Kuo and Cabot to Further Invest in Mexican Carbon Black Production

Grupo Kuo, S.A.B. de C.V., formerly known as Desc, S.A.B. de C.V. has announced that it and Cabot International Capital Corporation, shareholders of carbon black manufacturer Nhumo, S.A. de C.V. have approved capital investment plans for the Nhumo production facility in Altamira, Mexico. The capital investment plans include the installation of a new cogeneration unit, as well as machinery and equipment upgrades that will increase the plant’s nameplate production capacity to approximately 150,000 tonnes per year by 2008.

The additional capacity will allow Nhumo to respond to increasing demand for carbon black in Mexico, already one of the world’s highest volume traders in the commodity. Kuo ranks as one of Mexico’s largest industrial groups, with annual sales of approximately US$1.8 billion and some 10,500 employees.