sia Abrasives on growth course in CIS nations (23/05/2006)
sia conversion ensures high quality standard in Russia
Russia is becoming increasingly important as a sales market for sia Abrasives. The Swiss abrasives manufacturer is meeting the dynamism of this up-and-coming market with a successful blend of flexibility and technological innovation. And has been doing so since 2000 together with its Russian partner Europroject, which is opening up the market for abrasives there at express speed.
For the past six years, Europroject has been supplying sia products to the abrasives markets in the countries of the CIS. By 2005, the company had boosted turnover to more than ten million Swiss francs and in the current business year sales are set to increase by a further two to three million francs.
sia technology on the spot
In order to react to the growing demands of the market even faster and more flexibly, Europroject this year constructed its own conversion plant for sia abrasives in the industrial city of Elektrostal (some 50 kilometres east of Moscow). The new facility enables the company to cater to the specific requirements of its customers with individually tailored end-products. Conversion is based in the technological know-how of sia Abrasives and ensures that Europroject can continue to provide the same high level of abrasive quality that its customers have come to expect. This is particularly evident in the top-quality belt joints which until now could only be guaranteed by the import of finished goods from Switzerland.
Changes in abrasive demands
The technological advances experienced in the CIS nations have led to a marked change in the requirements placed on sanding and grinding performance over the past few years. There is a greater move than ever before towards coated abrasives rather than bonded products, right up to a call for fine and flexible nonwovens and foam abrasive products. The strategic orientation that sia Abrasives has been pursuing over recent years represents the ideal answer to this mega-trend: with innovative new products coupled with selected acquisitions that ideally complement the system solutions offered by sia Abrasives, the company is successively increasing its expertise in the realm of surface finishing.
First set up in 1995, Europroject today has a workforce of 200 and 16 branches in all the Russian republics and CIS countries. It primarily supplies the automotive paint and bodywork sectors with traditional coated abrasives from the sia range. But in future Europroject aims to expand into the metal and woodworking areas, as well.
Calendar of events (sia Abrasives)
August 2006 Publication of first-half results March 23, 2007, 9am Annual press conference at SWX Swiss Exchange in Zurich March 23, 2007, 11am Financial analysts’ conference at SWX Swiss Exchange in Zurich April 24, 2007, 4pm Annual Meeting of Stockholders at Frauenfeld Stadtcasino April 30, 2007 Dividend payment
For further information
Peter A. Schifferle, CEO and Executive Director Gerhard Mahrle, CFO and Investor Relations Phone: +41 52 724 45 75 Fax: +41 52 724 45 70 E-mail: ir@sia-abrasives.com Internet: http://www.sia-abrasives.com/
® Correct nomenclature for sia Abrasives Holding AG
As there are other companies and organizations that use the same abbreviation as our company, we would be grateful if you could help to avoid any misunderstandings by always writing our name as follows: sia Abrasives (never just sia by itself).
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