EANS-News: AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG AGRANA concentrates production of fruit
preparations in Austria at Gleisdorf plant
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Subtitle: Kröllendorf (Lower Austria) remains head office of Austria Juice GmbH
and the site for fruit juice concentrate production
Strategic management decisions
In response to the continuingly weak development of the market for fruit
yoghurts in Europe, AGRANA is now optimising the organisational structure of its
fruit preparations division in Austria. At its meeting today, the Supervisory
Board of AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG resolved to in future operate the AGRANA site in
Gleisdorf (Styria) as its sole Austrian production facility for fruit
preparations. The fruit preparations plant in Kröllendorf (Lower Austria), which
had been operating at below capacity, will be relocated to the larger fruit
preparations facility in Gleisdorf. The intention is to complete the relocation
process by the end of the financial year 2014|15.
This move by AGRANA is necessary in order to counter the overcapacity which has
arisen in the European fruit preparations market in recent years as a result of
which there has been pressure on the margins of all fruit preparations
producers.
The aim is to offer some of the 66 personnel employed in the fruit
preparations production plant in Kröllendorf jobs at other AGRANA sites -
ideally at the fruit juice concentrate facility in Kröllendorf or in the fruit
preparations plant at the Gleisdorf site. Management and the Works Council will
jointly prepare a severance package for those personnel without the option of a
new position. AGRANA is fully aware of its responsibility vis-a-vis employees
and therefore attaches great importance to implementing these plans as socially
compatibly as possible.
Kröllendorf remains important site for fruit juice concentrates
At the Kröllendorf site and in a joint venture with Raiffeisen Ware Austria AG,
AGRANA operates both the production facility as well as the head office of the
Fruit Juice division, which operates under the name Austria Juice GmbH. This
company is not affected by the changes described above. With its plant in
Kröllendorf and a further 13 international production facilities, AGRANA aims to
consolidate its role as a leading supplier of fruit juice concentrates, fruit
purées, beverage bases, natural flavourings and NFC juices to the down-stream
beverages industry.
About AGRANA
AGRANA adds value to agricultural commodities to produce top quality foodstuffs
and numerous industrial upstream products. Around 8,800 personnel working at
over 50 production facilities worldwide generate consolidated revenue of around
three billion euros. The Company was founded in 1988 and is today the leading
sugar company in Central and Eastern Europe as well as being a key producer, in
the Starch segment, of special products and bioethanol in Europe. AGRANA is also
the global leader in fruit preparations and one of the largest European
producers of fruit juice concentrates.
Fruit preparations at AGRANA
Fruit preparations contain top quality fruit which is prepared either as a
liquid or in pieces in order for these to be used mainly in dairy products but
also in the ice cream and bakery industries. These products are individually
designed and further developed in cooperation with customers. AGRANA produces
fruit preparations at 26 sites worldwide.
This Press Release is available on the AGRANA's website at www.agrana.com.
Further inquiry note:
AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG
Mag.(FH) Markus Simak
Pressesprecher
Tel.: +43-1-211 37-12084
e-mail: markus.simak@agrana.com
Mag.(FH) Hannes Haider
Investor Relations
Tel.: +43-1-211 37-12905
e-mail:hannes.haider@agrana.com
end of announcement euro adhoc
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company: AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG
F.-W.-Raiffeisen-Platz 1
A-1020 Wien
phone: +43-1-21137-0
FAX: +43-1-21137-12045
mail: info.ab@agrana.com
WWW: www.agrana.com
sector: Food
ISIN: AT0000603709
indexes: WBI, ATX Prime
stockmarkets: Präsenzhandel: Berlin, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, official market: Wien
language: English