Economic growth in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries is continuing unabated. The total economic performance of the ten newest EU members in Eastern Europe is predicted to increase by 1.5 per cent in 2012 and 3.2 per cent in 2013, although the gap between Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia and the countries with weaker growth and lower incomes is expected to widen. Despite this, many CEE countries remain attractive markets; Poland, Ukraine and of course Russia are currently particularly interesting. Predicted economic growth in Russia is currently 4.3 per cent – reason enough for many Austrian companies to expand into the Eastern European market.
For the Unger Steel Group, Russia – along with other CEE countries – is a relevant and strategic target market. As a ‘first mover’, the Unger Steel Group began driving forward its own expansion beyond Austria’s borders decades ago. Examples include Russia, Hungary, Romania, Turkmenistan and Moldova. As a specialist and generalist in the divisions in steel construction, general contracting and real estate, the Unger Steel Group manages numerous projects in Austria and international.
Requirements for market development in Eastern Europe. In order to be able to make investments in CEE countries and realize construction projects quickly, safely and as desired, it is essential to be very familiar with the market requirements and have the appropriate expertise in the country.
Trust plays a major role in expansion abroad. Unger provides its customers with long-term support in their market expansion and always accompanies them wherever their projects are planned. The key advantage of cooperation between Unger and its partner companies is mutual understanding when it comes to high quality standards, adherence to schedules and general values such as trust and sense of responsibility. Austrian expertise and quality are highly valued in Europe and around the world. In the CEE countries themselves, every effort is being made to achieve Western standards quickly, making Unger a sought-after on-site partner. Both clients and companies in the various countries value this work at a high level, allowing the Unger Steel Group to implement construction projects of various sizes in the CEE area and around the world, to meet European quality standards and to bring added value into the country.
The Unger Steel Group stands for punctuality when implementing its projects. Unger stands for punctual completion of its services. Many construction projects are implemented and completed long before the planned end of construction – that means often earlier. In this way, Unger supports its customers’ success sustainably by adhering to schedules, regardless of the country and its market conditions at the time. This guarantees the client a secure planning and safety in project handling. Timings are kept and goals achieved.
Unger’s many years of presence in CEE and its specific country and industry expertise result in practical benefits and make actions on the market easier for the long term. Extensive market knowledge, also in new countries, and many years of experience across multiple sectors throughout the entire construction industry support Unger’s services. Unger is familiar with the general requirements and conditions and has the key certifications and construction permits, as well as an international network of suppliers and stable partnerships.
Despite completing a high proportion of the work itself, attention is paid to regional value of each country, supporting the company’s good reputation as a fair partner and ensuring a strong alliance with the country in question – a factor which creates enormous benefits for the customers and makes regional implementation much easier. Along with competence and expertise, it is flexibility and orientation towards solutions which have earned Unger the reputation which allows the company to act so quickly and successfully abroad.
Unger Steel Group in CEE. Unger’s success began 20 years ago in Russia. OOO Unger Steel has had an office in Moscow since 1992, right in the centre of the city on Strastnoj Boulevard. From this branch, the Unger team supports customers in Russia and beyond its borders. With around 100 staff, the team works closely together with the headquarters in Austria, guaranteeing the best possible customer service. From finding a plot, to planning, implementation and construction, all the way to the handover of a ready-to-use project – Unger represents full service in construction projects of all kinds.
Along with numerous references in plant engineering, hall constructions, industrial buildings and office buildings, the Unger Group’s portfolio includes shopping centres, power plants and sports-, leisure- and multi-purpose constructions, exhibitions and event buildings, car dealerships, airports, multi-storey car parks, hotel- and housebuildings as well as architectural steel constructions.
Romania has been established as another central location for the Unger Group in Eastern Europe. Based in Bucharest, Unger Steel Buildings SRL was founded in 1998 as a 100 per cent subsidiary of the Austrian Unger Stahlbau Ges.m.b.H. With 35 staff in customer support and assembly, the company also offers direct access to all Unger Group services from here. Customers from Romania and the rest of Europe benefit from proximity to the Unger Group; examples include Baumit, Gebrueder Weiss, Draexlmaier Group and Metro. The highest building in Bucharest, the Bucharest Tower Center, is a famous reference project realized by the Unger Group.
From Austria and the United Arab Emirates to the world. The Unger Steel Group has two high-performance production plants – one in Austria and one in the Emirate Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. Both plants serve as logistical hubs for first-class deliveries in the shortest amount of time and thus make Unger an attractive and competitive partner in the international market. With a total annual capacity of 70,000 tonnes of the two plants, a wide variety of projects, anything from small projects to complete solutions for complex and technically demanding construction projects, can be executed quickly and efficiently.
Born in 1954, the author is the owner and managing director of the Unger Steel Group. Engineer Josef Unger took over his father’s business in 1986 with just five staff. Unger was named “Best Family Business” by Wirtschaftsblatt in 2010. Today, the Unger Steel Group, an Austrian corporation with over 20 branches in the executing construction industry, is one of Europe’s leading and most internationally successful industrial companies.
