Ukraine: HeidelbergCement has reopened its plant in eastern Ukraine a month after shutting it. Separatists in the region wanted to impose their own agenda on the production process, the company said in November 2014. The situation has now changed and HeidelbergCement is about to sign a contact with a new security firm, according to CEO Bernd Scheifele. The re-launch of the production process was closely coordinated with the Foreign Office.
The conflict in Ukraine has led to serious infrastructure damage and thus the demand for building materials is high, according to Scheifele. The plant's capacity is 2Mt/yr of cement. The company generates Euro150m of revenue with its three Ukrainian sites, or a share of 1% of the total revenues. In 2014, however, turnover slipped by 30% due to the conflict.