The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development intends to finance a US$ 22-million project to produce glass bottles in the city of Lisakovsk in Kazakhstan“s Kostanai region.
The region“s ad…
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development intends to finance a US$ 22-million project to produce glass bottles in the city of Lisakovsk in Kazakhstan“s Kostanai region. The region“s administration said that Canada“s Consumers Packaging, the biggest glass bottle manufacturer in North America, which has factories in Europe and Asia, would organize the project. Canada“s Central Asia Consultancy and Arai, a leading local producer of alcoholic beverages and soft drinks, conducted the marketing. It is expected that project costs will take 36 months to recoup. The administration of Lisakovsk and Central Asia Consultancy signed an agreement on joint activity in November 1998. In April last year, the Canadian firms, the city of Lisakovsk and Arai signed a memorandum on mutual understanding. The source said that Arai wanted to set up a new enterprise because Kazakhstan does not make bottles to the standard it requires, and these have to be imported from Europe. Arai alone is believed to require 60-70 million glass bottles per year. Local raw materials will be used in the project. Arai has, for example, obtained a license to develop the Apanov sand deposit. The new factory will also supply its bottles to other regions of Kazakhstan and to Russia.