Ermafa to build tyre recycling plant in Bashkortastan

Germany / Russia – German company Ermafa, which produces plastics and rubber recycling equipment, is to invest in a tyre recycling plant in Ufa, capital of the Russian republic of Bashkortostan. The plant, which it is estimated will cost Rubles 300 million (US$ 10.1 million) to build, will recycle 400 000 tyres per year.

The project, which will generate products for the bitumen industry, was discussed in a meeting between a German trade delegation and the President of the Republic, Rustem Khamitov. Ermafa President Uve Hartmann said the company had received support from the Ufa business community, and appealed for tax and legal incentives to launch the project.
President Khamitov pledged all the help Ermafa needed, since Bashkortostan was also deeply interested in the initiative. A new law is to be passed encouraging residents of Ufa to supply tyres to the facility for free by penalising car owners for dumping their disused tyres.
Although Ermafa has operated in Russia for many years and has established business contacts in St Petersburg and Nizhniy Novgorod, it has not previously set up production facilities in the country. The Ufa plant will occupy around 15 000 square metres and the company is now negotiating with the local authorities to finalise a site.
‘Ufa will be the pilot,’ Mr Hartmann said. ‘We have found competent partners here. In future we intend to open similar plants in other regions of Russia.’