Two announced foreign investments in Mexico's surfactant industry this year may face uncertainty in feedstock provision and pricing as a result of a petrochemical shortage for Pemex, the national oil company. Since the cost of surfactants is dependent in part on the price of crude oil and primary derivatives, paints and coatings that feature surfactants can be affected by price increases in the market. In March, Stepan Company reported that it has closed on a pending agreement with BASF Mexicana to acquire, for an undisclosed sum, their surfactant production facility in Ecatepec, Mexico State, with 50,000 metric tons of capacity.
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