- Consul General of China: Alabuga is the most successful special economic zone in Europe 27.11.2024
- Maxim Reshetnikov notes the effective work of the Novgorodskaya SEZ 16.11.2024
- New development opportunities: Alabuga SEZ participates in the ROSTKI international forum 15.11.2024
- The first train departs to China from the One Belt One Road container terminal 31.10.2024
- The art of defensive warfare: Renowned historian Alexei Isaev delivered a lecture to students at Alabuga Polytech 28.10.2024
- Alabuga Polytech students have planted three thousands trees in Nizhnekamsk 22.10.2024
- During the meeting with Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin emphasized his high regard for the development of Alabuga's logistics complex 22.10.2024
- Anton Alikhanov, the Head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation: Alabuga Polytech is pivotal in cultivating skilled personnel essential for advancing the domestic industry 07.10.2024
- Rustam Minnikhanov announces ambitious goal: 10,000 Students to enroll at Alabuga Polytech by 2025 27.09.2024
- Andrey Nikitin discusses Novgorodskaya Special Economic Zone development with Vladimir Putin 11.09.2024
- Turkish Ambassador to Russia visits Alabuga SEZ 03.09.2024
- "Education is an investment in the future": Alabuga International School Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary 02.09.2024
- Over 3000 students are selected for Alabuga Polytech: “Nurturing future leaders committed to changing the world for the better” 01.09.2024
- Investing talent and energy: A student from Alabuga Polytech discusses the July progress at the construction site of Russia's largest logistics complex 09.08.2024
- An Alabuga Polytech student designs headquarters and wins TIM Leaders 2024 All-Russia competition 05.08.2024
- Non-Stop Construction: The rapid expansion of Russia's largest logistics complex in just six months 10.07.2024
- Alabuga SEZ is the efficiency leader in 2023: The Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation 03.07.2024
- The construction of Russia's largest logistics complex: continuous progress and major developments 14.06.2024
- Europe’s premier SEZ now connects Moscow and St. Petersburg with official opening of Novgorodskaya Special Economic Zone’s production building in Velikiy Novgorod 13.06.2024
- VTB Bank and Tatarstan sign an agreement to strengthen partnership, boosting cooperation to 755 billion rubles 06.06.2024
- IGS Agro, the resident of Alabuga SEZ harvests record-breaking amounts of champignons 03.06.2024
- Good preconditions for the expansion of Belarusian-Tatarstan relations - Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus visits the Alabuga SEZ 23.05.2024
- VTB Bank opens its office on the territory of Alabuga SEZ 23.05.2024
- We nurture the personnel for the industrial sector - Deputy Head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation appreciates the work of Alabuga Polytech 16.05.2024
- “This is the future” – Turkey’s leadership about Alabuga Polytech 19.04.2024
- The main thing is not to be afraid to talk to people – Alabuga Polytech hosts all-Russian school students’ entrepreneurship challenge 15.04.2024
- “Our team is operating at full capacity”: The Role of Alabuga Polytech College's student in the largest Russian-Chinese project 09.04.2024
- SEZ Alabuga’s CEO commented on the drone strike 02.04.2024
- We are shaping the future with young minds: A student from Alabuga Polytech is creating power output diagrams for Russia's largest logistics complex 19.03.2024
- The next generation of experts is emerging. Here is our report from the Business Process Automation Challenge at Alabuga Polytech 18.03.2024
Huhtamäki to expand production in Alabuga SEZ and switch to paper from plastic in catering
The Forum was opened by Finnish Ambassador to Russia Mikko Hautala and President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov. During his welcome address, the president praised the potential for the development of trade and economic relations between Finland and Tatarstan and noted some of the major production projects that are being implemented in the republic. These include the Huhtamäki disposable tableware and paper packaging factory located in the Alabuga SEZ.
Alabuga SEZ General Director Timur Shagivaleyev gave a presentation to the Forum participants about the conditions that the SEZ is offering to investors to establish and develop production facilities. Alabuga has set up world-class infrastructure, and a free customs zone regime enables major companies to import equipment on an advantageous basis. Companies in the SEZ are exempt from paying property, land, and transport taxes, and the profit tax amounts to only 2% starting from the first profitable quarter for a period of 5 years. Residents have invested a total of more than USD 5 billion in projects in the SEZ. “The companies that come to Tatarstan invest initially and then continue their investments and create new projects because Tatarstan has an excellent business environment”, Shagivaleyev said.
Alabuga offers fully prepared world-class engineering infrastructure: from power supplies to high-speed Internet. There is a Ramada hotel for guests of the SEZ and the city of Elabugi, and the Three Bears modern cottage settlement has been established for employees who permanently reside in the SEZ. The Alabuga International School is the first school accredited according to the international baccalaureate system in the Volga region.
Yevgeny Osipenko, the general director of Huhtamäki Foodservice Alabuga, a resident of the Alabuga SEZ, spoke during the Forum. Huhtamäki is one of Finland’s oldest companies and has a presence all over the world with 78 factories and 17,000 employees. The company’s business exceeds EUR 3 billion annually. In 2020, Huhtamäki will celebrate its 100th anniversary.
The company decided to set up production at the Alabuga SEZ due to its need for logistical proximity to its anchor customers. When McDonald’s, one of Huhtamäki’s key customers, announced plans to build a large logistics centre in the Alabuga SEZ, the company realized that it would have to consider setting up production at the same site.
Osipenko reaffirmed all the infrastructural and logistics advantages of Alabuga and offered high praise for the quality of the work of the SEZ management company. “The SEZ helped us organize a business plan, and we successfully go through two stages: at the level of the republic and at the level of the Ministry of Economic Development. In 2014, we launched construction on a 3-hectare plot with utilities that were already connected and with a free electricity connection. The [companies] that have built in Russia understand what it’s all about – it’s a truly unique opportunity!” Osipenko said.
The factory in Alabuga opened in June 2015. It now has 12 production lines that operate around the clock. Huhtamäki already has plans to expand production at Alabuga. Osipenko said the second stage has already been designed and the company plans to put it into operation in 2020. Serious steps have been projected for the distribution of environmentally friendly products. “We have our own technological response to all the world’s calls and concerns about plastic. First, the products that are being produced in Alabuga today are environmentally friendly. We are ready to take further steps. In particular, we are currently working on the capability of switching the entire catering market industry from plastic straws to paper and from plastic lids to vegetable fibre-based lids. You can rest assured that we will only be bringing the latest green technologies to Tatarstan”, Osipenko said, concluding his speech.
The ‘Finnish Business goes Kazan’ Forum is a major annual business event for Finnish-Russian business in Russia. The Forum has been held since 2011 and has already established itself as an effective platform for discussing issues concerning Finnish-Russian cooperation and the implementation of joint projects.
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