Vladimir Nechepa was appointed Director of Russian Insurance Company RossGosStrakh in Sverdlovsk Region, reports the company’s spokesperson. Former Director Evgeniy Ostapenko (in office since 1999) left the company for another post. Mr Nechepa has up to this moment been the director of RossGosStrakh subsidiary in Vologda Region. His top priority now will have to be the significant improvement in the quality of the company’s services so as to sustain the fierce competition.

The Board of Zinc Works of Chelyabinsk JSC scheduled the general shareholder meeting for April 20, 2006. The points on the agenda include assessing the company’s financial success in 2005, the question of dividend payments, electing the Board members as well as the members of the inspection committee and the company’s auditors.

Niznetagilsky Metallurgichesky Kombinat JSC (NTMK, Metallurgical works of Nizhny Tagil), member of Evraz Group, has begun preparing its plants, workshops and hydroengineering units for the spring flood. According to NTMK PR-department, within March 2006 the company will clear all the railway ditches, melted snow water inlets and the branch lines leading to hydroengineering units. Operators of the company’s water intakes and the boiler shop staff involved in exploiting the company’s slime storage pond on the Tagil river flood-lands will be given special instructions. The company’s supply

The Works of Asha produced 491,418,000 worth of goods in February 2006, which is 94.3% against a year before, the company’s spokesperson said to UrBC representative. The company produced 35,992 tons of rolled metal (8.6% more than in February 2005), 4666 kilos of amorphous tape, and 103,402 magnetic conductors (73% of the produce of February 2005). The export of thick-sheet rolled metal comprised 11,083 tons (a decrease of 4.6% compared to February 2005).

Ufaleynickel JSC has repaired a direct current furnace in its hydro-metallurgical shop. The repairs implied an inspection of the furnace transducer and electric holder and replacement of a thyristor and of 2 safety fuses. In addition, a complete replacement of the furnace lining and its hearth-level electrode were accomplished. Finally, the company completed a thorough renewal of the furnace body and its roof rings and inspected the furnace cooler elements, stop valve and pipelines. The information was reported to UrBC representative by the company’s PR-department.

Sverdlovsk Public Networks JSC has been losing up to 100,000 RUR due to theft, reports the company’s spokesperson. This forced the company to make theft prevention their top development priority. As the energy specialists report, there have been many cases of stealing their electricity, for instance, in Kachkanar, the town that made the company lose most of all. The greatest charge has been imposed on the owners of a car service garage, that is, 79 245.16 RUR.

Magnesite Industrial Complex (part of Magnesite Group) produced 31,200 tons of refractory goods (an increase of 4.3% compared to a year earlier), 59,700 tons of commercial powders (an increase of 8% compared to February 2005) in February 2006. The sales record for refractory goods comprised 291,600,000 RUR (7.5% growth), the same indicator for powders made up 139,900,000 RUR (11.7% more than 12 months before). The Complex shipped .6% more (24,300 tons) of refractory goods and 24.9% more of powders (45,400 tons) in February 2006, the spokesperson for Magnesite Group said to UrBC representative.

The audit of arrears of wages for two or more months at the number of Chelyabinsk enterprises revealed that UralTerminalMash CJSC of Miass, AutoLeasing Ltd. of Chelyabinsk, Café in Café International Ltd. of Zlatoust and Sis Telecom Ltd. of Chelyabinsk did particularly badly (arrears of 2,201,000, 290,800, 335,000 and 180,500 RUR, respectively). According to the State Labour Inspection of Chelyabinsk Region, most of the payment violations fall under Clauses 136 and 140 of Russian Labour Code. Thus, Dominique Ltd. did not pay the full salary when firing a worker. The fired worker of Signal

Mayor of Chelyabinsk Mikhail Yurevitch met the management of Moscow Company Metro Cash and Carry. Their German partner Metro Croup is thinking of setting up a wholesale trade center in Chelyabinsk, so the company’s management appealed to the city Administration asking for an allotment of 5 hectares of land. The investments are predicted to come to 18 to 20 million euro. ‘The issue is currently under consideration; the meeting can be classed as successful and we gave our principal consent to this project. For the time being, we have to obtain some data specifying the particular patch in a