Agram

In March 2005, Zomar S.A., a Chełm-based joint-stock company with entirely Polish capital, purchased Agram, being a liquidated enterprise, from the official receiver. Afterwards, intensive measures were undertaken with a view to rebuilding the newly purchased and strongly decapitalised plant. On 30 October 2008, an independent manufacturing plant was established from the Zomar S.A. structure and became operative as Agram S. A.
     At present, Agram S.A. consists of two manufacturing plants, one located in Lublin on Mełgiewska Street, and the other in Motycz, at a distance of 8 km from Lublin.
     The main plant on Mełgiewska Street features a storage area for 12 thousand tonnes and provides a cooling capacity of approx. 12 tonnes per hour. This is ensured by two new freezing tunnels, each with a capacity of 5 tonnes per hour, one of which was supplied by high-class manufacturer, Frigoscandia.
     The plant located in Motycz is equipped with two modernised freezing tunnels with a total capacity of 5 tonnes per hour. It also features a 2400-tonne storage area in the cooling chambers. The larger plant on Mełgiewska Street was fully decapitalised and required higher investment outlays. It was, therefore, the main focus of the modernisation programme which was developed. Since the purchase date, Agram has invested a total sum of PLN 40 million in reconstructing the Lublin and Motycz plants.

The following major investment projects have been implemented
- Constructing a new entrance hall, comprising a raw materials warehouse;
- Modernising the ammonia refrigeration installation;   
- Reconstructing the main production hall;
- Constructing new social facilities for the staff;
- Modernising two water conditioning stations;
- Modernising two boiler rooms, in Lublin and Motycz;               
- Purchasing two new freezing tunnels and modernising three others;
- Purchasing new technological lines, along with sorting equipment and machinery;
- Purchasing and assembling a production line for root vegetables and beans, with a capacity of 5 tonnes per hour;
- Purchasing new laser sorting equipment by BEST;
- Purchasing new optical sorting equipment by SORTEX;
- Purchasing a modern packing line by BOSCH, including peripheral devices.
     Considering the impressive scale of invested resources and investment work, the conclusion can be drawn that the former Agram Cooling Plant has actually paved the way for constructing a modern production plant which is now able to successfully compete on the European and global markets. It is worth stressing that the thorough modernisation and rebuilding of the plant was effected with no adverse effect on the product range or production continuity. In a few years, the plant has acquired nearly 132 thousand tonnes of fruit and vegetables, remunerating the supplying farmers with PLN 164 million in total. Since 2005, we have constantly increased the annual levels of raw material procurement and the manufacture of frozen products. We buy and freeze a variety of soft fruits (such as strawberries, black and red currants, cherries, raspberries, blackberries and plums). Customers may also purchase the following vegetables from the Lublin brand: bean, cauliflower, broccoli, carrot, leek, parsley, celery, tomato, pepper and cabbage. Around 80 percent of our output is intended for exports, mainly to the EU and eastern countries (Russia and the Baltic States). The Company has obtained the HACCP, BRC, IFS and ISO 22000 certificates, a kosher certificate, an ecological certificate, and the GOST certificate that allows the exporting of frozen products to Russia. It reflects the Agram products’ conformity with the requirements imposed by the Russian entities in charge of product quality inspections.
     Having acquired the Agram brand from the official receiver in 2005, the company has used its best endeavours to rebuild its previous position in frozen products on the Polish retail market.