Having established a successful positioning in Russia with production facilities in Schatura and Penza, Schattdecor is continuing its market development activities in the East European country with a greenfield investment in Chekhov.
On July 18, 2006, Schattdecor laid the foundation stone for its new Russian plant in Chekhov, a 73,000 -inhabitant city in the greater Moscow region. This step will bring the number of production facilities operated by the Schattdecor Group to twelve all over the world.
Thanks to its favourable geographic location and excellent infrastructure, Chekhov is attracting an increasing amount of inward investment. Both Russian and foreign companies benefit from the skilled workers and business conditions offered by the city, and are contributing to its growing production volume (+122 percent since 2002). European food industry companies such as Danone and Rittersport and Russian firms such as Hydrostahl and the furniture manufacturer Podmoskowje are investing in the flourishing Chekhov region.
The positive development of the Russian market and prospects of continued growth are the main reasons for Schattdecor's investment in the city.
In his welcoming address at the foundation stone ceremony, Vladimir Denisov, Director General of Penzadecor, one of Schattdecor's Russian subsidiaries, recalled the beginning of Schattdecor's involvement in Russia in 2000, when it opened a branch office in Moscow and went on to acquire the rotogravure printing operations of the Schatura Furniture Combine in Schatura, near Moscow. This was followed in 2002 by the foundation of Penzadecor as a joint venture with the Russian decor base paper manufacturer Mayak JSC, and in 2005 by Schattdecor's outright acquisition of the joint venture.
Harald Purainer, Director General of OOO Schattdecor in Schatura, stated that Schattdecor's construction project in Chekhov would not only be helping to satisfy the growing demand for printed decor paper by the Russian furniture and forestry products industry but also meant new jobs and an additional source of tax revenue for the Chekhov region.
Walter Schatt, founder of Schattdecor AG, remarked on the cordial reception provided him by the Russian team and thanked it for its wholehearted support, recalling in particular how Vladimir Denisov had awoken Schattdecor's understanding of the Russian market in the nineties. He rounded off his speech by stating that Schattdecor's engagement in the Russian market was of similar strategic significance to its involvement in China and Latin America.
Over 100 guests attended the foundation stone ceremony, including representatives from companies, the construction industry and the press as well as local administration officials. Vladimir Steperenkov, mayor of Chekhov, Ildar Gabdrachmanov, a member of the Russian parliament, and Jörg Hetsch, deputy head of the Association of German Industry in the Russian Federation, were also present at the festive event.
At the ceremony, Chekhov mayor Vladimir Steperenkov described the visit he had paid to the Schattdecor headquarters in Thansau, Germany, in 2005, and expressed the hope that the plant in Chekhov would live up to the parent printing works in terms of productivity and technological excellence.
In keeping with Russian tradition, the priest from a local monastery provided his blessings for the new works.
The drumbeats of the Moscow Military Academy percussion orchestra and a firework display accompanied the festive unveiling of the foundation stone by Walter Schatt, Harald Purainer and Vladimir Denisov.
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In the case of any questions, please contact:
Schattdecor AG
Corporate Communications
Michael Meister
Phone: +49 8031 - 275 189
Fax: +49 8031 - 275 2200
Email: m.meister@schattdecor.de
