Traer (Tratamiento Ecológico de Residuos, SA de CV)

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Traer specializes in maritime waste management. Traer collects and treats waste from ships and ports, recycling the garbage and treating the oil waste to be reused as fuel.

Market Opportunity:

• The US Academy of Sciences estimated that 6.4 million tons of marine litter contaminate the oceans each year. Most marine debris does not biodegrade immediately, threatening marine and coastal life.

• Traer estimates that 1,645,000 cubic meters of marine waste is generated each year in the thirteen Mexican ports where Traer operates, comprising of:

  • 1,400,000 cubic meters of slops
  • 140,000 cubic meters of sludge
  • 70,000 cubic meters of garbage
  • 35,000 cubic meters of recyclable materials

• Traer estimated the market opportunity for servicing this waste stream to be nearly $200 million.

Unique Business Solution:

• Business Model: Traer collects and treats waste from cruise ships, merchant vessels, and port terminals. Traer recycles garbage, treats oil waste to be reused as fuel, and offers its clients environmental liability insurance. Traer was the first company authorized as a waste reception facility in Mexico. Traer has operations in thirteen ports in Mexico (and one in Argentina), giving it the largest national presence of all its competitors.

• Competitive Advantage:

  • With presence in thirteen ports in Mexico, the most of any port waste servicing company, clients can consolidate waste service contracts with Traer so that clients only have to deal with one company.

  • The Traer management team has a strong background in maritime law and ensures that the proper documentation is taken care of for all services.

Environmental & Social Impacts:

• Traer ensures that 75% of the waste that is collected at ports is recycled. The remaining 25%, composed of non-recyclable materials, is sent to landfill to prevent the waste from contaminating the ocean.

• From 2008 to 2010, Traer collected 18,000 cubic meters of sludge, garbage, and slops, 8,000 cubic meters of which were collected in 2010 alone.

Successes:

• From 2007 to 2010, Traer has more than doubled sales revenue.

• Traer has successfully expanded internationally, opening a port in Argentina in 2010.

Future Plans & Challenges:

• Traer plans to open another waste servicing facility in the port of Cozumel, one of the top ports frequented by cruise ships.

• Traer plans to build a local waste treatment facility in Puerto Vallarta to reuse waste fossil fuels that are collected at this port, avoid outsourcing this process, and avoid the transportation of this waste.

• Traer plans to produce biodiesel made from the cooking oil from ships.

• Traer plans to attain ISO 9000-14000 Certification by 2012.

Partnering with New Ventures:

• New Ventures mentors helped Traer shape its strategy and growth rate. In particular, New Ventures mentors assisted Traer in finding a sustainable growth rate and implementing the management practices, such as weekly calls with port managers, make sure all ports were operating smoothly before growing.

• Through New Ventures, Traer was one of five companies selected to receive a customer relationship management (CRM) software, which was implemented with the help of New Ventures.

Financial information on this company has not been included for confidentiality reasons. Please click here to learn how you can receive more information about this company.

Profile Updated: July 2011