For the construction of the plant, LINHARDT assumed the majority in a joint venture that operates under the name “LINHARDT Altai”. Other partners of this joint venture are the Russian food and pharmaceuticals group Altaivitaminy as well as the Austrian trading agency Voest Alpine Intertrading (VAIT). The initial investment amounted to approximately EUR 5.5 million.
In the presence of representatives of Russian authorities and of the German Consulate, the three partners from Russia, Austria and Germany cut the red ribbon to open the new LINHARDT plant at the edge of the Altai mountain range. Managing Director Dr Monika Kopra-Schäfer spoke of the common path of the three partners: “We at LINHARDT are proud and happy to be represented here in the Altai region. Russia is a challenge for us, we having previously served almost exclusively markets in the west. We want to meet this challenge. We want to learn from each other and thus develop together.”
Jurij Antonovitsch Koshelev (Altaivitaminy), Gerhard Kürnsteiner (VAIT) and Nikolai Michailowitsch Nonko (City of Biysk) also wished the plant good luck. Consul Klaus Müller attended the opening on behalf of the German General Consul in Novosibirsk, who was unable to attend due to illness. He praised the business location of Siberia: “I am confident that the lighthouse character of this important investment in Biysk will contribute to promoting further the prosperity of the administrative region of Altai.”
The three partners of the joint venture have been working together since 2003. LINHARDT produced tubes and spray cans for Altaivitaminy that were transported to Russia. VAIT processed the transactions. In 2006, the first plans for a joint venture emerged. Altaivitaminy, which itself has a production line for the production of aluminium tubes, was interested in the required packaging being manufactured on site. LINHARDT was willing to cover this need in a specially constructed plant and to sell overcapacities that exceeded it on the Russian market.
