Aluminum market leader Kęty looks to Eastern expansion for future

Kęty, the stock-listed aluminum processing market leader in Poland, is not excluding the possibility of constructing a plant in Ukraine and purchasing regional competitors. "We are analyzing our options. The decisions will be made before the year ends, then we will present a three-year strategy," said Kęty management board member Michał Malina. However, bourse analysts are more forthright. "Kęty's new plant will have annual sales of zł.70-80 million and should be launched by mid-2006," said Sylwia Jaśkiewicz, from CDM Pekao SA. This investment would allow the company to bypass custom duties for exporting goods to Ukraine and Russia. Analysts suggest this is the only development option for the company, which holds a 50% stake in the aluminum products market and a 20% in the packaging sector. Potentially the firm could spend zł.400-550 million on the acquisition. (Puls Biznesu, pp. 1, 8, 10) M.M.