The Milk Alliance Group preliminarily plans to boost investment by over 20% in 2018 compared with 2017, to UAH 148 million. “Last year, we spent UAH 122 million on capital investments and the development of our enterprises. This year we planned UAH 148 million, but I see that we will spend about UAH 170 million. We have not yet invested in line with the capital investment plan, since the appetite comes with eating Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Group Serhiy Vovchenko told reporters. Total capital investments of the group since 2012 have amounted to UAH 485 million.
According to the head of the council, in the second half of 2018 a new line will be launched at the Bashtanka Cheese Factory.
“Under the order of the Arab countries, we have started making mozzarella, which is subject to deep freezing, in blocks for their pizzerias. Now they also asked for grated frozen cheese and mozzarella. This equipment for slicing and shock freezing will cost about EUR 70,000. We have already ordered the equipment. It was made for us under an individual order,” Vovchenko said.
The chairman of the council said that the plans to expand the capacities at the Yagotyn butter factory and the plant for the production of the Yagotynske dlia Dietei brand.
“This year in Yagotyn we are completing the project of a high-tech warehouse. The construction stage was completed before the New Year. Now we are equipping it with process automation, storage and shipment units. We are talking about logistics processes. This is a multimillion-dollar investment. At the Yagotyn factory we will install a new cold room for butter this year,” Vovchenko said. He said that the group plans to increase the area of the Yagotynske dlia Dietei plant by 30% (village Zgurivka, Kyiv region). “We are increasing the plant’s area, first of all, to improve logistics. We intend to install one more ultrafiltration unit and an additional packaging line for “spoonful yogurts” where we can produce up to eight tonnes of products per day. The technical capacity will increase by 15%,” Vovchenko said.
He said that the group seeks to finish the project in Q3 2018. “We have stopped producing milk in glass bottles. It is expensive in production, and instead we launched another packaging line last year. Now we have milk and cream in packages for 200 grams. This year we are putting a new line ordered in Israel, for the Hopsy trademark, “spoonful yogurts” and desserts. It will cost us $1 million with installation,” he said.
Milk Alliance was established in June 2006 as a holding company with a charter capital of UAH 23.5 million and a balance sheet, 99.9% of which consists of long-term financial investments.
Prices on primary housing market in Ukraine grew by 5.3% in January-March 2018 year-over-year, and by 4.3% on the secondary market, the State Statistics Service has reported. According to the agency, the largest rise in prices in the primary housing market was observed for one-room apartments – by 7.2%, while prices for two-room apartments went up by 4.7%, three-room apartments by 2.1%.
In the secondary market, in January-March 2018, prices for one-room apartments rose by 5.9%, those for three-room apartments rose by only 2%, two-room apartments by 4.6%.
As reported, referring to the State Statistics Service, Prices in the primary housing market in Ukraine in 2017 increased by 4.7% compared to 2016, and in the secondary market by 4.5%.
The Sikorsky Kyiv international airport (Zhuliany) serviced 442,000 passengers in Q1 2018, which is 50.4% more than in Q1 2017. The airport’s press service told Interfax-Ukraine that the number of passengers serviced at the international flights totaled 423,900 and on domestic flights – 18,100. The number of flights in Q1 2018 totaled 5,499 (arrivals and departures), which is 23.3% more than a year ago, including 4,519 international flights and 980 domestic flights.
The most popular international destinations in the first quarter of 2018 are Dubai (the UAE), Minsk (Belarus), Ankara (Turkey), Warsaw (Poland), Budapest (Hungary), Memmingen (Germany), Rome (Italy); and internal – Odesa, Zaporizhia and Lviv. Kyiv International Airport (Zhuliany) is located in the business center of the capital, seven km from the city center. It is the second largest airport in Ukraine in terms of the number of flights and passenger traffic.
The airport has three terminals with a total area is 21,000 square meters. Terminal B is separate facility for business-class service, it is part of the Fixed Base Operator (FBO) system. The airport’s runway is able to handle B-737 and A-320 aircraft.
FIXIT Gruppe (Germany) would build a dry construction mixes plant in Pustomyty district of Lviv region, the press service of the Lviv Regional Administration has reported. Head of the investment policy department of the Lviv Regional Administration Roman Matis said that it is planned to start building the plant in June and finish in winter before strong frosts. “Within three weeks, the company must provide us with all the documents for permitting them to start construction. If we have any difficulties, we will try to help. Construction will begin in June,” he told Interfax-Ukraine.
According to Matis, the plant will produce dry building mixes under the Kreisel trademark, in particular, primers, waterproofing materials, mixes for floors, grout and masonry, glue mixes, plasters, building paints, and other products.
He recalled that one plant of FIXIT Gruppe already produces goods under the Kreisel trademark in Fastiv (Kyiv region). This product is in great demand in the market of Western Ukraine, which prompted the company to build a plant in Lviv region.
The new plant near Pustomyty will create about 70-80 jobs, and most of the production processes will be automated. According to the Lviv Regional Administration, FIXIT Gruppe is part of the Hazlberger Group, one of the largest producers of dry building mixes in the EU, primarily in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. FIXIT Gruppe was established in 2006. It has 68 production sites in 19 countries. The headquarters is located in Switzerland.
