Kraiburg expects strong growth due to Russian demand

ERJ staff report (TP)

Moscow – Kraiburg, the German rubber and silicone compound manufacturer, anticipates good growth in 2014 on the back of Russian demand for its “high quality” products.

Yesterday (22 April), ERJ spoke with Bernd Schultheis, Head of Department of Industrial Applications, at the Moscow Tires & Rubber Exhibition.

Schultheis said: “In oil and gas, automotive and engineering – the Russian market needs high quality compounds and the Russian rubber industry is not able to deliver such compounds.”

This is where Kraiburg comes in to fill that demand and Schultheis, who is also the firm’s Technical Director in Bavaria (Germany), feels the German reputation for quality pays off.

“A lot of our Russian customers want to work with us exclusively and they pay for this,” he said. “This is typically Russian and very good for us. It also means it is relatively easy to enter the market when you work with a customer who wants an exclusive deal. You get a very good name.”

The exhibition is not the first time for the firm. Kraiburg have been involved in the show for three years and have five years’ experience in the country. Long-term relationships include such Russian companies as Integra Group and Radius Servis.

Schultheis said the event is seen as a chance to “show we are closer to customers and the Russian markets”.

When asked about future plans, he said that a lot of customers want to do a Joint Venture with Kraiburg. A situation in which he said “we are open to and we are talking about it”.