Material supplier Solvay is building a polyamide compounding unit in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, with initial annual capacity of 10KT.
Solvay’s new compounding unit under construction in San Luis Potosí, Mexico.
The new facility is expected to become operational in the third quarter of 2017 to serve the region’s and North America’s growing automotive and consumer goods markets. In a statement released at the K 2016 trade show in Düsseldorf, Germany, Solvay noted that Mexico is the second largest producer of automobiles and commercial vehicles in the Americas and is ranked seventh worldwide with annual production exceeding 3.5 million units in 2015. In addition, many consumer goods and electrical equipment players are located close by, offering new opportunities for the company. “This new plant will help us to support our fast growing Technyl polyamide business in North America, in addition to our current capabilities,” said Vincent Kamel, president of Solvay Performance Polyamides. “Many of the world’s top automotive OEMs are located in the region, which makes it an ideal base for us to serve both local and U.S. markets and contribute with our solutions to cleaner mobility.”
To minimize investment cost and time to market, Solvay is partnering with Chunil Engineering, one of its major customers. “Our collaboration with Chunil Engineering – a global automotive Tier 1 – enables us to optimize the site’s infrastructure, including the use of power, water, and waste treatment,” said Peter Browning, general manager of Solvay’s engineering plastics business unit. “As our business develops, we will expand this modular 10KT unit’s capacity to meet the rapidly growing needs of our customers in the region.”
Solvay is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, and employs approximately 30,000 workers globally. The company reported net sales of 12.4 billion euros in 2015.
