Art and chemistry: what unites Kama Region with Austria?

On February 1st a presentation of the investment and tourism potential of the Perm Region took place at the Embassy of the Republic of Austria in Moscow. A delegation of the Perm Region and representatives of government and business of Austria took part in the working meeting.

Opening the meeting, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Austria, Mr. Johannes Eigner explained, that for the active development of Russian-Austrian relations it is important to work not only with the capital, but also with other cities of Russia. “The interest in the interaction between Austria and Perm region is caused by a number of objective reasons. This region is one of the most economically and industrially developed regions of Russia. Perm is one of the largest cultural centers of the Russian Federation ", - said Mr. Eigner.

The Representatives of the Perm region have focused on the economic cooperation of the parties. The Governor of Perm Region, Mr. Maxim Reshetnikov, noted that the Perm Territory and the Austrian Republic are active economic partners. The volume of foreign trade in January-October 2018 amounted to about 12 million dollars.

A presentation of enterprises of the Perm region for the Austrian delegation was held at the meeting. The flagship was Metafrax, the leading Russian producer of methanol and its derivatives. Mr. Armen Garslyan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of PJSC "Metafrax", said that the products of the group of companies are used in key industrial branches, such as woodworking, thermal insulation, abrasive tools, in the production of plastics and paints.

Synthetic resins of the subsidiary company "Metadynea" are in demand in the production of composition boards, plywood and decorative coatings. A "fine chemistry" is used in the manufacturing of drugs, disinfectants. At the same time, a significant share of deliveries of Metadynea - Austria accrues to the Austrian market. 73% is the share of Austrian customers in terms of volume, 68% is in terms of revenue.

“It is very important that today our relations have continued,” – noted Mr. Armen Garslyan. - The "Metadynea" Company is a successful example of Austrian-Russian cooperation. It has two production sites in Russia and one In Austria, in Krems. Today 500 people work there, the total turnover of the company is MEUR 343. There is a science center at the Austrian site that will allow us to become one of the world's technological leaders in the field of resins.

“Perm region is a reliable partner with a developed industry, infrastructure, science, social sphere. We are connected with Austria by industry, for example, the Metafrax Company with its Metadinea subsidiary in Austria, and culture in the name of of the artistic director of the Perm Opera and Ballet Theater, Mr. Teodor Currentzis and much more,”-said Mr. Maxim Reshetnikov.