The Ukrainian designer of software Intellias is mulling a possibility of acquiring some companies for further growth, including companies with development centers in Eastern Europe, the co-founder and Board Chairman of Intellias Mykhailo Puzrakov has said in an interview with Die Welt. “So far we have grown organically. I believe, however, that maybe even next year we could start to consider some acquisitions. We are interested in companies that could interact with Intellias: companies with development centers in Eastern Europe, or companies with a client base that could complement ours. In addition, we will consider companies that have some experience or products that will help us gain new customers,” he said.
Puzrakov also announced plans to expand the company’s presence in Berlin next year – now only one employee works in the Berlin office of Intellias.
According to him, today one of the main advantages of Intellias is the ability to quickly scale the team, which is often required by their European customers.
Puzrakov also said that the company has ceased to be a startup, moving into the category of a successful and profitable business, but is still at the beginning of the growth stage.
Intellias was founded in Lviv in 2002. Its offices are located in Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Kharkiv and Berlin.
Kormotech LLC (Lviv region), a Ukrainian producer of cat and dog food, plans to expand the number of countries to export its products in South America and enter Hungary, Lebanon, Libya and the Czech Republic with own brands, the company’s press service has reported. According to the company’s press release, Kormotech is now delivering private label products to Chile in cooperation with Chilean distributor Anasac Ambiental. “Anasac Ambiental works throughout Latin America. In the future, we plan to increase the number of export countries. Therefore, we hope to cooperate with a Chilean partner in other countries of South America not only in private label, but also with Kormotech brands,” the press service reported, citing Production Director Ihor Paraniak.
As the company told Interfax-Ukraine, the company sent the first shipment to Chile in November 2018, its volume was 43 tonnes of wet food for cats. The sales in the new export countries are planned under private label, as well as Optimeal and Club 4 Paws trademarks.
In addition, the company plans to export products under its own brands to Hungary, Lebanon, Libya and the Czech Republic.
At the same time, Director and co-founder of the company Rostyslav Vovk said in an interview with Global FDI Reports that Kormotech is considering the acquisition of other pet food companies.
“We are building a new plant in Lithuania. And in the future – not next year, but soon – we are considering some acquisitions… In the near future, I think we will find companies that we can buy,” he said.
He also said that at the moment the strategic export directions for Kormotech are Poland, Romania and the Baltic countries, where the company has its own sales departments.
According to the results of 2018, Kormotech increased sales to 37,000 tonnes (a rise of 19%), exports amounted to 12.5%. By 2023, the company plans to increase the share of export sales to 50%.
In 2018, Kormotech increased the annual capacity of wet food production to 16,000 tonnes, and in 2019 plans to launch a wet feed factory in Lithuania with a capacity of 5,000 tonnes per year.
In addition, in 2020, Kormotech wants to increase the production of dry food at its production facilities in Ukraine to 46,000 tonnes (now – about 30,000 tonnes).
In 2019, the company plans the first private label shipments to the U.K. and Finland, as well as to go to U.S. retail chains (now products are sold through Amazon in this country).
Kormotech exports products to about 20 countries, including France, Estonia, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Poland. The facilities of the company include two plants for the manufacture of dry and wet pet food. The company produces products for cats and dogs under its own brands Optimeal, Club 4 paws (Meow! and Woof! trademarks) and in private label.
The ultimate beneficiaries of Kormotech are Olena and Rostyslav Vovk.
First Deputy Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov and Head of Representative Office of Hyundai Corporation in Ukraine Jeong Ilryoung have discussed a possibility of the company’s participation in some infrastructure projects being implemented in the city, in particular, in a tender to build subway and procurement of rolling stock for subway. “Our company has extensive experience in such projects in different countries, including those that used the same subway characteristics as in Kharkiv. We do turnkey work. We install our system and rolling stock. We work with the government of South Korea, therefore, would like to continue our cooperation at the government level in financing other urban projects,” the press service of the Kharkiv City Council reported, citing Jeong Ilryoung.
Terekhov said that Kharkiv provides absolutely equal conditions for all bidders and is interested in cooperation if Hyundai Corporation wins the tender.
He also said that, according to the technical conditions of the tender for procurement of rolling stock, it should be a new generation of energy-saving trains equipped with asynchronous engines.
In addition, the first deputy mayor of Kharkiv and the head of the Hyundai Corporation in Ukraine discussed possible cooperation in the development of ground-based urban electric transport.
“We discussed the possibility of attracting grant money from the Korean government to maintain rolling stock with the subsequent development of a project to upgrade the tram fleet. However, I will emphasize that this should be a comprehensive solution – we need not only to buy new trains, but we also need to update the tram tracks. For example, first, you need to repair certain routes, and after that put new trams on them,” Terekhov said.
One troy ounce=31.10 grams
The book of records of Ukraine has declared Corvalol medicine made by PJSC Farmak (Kyiv) the most famous sedative on the country’s market. Head of the supervisory board of the company Filia Zhebrovska said at the award ceremony said that Corvalol, developed in 1959 by scientists of Lomonosov Kyiv Chemical and Pharmaceutical Plant, and Farmak has been a legal successor of it since 1991, is being produced at Farmak in line with all European standards.
She said that Farmak produces Corvalol in a closed cycle from the synthesis of a substance to the production of finished dosage forms and guarantees its quality at every stage of production.
In turn, Executive Director Volodymyr Kostiuk said that with the development of pharmaceutical manufacturing technology, Farmak will also improve the production technology of Corvalol and expand the line of ready-made forms of the drug. In particular, at present the drug is marketed in the form of drops, tablets and soft capsules.
“By our example, we will show that modern pharmaceutical production exists in Ukraine. Even the old Soviet Corvalol today is not the same as it was 60 years ago. Now it is produced using modern equipment, manufactured according to all standards of Ukraine, Europe and the United States. Unfortunately, I cannot say this about our rivals, who do not care about quality but occupy the market. I hope the situation will improve in the near future,” he said.
Currently, Farmak has a number of drugs, the production of which in a closed cycle was started by the Lomonosov Kyiv Chemical and Pharmaceutical Plant, in particular, Diazolin, Corvalol, Naphthyzin and Validol.
In general, the company has more than 220 product dossiers, produces about 20 new drugs annually.
The decision to develop technology and create a cardiovascular medicine, similar to Valocordin, which was produced in Germany, at the Lomonosov Kyiv Chemical and Pharmaceutical Plant was made in 1959. The first batch of the drug was released as early as next year at the same enterprise. At that time, it was a know-how – a generic European sedative drug.
Farmak since 1991 is the only manufacturer of Corvalol on the post-Soviet territory. The Corvalol trademark is protected in 15 countries of Europe and Middle Asia, including Germany, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
