OREANDA-NEWS. November 26, 2012. Cherkizovo Group has opened a second line for the production of hams and deli products at the Otechestvenniy meat processing plant in Pravdinsk in the Kaliningrad region, reported the press-centre of Cherkizovo Group.

The opening ceremony was attended by Igor Babaev, Chairman of Cherkizovo Group’s Board of Directors, Sergey Mikhailov, CEO of the company, Konstantin Suslov, Deputy Chairman of the Kaliningrad region’s Government, Vladimir Zarudny, Minister for Agriculture for the Kaliningrad Region, and representatives from the Administration of Pravdinsk.

With the launch of the second line, the production capacity of the plant has increased to 1,500 tonnes per month.

Today, the plant manufactures high quality products under the brand "Cherkizovsky", a brand highly trusted by customers not only in the Kaliningrad region but also throughout Russia.

"Meat Factory Ltd. FFP Otechestvenniy product" was founded in Pravdinsk in the Kaliningrad region in 1999. In the autumn of 2010 it was bought by Cherkizovo Group, the leader of the domestic meat processing market. At the time of the transaction, "FFP Otechestvenniy product" had not been operational since 2007 and had only two members of staff.

Over a period of two years, Cherkizovo Group launched a radical modernisation of the plant and equipped it with modern high-tech equipment manufactured by an Italian company called TRAVAGLINI, the world’s largest manufacturer of meat production equipment, and consequently the number of employees has increased a hundredfold. Total investment in the project amounts to more than USD 15 million USD and today, "FFP Otechestvenniy product" is the flagship company of the Group.

During a meeting with the Governor of the Kaliningrad region ahead of the opening ceremony, Igor Babaev, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Sergey Mikhailov, CEO of the company, discussed the prospect of further cooperation between Cherkizovo Group and the region.

The Chairman of Cherkizovo’s Board of Directors, Igor Babaev, commented that he is very pleased that a dialogue with the Kaliningrad Regional Administration has been established. He also stressed that the potential of "FFP Otechestvenniy product" goes far beyond the launch of the second production line for sausages and deli products.

Sergey Mikhailov, CEO of Cherkizovo Group, stated, "In addition to increasing the meat processing capacity for the Group, another advantage of the project is the location of the Kaliningrad plant in the free economic zone, which enjoys customs preferences. This contributes to the more effective implementation of products with high added value in Russia. We are very proud of the truly advanced and modern company that we have created".

Nikolai Tsukanov, Governor of the Kaliningrad region, commented, "The opening of the second line at Cherkizovo Group’s plant is an important event, not only for the Pravdinsky district but also for the whole of the Kaliningrad region. Agriculture is one of the State Government’s priorities and the regional and municipal authorities will do everything possible to ensure that the project develops".