UrBC, Yekaterinburg, August 31, 2017. EVRAZ NTMK keeps working on its new ball-rolling mill, EVRAZ Holding Ural’s Corporate Relations Center reports. The mill will be eventually launched at the rail and beam department; the workers are currently busy assembling the basic mill equipment. ‘We need to get the pre-heating furnace, the rolling mill stand, the ball thermal treatment section, and the unloading section assembled. The production line is going to be 300 meters long. Once launched, it will create quite a few new jobs,’ the Center says. The use of a new two-stage hardening technology and

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, August 31, 2017. The Ural Bank for Reconstruction & Development (UBRD) launched a pilot project this August to find new workers with the help of an automated system, the bank’s press service reports. A voice bot, a recruiter named Vera, processes all the applications candidates submit on job-hunting sites, and contacts the ones whose qualifications match those of a particular job opening the bank has. UBRD Corporate Development & Personnel Management Director Yuri Voronin says relying on a robot will result in more efficient handling of recruitment-related tasks.

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, August 31, 2017. Rosset’s Federal Grid Company United Energy System carried its usual scheduled heat monitoring of electric units at its power substations in Western Siberia and eliminated problems that were detected during the checks, the company press service reports. This is meant to prevent emergencies and to ensure a more reliable power supply to the area’s 3.5m-plus end users. ‘We use a thermal imager to do our heat monitoring routines: the imager traces even the smallest temperature fluctuations, which allows to detect problems at a very early stage and fix them

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, August 31, 2017. The telecommunications provider MegaFon celebrated its 15th anniversary by launching 4G Internet connection in the village of Kharp in Yamal Peninsula, the company press service reports. ‘The fourth-generation network is now available in the remotest part of the peninsula. We introduced 4G connection in Kharp, where the Ural Mountains begin, in the year MegaFon turned fifteen. Locals can now enjoy really speedy data transfer,’ says MegaFon Ural’s Director Valeriy Velichko. MegaFon expanded its 4G network by 33% since the start of the year (covering 150

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, August 31, 2017. Ural Airlines will be operating direct and scheduled flights from Saint Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport to Namangan, Uzbekistan, the air carrier’s press service reports. The flights will be operated on comfortable Airbus A320 planes every Wednesday; the return flight to Saint Petersburg will be operated on Thursdays. ‘One of Uzbekistan’s largest cities, Namangan in located in Fergana Valley. The city is famous for its history (dating back hundreds of years): this is where you can see the ruins of the ancient settlement of Ahsikent, for example. Namangan is

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, August 30, 2017. Ural Airlines re-launch their direct Moscow-Munich-Moscow flight starting December 30. The flight will be available every Tuesday and Saturday, the air carrier’s press service reports. Flights will be operated from Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport through the end of winter 2017/2018. Prices start from 7,200 RUR for Promo tickets (one way) and from 9,000 RUR for Economy tickets (one way, one piece of luggage and a set of sports equipment included). The price covers all fees and charges. ‘Munich is one of Germany’s most beautiful cities with plenty of museums,

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, August 30, 2017. A modern diffuse unit was recently launched at EVRAZ Holding’s Sheregeshskiy Mine as part of the company’s rock refuse recycling program. According to the company press service, the unit cost over 5m RUR to install. The launch of the diffuse unit has meant the mine reduced its stored waste and refuse by more than 200,000,000 kg a year and cut down impressively on transportation expenses. Savings are estimated at some 8m RUR a year. ‘The rock refuse goes through our diffuse unit and results in a new product, macadam (diameter: 0-5 mm and 5-20 mm).

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, August 30, 2017. SKB-Bank is currently integrationg VisionLabs’ LUNA, a biometric face recognition platform, into its IT infrastructure, the bank’s press service reports. The two companies signed an open-end licensing agreement in August 2017. One reason the bank decided to launch the platform was switching to digital banking channels. The contract with VisionLabs is a logical component of SKB-Bank’s development strategy: the face recognition platform can offer the most up-to-date and advanced solutions to a number of important problems. Analyzing the bank’s customer base

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, August 30, 2017. Sverdlovsk Region residents’ accumulated income amounted to 160.1bn RUR in June 2017, which was 3.4% less than one year earlier, Sverdlovskstat reports. At the same time, their spending came to 160.7bn RUR, which was 3.3% less than in June 2016. The preliminary figures for the first half of 2017 reached 870.6bn RUR for income (up 0.1% on one year previously) and 876.6bn RUR for expenses (down 0.6% on a year earlier). Locals spent 714.4bn RUR to pay for goods and services in January-June 2017, which was 1.2% more than one year earlier.

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, August 30, 2017. Sinara Group’s Sinara Development started assembling the framework of Yekaterinburg EXPO Congress Center, the Group’s PR Center reports. According to Sinara Development’s Director-General Timur Ufimtsev, the assembly can get done quickly and efficiently thanks to using a metal frame and reinforced concrete plates. This will also ensure the building’s excellent operational properties. ‘The framework is expected to be finished in early spring of 2018. The entire structure will weigh around 5,000,000 kg,’ Ufimtsev said. The workers are currently busy

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, August 29, 2017. Workers of ChTPZ Group’s Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant (PNTZ) met with Governor of Sverdlovsk Region Evgeny Kuivashev on the plant’s premises. More than two hundred employees and students on the Future of White Metallurgy Corporate Training Program attended the event, the Group’s press service reports. ‘Governor Kuivashev has been here many times and knows both our production process and our corporate philosophy (aka White Metallurgy) quite well. The company’s cooperation with Sverdlovsk Region’s authorities proved very fruitful in the last few years. We

UrBC, Chelyabinsk, August 29, 2017. MMK Group’s MMK METIZ proved one of United Wagon Company’s Tikhvin Freight Car Building Plant’s preferred metal goods suppliers in the course of a special assessment procedure in the second quarter of the year, the company press service reports. The assessment procedure is part of Russian Railways’ requirements, the plant’s own standards, and the international IRIS standard. The goal is to control supply quality and reliability and to avoid and eliminate any logistics problems. Tikhvin Freight Car Building Plant also sees this evaluation as a

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, August 29, 2017. The average asking price went up by 2.8% (up to 46,302 RUR per m2) on Sverdlovsk Region’s new home market between February and August 2017, Novosel Group’s research findings indicate. Prices rose for all types of new homes, including studio apartments (+2.9%), one-bedroom ones (+2.6%), and two-bedroom ones (+2.7%). As of August 2017, studios can be had for 46,302 RUR per m2, one-bedroom homes for 45,651 RUR per 2, and two-bedroom ones for 46,653 RUR on average. ‘The price increase mostly has to do with the fact that putting up an apartment building now

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, August 29, 2017. Power suppliers report Sverdlovsk Region’s buildings are poorly prepared for the upcoming heating season, EnergosbyT Plus’s local division reports. Local management company only managed to prepare 15% of Sverdlovsk Region’s housing fund for winter by the end of summer. 2,246 apartment buildings were issued technical compliance certificates by EnergosbyT Plus. ‘The buildings with the certificates carried out all the necessary technological procedures such as pneumatic rinsing and hydraulic pressure tests of the building’s internal heating system and

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, August 29, 2017. Acting Governor of Sverdlovsk Region Evgeny Kuivashev set up an ad hoc committee to look into local authorities’ proposals on how to handle inter-budgetary transfers from the constituency’s budget funds, Governor of Sverdlovsk Region’s Information Policy Department reports. Local town councils must submit their inter-budgetary transfer data to the committee by September 5, 2017; Sverdlovsk Region’s Finance Ministry will then coordinate a number budget drafting sessions (to be attended by town council and Sverdlovsk Region Government officials and local

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, August 28, 2017. Acting Governor of Sverdlovsk Region Evgeny Kuivashev presented state awards to nine of EVRAZ Nizhniy Tagil Integrated Metallurgical Works (NTMK) employees. The awarding ceremony took place at Yeltsin Center in Yekaterinburg, EVRAZ Holding’s press service reports. EVRAZ Oxygen Compressor Department’s technician Vyacheslav Andreyev, Beam-Rolling Department’s Senior Expert Vladimir Karnidov, Converter Shop’s refractory operator Andrei Kuzmin, Coke Processing Department’s electric technician Sergey Prischepov, and Wheel Tread Department’s Forewoman Nadezhda

UrBC, Magnitogorsk, August 28, 2017. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) directed 2.5m RUR to have I.V. Romazan Sports Palace renovated, MMK Information & PR Administration reports. The palace serves as the primary practice arena for Magnitogorsk’s basketball team Dinamo. The floor coating needs repairing, so the basketball club’s board of trustees, chaired by Sergey Laskov, applied to MMK management for help. ‘The company allocated 2.5m RUR this year to make sure MMK United Service Company can restore the site. There were holes in the parquet floor, and the entire structure was

UrBC, Chelyabinsk, August 28, 2017. Russian Copper Company is currently coordinating the selection rounds of its workout championship in Chelyabinsk, the company press service reports. The selection rounds will be held at a number of new workout sites in Chelyabinsk Region-based cities of Karabash, Korkino, Pervomayskiy, Kyshtym, and Chelyabinsk. All the sites were set up by Russian Copper Company this year. There will be eight selection rounds and the finals in Chelyabinsk on Town Day (September 10). There will be prize-winning contests and workshops for all those who attend the event. ‘The

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, August 28, 2017. Yekaterinburg’s Akademicheskiy District ran one of the country’s largest construction sites with summer jobs for students this year. The site closes on August 28, 2017, RSG Abademicheskoye’s press service reports. This summer, the All-Russian Student Construction Site coordinated a contest to distinguish the best-performing builders’ teams. The winning teams will get valuable prizes, memorial banners, and certificates. The team that wins the greatest number of titles will get the All-Russian Student Construction Site Banner 2017. This is the 8th time a

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, August 28, 2017. The number of flowers imported to Yekaterinburg nearly tripled in time for September 1, the start of the school year, Deputy Head of V.A. Sorokin Koltsovo Customs Viktor Shatalov says. ‘Flowers get imported on a regular basis, wth two to three flights a week. The imports usually tripled around public holidays. We check both the cargo and the accompanying documents and only let the goods in after the Federal Veterinary and Quarantine Surveillance Service’s approval,’ he explained. For one, two planes arrived to Koltsovo Airport from Amsterdam today, with