Tatarstan President: “Rockwool is a benchmark of highest quality”

Rustam Minnikhanov has met with Rockwool Group President Jens Birgersson.

(Kazan, 3 November, Tatar-inform, Ayaz Ismagilov). President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov earlier in the day met with Rockwool International Group President Jens Birgersson. Other attendees at the meeting at House of Tatarstan Government were Tatarstan Industry and Trade Minister Ravil Zaripov, Construction, Architecture and Housing Minister Irek Faizullin, and other officials.

Rockwool International is the global leader in manufacturing non-combustible insulation material based on stone wool. The company’s staff includes more than 11,000 specialists working in 35 countries. The head office is in Hedehusene, Denmark. In April 2012, the company put into operation a plant in Tatarstan’s SEZ Alabuga, installing the world’s highest-capacity stone wool line, designed to manufacture 110,000 tonnes a year. The total investment is $150 million, a record sum for Rockwool.

Opening the meeting, Tatarstan President noted the project the company ran in Tatarstan was innovative and successful, and fit in quite well with the local energy saving strategy. In general, stressed Rustam Minnikhanov, cooperation between Tatarstan and Danish businesses was quite productive, a testimony to which were the joint projects with Rockwool, Danfoss and other firms.

“We consider the project a success, and we always cite it as example for other investors,” Rustam Minnikhanov said about the plant in SEZ Alabuga. Within the project, the company had exceeded the initially declared investment, he added. Tatarstan authorities were willing to assist Rockwool in developing their business in Tatarstan, he pledged.

Jens Birgersson thanked Tatarstan President for supporting the project and for the favourable terms. The plant in Tatarstan was, he said, one of Rockwool International’s largest and most advanced facilities, and the company was interested in its development.

Russia remained one of the key markets for Rockwool despite certain difficulties caused by political factors, company CEO went on to stress.

“The difficulties are not caused by us but by your politicians. Russia has not changed its attitude to investors. We take no notice of your politicians, and we continue to treat our contacts as responsibly,” Rustam Minnikhanov responded.

“We look forward to our volumes in Russia to begin to grow again. We have no intention to leave the market. As soon as we see growth again, we will carry on with our expansion strategy,” Jens Birgersson said.

“I think your product is in high demand and will be increasingly in demand year to year. The standards used in Russia need to be completely different, we need to use new thermal insulation materials. Rockwool is the leader here, and its products are a benchmark of highest quality,” Rustam Minnikhanov.

The company needed to be in closer contact with its customers, conduct a more flexible pricing policy and develop integrated solutions for each project that involves Rockwool products, he is convinced.

“Systemic work with the consumers, including smaller ones, will increase the consumption of your products,” Tatarstan governor suggested.