Investment Announcements in Mexico Poised to Boost Packaging Machinery Demand | Packaging World

CPG Companies including Unilever, Heineken, Merck, and more have major investment plans for the Mexican market, signaling a potential rise in packaging machinery demand ahead.

Major companies across packaging verticals are placing their bets on manufacturing success in Mexico with investment announcements.

That’s according to PMMI Business Intelligence’s report, “Mexico’s Packaging Machinery Market Trends and Opportunities 2024-2025.” The report details key investment announcements made from the second half of 2023 to early 2024, which may significantly influence the Mexican market’s demand for packaging machinery in the years ahead.

Constellation Brands, a producer of wine, beer, and spirits, is near to completing a U.S. $13 billion investment in its new brewery in Veracruz. The new space will receive most of its equipment in 2024. The company also announced capacity expansion investments in its Nava and Obregon breweries that will include an additional U.S. $323 million in investments. These projects are part of the U.S. $5.5 billion investment plan Constellation Brands is considering for Mexico in the coming years.

Heineken has also announced a new brewery construction in Kanasin, Yucatán. The company says the new brewery will include investments of MX $511 million. This will be Heineken’s eighth brewery in Mexico. Construction began for the facility in early 2024.

Danone is a leading producer of yogurts, dairy products, and waters. It owns the leading almond milk brand in Mexico, Silk, and celebrates 50 years of operating in Mexico in 2024. The company has announced new investments of €100 million to increase and modernize its production plants in Mexico and strengthen its R&D operations.

Unilever is near equipping its U.S. $400 million personal care products plant in the northern state of Nuevo León. The project is in its final construction phase.

Grupo Bimbo announced investments in the range of U.S. $1.7 billion to $2 billion for 2024, in line with investments from previous years. Its snack company Barcel was the largest importer of packaging equipment in Mexico in 2023, and its baking division ranked fourth. Combining all subsidiaries’ investments, Grupo Bimbo topped the list of packaging machinery buyers in Mexico in 2023.

Coca-Cola bottler Arca Continental announced an investment plan of MX $17 billion for 2024, 24% more than its investments in the previous year. Just over half (55%) of Arca Continental’s investment budget will be designated to its Mexico operations, while the remaining 45% will be designated to Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, and the U.S., where the company also has bottling operations. In the past three years, Arca Continental has ranged among the top 10 packaging machinery importers in Mexico.

The pharmaceutical company Abbott announced the construction of a new plant in the State of Querétaro to produce medical devices for monitoring and treating heart conditions. The company plans to invest U.S. $150 million in this plant.

Mexican pharma company Neolpharma is investing MX $800 million in three plants in Mexico City to produce biotechnological medications and RNA vaccines.

Laboratorios Carnot announced a U.S. $140 million investment in a new plant located in Villa Del Tezontle, Hidalgo. This new plant investment will be divided into two stages: the first stage will become operational in 2026 and the second in 2030.

Multinational laboratories Merck, Novartis, and Roche have also announced new investments for 2024-2025. Merck and Novartis announced each will invest U.S. $50 million in expanding capacity of their current plants. Roche announced a U.S. $58 million investment, of which a large amount will be invested in R&D.

SOURCE: PMMI Business Intelligence: Mexico’s Packaging Machinery Market Trends and Opportunities 2024-2025.

For more insights from PMMI’s Business Intelligence team, find reports, including “2024 Transforming Packaging and Processing Operations” and “2024 Craft Beer and Spirits: Success Through Packaging” at pmmi.org/business-intelligence.

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