OREANDA-NEWS. January 19, 2011. Balt-Trans Acquisition Positions Sodrugestvo as Largest Privately Owned Logistics Operator in the Russian Grain Sector.

Sodrugestvo Group (www.sodrugestvo.com) has acquired Russia-based railcar operator Balt-Trans, the second largest operator of grain hoppers in the country.

Founded in 2009 by a group of private investors, Balt-Trans contributes 1,875 grain hoppers and 102 boxcars to the Group logistics operations, already consisting of Trans-Agro, a railcar owner, operator and freight forwarder.  Combined, the company now owns a total of 2,225 grain hoppers and 102 boxcars and leases 80 vegetal oil cars on a long-term basis. Sodrugestvo was the company’s largest customer prior to its purchase. The Group has received all required regulatory approvals for the transaction.

“By combining Balt-Trans’ holdings with our existing Trans-Agro operations, Sodrugestvo is now able to fully control its logistics chain inside Russia,” said Stephane Frappat, CEO of Sodrugestvo Group.  “This acquisition demonstrates our commitment to providing the best possible customer service to the agricultural markets in Russia, the company’s most important and rapidly growing region.”

About Sodrugestvo Group
 Sodrugestvo Group (www.sodrugestvo.com), founded in 1994, is a rapidly growing agro-industrial company serving global markets. The company is vertically integrated with three business units - specialized infrastructure (including deep-water sea ports), logistics (including railcars and storage facilities) and processing facilities (for the production of proteins and oils from vegetal and animal commodities). In

2010, Sodrugestvo crushed more than 1.1 million tons of soybeans and rapeseed, making it a leading player in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The company is also expanding into commodities trading and direct origination capabilities.

 Headquartered in Luxembourg, the company has 32 facilities located in nine countries including Russia, Denmark, Brazil, the United States and several Eastern European nations.  With consolidated sales of \\\\$857 million in its fiscal year ending June 30, 2010, Sodrugestvo has enjoyed average annual growth of 15 percent or more for the last 10 years. Sodrugestvo employs 1,300 and is privately held.