Uralchem

Uralchem Group is a Russian manufacturer of a wide range of chemical products, including mineral fertilizers and ammoniac saltpeter.[1] According to the company, it is the largest producer of ammonium nitrate as well as the second largest producer of ammonia and nitrogen fertilizers in Russia.[2]

Uralchem
TypePrivate company
IndustryChemical
Founded2007
Headquarters
Moscow
Key people
ProductsFertilizer
Revenue₽110.2 billion
Number of employees
9898 (2017)
ParentURALCHEM Holding plc (Cyprus)
Websitewww.uralchem.com

History and expansion

Uralchem was founded in 2007 by businessman Dmitry Mazepin, who continues to be the majority shareholder of the enterprise.[3][4] According to the company website, Uralchem was established after controlling stakes of chemical companies Kirovo-Chepetsk Chemical Works and Azot were combined to form a single enterprise.[5]

In 2008, Uralchem acquired a 71.1 percent stake in Voskresensk Mineral Fertilizers, followed by 100 percent stock acquisition in 2011.[5] Equally in 2008, the company bought a 7.5 percent stake in chemical company Togliattiazot and increased its stake to just below 10 percent the following year. It also obtained 44.3 percent of JSC Perm Mineral Fertilizers in 2009.[5] In 2012, Uralchem increased its stake in Perm Mineral Fertilizers to 100 percent.[6]

In April 2010, the company announced to float 40 percent of its shares on the London Stock Exchange in the hopes of raising up to $600 million in funds to be used for servicing debt incurred by the acquisitions.[4] However, the IPO was put on hold in October that year, citing unfavorable market conditions and investors' nervousness "about external factors."[7]

The company three years later, in 2013, bought 20 percent of Uralkali, the biggest potash fertilizer producer in the world.[8] Although no official transaction price was ever disclosed, it is estimated that Uralchem paid $2.9 billion for the acquisition.[9]

In 2013 Uralchem and LLC Riga Commercial Port completed construction and opened a terminal at the Riga Port in Latvia for bulk fertilizers handling and short-term storage, called Riga Fertilizer Terminal. Uralchem became the controlling shareholder of the facility.[10] A year later, the chemical firm acquired a controlling stake in Latvia's liquid ammonia transshipment terminal SIA Ventamonjaks.[11]

The firm has also sought to increase its presence in African markets in recent years, particularly Zimbabwe,[12] where Uralchem is hoping to acquire a minimum 50 percent stake in Chemplex, the state phosphorus fertilizer producer.[13] Uralchem has also made forays into Zambia and Angola, where it plans to build a urea plant. [14]

Production

According to company figures, Uralchem has annual production capacities of 3 million tons of ammonia and ammonium nitrate, 1.2 million tons of urea as well as 1 million tons of phosphate and complex fertilizers,[15] accounting for 27.6 percent of ammonium nitrate, 16.9 percent of ammonia and 15 percent of urea production in Russia.[2]

Financial results (in million US$) and production (in kt)[16][17]
Year 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009
Total revenue 1,757 1,601 1,390 1,746 2,028 2,265 2,423 2,080 1,389 949
Net profit/(loss) (536) 533 1,166 (236) (1,881) 261 665 445 35 (97)
Total production of fertilizers and ammonia 6452 6321 6063 5894 5645 6039 6026 5093 4861 4406

Conflict with Togliattiazot shareholders

Since taking a minority stake in Togliattiazot, Uralchem has criticized Togliattiazot for a lack of transparency relating to its activities on multiple occasions. Uralchem argues that its management has been repeatedly refused access to Togliattiazot's major shareholders and management to important documents such as protocols and internal orders of the lists of affiliated persons as well as quarterly and annual reports.[18][19]

The Uralchem leadership has also accused Togliattiazot's majority shareholders Vladimir and Sergei Makhlai of engaging in large-scale fraud involving an export scheme for their ammonia and urea production. According to media reports, the Togliattiazot between 2008 and 2011 had sold its produce in the international markets primarily through Nitrochem Distribution AG, a Swiss trading company owned by Ameropa Holding AG and a main Togliattiazot shareholder,[20] at below market prices. The owner of Ameropa AG, Andreas Zivy, is one of the controlling shareholders of Togliattiazot, along with the Makhlai Family. Nitrochem Distribution then resold the products to independent buyers at market prices.[21] Through the scheme, minority shareholders like Uralchem sustained losses of $550 million, according to Forbes.[20][22]

Investigations by the Russian authorities led to the freezing of assets and shares of Togliattiazot owned by the majority shareholders worth $2 billion. The court also prohibited Sergei Makhlai from holding senior positions at the company, after which he resigned from the board.[23] In July 2019, Sergei and Vladimir Makhlai as well as Togliattiazot's former CEO Evgeny Korolev and their Swiss partners Andreas Zivy and Beat Ruprecht were sentenced to prison in absentia by the Komsomolsky District Court in Togliatti for a period of 8.5 to 9 years.[24]  The court ordered them to pay damages to Togliattiazot in the amount of 77 billion rubles and to Uralchem in the amount of 10 billion rubles.[24]

Philanthropy

The company is running several philanthropic and charitable programs and activities to promote social welfare,[25] culture[26] and education,[27] including providing lab equipment to Perm Polytechnic and hosting concerts. To that end, the company stated that it had increased its financing of charitable projects by 34 percent to 710 million rubles ($11 million).[28]

References
  1. "UCC Uralchem OJSC". Bloomberg.
  2. "About URALCHEM". Uralchem.
  3. "Dmitry Mazepin". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
  4. "Uralchem says to float 40 pct of shares in IPO". Reuters. 2010-04-07. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
  5. "History". Uralchem.
  6. "M&A: UralChem completes consolidation of Minudobrenia Perm shares". www.akm.ru. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
  7. "UralChem May Revisit London IPO Plan, Sell $525 Million of Bonds". Bloomberg. 19 October 2010.
  8. "Uralchem buys 20% of Uralkali as 'potash war' eases". Financial Times. 2 December 2013.
  9. "Uralchem shareholders to buy 20 percent of Russia's Uralkali". Reuters. 2013-12-02. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
  10. "Riga Fetilizer Terminal launched in the Port of Rīga : Press Releases : Media : Riga Fertilizer Terminal". www.rft.lv. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
  11. Brown, Tom. "Russia's Uralchem acquires Baltic ammonia transhipment terminal". Icis. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
  12. "Uralchem reaches agreement with Zimbabwe". www.floraldaily.com. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
  13. "Russia's Uralchem in talks to buy a stake in Zimbabwe's Chemplex". Reuters. 2019-01-16. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
  14. "Russian fertiliser tycoon to boost sales in Zimbabwe, Zambia". Reuters. 2018-02-09. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
  15. "Uralchem" (PDF). Uralchem.
  16. "URALCHEM announces full year IFRS results for the 12 months ending 31 December 2018". Uralchem. 31 December 2018.
  17. "IFRS FINANCIAL RESULTS SUMMARY". Uralchem.
  18. "В Москве состоялся круглый стол "Защита прав миноритарных акционеров: новые возможности"". Рамблер/финансы (in Russian). Retrieved 2019-09-27.
  19. "Uralchem recognized as victim in organized criminal syndicate creation case". RAPSI. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
  20. "Russian investigators exposing $550 million fraud with Swiss company involved - Bill Pradi - Digital Journal". www.digitaljournal.com. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
  21. "Togliattiazot owners put ammonia producer up for sale". Eurasian Business Briefing - Information for Investors. 2017-06-05. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
  22. "Следственный комитет раскрыл аферу на $550 млн на "Тольяттиазоте"". Forbes. 24 December 2012.
  23. Keena, Colm. "Russia 'raider attack' case makes it to the High Court". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
  24. "Former Togliattiazot executives sentenced to prison in absentia". RAPSI. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
  25. правды», Комсомольская правда | Сайт «Комсомольской (2013-12-13). "УРАЛХИМ подарил школьные автобусы детским домам". KP.RU - сайт «Комсомольской правды» (in Russian). Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  26. "Валерий Гергиев | Art Forte". www.artforte.lv. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  27. "«УРАЛХИМ» подарил «политеху» лабораторию". 59.ru (in Russian). 2012-09-19. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  28. "URALCHEM Increased Financing of Charitable Programmes by 34%". Uralchem. 11 April 2017.
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