary of Mexican mining group Grupo Ferrominero (GFM), is projecting investment in its Mexico mining operations of up to US$300 million over the next five years.  GFM’s energy subsidiary GFM Energía also plans to build three hydroelectric plants and one wind power generating plant in the coming years. (Reforma, October 6, 2011)
  • Steel: U.S.-based Steel Technologies announced plans to build a new steel processing facility in the northeastern state of Nuevo León.  The US$78 million plant is planned to provide steel cutting and surface treatment services for the region’s thriving automotive industry. (NAFTA Works, October 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

Jan 11

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

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

  • Retail: Mexican franchise operating group Alsea announced plans to invest approximately US$400 million over the next five years to open new stores.  The licensee  in Mexico of brands such as Domino’s, Starbucks, Burger King and Chili’s, Alsea will also add locations in Chile, Argentina and Colombia.
  • Energy: Mexican industrial baking giant Grupo Bimbo announced the initiation of construction of a major wind farm in southern Mexico that is intended to supply nearly 100% of the company’s domestic electricity needs.  The majority of the US$200 million investment in the site will be supplied by Spanish renewable energy developer Renovalia, which will build and operate the facility.
  • Manufacturing: U.S.-based tile and floor covering materials producer Dal-Tile Corp. will invest US$111 million in a new manufacturing plant in the central city of Salamanca, Guanajuato.  The new facility, planned for construction in 2011, will become the second plant in Mexico operated by local subsidiary Daltile de México.
  • Recycling: Member companies of the Mexican plastic bag industry association (Inboplast) will invest over US$12 million in the development of 24 bag recycling plants beginning next year.  The plants are intended to take greater advantage of underutilized plastic in Mexico City’s enormous landfills.
  • Energy: Dubai-based alternative energy developers Rubenius announced plans to invest up to US$4 billion to construct a large scale energy storage facility in Mexicali, Mexico near the U.S. border.  The site is planned to store 1,000 Mw of solar, wind and geothermal energy for distribution to grids in both Mexico and the United States. Read the rest of this entry »

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