Cherkizovo Group’s Altaisky Broiler plant is temporarily closed after a fire broke out in the facility on July 3.
According to preliminary information, the fire at the plant broke out at 3:15 p.m. Firefighting and rescue crews were summoned to the scene and started extinguishing the fire at 3:23 p.m. A total of 49 people and 20 units were paged to the scene. The watering of the site continued until 8 p.m. on the following day.
The fire damaged a warehouse with containers and packaging, a finished products warehouse, and some other facilities. The administrative building and the main production equipment at Altaisky Broiler were not seriously affected. The facility’s bird houses are located at a sufficient distance from the production sites, and were not threatened by the fire, the company stated.
All employees working at the factory at the time of the fire were promptly evacuated. There was a smaller number of people at the plant than there normally would be, because it was a cleaning day. None of them was injured.
The cause of the fire is currently being investigated. Cherkizovo will work with the insurance company to estimate the damage suffered by Altaisky Broiler. Given the facility’s social significance for the Altai Territory, Cherkizovo Group will take every effort to relaunch the facility as soon as possible.
Altaisky Broiler’s temporary closure is not expected to have a significant impact on Cherkizovo Group’s operating and financial performance. The plant accounts for 8.5% of chicken meat produced by the company and about 5% of its revenue.
Cherkizovo had previously unveiled plans to invest RUB2.6 billion (US$35 million) in expanding the factory’s capacity over the next few years. These plans are still in place and the company intends to expedite that implementation.
Altaisky Broiler is one of the leading players in the Siberian poultry market. Constructed in 2007, the facility now produces approximately 67 kt of live-weight meat annually. In 2018, Cherkizovo Group acquired Altaisky Broiler to expand into the Siberian Federal District market. The plant produces a wide range of chicken products under the Petelinka and Altaisky Broiler brands.
