Latin America at a glance October 2016
Argentina
- “FROM Argentina to the World”. Last September, President Mauricio Macri welcomed 1,600 business leaders to Buenos Aires, inviting them to invest in and trade with his country. That marked a big change. During 12 years of rule by Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and her late husband, Néstor Kirchner, Argentina cut itself off from the world, nationalizing foreign businesses, curbing imports and severing normal ties with the IMF. The Kirchners once stood up Carly Fiorina, the boss of Hewlett-Packard, an American computer giant, when she went to visit them at the Casa Rosada. Source: The economist
Brazil
- October 6th, The Brazilian Magnesite (manufacturer of refractory thermal materials) announced its merger with the Austrian giant RHI. Allowing the Brazilian Magnesite to become a world leader in the sector. Read more…
- The RHI is twice as large as the Brazilian competitor that during 2015 achieved 1.8 billion in sales. The merger RHI Interim CEO Wolfgang Ruttenstorfer expects “a certain market loss”. Read more…
Colombia
- On September 26th the Colombian president, Juan Manuel Santos, and the leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Rodrigo Londoño, known as “Timochenko”, signed a peace accord to end more than 50 years of war between the Marxist rebels and the Colombian state. Source: The Economist
- Last October 2nd, JUAN MANUEL SANTOS, Colombia’s president, took a gamble with his country’s future on, and lost. Mr Santos asked voters to approve its peace referendum and by a very slim margin, they said “No”. That shocking result leaves the peace process in limbo, plunges the country into uncertainty and weakens the president. Read more…
Mexico
- Derivate from the energy reform in Mexico, Natural gas will be installed replacing the current use of liquefied petroleum gas (LP)
- September 2016, The Mexican National Center for controlling the Natural Gas (CENEGAS for its acronym in Spanish) , celebrated a working week in which the Energy Secretary headed by Lic. Pedro Joaquín Coldwell, referred to the CENEGAS as a motivator for the production of Mexico
- CENEGAS is authorized for initiating a public tender for the transportation and store of natural gas. More information
- Nestle invested 245 million dollars for its plant in Ocotlan Nantli, Jalisco. Nestlé opened its 17th plant in Mexico, Nantli Nutrition, which required an investment of 245 million dollars, and will be fully focused on the production of infant formulas, product supply the local market and 21 export destinations. “60% of the production will stay in the country and the rest will be exported” said Heiko Schiffer, Global CEO of Nestlé Nutrition.
- Freixe Laurent, head of the areas of the Americas, said that with the opening of this plant predicts that in the coming years Mexico will climb from seventh to fifth place in importance on the world map of the company. Read more…