M. Holland Partners with Mexican Distributor for Expansion

M. Holland Company, a leading North American distributor of thermoplastic resins, today announced its first expansion outside of the United States and Canada with the pending formation of Grupo Solquim-M. Holland, a partnership with leading plastics and chemicals distributor Grupo Solquim of Mexico.

Ed Holland, M. Holland President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “Grupo Solquim-M. Holland represents our platform for growth in Mexico and further expansion into Latin America. With the North American shale gas and shale oil boom combined with the changes occurring in the global petrochemicals industry, we have chosen to expand beyond the U.S. and Canada to stay strategically aligned in support of our suppliers’ needs.”

The partnership will comprise assets contributed by both partners, including Grupo Solquim’s polymer sales and distribution capabilities. The new company will open with nearly 500 customers and a solid infrastructure that includes commercial reach throughout Mexico, all supported by warehousing, bagging lines, rail terminals, pulverizing equipment and a fleet of bulk and packaged delivery trucks.

The partnership is scheduled to be finalized by the end of June 2015. Grupo Solquim veterans Patricio Lebrija will serve as Director General and Francisco Xavier Lebrija will assume the role of Director of Operations.

Patricio Lebrija said, “We’re very excited about this partnership, especially because it creates a perfect synergy between our company’s infrastructure, market presence and local experience with M. Holland’s sourcing capabilities, growth strategy and decades of experience. We are excited for this partnership and our expectations are high.”

“Grupo Solquim has been a distributor for Pemex for forty-five years and for Pemex polyethylene since 1991”, Holland said. “Our goal for Grupo Solquim-M Holland is to build the supply base and create a robust product portfolio ranging from polyolefins and styrenics to engineering resins.”

Holland said that plans call for expanding the commercial, technical and logistics infrastructure in Mexico and eventually into other parts of Central and South America. “Both Grupo Solquim and M. Holland currently export into the broader Latin American market. We will look to expand that reach and grow our physical presence beyond Mexico as well,” he noted.

The company’s expansion plans could include acquisitions, Holland added. “We don’t want to be disruptive to the market, so we’ll make ‘build or acquire decisions’ on a case by case basis.”

For more than 60 years, M. Holland has been the leading family-owned distributor of the highest quality application-specific plastic resins, with strategically placed warehouses, packaging and bulk terminal locations across North America. The company serves approximately 3,000 customers supplying over a billion pounds of resin annually sourced from the premier resin producers in the world.

Family-owned Grupo Solquim was founded by Mr. Javier Lebrija Vazquez Gomez 45 years ago and has grown into one of Mexico’s leading distributors of solvents and polymers. The company’s headquarters and main facilities are in Mexico City, where it maintains warehousing, break bulk terminals, bagging lines and resin pulverizing capabilities to serve nearly 500 customers throughout Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean.