Ruselectronics, Russia’s umbrella company for national radio electronics assets, has announced plans to buy into OAO Integral, a sizable microelectronics maker in Minsk, Belarus.
After due diligence is completed, the Russian holding could acquire a minimum 51% stake in Integral, then invest further in joint microelectronics production.
A major manufacturer of ICs, semiconductor devices and medical engineering in the former Soviet Union, Integral is also a major exporter, selling “almost 80% of its products to Russia,” according to Ruselectronics CEO Andrei Zverev. By purchasing a controlling stake, Ruselectronics seeks to plug the 50-year-old Belarusian company into its wide network of assets for investment projects from Russian government orders.
“Ruselectronics is pushing this project within the broader context of Russo-Belarusian industrial integration endorsed by both governments,” Zverev explained.
Ruselectronics was founded in 2009 and is part of government-owned Rostec Corporation. As a management firm, Ruselectronics currently consolidates 123 companies in the sector. Conceived initially as a curator for Russia’s defense electronics, the company unveiled a major modernization program last December for its high-tech civilian segment.