Katoen Natie, A Strategic Partner in Mexico A logistics company with a global footprint takes advantage of business opportunities that exist in Mexico by revolutionizing the supply chain for the industries with the best outlook for the future. Katoen Natie, a multinational company that has accumulated a century of experience in the comprehensive management of logistics services, has a strategic position for the economic sectors in Mexico that require the continuous and secure supply of plastic resins and other derivatives of the petrochemical industry. Since 2001, the company of Belgian origin, with David Rubio Echaniz at the head of operations in Mexico, has seen fit to invest in those regions of the country that are considered important nodes for the input, generation, transfer and receipt of plastics that will be required in the future by thriving industries such as the automotive sector. “We see it as an interesting area with a lot of growth,” says its director and representative in Mexico. “The company sees Mexico as a strategic point of significant growth. If we look at traditional markets, growth is either zero or negative; the company seeks markets where there is opportunity for growth and Mexico is among the most important,” he remarks. Katoen Natie operates in Altamira, Tamaulipas; Silao, Guanajuato; Huehuetoca, Estado de México, and Pantaco, Mexico City. Thus, it can offer industries a complete service for the management, movement, storage and transfer of raw materials derived from petrochemicals efficiently and at lower costs, since it exploits the combined advantages of rail and trucking services. The most recent of the investments made by the firm in the country covers the years 2012-2013, for the construction of an intermodal terminal in Huehuetoca, Estado de México –about 65 kilometers north of Mexico City– which is interconnected to the railroads run by Kansas City Southern de México and Ferromex. According to Rubio Echaniz, the metropolitan area of Mexico City consumes 60% of the plastic resins that are mobilized by the company in his charge. That led to the decision to develop a distribution center with the features of the one that Katoen Natie established near the Circuito Mexiquense and Mexico- Querétaro highways. The Belgian company spent 25 million USD on building the distribution center on an area of 10 hectares, with five more in reserve. It manages the loading of up to 230 railcars and the transfer of some 20,000 tons of plastic products every month for distribution in the Valley of Mexico by truck. The terminal also has an 18,000-square-meter warehouse and a bagging machine. The connectivity of the intermodal terminal with the railroad –together with the six kilometers of track owned by Katoen Natie– has transformed the dynamics of logistics and supply of the chain value of the plastics industry in Mexico because the materials that previously were moved on a smaller scale using the highways can now circulate in large volumes, reducing the cost and environmental impact of the transfer. Furthermore, Katoen Natie maintains strategic partnerships with trucking companies that comply with regulations for handling petrochemicals. “We look for market leaders that meet the highest international standards. We are part of the petrochemical sector and the industry has some statutes and procedures such as full responsibility for product handling,” highlights Rubio. Connecting the Center and the Coast Katoen Natie views its intermodal terminal in Huehuetoca as a logistics platform that allows Mexican companies, as well as receiving imported raw materials, to export goods manufactured in the center of the country from the ports of Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas and Altamira. “The terminal has grown even better than our investment plans and that has given us great encouragement,” says Rubio. For its part, the transfer terminal which Katoen Natie set up in Silao helps to strengthen the supply chain for the automotive and footwear industries in the Bajío region. The terminal is located in Parque Industrial Silao FIPASI and allows the operation of railcars up to 90 tons. “Given the strategic position of Mexico with respect to the most dynamic market in the world, the US, the country must support policies for infrastructure development that favor the optimal movement of goods,” believes Rubio. “We definitely need to remove bottlenecks in order to provide a better service and I think the federal government is already dealing with this,” he adds. The automotive sector, for example, is enjoying a good period and the arrival of new carmakers to Mexico paints a good picture for a company that is contributing to opening up new supply channels, particularly for goods related to petrochemicals and specialty chemicals, two of the seven business units that constitute Katoen Natie globally. “The per capita consumption of plastic resins in Mexico, compared to countries in Europe or with the US, is one third or less but there is opportunity for growth,” concludes Rubio.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 09:00:53 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015