EANS-News: AGRANA plans to double wheat starch capacity in Pischelsdorf, Lower
Austria - IMAGE
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Plant Openings/Company Information
Vienna - At today's supervisory board meeting, the Supervisory Board of AGRANA
Beteiligungs-AG has approved plans to double the production capacity of the
wheat starch factory in Pischelsdorf, Lower Austria. The total investment volume
will amount to EUR 92 million. After obtaining the necessary official approvals,
the intention is to start construction work in early 2018 and to commission the
new facility at the beginning of 2020. The expansion project will create 44 new
jobs.
"The doubling of our wheat starch production capacity in Pischelsdorf represents
an important step for AGRANA in terms of sustainably consolidating our position
in the starch market. The expansion of our annual processing capacity at the
Pischelsdorf site from 820,000 tonnes at present to over one million tonnes is a
major competitive factor. This reflects the increasing level of demand,
particularly from the paper industry due to the high proportion of recycled
paper and rising demand for packaging stemming from internet / mail order
trade", emphasises AGRANA CEO Johann Marihart.
With 200 employees in future, the Pischelsdorf site also houses Austria's only
bioethanol facility in addition to its wheat starch plant. The close integration
of both plants enables the cereals processed to be utilised to an extent of
100%. After extracting wheat starch and gluten, the remaining fractions of the
raw materials are used in the production of bioethanol and a high-grade, GMO-
free, protein-rich animal feed. Taking into account the high-purity CO2, which
is extracted from the fermentation tanks of the bioethanol plant and liquefied
by the industrial gas company Air Liquide, this makes a total of four top-
quality products which are manufactured from a single commodity.
About AGRANA Starch
In addition to Fruit and Sugar, the Starch Segment is one of the three business
segments of the AGRANA Group. The Starch Segment at AGRANA consists of a total
of five plants, three in Austria, at Aschach/Donau, Gmünd and Pischelsdorf, and
facilities at Szabadegyháza (Hungary) and Tandarei (Romania).
About starch
Starch is used in nearly all areas of the food industry, for example in the
baking and confectionery sectors, in dairy products and in the production of
sausage products. Due to its excellent palatability, starch is also used in
infant formulas. Starch also plays a key role in the non-food sector. The main
customers here are the paper and paper processing industries (e.g. corrugated
board), the textiles industry (finishes and adhesives for fabrics), the
construction chemicals industry (pigment pastes and shotcrete) and the petroleum
industry. Starch is also contained in many pharmaceutical products (tablets) as
well as in cosmetics, such as baby powder, but also in household products and
medical gloves.
About AGRANA
AGRANA adds value to agricultural commodities to produce top quality foodstuffs
and numerous industrial upstream products. Around 8,600 personnel working at 55
production facilities worldwide generate consolidated revenues of around EUR 2.6
billion. The Group 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. In addition, AGRANA is
the global leader in fruit preparations and a major producer of fruit juice
concentrates in Europe.
This announcement is available in German and English at www.agrana.com [http://
www.agrana.com/].
Further inquiry note:
AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG
Mag.(FH) Hannes Haider
Investor Relations
Tel.: +43-1-211 37-12905
e-mail:hannes.haider@agrana.com
Mag.(FH) Markus Simak
Pressesprecher
Tel.: +43-1-211 37-12084
e-mail: markus.simak@agrana.com
end of announcement euro adhoc
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Pictures with Announcement:
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http://resources.euroadhoc.com/images/2118/5/10026653/Weizenstärkefabrik_Pischelsdorf.JPG
issuer: AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG
F.-W.-Raiffeisen-Platz 1
A-1020 Wien
phone: +43-1-21137-0
FAX: +43-1-21137-12926
mail: info.ab@agrana.com
WWW: www.agrana.com
ISIN: AT0000603709
indexes: WBI
stockmarkets: Berlin, Stuttgart, Wien, Frankfurt
language: English