Tbilisi. Our special correspondent Alexey Nevsky. Within the framework of a press tour organized by KNAUF CIS company, a group of Russian and Belarusian journalists from construction industrial and business media visited a plant producing gypsum boards.
Before that, the reporters got acquainted with two large trade centers of Georgian capital city, where KNAUF materials have been applied.
So, 120,000 square meters of gypsum boards and 13,000 square meters of aquapanel boards, as well as other materials of this well-known brand have been applied at the construction of East Point trade center (see the picture).
The reporters also came over to DOMINO store, which is one of the first in the country that began to focus on sales of construction materials on a DIY basis (an analogue of the French Leroy Merlin). The director for production at KNAUF Gips Tbilisi plant, Marina Datsyuk, demonstrated to the representatives of the media a plant manufacturing gypsum boards, which is located on the outskirts of Tbilisi.
In particular, she pointed out that the plant was operating at full capacity on three-shift basis – 24 hours per day and without holidays, whereas the warehouse premises are loaded just by 10%. This is an evidence of a strong demand for gypsum boards. The enterprise’s laboratory is operating 24 hours per day as well.
The products are mostly sold in two countries – Georgia and Armenia, these countries prefer 9-mm boards.
Photo: A line of fire-resistant gypsum boards ready for dispatch to Armenia
This enterprise, which employs 84 people, produces metal profiles as well.
Marina Datsyuk noted with regret that an open quarry supplying alabaster binding material is situated in Azerbaijan, 250 km from the production facility, what significantly influences the product cost price. However, the plant intends to switch to another quarry, located on the territory of Georgia. This will let to make gypsum boards more competitive.
As a reference:
The plant in Tbilisi has been producing gypsum boards since 2011. At present, KNAUF investments into this production total 25 million euro.
As the head of the KNAUF CIS Department for Corporate Communications, Leonid Los, pointed out, initially, there was a line of Chinese production at the enterprise, but afterwards it was replaced with Turkish and German equipment.
In 2014, the plant won first place in “Cost Price and Quality” nomination among all other KNAUF gypsum boards’ enterprises worldwide. The company plans an increase in capacity.
