February 11, 2014. A phase-out of imports program for spare parts, equipment, and expendable materials was implemented successfully at Chelyabinsk Tube Rolling Plant (ChTPZ) Vysota 239 department last year. Thanks to the 'white metallurgists' new improvement suggestions that were put to practice, the enterprise saved some 50m RUR, ChTPZ press service reports.

For one, switching from the German supplier of spare parts for the working tools to a Russian one made it possible to halve both the expenses and delivery time. Then, the department's repair team learned how to make rollers for the pipe measuring units, which meant the company no longer had to purchase those from the external manufacturers and could thus reduce its expenses and increase the lifespan of the rollers. Next, replacing the Helling LY-1500 magnetic ink concentrate with the local VIMAG-5FV for magnetic particle testing of pipes for defects allowed the company considerably to reduce spending on materials and delivery time. The Russian concentrate also offers better quality in terms of pipe imaging: the images obtained through MPT with this concentrate are clearer and sharper.