BASF Is Constructing a New Styrolux Manufacturing Plant in Altamira, Mexico

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). BASF (Altamira, Mexico), a subsidiary of BASF AG (FRANKFURT: DE:515100) (Ludwigshafen, Germany), broke ground on a $53 million Styrolux styrene-butadiene copolymers (SBC) plant in Altamira, Mexico in March 2002. When the plant comes online in late 2003, it will have a production capacity of 45,000 metric tons per year.

ICA Fluor Daniel (Mexico City), the joint venture of Empresas ICA Sociedad Controladora S.A. de C.V. and Fluor Corporation (NYSE: FLR) (Aliso Viejo, California) was awarded the 21-month engineering and construction contract in October of 2001. ICA is Mexico's largest engineering and construction firm.

BASF's Styrolux SBC will produce thermoplastic resins that are ideal for food packaging items such as film wrap, drinking cups, and injection-molded applications like plastic coat hangers. This plant will primarily market to North and South America. BASF's North American headquarters are located in Mount Olive, New Jersey.