US thermoplastic resins distributor M. Holland (Northbrook, Illinois; www.mholland.com) has set up a Mexican affiliate together with plastics and chemicals distributor Grupo Solquim (Tlalnepantla / Mexico; www.solquim.com). Headed by Patricio Lebrija and Francisco Xavier Lebrija, M. Holland Latinoamérica has assets contributed by both partners, including Grupo Solquim’s polymer sales and distribution capacities. The local branch “will be the platform for our aggressive growth plans in Mexico and Latin America,” said M. Holland CEO Ed Holland.

The new company has almost 500 customers and an infrastructure whose reach extends throughout Mexico, including warehouses, bagging lines, rail terminals, pulverising equipment as well as delivery trucks.

M. Holland has to date been active in North America and Canada. Its clients include Styrolution, Braskem, BASF, Total, Bayer MaterialScience, Celanese and Teknor Apex, among others. The family-owned company was founded in 1950 and sold more than 450,000 t of material last year.

Set up in 1970, Grupo Solquim is the authorised distributor of Mexico’s state-owned energy group Pemex (Mexico City; www.pemex.com). In addition to polymers – its portfolio includes LD, LLD and HDPE as well as homo and copo PP grades – the company also markets solvents.