Combining Materials for Greater Sustainability

Q: What sectors take advantage of Plastimadera’s wood substitute and how?

A: Our products can be used in a wide variety of industries and we complement them with tailor-made solutions. Plastimadera manufactures industrial pallets, buoys and speedbumps, building beams and pavilions, railway sleepers, fences, facades, footbridges, rough-use playgrounds, kiosks, paddocks, roof tiles and rough-use floors designed for industrial, real estate and infrastructure activities. Our core business is providing an environmentally-friendly substitute for natural wood made out of recycled plastic.

We expect the real estate industry to continue growing for eight more years, which implies a market in which Plastimadera can also grow. Developers continue to prioritize the sustainability, social and mobility aspects of their projects. Plastimadera thrives on the momentum sparked by these trends.

Q: How is Plastimadera positioned in the real estate value chain?

A: Developers take advantage of our customized services to optimize their projects. They call during the first stages of the project to incorporate our products into the design of areas such as parking lots. Our products are then installed near the end of the construction phase. In short, we help developers finish their projects by delivering tailormade, eco-friendly solutions that impact sustainability and mobility without breaking the project’s original architectural concept. For example, we collaborated on the renovation of Bosque de Chapultepec by assessing an existing project and convincing our construction partner to use kiosks made of both metal and plastic instead of just metal. This made the kiosks more aesthetically pleasing, more resistant and improved the general landscape while adhering to the planned concept.

Q: What is Plastimadera’s game plan when creating new applications for plastic wood?

A: We innovate through a double strategy. On the one hand, we hire people who can help Plastimadera overcome its weaknesses so the company can identify and take advantage of new opportunity areas. On the other, Plastimadera develops strategic alliances that add value to its projects. For example, when we entered the urban furniture market we brought in specialists who understand Mexican culture. They identified the flaws in our competitors’ products and designed more resistant products. Our allies also help us improve and win contracts. Public dependencies like the Mexican Transport Industry back our products as well as real estate developers and universities like UNAM, IPN and ITESM.

Q: What obstacles does Plastimadera face when introducing its products to developers?

A: Convincing developers to use several materials to create something sustainable is difficult. They prefer to use wood or metal because they are familiar with these materials. Being a young organization is challenging because we have not introduced as many of our products as we had hoped. Another issue is convincing developers of the costbenefit of Plastimadera’s products. People think recycled materials are more inexpensive because the cost system behind recycling is unfamiliar to them. They are not aware that producing a recycled material means investing in a completely new manufacturing process.

Q: How will Plastimadera continue to innovate with its products?

A: We are introducing a new eco-friendly line of lighting poles called Alumbrateck in October and five new urban furniture projects, including benches with umbrellas in new shapes. We innovate by taking a concept that already exists and making it eco-friendlier.

Plastimadera is present in Chihuahua, Jalisco, Quintana Roo, Yucatan, Campeche, Queretaro, Puebla, Mexico City, State of Mexico, Nuevo Leon, Colima and Veracruz. Many of our projects in these locationsare ecological parks and hotels.