This year AB Achema, the country’s largest fertiliser producer, took the second place in top 500 of Lithuanian Business Leaders published for the third time by Verslo žinios.
When ranking the companies, analysts assessed four main criteria: their size, efficiency, growth and social value. These indicators determined the final score of Achema and the second place in the ranking of Lithuanian business leaders.
In the mentioned rating, the first position went to UAB Thermo Fisher Scientific Baltics, the third to Light Conversion, the fourth to UAB Teltonika, and the fifth to SEB Bank.
“It’s always nice to be appreciated – it shows that we are working in the right direction every day. This is an evaluation of the entire industry, our company, and the entire team – it is the result of our purposeful and consistent work,” says Ramūnas Miliauskas, the CEO of Achema.
According to the head of the company, there is no single factor that determines success.
“The successful operation of the company is determined by many factors – the global nitrogen fertiliser market has arrived at a balance, and the prices of natural gas, which is the main raw material for fertiliser production, have fallen. We paid a lot of attention to managing the risk of fluctuations in prices for raw materials. We have also consistently invested in projects to increase production efficiency. Adding all these components led us to the desired result,” says R. Malinauskas.
The head of the company notes that there have been unusual challenges this year to manage the risks posed by the pandemic.
“Just like everyone else, we had a difficult year – we faced the challenge of ensuring the continuity of production and the safety of the workers’ health. We paid a lot of attention to that. In addition to all the recommended measures, we have invested a lot in the continuous testing of employees – over 1,000 tests have already been performed since the beginning of the pandemic, and we have already allocated almost 300 thousand euros for the measures to ensure the safety of employees during the pandemic,” says the head of the company.
According to R. Miliauskas, in the fight against the pandemic, the company allocated funds not only to ensure the safety of its employees, but also to the local community.
“Business must take a step forward and contribute to the well-being of the society. Sometimes we can simply act faster, we don’t have the procedures required for public institutions. We took care not only of our employees but also of the members of the community. We donated artificial lung ventilation devices to Jonava Hospital and the Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU) Kauno klinikos, while at the beginning of the pandemic we handed over various protection measures to Jonava Hospital, which were lacking in the whole country at that time,” says the CEO.
In conclusion, the CEO mentions that the main goals for next year are to ensure the continuity of production and to continue investment projects.
“When it comes to next year’s plans, the most important goal is to ensure the continuity of production at the time of the pandemic. With or without a pandemic, we will continue with the planned investments next year. We need to move forward in order to remain competitive: we will continue with projects that reduce energy costs, environmental impact and CO2 emissions. I think that this year we all have grown a little and gained new experience, and I believe that this will allow the projects to be implemented without major disruptions,” says the CEO of Achema.
The analysts paid a lot of attention to business publicity and openness when evaluating the results of the companies, therefore the communication criterion was an important factor for the final positions of the companies.
Achema is the largest fertiliser producer in the country. The company has over 1,300 employees and produces 2 million tons of fertilisers annually.