Salzburg: ALPINE Bau GmbH has been able to impressively expand its raw materials operations through its subsidiary Osijek-Koteks d.d.Osijek. The purchase of several stone quarries in the vicinity of Pozega has allowed ALPINE, through Osijek-Koteks, to become the market leader in stone quarrying in eastern Croatia. This acquisition includes even a finish concrete products factory, a mortar plant and an engineering company. “This acquisition, for which all major competitors submitted a bid, means we have not only secured for ourselves important raw materials for the Croatian market, but as a result we will also be able to serve Vojvodina in Serbia as well as southern Austria. We can therefore make use of our own resources with respect to limestone and igneous material and further expand our resource autonomy,” confirms Dietmar Aluta-Oltyan, president of the supervisory board of ALPINE Bau GmbH and co-owner of the company. By taking over these raw material operations, Osijek-Koteks can offer a comprehensive total service, from raw materials through to the finished building.
The stone quarries
The limestone and igneous stone quarries at Velicanka and Vetovo were acquired at an auction of Kamen-Ingrad, which had gone into liquidation. The total package also included a dry mixing plant. The headquarters are located in Velika in eastern Croatia. The stone quarries will be incorporated into a new company to be called “Velicki kamen d.o.o.”. The quarries at Vetovo and Velicanka have reserves of around 6.3 million m3 and 11 million m3 respectively.
As a raw material, stone is set to become a vitally important requirement for the development of the railway network in Croatia in the coming years. ALPINE estimates that around 30% of the raw material can be supplied by Osijek-Koteks. The purchase also comes with 300 employees, most of whom work in the stone quarries, with a smaller number also working in the construction business.