Innovation Across All Infrastructure Segments

Q: What are the areas of opportunity that influenced the entry of Imperquimia into Mexico?

A: We have been present in the Mexican infrastructure sector for 50 years and this includes roads, railroads, Mexico City Metro and regional airports. Now, we are involved with one of Mexico’s biggest projects – NAICM. This project will cost over US$13 billion, which is an unprecedented investment in infrastructure over the last few decades, making NAICM the largest venture in the Americas. The biggest challenge for the project’s proper development is the soil. Its salinity is four to five times greater than that of the Dead Sea. It is a very corrosive environment so it is essential to protect the infrastructure from the groundwater. We have the technology to do this with a low carbon footprint, so we are in an excellent situation to compete.

One of the most interesting and important projects this administration will carry out is the Mexico-Toluca Interurban Train. The biggest challenge for this project is the size of the tunnels, since they are extremely large. Therefore, the speed at which the construction must be carried out is crucial and requires prefabricated components to be manufactured very quickly. We competed with international companies and managed to develop a way in which to speed up the manufacture of these pieces.

Another project that presents a significant challenge is Mexico City’s Metro System. The city was constructed over a lake so naturally, water can seep into the tunnels. It is vital for this project not only to protect the whole construction but also to be able to propose a solution that levels the tracks. We have been carrying out this task by using our new line of products with cutting edge technology. There are very tight deadlines to finish this work and it must be done overnight while the train is not operating.

Q: How did Imperquimia become such an important part of the sector?

A: This industry is strongly reliant on petrochemicals. Around 4-5 percent of the GDP of oil-producing economies comes from petrochemicals and in Mexico this is about 1 percent. Sadly, we have not been able to close this gap yet. The big opportunity for Mexico is to invest in local petrochemical manufacturing so it can get to the same level of other oilproducing countries. Imperquimia is based on innovation and in terms of waterproofing; we were one of the pioneers of the segment. We established the first production line of prefabricates systems used for waterproofing in Mexico and furthermore, we were responsible for introducing acrylic systems globally. We then developed a method to manufacture these products in an international scale. One of our most important differentiators has always been our ability to provide our customers with an agile response to their needs based on tailor-made quality solutions.

Q: To what extent do you want to create new technologies for the infrastructure industry?

A: We have been investing around 1 percent of our income in R&D, but we spend at least 10 percent of our time on it. Our technology provision is evolving and the industry adapts new skills constantly. When a certain amount of GDP per capita is reached, new technologies tend to enter the market. Although we have a wide portfolio of products, only a few lines are a significant proportion of our income. These are cement and concrete waterproofing products. In waterproofing, the world is moving toward more and more sophisticated systems and Mexico is not the exception. When the economic indicators move up in Mexico, there will be a greater penetration of the products we already developed.

Q: How can Imperquimia offer its products to the ports?

A: Ports must withstand a great deal of time and stay in good condition. Our line of cement and concrete products can help the structures withstand the pressures caused by saltwater and other corrosive substances. Ports also have a lot of additional infrastructure, so we can help protect steel structures and other buildings, such as educational and health infrastructure.