Sodrugestvo loves to play with trains

20-01-2011 | Home | News

Sodrugestvo Group has increased its railcar and grain hopper park with the acquisition of Balt-Trans, Russia’s second largest player in this field

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.

Controlling own logistics
"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.

Rapid growth
Sodrugestvo Group, 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.

The group has enjoyed average annual growth of 15% or more for the last 10 years. It employs 1,300 people and is privately held.