Producer
Orbia
Mexico City-based diversified specialty chemical company (BMV: ORBIA); formed from Mexichem + Wavin + Netafim + other businesses. Fluorochemicals operations through the Koura brand (formerly Mexichem Fluor). Primary HFC production at Runcorn, Cheshire, UK (Koura Runcorn) — produces HFCs including R-404A components and HFO-1234ze alternatives. Also has fluorochemicals operations in Mexico (San Luis Potosí) and the US. Koura is one of the world's largest fluorochemical companies; the UK Runcorn site produces HCFCs, HFCs, and HFOs. As EU F-Gas Regulation phases out high-GWP HFCs, Koura/Orbia is transitioning its product portfolio toward HFOs. Orbia also makes water infrastructure products (Wavin), precision irrigation (Netafim), and data solutions.
2
Inputs supplied
2
Goods downstream
2
Facilities
0
Stories
What they make
2 inputs Orbia supplies
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Where it shows up
Goods downstream
Essential goods that depend on something Orbia makes, pick one to see the full supply chain.
Where they make it
2 facilities
Las Cuevas Mine →
MXSan Luis Potosí · mine
World's largest fluorspar mine; Orbia/Koura's flagship asset. Produces acid-grade and metallurgical-grade fluorspar; exports ~80% of output. Underpins Mexico's ~10% of global fluorspar production (993K tons, 2024 USGS). A single operational disruption here cascades to U.S. HF acid, refrigerant, and fluoropolymer supply chains. Source: https://fluorspar.com/2025/04/04/orbia-mexichem-a-global-leader-in-fluorspar-mining/
Orbia/Koura – Runcorn, Cheshire (UK) →
GBCheshire
Koura (Orbia) primary European fluorochemicals facility in Runcorn, Cheshire, UK. Produces HFCs including R-404A component HFCs, HCFCs, and next-generation HFOs (HFO-1234ze for commercial refrigeration). Runcorn is a legacy chemical manufacturing city on the Mersey River — historically an ICI site, now operating as specialty fluorochemicals. EU F-Gas Regulation 2024/573 restricts new high-GWP HFC equipment in the EU from 2025-2026, pressuring Koura to transition European production toward HFOs. UK post-Brexit continues aligning PFAS/F-gas policy with EU frameworks.
What else they do
Business segments
The company's full revenue map, where this supply-chain role fits within their broader business.
Polymer Solutions (Vestolit + Alphagary)
33%Building & Infrastructure (Wavin)
31%Precision Agriculture (Netafim) — BEING DIVESTED
14%Connectivity Solutions (Dura-Line)
13%Fluor & Energy Materials (Koura)
9%
Intelligence
What's known
Sourced claims about this company's role in supply chains, chokepoints, concentration, incidents, dual-use connections.
Did you know2024
Orbia's Koura division operates the world's largest fluorspar mine — a strategic position because fluorspar (calcium fluoride, CaF₂) is the sole commercial source of elemental fluorine and is therefore upstream of all fluorine chemistry: HFC/HFO refrigerants (HVAC, pharmaceutical cold chain), PVDF polymer (lithium-ion battery binders and membrane separators), semiconductor process chemicals (NF₃ chamber cleaning, HF etching), and fluoropolymer components in medical devices and aerospace. Koura received an $8.4M US Department of Defense contract for battery electrolyte materials for 'critical missions' and a $100M US Department of Energy award for domestic EV battery manufacturing. Koura also supplies fluorinated electrolytes to Amprius Technologies — which makes aerospace/defense-grade silicon anode batteries. The world's drip irrigation and fiber conduit company is simultaneously the upstream critical minerals chokepoint for all fluorine-based battery and semiconductor chemistry.
Koura / Orbia ↗Chokepoint2025
Orbia holds simultaneous world-#1 positions in three unrelated industrial infrastructure categories: drip irrigation (Netafim, ~30% global market share), HDPE fiber optic conduit (Dura-Line, 500M+ meters/year), and fluorspar production (Koura, world's largest mine). No other single company controls globally dominant positions across food production water infrastructure, telecommunications physical infrastructure, and the raw material upstream of all fluorine chemistry simultaneously. Orbia's $8.6B debt load has turned these assets into a forced seller's portfolio — the Netafim sale at a significant loss and potential further divestitures mean the conglomerate that assembled these positions is under financial pressure to disassemble them, with unclear implications for the market structure of each segment.
Orbia ↗Origin2025
Orbia (formerly Mexichem, rebranded 2019) is a Mexican specialty chemicals and infrastructure conglomerate built through decades of acquisitions. Its five divisions span PVC resins (Vestolit), plastic water infrastructure pipes (Wavin), drip irrigation (Netafim), fiber optic conduit (Dura-Line), and fluorine chemistry (Koura) — five supply chains with no obvious common thread except that Orbia owns them. The company carries approximately $8.6 billion in total debt (of which $2.6 billion matures within 12 months) against only $990 million cash as of 2024, creating financial pressure that drives both the Netafim sale attempt and other portfolio simplification. Despite this leverage, Orbia's individual businesses hold world-leading positions in drip irrigation (Netafim, #1), HDPE fiber conduit (Dura-Line, #1), and fluorspar production (Koura, largest mine).
Orbia ↗