A foreign investor will invest in tile production in Dzerzhinsk

A joint venture between the British company Lins Wallpaper and the Russian VOG-Invest - Unikeramix LLC - plans to invest 5 billion rubles. in the construction of a factory for the production of ceramic tiles and ceramic granite in Dzerzhinsk, Nizhny Novgorod region. The capacity of eight lines, which are planned to be launched in five years, will be 22 million square meters. m of tiles per year. According to experts, if the project is successfully implemented, the company could become the third largest player in the market of ceramic tiles and porcelain tiles in the country.

The Investment Council under the Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region reviewed and approved the project of Unikeramix LLC, which plans to build a plant for the production of ceramic tiles in the Nizhny Novgorod Region. The volume of investment in the project is estimated at 5 billion rubles, all funds are borrowed. As Denis Moryakov, head of the Unikeramix project, told Kommersant, the project envisages the launch of eight production lines: the first three should be launched in three years, the remaining five in another two years. As a result, the total annual production capacity of the factory will be 22 million square meters. m of wall and floor tiles, as well as ceramic granite. Enterprises of the Nizhny Novgorod region, as well as neighboring regions, are considered as suppliers of raw materials by rail.

At the investment council, the company asked to be given 30 hectares of land in the industrial zone of Dzerzhinsk east of DPO Plastic OJSC. Governor Valery Shantsev clarified that the company will be able to obtain ownership of the land based on the results of the auction. Before this, the investor will have to clarify the boundaries of the land plot and justify the sanitary protection zone. The head of the Dzerzhinsk administration, Gennady Vinogradov, promised to contribute in every possible way to the implementation of the project, recalling that agreements on the construction of a factory for the production of ceramics were reached during the implementation of the first investor project - the wallpaper factory "A.S. and Palette".

According to the Construction Information agency, the needs of the Russian market in 2013 amounted to 121 million square meters. m of ceramic tiles (import share - 37%) and 110 million sq. m of porcelain stoneware (import share - 31%). At the end of 2014, analysts predict a decrease in tile consumption to 116 million square meters. m and porcelain stoneware up to 117 million sq. m, as well as a reduction in import volumes due to exchange rate fluctuations. Assessing the prospects for launching a new enterprise, the head of the Stroitelnaya Information company, Evgeniy Botka, says that provided that the economic situation in the country stabilizes in the next few years, one can count on an increase in the production and consumption of ceramic tiles and porcelain stoneware. At the same time, the analyst notes, the timing for launching the new project was chosen well: “Given that 75% of the new enterprise belongs to a British company, investing in production in Russia, taking into account the depreciation of the ruble, has become much more profitable for foreigners. The question is the return on investment after the factory is up and running.” According to expert estimates, if Unikeramix production reaches full capacity, the company could become the third largest tile manufacturer in the highly competitive Russian market. “Currently, the market leader is the Russian holding Unitile, which owns several enterprises with a total design capacity of 41 million square meters. m of tiles and porcelain stoneware per year. In fact, the holding's factories produced 27 million square meters in 2013. m of products. The second largest producer is Kerama Marazzi (part of the transnational holding Marazzi Group), which in 2013 also produced about 27 million square meters. m of tiles and granite. The design capacity of the enterprise is estimated at 33 million square meters. m of tiles per year. Other enterprises in the country produce these products in significantly smaller volumes,” estimates Evgeniy Botka.

Alexandra Vikulova

Alignment for the future