Südzucker International Finance B. V. Südzucker AG ... - Xetra

Capital expendituresCapital expenditures for tangible and intangible noncurrentassets in the group amounted to D 207 million(D 178 million excluding Schöller) in 2002/03.Approximately two-thirds of the capital expendituresrelated to new products and to expansion andrationalisation measures. Capital expenditures forreplacements took up 31 % of the budget, and3 % were used for purely environmental measures.65 % of capital expenditures, totaling D 135 million(D 102 million), related to the sugar segmentand 35 %, or D 72 million (D 77 million excludingSchöller), to the special products segment.Sugar segmentIn the sugar segment, and in connection with theclosure of the Delitzsch and Zeil works, steps weretaken to stabilise processing capacity and improvewarehousing capacity at those Südzucker AG andSüdzucker GmbH works which took over the beetpreviously processed at the Delitzsch and Zeil factories.Warehouse capacity in Südzucker GmbH’s area ofoperations was increased by adding a new sugarwarehouse at Brottewitz for storing 3,500 tonnesof crystallized sugar and a 20,000 m 3 syrup tank atZeitz. Some of the plant at the Delitzsch works wastransferred to the Brottewitz, Zeitz and Plattlingfactories. At the Rain factory, a non-stop plant toimprove white sugar crystallization started operationsand sugar warehousing capacity was improved byextending the high-bay warehouse. Unloadingequipment for self-tipping beet vehicles was installedin the beet yards at Ochsenfurt, Wabern andRegensburg. The boiler house automation systemswere renewed at the Ochsenfurt, Groß-Gerau andWabern works and construction of a newconditioning and silo de-dusting plant wascompleted at the Offstein works.The largest single capital expenditure at RaffinerieTirlemontoise was the start of operations for a newsix-step steam station at the Wanze works. Plannedenergy savings and syrup quality improvements wereachieved. At the Tienen works the viewing stationwas expanded to meet customer demands relating tocrystal fractionation. Capital expenditures atBrugelette were aimed at improving extraction workand the processing control system was renewed atGenappe.Capital expenditures at Saint Louis Sucre weremainly made to meet new French safety regulations.Capital expenditures at AGRANA were primarilyinvested at its Tulln works in Austria. A betaneprocessing plant improved the molasses sugarextraction process. Beet yard performance wasincreased by a stone-separating drum, whereas theinstallation of a combi-packing machine for 500 gand 1 kg packages improved flexibility. Capitalexpenditures at the Hohenau and Leopoldsdorfworks were incurred in the sugar house, with newwhite sugar centrifuges, heating chambers forboiling plant and cool air ventilators for the sugardrying equipment.Capital expenditures in Poland and Moldova servedprimarily to reduce energy consumption and increaseproductivity.Special products segmentIn line with the broad range of business activitiesincluded in this segment, capital expenditures weredivided amongst many of these companies. Capitalexpenditures mainly served to expand Palatinit andORAFTI capacity in order to meet the needs of arapidly growing market. This also applies to capitalexpenditures in the starch division.F-72