The Port of Riga future vision outlined in the Freeport of Riga Development Programme for 2019-2028 foresees transformation of the Port into a smart logistics centre with high added value services and production facilities, the port says in a press release. Development of manufacturing at the Port is a way to create jobs, generate income and ensure stable cargo turnover in the long term perspective. Numerous successful, rapidly growing companies that implement high-quality impressive production projects at the Port which serve their customers all over the world, prove that the Port of Riga is an attractive location for launching new production facilities already at this moment. Operation of these companies at the Port is equally beneficial for the companies and the Port.
“Madesta” in its production facility at the Port of Riga manufactures large metal structures for oil, gas and various bulk material storage tanks. The company launched business in 2000 in Crimea, Ukraine. After the events of 2014 in Ukraine and following sanctions the company moved all its operations to Latvia. Currently “Madesta” is one of the largest tank manufacturers in Europe with 25 thousand tonnes of products manufactured last year.
“Today we participate in all major tank construction projects in Europe”, “Madesta” Chairman of the Board Sergii Ganzelynskyi tells the story of the company’s growth. Since 2017, various large scale liquefied natural gas terminal construction projects are under implementation in Europe. They are financed by the US energy giant ExxonMobil to supply shale gas from the USA. “Madesta” supplied steelwork for the construction of the Antwerp terminal and is currently manufacturing structures for terminal construction in Rotterdam. “I am proud that Latvia enables construction of the largest terminals in Europe and in the world!” added Sergii Ganzelynskyi.
Manufacturing of steelwork for storage of hazardous substances is a complex and knowledge-intensive process. Moreover, the quality requirements for the sheets are that strict that each of them is tested with ultrasound before loading to make sure everything is right. Sergii Ganzelynskyi: ‘We have proven to our customers that we can ensure perfect quality and meet all deadlines at competitive prices. We have a number of advantages, including our location at the Port and ability to provide skilled staff for terminal installation.”
The leader of “Madesta” sees great development opportunities for manufacturing development at the Port of Riga: “The Port is important for the company’s operations and boosting its competitive advantage. Both the supply of raw materials and delivery of ready-made goods to the customers is executed by sea. In addition, our location in the Port allows us to offer our customers a special service, i.e. large-scale structures are assembled in Riga on the Port’s pier. Together with the Port terminal Extron Baltic we have developed solutions to load assembled large-scale structures on ships and deliver them to our customers thus reducing assembling time ans costs. So far, we are the only company to offer such service and that allows us edging ahead of our competitors.”