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Refineries.

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Executive Summary:

  • Logo:
    RM
  • Name:
    Mexican Refineries
  • Phrase:
    The value that drives you towards your destiny.
  • Problem:

  • Current problems in refineries and the hydrocarbon market, particularly focused on Mexico and its interaction with the United States, are characterized by an infrastructure crisis, logistical challenges, and high price volatility driven by geopolitical instability.

  • Main Problems in the Refining System:
  • • Low Efficiency and Obsolescence: Pemex's historic refineries face challenges due to a lack of maintenance and technological upgrades, which limits their production capacity.
  • • Crude Oil Quality: There is a constant conflict in the export of Mexican oil to the U.S., since U.S. refineries reject crude oil with "excess water and salt," which strains the trade relationship.
  • • Challenges at the Olmeca Refinery (Dos Bocas): Despite efforts to achieve energy sovereignty, the new refinery has faced challenges in its commissioning, being described by some analyses as a failure in its initial production goals.
  • • Dependence and High Costs: Despite the increase in domestic production reported in 2026, the refinery rehabilitation policy has been questioned due to its high investment costs (1.6 trillion pesos) and mixed results in the market.
  • Fuel Market Problems:
  • • Price Volatility: The price of oil and derivatives has skyrocketed, with benchmarks such as Brent exceeding $119 per barrel, exacerbated by geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East and the risk of shortages.
  • • Risk of Shortage: There is a global alert for fuel shortages, a situation that affects both Asia and US refineries that threaten to halt operations.
  • • Energy Transition: In the medium term, a decrease in demand for fossil fuels is expected, which will jeopardize the profitability of current investments in refineries from 2035 onwards.
  • • Pollution: The operation of refineries generates critical emissions of sulfur and other pollutants, creating social and environmental conflicts.

  • In summary, the current situation is critical, with Pemex attempting to increase fuel production to reduce dependence on imports, in a context of volatile prices, aging infrastructure and environmental pressures.

  • Solution:

  • The current refining market faces a radical transformation, driven by the need for decarbonization, price volatility, and the pursuit of energy self-sufficiency. Current solutions focus on modernization, petrochemical integration, and the transition to sustainable fuels.

  • Strategic Solutions and Market Trends.
  • • Petrochemical Integration: Refineries are evolving into integrated plants that produce both fuels and high-value chemicals, adapting to the future decline in gasoline demand.
  • Rise of Biofuels and Sustainable Fuels (SAF): More than 24 refineries in Latin America already produce or have projects for biofuels, driven by demand from aviation and mining.
  • • Digital Optimization ("Smart Refineries"): Digitalization programs are implemented to improve agility, reliability, and efficiency in the face of market volatility.
  • • Co-processing of Raw Materials: Use of used oils and greases in existing infrastructure to reduce the carbon footprint.
  • Specific Situation of Mexico (Pemex).
  • • Self-Sufficiency and Rehabilitation: The strategy is based on rehabilitating the National Refining System (SNR) and increasing gasoline and diesel production, aiming to process an additional 343,000 barrels per day.
  • • Key Projects: Commissioning of the coking plants in Tula and Salina Cruz, and the consolidation of the Olmeca Refinery (Dos Bocas), projecting its maximum capacity for 2027-2028.
  • • Integration in Deer Park: Operation of the refinery in Texas to increase the domestic supply of fuels.
  • • Challenges: Production has been limited by a lack of crude oil and maintenance, with refineries historically operating below capacity.
  • Global Market Challenges.
  • • Environmental Regulations: Refineries, especially in Europe and China, face pressure to reduce emissions, which is driving the closure of obsolete facilities or their conversion.
  • • Change in Demand: The rise of electric vehicles is forcing refineries to look for alternatives to diesel and conventional gasoline.
  • • Alliances and Consolidation: Companies seek alliances to strengthen economic and technical resilience.
  • Technical Solutions.
  • • New Catalysts: Ketjen and ExxonMobil have developed catalytic solutions (Celestia™, Nebula®) to improve the economic resilience of refining.
  • • Advanced Filtration: Use of coalescing and cartridge filters to guarantee fuel quality.

  • In summary, refineries are ceasing to be merely gasoline producers and are becoming integrated, sustainable, and digital energy hubs, with petrochemical integration and biofuels being the main long-term solutions.


  • Potential market size (TAM, SAM, SOM):

  • The refinery market is immense and vital, focused on the conversion of crude oil into refined products (gasoline, diesel, petrochemicals). The Total Market Area (TAM) encompasses global fuel demand, the Regional Market Area (SAM) represents regional operating capacity, and the Market Share (SOM) represents the achievable market share based on installed capacity and logistics. Its relevance is strategic for national energy security.

  • • TAM (Total Addressable Market): Comprises the global value of the production of refined fuels and petrochemical products worldwide, reaching trillions of dollars annually, driven by the demand for transportation and energy.
  • • SAM (Serviceable Addressable Market): Portion of the TAM that a specific refinery can serve geographically or by its business model, for example, the fuel market in North America or a specific region.
  • • SOM (Serviceable Obtainable Market): Actual share of the SAM that the refinery manages to capture based on its current operating capacity, logistical efficiency and market competition.
  • • Relevance: It is a capital-intensive market with high barriers to entry. It is fundamental for the energy sovereignty of countries, industrial development, and mobility.

  • The correct assessment of TAM, SAM, and SOM in this sector allows stakeholders to understand their geographic impact and real revenue potential in a commodities market.


  • Market Opportunity:

  • The oil refining market is undergoing a structural transformation with key opportunities focused on efficiency, sustainability, and petrochemical integration, despite projections of a long-term decline in fossil fuel demand. The sector is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.30% between 2026 and 2035.

  • Key Opportunities in the Refinery Market:
  • • Petrochemical Integration: A major trend is the conversion of refineries to produce petrochemical products instead of just transportation fuels. This improves profit margins, as demand for plastics and chemicals continues to grow.
  • • Biofuels and Sustainability: There is a significant opportunity in the conversion of conventional refineries into biorefineries, producing sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and biopolymers, as in the case of Total Energies in Grandpuits.
  • • Modernization and Energy Efficiency: Investment in advanced catalysts and hydrotreating technologies allows for improved fuel quality (sulfur reduction) and increased efficiency, which is essential for regulatory compliance and reduced operating costs.
  • • Asset and Service Management: Increased demand for maintenance, inspection and integrity management services to optimize the useful life of existing plants.
  • • Used Oil Refineries: Recycling used lubricating oils offers an environmentally and economically viable business opportunity, aligned with the circular economy.
  • Regional Overview and in Mexico:
  • • Asia-Pacific: Dominates the market with the largest share of revenue (37% in 2025) and capacity expansion.
  • • Latin America (Brazil): Petrobras is opening the market to competition, with investment opportunities in the modernization of plants, including the Abreu e Lima refinery.
  • • Mexico: The strategy focuses on "energy sovereignty", with the purchase of Deer Park and the construction of Dos Bocas (which already operates at more than 50% capacity), seeking to reduce dependence on gasoline imports, of which six out of every ten liters come from abroad.
  • Challenges and Trends:

  • The sector faces challenges due to rising costs and volatile margins, as well as the need to comply with stricter environmental regulations that limit pollutant emissions.

  • Business Model:

  • The business model for refinery manufacturing (construction) is based on Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) projects, characterized by high capital intensity, long execution times, and the need to manage complex technical risks. Companies that manufacture these facilities (EPC contractors) assume full responsibility for design, equipment procurement, and construction, delivering the project "turnkey."

  • The key components of this model are detailed here:

  • 1. Contracting Model: EPC (Turnkey).
  • • Single Responsibility: A single contractor (EPC) assumes full responsibility for the design, manufacture, assembly and commissioning, reducing risks for the investor.
  • • Lump Sum Price: This is the preferred method for financiers, where a fixed price is agreed upon before construction begins, mitigating cost uncertainty for the owner.
  • • Manufacturing Components: 56.87% of the value of EPC contracts in the oil industry corresponds to the manufacturing and supply of key equipment such as valves, boilers, turbines, and storage tanks.
  • 2. Revenue and Financing Structure.
  • • Project Finance: Due to the high cost (for example, Dos Bocas exceeded 16 billion dollars), construction is financed through debt guaranteed by the future cash flows of the project, not by the sponsor's balance sheet.
  • • Refinery Profitability: Revenues are based on the refining margin (difference between the cost of crude oil and the selling price of gasoline/diesel), which can be very volatile, requiring high operational efficiency.
  • • Modular Refineries: A growing trend for lower capital expenditures (CAPEX) and shorter delivery times, ideal for optimizing local crude oil production.
  • 3. Value Proposition and Customers.
  • • Clients: National Oil Companies (NOCs) such as Pemex, or International Oil Companies (IOCs) such as Shell, BP, ExxonMobil.
  • • Value Proposition:
  • ......o Energy Sovereignty: Reduction of dependence on gasoline imports (e.g., Mexico).
  • ......o Value Maximization: Transform heavy crude into high value-added products (high octane gasoline, diesel).
  • ......o Environmental Quality: Modernization to meet low emissions standards (sulfur).
  • 4. Operating Model (EPC-OM).

  • The modern model not only builds, but often includes subsequent Operation and Maintenance (OM), known as EPC-OM, to ensure that the refinery meets its production and quality goals from day one.

  • • Key Risks: Crude oil price volatility, regulatory changes, construction safety, and natural disasters.
  • • Trend: Repsol and other large companies are transforming their traditional refineries into low-emission, multi-energy hubs.

  • In summary, refinery manufacturing is a high-risk, high-reward business that requires a strong integration of refining technology, complex engineering, and structured financial management.


  • Traction:

  • "Traction" in digital marketing refers to the initial progress and sustained momentum a business gains, demonstrating that its product or service has genuine market interest. For refineries and energy companies, traction doesn't come from impulse purchases, but from long-term strategies that build trust and demonstrate technical expertise.

  • Traction Strategies for the Refinery Sector.

  • 1. Technical Content Marketing (Inbound Marketing):
  • ......o White Papers and Case Studies: Publish technical reports on energy efficiency, emissions reduction, or innovation in refining processes. This positions the company as a thought leader and attracts engineers and purchasing managers.
  • ......o Specialized Blog Articles: Addressing topics such as predictive maintenance, industrial safety, and oil market trends to improve SEO and attract organic traffic.
  • 2. Trade Marketing Digital y LinkedIn:
  • ......o LinkedIn Ads: Since it is a B2B (business-to-business) sector, LinkedIn is the key platform for segmenting by job title (e.g., "Operations Manager", "Purchasing Director") and industry.
  • ......o "Full-Funnel" Strategies: Guiding potential customers from the discovery of the technical solution to loyalty, building trust.
  • 3. Traffic Management (Media Buying):
  • ......o Controlled Traffic (Advertising): Using Google Ads to capture high-intent searches, such as "catalyst suppliers" or "refinery maintenance services".
  • ......o Own Traffic: Build an email database through technical newsletters to cultivate long-term relationships.
  • 4. Building Trust (Validation):
  • ......o Certifications and Partnerships: Highlighting ISO certifications, security, and technological collaborations across all digital platforms to mitigate the risk perceived by the buyer.
  • What is Digital Marketing in this context?

  • It is the adaptation of traditional hydrocarbon sales methods to digital channels, focusing on a specialized audience, long sales processes, and building technical authority, using tools such as Meta Ads, Google Ads, and strategic content.

  • Refineria is also the name of a digital marketing consultancy that offers innovative strategies and training in the sector.

  • Marketing and Sales:

  • For refineries and companies in the petrochemical sector, marketing and sales strategies should focus on trust, technical efficiency, safety, and sustainability, given that it is a highly competitive and technical B2B market.

  • Here are key strategies for attracting customers and increasing sales, based on modern industrial marketing:

  • 1. Marketing Strategy (Attraction and Positioning).
  • • Technical Content Marketing: Build authority through technical articles, case studies, and white papers on process optimization, emissions reduction, or refining efficiency.
  • • Clear and Differentiated Value Proposition: Clearly define the unique benefits (costs, quality, logistics) in a saturated market.
  • • Industrial SEO Positioning: Optimize digital presence so that technical buyers can find the refinery when searching for raw materials, specific products, or refining services.
  • • Brand Activation Events: Participation in international energy sector trade fairs, technical conferences and webinars to generate qualified leads.
  • • LinkedIn B2B: Use LinkedIn to connect with purchasing managers and technical directors in client industries.
  • 2. Sales Strategy (Conversion and Closing).
  • • Active and Passive Prospecting: Combining the direct search for potential clients (active prospecting) with the creation of content that attracts interested parties (passive).
  • • Referral Programs: Incentivizing satisfied current customers to recommend the refinery, which increases confidence in new customers.
  • • Use of Data in Sales: Collecting detailed information about potential customers to personalize conversations and sales proposals.
  • • Demonstration of Experience: Use social proof, such as testimonials or certifications of safety and quality, to close deals.
  • • Competitive Advantage in Price/Service: Offering customized solutions, such as the meter billing system for direct customers.
  • 3. Loyalty (Retention) Strategies.
  • • Key Account Management: Assign a personalized manager to important clients, understanding their needs in depth.
  • • Superior Customer Service: Listening to and resolving complaints efficiently, which is critical in the industrial sector.
  • • Digital Update: Adapting to new buying and selling technologies to facilitate customer operations.

  • These strategies not only allow you to acquire new customers, but also ensure a constant flow of income through retention and loyalty in a highly demanding sector.

  • Competence:

  • Oil refineries, in the context of energy sovereignty and current industrial reconfiguration, seek to differentiate themselves not only by volume, but also by processing capacity, efficiency, and strategic location.

  • What makes a refinery unique and superior (Differential Advantage)?
  • 1. High Processing Complexity (Nelson Index): Higher refineries are not simple "distilleries." They possess high complexity indices (such as catalytic cracking and coking capacity), which allows them to process heavy and acidic (high-sulfur) crude oils into high-value light products (gasoline, diesel).
  • 2. Petrochemical Integration: The ability to integrate the petrochemical chain within the same complex increases the value of the business, allowing the production of plastics and other derivatives, not just fuels.
  • 3. Strategic Location and Logistics: Being located near sources of raw materials (light/heavy crude) and near consumption centers facilitates transportation (pipelines) and reduces costs, an advantage capitalized on by US refineries and the new Mexican infrastructure.
  • 4. Energy and Environmental Efficiency: The use of modern technologies to reduce pollution and operational efficiency in waste and emissions management (especially in a context of climate change) is a modern competitive advantage.
  • 5. Self-Sufficiency in Local Supply: In contexts of geopolitical instability, being a national refinery that guarantees the local supply of fuels against external dependence (imports) is a key strategic advantage (e.g., Dos Bocas).
  • Competition in the Refining Sector.

  • Competition in refining is intense and is defined by profit margins.

  • • Global Giants: Large-scale refineries in Asia (Ulsan), the Middle East (Ras Tanura, Aramco) and the U.S. (Port Arthur) compete for scale and extreme efficiency.
  • • Regional Competition in Mexico: Pemex faces competition from private importers and international brands that operate service stations (Shell, BP, Chevron, OXXO Gas) that import their own fuels, putting pressure on prices and quality.
  • • Integrated Companies: Shell and BP outperform many state-owned companies in refining margin and efficiency, being their main competitors in technology.
  • • US refineries: Especially in the Gulf region, they compete directly with Mexican refineries for the type of crude oil to process and the gasoline market.

  • The ultimate competitive advantage lies in the technical reconfiguration, allowing the most complex refineries (such as Tula or Dos Bocas in Mexico) to efficiently process heavy crude to increase the refining margin.

  • Team:
  • Founder and CEO: I have 28 years of experience in Information Technology (IT), Robotics and Automation, working on projects for the most important companies worldwide.
  • Investor provides: specialized consulting services in processes, procedures, and administration.
  • Investors provide: project development for ERP, MES, SCADAs, DCS, PLCs, Instrumentation and Sensors (Hardware and Software).
  • Investors provide: software for auditing computer systems and business administration (Hardware and Software) with a Global Supervisory System.
  • Investors provide: specialized human resources for our industrial sector.
  • Investor provides: the supply of software for websites, cybersecurity, mobile applications, etc.
  • I am an expert in: automated manufacturing, in many sectors and specialties in various industries, machines, systems and processes.
  • We have a career plan for our staff, with constant training in their area of ​​responsibility in: processes, procedures, and machines, with constant growth.

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