November 25, 2014. ChTZ Uraltrac (a member enterprise of Uralvagonzavod Corporation) won two auctions for the delivery of vehicles to the Far East. The auctions were coordinated by Magadan Region Ministry for Public Housing Services & Utilities, the corporation’s press service says. ‘Under the terms of the first contract, ChTZ Uraltrac is to deliver its customer four PK 30 front loaders that will be used by the communal housing services departments in Magadan Region. The loaders must get assembled in November so that the customer could both receive the vehicles in time and distribute them

November 24, 2014. The Republic of South Africa is planning to expand its share of Yekaterinburg food market, Governor of Sverdlovsk Region’s Information Policy Department reports. The plans were announced by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of South Africa to Russia Mr Mandisi Mpahlwa during his stay in Yekaterinburg. ‘Our trade mission will help expand the range of goods our two countries trade in. For the last two years, we have been trying to take our bilateral relationship beyond such traditional locations as Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Sverdlovsk Region

November 24, 2014. Sverdlovsk Region Investment & Development Minister Alexei Orlov said investment climate of smaller local towns was evaluated in August and September 2014 in accordance with the Agency for Strategic Initiatives’ National Rating principles. This was done at Governor of Sverdlovsk Region’s request, the Governor’s Information Policy Department reports. The evaluation process involved Pervouralsk, Kamensk Uralsky, Novouralsk, Berezovsky, and Beloyarsky. Based on these estimates, Kamensk Uralsky and Berezovsky have the best investment climate, while Beloyarsky’s investment

November 24, 2014. Uralmashzavod’s revenues amounted to 3,407,701,000 RUR in January-September 2014 against 5,175,847,000 RUR in January-September 2013, the company’s official statement goes. The enterprise incurred 945.648m RUR worth of losses in these nine months, compared with 453.577m RUR a year earlier. No profit was made in January-August 2014, even though the negative payoff did go down to 1,771,116,000 RUR. The company keeps laying off staff: the plant employed 3,521 people by the end of the first half of the year, yet by September, 172 more employees had to go.

November 24, 2014. Uraltransmash (a member enterprise of Uralvagonzavod Corporation) organized some festive events in celebration of Rocket Troops & Artillery Day. According to the corporation’s press service, the company’s Director-General Alexei Nosov announced during his address that he had informed Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu of the plant’s having already fulfilled the three-year contract for the production and delivery of 152-mm self-propelled 2S19M2 howitzers on October 10. ‘This is the accomplishment that was made possible thanks to the entire team: managers, workers, and

November 24, 2014. Sverdlovsk Region’s tax revenues rose by nearly 1% (2.4bn RUR) in ten months of 2014, head of the Federal Tax Service Sverdlovsk Region division Sergey Loginov said in his interview to Oblastnaya Gazeta. ‘Production did experience a downfall in quite a few sectors of industry, including, for example, the chemical industry, the machine-building one, the construction one, and the trading industry. However, tax revenues did not decline. The increase actually came to 2.4bn RUR in the ten months of 2014 compared with January-October 2013. It was only the corporation tax where

November 21, 2014. Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant (PNTZ, a member enterprise of ChTPZ Group), produced pipes with increased wall thickness by a customer’s customized order, the company’s press service says. The pipes are used by the customer, Omsktransmash (an Omsk-based member enterprise of Uralvagonzavod Corporation) for making chain tracks for vehicles. The order is unique in that the pipes must meet very strict parameter requirements set by Omsktransmash designers and in that additional testing of the produce will take place. ‘The first 3,000-kg batch of pipes was made at PNTZ pipe-drawing

November 21, 2014. The city’s budget revenues came to 22.414bn RUR in January-September 2014 (78.4% of the year’s target figure), Head of Yekaterinburg Council Finance Department Andrei Koryukov announced at Yekaterinburg Duma’s budget and economic policy committee meeting. He explained the city budget’s expenses amounted to 20.754bn RUR (68.4% of the year’s target figure). ‘For one, education expenses came to 10bn RUR, or 50% of the total amount, and 2.2bn RUR, or 10.6%, were directed to social policy. All in all, some 70% of budget expenses had to do with socially-oriented spending,’

November 21, 2104. 30% of anti-smoking law violations in Sverdlovsk Region occur on the premises of restaurants and cafes, Head of Sverdlovsk Region division of Rospotrebnadzor (the state consumer rights watchdog) Natalya Kochneva announced at a press conference in Yekaterinburg. ‘Quite a few cafeterias, cafes, and restaurants are actually located within the 100-meter limitation area. Besides, they tend to be selling cigarettes apiece, which is also against the law,’ Kochneva said. Rospotrebnadzor representative also explained that not a single business which had inquired about the

November 21, 2104. Two businesspeople born in Sverdlovsk Region were featured in Forbes rating of Russia’s 25 best paid top managers, the magazine’s website states. The Director-General of Uralkaliy Vladislav Baumgartner was given the 11th position in the rating (as of December 24, 2013) and the Managing Director of Polyus Gold International German Pikhoya was given the 13th position (as of November 23, 2013). They were both born in Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg). VTB Chairman of the Board Andrei Kostin tops the rating; the second place went to Gazprom’s Alexei Miller, the third one to Bank

November 21, 2104. Customers of microfinance organizations have placed 860 complaints with the Central Bank since the beginning of the year, of which 500 had to do with assumed violation of consumer rights in the process of debt collection, Head of the Bank of Russia’s Protection of Customers in the Financial Sector & Minority Shareholders’ Rights Department Ilya Kochetkov announced at the 13th National Microfinance Conference in Saint Petersburg. He said the number of complaints relating to companies that collect money from private individuals claiming to be micro-lenders (which they

November 20, 2104. Uralkhimmash will have to pay a 40,000-ruble fine for violating its license terms, Sverdlovsk Region division of Rospotrebnadzor (the state consumer rights watchdog) says. An inspection revealed grave cases of non-compliance with the license terms at Uralkhimmash. For one, input-exhaust ventilation was missing at the fault detection labs, as were emergency high voltage turn-off/blocking switches, the door-locking system (responsible for turning off voltage at the opening of shielded box doors) was not working, and sound and light alert would only went on if the X-Ray unit

November 20, 2104. The team of Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant (PNTZ, a member enterprise of ChTPZ Group) was given the gold medal at the international exhibition Metal Expo 2014 for its project on Technology, Chemical Composition of Steel and Production of Corrosion-Resistant Oil Well Tubing and Casing for the Development of Wells at O&G Companies’ Deposits with Oil, Natural Gas, or Gas Condensate with Corrosive Contents, ChTPZ Group’s press service reports. The competition was held by the exhibition coordinating committee in order to promote and popularize Russian production and scientific

November 20, 2014. The Russian Institute of Directors rated Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation at 5+ for Corporate Governance on the National Corporate Governance Rating®. The corporation announced the introduction of a new CG system in 2010, and a CG Center was set up by the Director-General within the company, Uralvagonzavod’s press service reports. In 2011, the company elaborated a multi-purpose CG improvement program. CG enhancement is now an integral part of the corporation’s privatization roadmap. The company’s CG practices were evaluated along four criteria that

November 20, 2014. Yekaterinburg housing prices stopped growing in September and October 2014, with the average price of a square meter of an existing home coming to 75,584 RUR, Ural Chamber of Real Estate reports. In early October, the existing home market supply reached its six-year high: 10,100 apartments and more than 1,750 rooms in communal apartments. The new home market supply remains high as well, with 3.3m sq m worth of housing (85% of these dwellings are located in Yekaterinburg, 9% are apartments in apartment buildings in the suburbs, and 6% pertain to lofts and premium class

November 20, 2014. The Ural Bank for Reconstruction & Development (UBRD) is now offering its customers direct online acquiring services, the bank’s press service says. The UBRD is a member of the international Visa system, which means no intermediary bank is required for a transaction. This membership improves the quality of service by ensuring faster, safer payments of goods and services. ‘We see the trend with businesses switching from an offline to an online mode, and the number of such businesses keeps growing. Doing things online through an Internet-based acquiring system is one way

November 19, 2104. TR12, a pipe-laying crane made by Chelyabinsk Tube Rolling Plant (ChTZ Uraltrac), was recently bought by ALROSA for one of its production divisions, Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s press service reports. The machine was ordered by the company’s repairs and construction division in Mirny, Yakutia; the place has a reputation for being Russia’s diamond capital. ‘The ChTZ Uraltrac machine is fitted with a side beam and a bulldozer blade, which means its uses will be very many throughout the year, whatever the weather. The pipe-layer can lift weights, lay pipes, and be used for

November 19, 2014. Only 800 new taxpayers have registered in Sverdlovsk Region since the start of the year, while over a thousand legal entities chose to quit the area and get a new registered office, Deputy Head of Russia’s Federal Tax Service Sverdlovsk Region division Marina Ryabova announced at a press conference. According to Ms Ryabova, taxpayers’ migration typically has to do with a business’s wish to avoid an on-site inspection or payment of taxes or fines. ‘However, a change of address doesn’t mean a company is not subject to inspections. All the fiscal authorities make a schedule of

November 19, 2014. The U.S. Consulate in Yekaterinburg announced the visa-issuance process might be taking somewhat longer, as might data transfer all over the world due to technical problems, the Consulate’s official website states. ‘U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide are currently experiencing technical difficulties that may result in delays in visa processing and receiving and sending communications,’ the Consulate says. It is also explained that visa sections keep on their business as usual, yet payments with credit cards are unavailable for the time being. ‘Additionally, applicants

November 19, 2014. Only 800 new taxpayers have registered in Sverdlovsk Region since the start of the year, while over a thousand legal entities chose to quit the area and get a new registered office, Deputy Head of Russia’s Federal Tax Service Sverdlovsk Region division Marina Ryabova announced at a press conference. According to Ms Ryabova, taxpayers’ migration typically has to do with a business’s wish to avoid an on-site inspection or payment of taxes or fines. ‘However, a change of address doesn’t mean a company is not subject to inspections. All the fiscal authorities make a schedule of