Grupa Azoty — BrandWiki

Grupa Azoty

Overview

Grupa Azoty S.A.

industry	Chemicals
former name	Zakłady Azotowe in Tarnów-Mościce‡R1R‡
type	Spółka Akcyjna
traded as	wse: ATT WIG30 component
isin	isin: PLZATRM00012
founder	Ignacy Mościcki and State Treasury
owners	State Treasury (33%), Norica Holding, ING OFE, TFI PZU, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
foundation	1927
location	33-101 Tarnów ul. Eugeniusza Kwiatkowskiego 8, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland
key people	Mariusz Bober (CEO and Chairman of the executive board), Witold Szczypiński (VP) Tomasz Hinc (VP) Paweł Łapiński (VP) Józef Rojek (VP) Artur Kopeć (VP)‡R2R‡
products	Fertilizer, Plastic, chemicals, Oxo alcohol, Pigments
num employees	15,609 (2019)‡R3R‡
revenue	24.657 billion PLN (2022) ‡R4R‡
operating income	865.6 mln PLN (2022) ‡R5R‡
profit	583.8 million PLN (2022) ‡R6R‡
equity	9.956 billion PLN (2022) ‡R7R‡
assets	8.916 billion PLN (2022) ‡R8R‡
homepage	http://grupaazoty.com//

Grupa Azoty S.A. (until 2013 Zakłady Azotowe in Tarnów-Mościce[9]) is a major Polish chemical industry company headquartered in the Mościce district of Tarnów, in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship of southeastern Poland.

The company was established in 1927, during the Second Polish Republic, as one of the most modern factories in Europe at the time. Currently, Grupa Azoty is the largest chemical company in Poland and is a major producer of fertilizers, plastics, chemicals, oxo alcohols and pigments.

At the end of 2019, the group employed 15,609 employees in 50 companies located both in Poland and abroad. In 2022, Grupa Azoty posted a revenue of over 24 billion PLN ($ 5.5 billion). As of 2023, the company is the second largest producer of fertilizers in the European Union.[10] The company markets its products to over 100 countries worldwide. Grupa Azoty is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE) and is a component of the WIG30 stock market index.[11]

Products

Grupa Azoty is currently the second largest producer of mineral fertilizers and third of compound fertilisers in the European Union.[67] It is also present in the sector of construction plastics, OXO alcohols and plasticizers.[68] It offers a rich range of products made in particular plants in Tarnów, Puławy, Kędzierzyn-Koźle and Police, Gdańsk, Grzybów, Chorzów and in Guben (Germany).[69]

Main fields of operation

Mineral fertilisers are one of the main products of Grupa Azoty. It specialises in the production of nitric and compound fertilizers.[70] Additionally, in the sector the company produces ammonia and other nitrogen-based half-products. Grupa Azoty mines phosphorite, the main material in compound fertilizer production from its part-owned mine in Senegal. Grupa Azoty leads the Polish market and is the second largest producer of mineral fertilizers in the European Union. Engineering plastics (polyamide 6 (PA6) and modified plastics) are produced as well as auxiliary products such as caprolactam and other chemicals. Currently, the largest factory of Polyamide 6 in Tarnów is under construction, which will allow Grupa Azoty to increase its production possibilities and become the leading producer of this material in Europe.[71] Another activity of the Group is chemical production, focusing on: OXO products, urea, melamine and sulphur. Grupa Azoty is the third largest producer of melamine in the world and second in the European Union.[72] Whereas, in OXO products, Grupa Azoty is the only one in Poland and seventh in Europe in terms of OXO alcohol production as well as the largest national and fifth largest European company producing plasticisers.[73] Electric power and heat produced in the plant are sold locally, in the vicinity of the company. The Group has its own distribution networks for power utilities and energy. Currently, construction plans of new heat-power blocks are made in the premises of plants in Kędzierzyn and Puławy.[74]

Agricultural fertilisers

Plastics

Chemicals

Power engineering

Expansion

On 13 July 2012, an offer for 6,116,800 shares of the Zakłady Azotowe in Puławy at PLN 110 per share, was announced.[41] As a result of the call, the facility in Tarnów managed to obtain 10.3% shares of the facility in Puławy.[42][43] This offer was the first step in the consolidation of the two largest chemical companies in Poland.[44] The idea of merging Zakłady Azotowe in Puławy with Azoty Tarnów was supported by the Polish Treasury and the trade unions.[45][46][47] On 15 November 2012 the management boards of Zakłady Azotowe in Tarnów and Puławy concluded an agreement for establishing the principles of cooperation and conducting negotiations.[48][49] Later, Azoty Tarnów issued shares, available solely to the shareholders of the company in Puławy. They exchanged shares held in Zakłady in Puławy for shares of the Tarnów company, at a ratio of 1:2.[50] Full performance of this stage still required consent of the European Commission for the merger of both companies[51] which was issued on 13 January 2013.[52][53] Finally, a buy-back allowed Azoty Tarnów to purchase 95% of shares in Zakłady Azotowe in Puławy. Consolidation of the enterprises in Tarnów, Puławy, Police and Kędzierzyn-Koźle allowed for formation of one of the largest fertiliser companies in Europe, operating under the name of Grupa Azoty, consolidating ca. 75-80 per cent of the national fertiliser production.[54][55]

On 21 November 2013, the Company purchased 85% of shares of the only Polish sulphur producer by smelting, Kopalnia i Zakłady Chemiczne Siarki, "Siarkopol" S.A. in Grzybów, from the Treasury. The value of the transaction was ca. PLN 400 million.[56]

Another important event in the history of the company was the purchase of a Phosphorite mine in Senegal[57][58] by Grupa Azoty Zakłady Chemiczne „Police" S.A.[59] Zakłady in Police was able to purchase a controlling stake of 55% of AIG company shares for $28.5 million.[60][61][62] This investment, now a subsidiary of Grupa Azoty, secured its own source of raw material for the production of phosphorus and other multi-ingredient fertilisers integral to its business.[63][64]

In 2018, Grupa Azoty acquired German company Goat TopCo GmbH based in Münster for a reported EUR 226.6 million.[65] The company operates within the specialty fertilizers segment and owns COMPO EXPERT company. The transaction was aimed at strengthening the company's position as a leading provider of agricultural solutions.[66]