Swiss firm to rebuild Ukraine glass-making plant
Swiss company Vetropack says it will rebuild a destroyed glass bottle making facility in Gostomel, near to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
The production plant could be running again by the end of this year, company boss Johann Reiter told Swiss public broadcaster SRF.
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The Gostomel plant once employed 600 staff, but two-thirds had to be laid off after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“The outbreak of war in Ukraine was a different dimension [to the coronavirus pandemic),” said Reiter. “Nobody expected the invasion before February 24, 2022.”
Reiter raised a CHF1 million ($1 million) fund to support former employees. The company, which is based in Bülach, canton Zurich, lost CHF31 million when its factory was destroyed.
Vetropack still managed to realise a profit last year thanks to high demand for glass products from factories in Switzerland, Austria and eastern Europe.
Reiter said production could re-start this year provided the area does not come under attack again.
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