ATLANTA – Feb. 19, 2014 – Tensar International, the global leader in geosynthetic site development technology, has officially opened a new Tensar manufacturing facility in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Her Royal Highness Princess Anne assisted in the unveiling ceremony of the new multi-million dollar state-of-the-art facility. The new plant reinforces Tensar’s market-leading position in soil-reinforcement and subgrade stabilization technologies.
The Princess Royal was welcomed by a delegation including the Governor of Saint Petersburg, Georgy Poltavchenko and Tensar Corporation’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Don Meltzer, and embarked on a tour of the facility before unveiling a plaque.
“We are delighted to have been able to welcome HRH Princess Anne to open our new St. Petersburg site,” Meltzer said. “The new plant enables us to have a truly global offering, and allows the growing construction and infrastructure sectors in Russia to take advantage our technology and expertise with a team on the ground – making it a mutually beneficial move for all parties involved.”
The new plant will better service this demand, locally manufacturing Tensar’s range of geogrids, including the patented TriAx® Geogrids used to stabilize road construction over soft soils and optimize pavement design for roads, ports and airfields. Tensar’s innovative products and expertise have proved popular with civil engineers in Russia and Central Asia for over 15 years. Large quantities of Tensar’s geogrid products were used to construct roads over difficult ground in preparation for the Sochi Olympics.
Tensar, whose UK operation is located in Blackburn, Lancashire, is aiming for a majority share of the geogrid market in the region within its first year, with the plant able to produce an impressive 3,000 tons of geogrid per year at full capacity.
Tensar is the majority shareholder in this joint venture, with remaining investment coming from Russian joint venture partners.
