Pharmaceutical doubled liability company Interchem will send over UAH 2.5 million to equip Odesa infectious diseases hospital with medical equipment and medicines. Interchem Director General Anatoliy Reder told Interfax-Ukraine that the company took into account the real needs of the hospital.
“Interchem joined in the fight against coronavirus. We tried to take a balanced approach, listening carefully to the needs of the infectious diseases hospital, and did not begin to deliver artificial lungs ventilators, because, according to doctors, a sufficient amount of ventilators was available. We decided to meet urgent needs which are no less important,” he said.
In particular, the company purchases a portable ultrasound machine for the hospital, which will minimize the movement of infected patients in the clinic and greatly facilitate diagnostic procedures for doctors.
In addition, Interchem buys oxygen concentrators, pulse oximeters, and other necessary equipment for the infectious diseases hospital.
“We will listen very carefully to the needs of the clinic and, above all, and respond to the requirements of medical professionals,” he said.
Reder also said that the company transferred the antiviral drug Amixin to the Odesa infectious diseases hospital, which is used, in particular, to protect medical personnel.
“We are by no means claiming that this is a drug to treat the coronavirus diseases COVID-19 circulating now, but we know for sure: this is an antiviral drug that will prevent medical personnel from getting ill with ordinary viral infections,” he said.
According to Reder, Interchem switched to a seven-day workweek because of the increased need for medications, not just from the antiviral group.
“Manufacturers today received the list of the Ministry of Health with medicines that hospitals should be provided with in accordance with WHO recommendations. This list contains drugs manufactured by Interchem,” he said, noting that this is, in particular, about painkillers, anticonvulsants and anxiolytic drugs.
Reder also said that the entire staff of the company is being transported to and from work by company buses.
“In some ways, it is easier for us, we didn’t have a problem with the delivery of people, because we always bring staff by our buses,” he said.
Reder also said that Interchem will reformat production processes in order to increase the production of the most popular drugs today and reduce the production of less relevant ones.
Pharmaceutical doubled liability company Interchem is one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the country.
Odesa seaport handled 2.03 million tonnes of cargo in January 2020, which is 4.67% more than in January 2019.
According to the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority, for the specified period, the port increased the transshipment of exported cargo by 15.2% compared to January last year to 1.622 million tonnes, reduced the transshipment of imported goods – by 17.9%, to 306,000 tonnes, cabotage goods – by 35.9% to 98,190 tonnes. Transshipment of transit cargo decreased by 52.5% to 1,830 tonnes.
Transshipment of bulk cargo in Odesa seaport in January decreased by 83.7% to 26,390 tonnes, dry and bulk – increased by 11.06% to 784,500 tonnes, piece-by-piece – by 13.84% to 1.22 million tonnes.
Processing of containers for the period amounted to 58,329 TEU (an increase of 21% compared to January 2019).
As reported, in 2019, the seaport handled 25.344 million tonnes of cargo, which is 16.8% more than in 2018.
Odesa seaport is located in the southwestern part of Odesa Bay on an artificially created area of 109.5 hectares.
The port serves ships up to 270 meters long with a draft of up to 13 meters. The total length of the mooring line is more than 8 km.
The port handles ships with a total length of up to 270 meters and a draft of up to 13 meters. The length of its berths is around 8 kilometers.
Odesa Port-Side Chemical Plant, which in recent years during the crisis has been working mainly on tolling, in 2019 increased production of carbamide by 82.1%, to 324,600 tonnes, but reduced production of ammonia by 78.7%, to 29,900 tonnes.
“Last year, 2.549 million tonnes of ammonia were exported, of which 18,600 tonnes of own production, in particular 352,300 tonnes of carbamide, of which 288,500 tonnes of own production,” the company reported.
According to the report, 76,800 tonnes of ammonia were shipped to domestic consumers, of which 3,400 tonnes of domestic production, as well as 3,600 tonnes of carbamide.
In accordance with the plant’s report for 2018, some 2.170 million tonnes of ammonia and 178,300 tonnes of carbamide were handled that year.
Odesa Port-Side Chemical Plant manufactures chemical products, as well as transports chemical products to maritime transport. The state, represented by the State Property Fund, owns 99.5667% of the plant’s shares, while 0.0021% is owned by Concorde Capital LLC, other individual shareholders hold 0.4312%.
PJSC Odesa Port-Side Chemical Plant, following negotiations with the gas supplier, Agro Gas Trading LLC, has agreed to resume the independent sale of carbamide in the amount of 5,000 tonnes, which will allow it to receive additional technical refurbishment for at least UAH 3-5 million per month, the State Property Fund of Ukraine (SPF) has said.
“The new supervisory board, together with the management of the plant, held talks with the gas supplier, during which the parties achieved significantly better conditions for the plant under the current contract … The price of processing under the contract was also increased,” the press release said.
According to the report, SPF Head Dmytro Sennychenko instructed the supervisory board of the plant no later than mid-January 2020 to announce an open tender for a gas supplier for the enterprise.
He also indicated that preparations for the privatization of the plant are ongoing, as scheduled.
As reported, in early November the SPF appointed deputy head of the SPF Serhiy Ihnatovsky new head of the plant supervisory board. Previously he served as director of the legal department of MES invest Ukraine LLC, Mriya Trading LLC.
RUSH LLC (Dnipro), the owner of the Eva perfume and cosmetics stores chain in Ukraine, plans to open the fourth distribution center in Odesa in 2021, Executive Director Olha Shevchenko has said in an interview with the Investory News publication.
“In 2020, we plan to increase the number of distribution centers to four. Currently, we are looking for a site in Odesa to launch a retail center in 2021,” Shevchenko said.
According to her, by the end of the year, the company also intends to expand the Eva network in Ukraine to 970 stores, as well as open 180 new outlets in 2020. The cost of opening one store is UAH 1-1.5 million, and the payback period is 2-4 years.
“Our plans are to expand the network to 970 stores by the end of the year. These are 210-212 new stores per year. [For 2020,] the plan is the same as it was for the current year – 180 stores. Mostly these will be western regions, where we are not yet represented as widely as in central and southern regions,” the director said, answering a question about plans for next year.
In addition, the retailer intends to launch a pilot store of a new format in the shopping and entertainment center in Dnipro in December 2019, and in 2020 – five more such stores in Kyiv and other cities.
“We have launched a fundamentally new format in test mode, whose working name is Eva Beauty so far. We will pay more attention to beauty categories. But home goods and household chemicals will not be presented there at all. This concept is designed for shopping centers, although it has the right to live in street retail,” Shevchenko added.
The company plans next year to launch its own courier delivery service in Kyiv, as well as increase the number of points of delivery of goods with online shopping.
According to Shevchenko, investments in the development of the Eva network in 2019 amounted to about UAH 400 million, half of which was invested in logistics and the development of e-commerce. At the same time, in 2016-2018, investments in the network amounted to UAH 800 million.
“The main area of investment [next year] will be the development of information technology, e-commerce and logistics,” the director said.
The German low cost bus carrier FlixBus has started cooperation with the Ukrainian company Regabus, launching trips from Odesa via Prague to Plzen (the Czech Republic). According to FlixBus Director for Poland and Ukraine Michal Leman, the trips will be operated by branded buses in a branded green livery.
“Regabus has been on the market for 25 years. We specialize in transportation between the Czech Republic and Ukraine. We were the first to support the standards that FlixBus represents – Euro6 buses,” a Regabus representative commented on the start of cooperation with FlixBus.
The launch of the new route is scheduled for December 11, 2019. Buses will run five times a week and ride through Uman, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytsky, Ternopil, and Lviv. In addition, there will be stops in Krakow (Poland), Olomouc and Brno (the Czech Republic).
Leman also said that in 2020 the company plans to increase the number of routes to Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic and Hungary, as well as open new routes to southern Europe and the Baltic countries.
FlixBus is a German company developing bus transportation in Europe and the United States, founded in 2013.
