Estonia, Good for Business, History, Markets and Companies, Port, Transport

With the help of foreign investors, the Estonian state was able to modernize one of its most iconic industrial enterprises. After the re-establishment of Kunda Port, the city of Kunda became one of the centres of Northern Estonia that nowadays has a series of active businesses.

Today, the participants of those historical events and the members of the public were introduced the cement plant of Kunda Nordic Tsement AS and the re-established Port of Kunda. 

“Thanks to the erstwhile decisions, the town of Kunda was able to maintain its most important business. Moreover, foreign capital made it possible to solve environmental problems,” informed BC the mayor of Kunda Kaido Veski. “In particular, thanks to the construction of the port, Kunda is no longer a monofunctional town, but it has become an attraction centre for many export-oriented enterprises,” added Veski.

“The involvement of Lauder and Tsatsos in this process resulted in the establishment of AS Kunda Nordic Tsement a year later and the large-scale renovation of the plant commenced,” said Meelis Einstein, the managing director of Kunda Nordic Tsement Ltd. “The involvement of foreign investors allowed maintaining the domestic cement industry which nowadays is one of the cornerstone of Estonian construction sector,” added Einstein.

Kunda is a little green successful industrial and port town (from 1938), situated in the north-eastern part of West-Viru county. Kunda has 3285 inhabitants, its own gymnasium, kindergarten, sports centre, swimming pool and community centre. The population of Kunda has in recent years been relatively stable.

Kunda Nordic Tsement AS (established in 1992) is the only Estonian cement industry that has continuously operated since 1870.  In 2015, the company produced 390 430 tons of cement, 356 287 tons of clinker and 509 951 tons of aggregate.

Kunda Nordic Tsement AS is the owner of the Port of Kunda. The cargo turnover of the port in 2015 was 1,4 million tons. 

Kunda Nordic Tsement AS employs 187 people. 75% of the company is owned by the HeidelbergCement Group that employs some 45 450 people in more than 40 countries. 25% of the company belongs to CRH that employs approximately 89 000 people in more than 31 countries.