UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 15, 2018. ChelPipe Group’s Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant (PNTZ) has been featured in the environmental Ryabinin Rating for the second time in a row this year, the Group’s press service reports. The company also received a thank-you letter from Vladimir Plyusnin, Deputy Chair of the All-Russian Environmental Protection Society’s Sverdlovsk Region division, for its environmental control efforts. The rating is built upon some ten criteria, including capital investments in conservation, efforts to reduce a company’s emissions and waste production, and a focus on corporate

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 15, 2018. EVRAZ Holding’s West Siberian Integrated Metallurgical Works made their pilot batch of DT400 IK heavy-duty rails, EVRAZ Holding Siberia’s Corporate Relations Department reports. This is the first time such rails with enhanced strength and performance parameters have been manufactured in Russia. The rails were presented at EVRAZ ZSMK during a recent visit of Russian Railways’ delegates headed by the company’s Senior Vice President and Chief Engineer Sergey Kobzev. ‘DT400 IK rails are particularly wear-resistant and have an 8% longer lifespan than their

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 15, 2018. The telecommunications provider MegaFon has launched 4G bases in Sysert, Berezovsky, Kachkanar, Verkhnyaya Pyshma, Karpinsk, Kamensk-Uralsky, Verkhniy Tagil, Ivdel, Volchansk, Krasnouralsk, Verkhnyaya Salda, Nizhnyaya Salda, and Novaya Lyalya since the start of the year, the carrier’s press service reports. ‘Even if a video download is only delayed by four to six seconds, the suspense a user experiences is comparable to that caused by watching a horror movie and proves even more stressful than a traffic jam. Such were the findings of a recent research

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 15, 2018. MMK Group directed around RUR 2.24bn to charity and social programs last year, which exceeded the figures for a year earlier by 4%, the company press service reports. RUR 1.4bn came from Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) itself; the company is now among Russia’s corporate social responsibility leaders in the mining and metallurgical sector, with SCR spending at RUR 42,700 per worker on average last year. MMK and MMK Group’s member organizations allocate funds for a wide range of charity and social programs that cover nearly all aspects of

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 15, 2018. Ural Airlines came up with a performance report for the first two months of 2018. 1,039,739 people flew with the air carriers in January and February 2018 (up 20% on a year earlier), the airline’s press service reports. The company operated 7,691 flights between January 1 and February 28, 2018, including 4,310 domestic flights, 1,762 flights to and from the CIS member states, and 1,619 international flights. This was 16% more than in the first two months of 2017. 473,134 people flew with Ural Airlines in February alone (up 20% on last February). The

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 14, 2018. ChelPipeGroup is holding White Coated Metallurgy: The Power of Transformation Exhibition at Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO. The exhibition reflects the company’s unique approach to production and its philosophy of transformation through White Coated Metallurgy; there are several sections to look at — painting, graphic works, photography, interior design, architecture, and multimedia. The exhibition takes off on March 12 and will be open to visitors through May 7, 2018. ‘Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO is one of the leading international

UrBC, Chelyabinsk, March 14, 2018. MMK Group’s Trade Union’s Legal Advice Service came up with a performance report for 2017, the company press service reports. The company’s lawyers are continually involved in expert examination of local normative acts’ draft proposals. They checked 567 drafts proposed by MMK Group for compliance with the Labor Code in the course of twelve months. The company’s labor dispute committee looked into eight employee complaints: in six cases, the employer’s orders were ruled ungrounded and got dismissed. The company workers asked for legal advice much more often

UrBC, Chelyabinsk, March 14, 2018. ChelPipe Group carried its financial report for the year 2017; the report has been drawn up along the International Accounting Standards, the company press service reports. The Group’s revenues rose by 17% in 2017 compared with one year earlier and amounted to RUR 158.257bn. Its gross profits declined by 6%, however, and reached RUR 37.572bn, while the company’s EBITDA also declined by 16%, down to RUR 23.639bn. ‘Our EBITDA was affected by dropping home sales and increased production costs. Our EBITDA margin declined by 5.8% and thus came to 14.9%. At the

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 14, 2018. New Long-Face 50-06 got launched at EVRAZ Holding’s Raspadskaya Coal Company’s Uskovskaya Mine; its estimated GZh coke-coal deposits come to 1.7m tons, the holding’s PR Department reports. Long-Face 50-06 has all the necessary high-performance equipment to ensure efficient coal extraction. The combined machine and other appliances have already been delivered onto the mine face. ‘We make a special effort to ensure miners’ safety. All the gas-drainage procedures were carried out prior to the launch of the long-face. During the mining jobs as well, all

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 14, 2018. Analytical Credit Rating Agency (ACRA) brought Sverdlovsk Region’s credit rating from BBB+ (RU) up to A- (RU), with Stable rating outlook; the constituency’s bond issue ratings were also promoted from BBB+(RU) to А-(RU), Sverdlovsk Region’s Information Policy Department reports. According to Sverdlovsk Region Economics & Territorial Development Ministry, the constituency’s credit rating and its bond issue ratings went a level up. This improvement was brought about by a number of key factors at play: better budget discipline, the budget growing more

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 13, 2018. The Ural Bank for Reconstruction & Development (UBRD) keeps expanding the range of bank guarantees available to businesses competing for contacts in government tenders. Companies can now apply for Contract Guarantee, the bank’s press service reports. ‘This is a universal banking product suited for both government auctions and covering one’s government and commercial tender liabilities. The upper limit is set at RUR 30m. You can apply for the guarantee on the bank’s website or at any of our business customer branches,’ the bank’s press service says.

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 13, 2018. Ural Airlines are launching a new flight from Krasnodar to Tbilisi and bank this summer. Starting May 24, 2018, passengers can fly to Georgia for as little as €64 (one way), the air carrier’s press service reports. Flights will be operated on Thursdays and (additionally) on Sundays. Departure from Krasnodar: 6:55 AM; departure from Tbilisi: 10:05 AM; the flight is one hour and 25 minutes long. ‘Georgia has a lot to offer its visitors. You can walk along Shota Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi’s bright sunshine, take a look at Narikala Fortress, the heart of

UrBC, Chelyabinsk, March 13, 2018. South Urals Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Israel-Russia Chamber of Commerce, and Haifa and Northern Israel’s Chamber of Commerce & Industry signed a cooperation agreement, South Urals CCI’s press service reports. The paper was signed during Chelyabinsk Region Government’s delegation’s recent visit to Israel. The delegation was chaired by Chelyabinsk Region Minister for Economic Development Sergey Smolnikov. On their visit to Haifa and Tel Aviv, the parties reached a preliminary agreement on how they will cooperate in a number of fields. Chelyabinsk

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 13, 2018. ChTPZ Group’s member enterprises supplied 1.988m tons of pipes to their customers last year, which exceeded the figures for a year earlier by 16%, or 275,000 tons, the company press service reports. The Group’s share of the Russian pipe manufacturers’ sales market reached 17.5% in 2017 (up 1% on a year earlier). The increase was brought about by expanding sales of weld-less pipes to O&G companies and to customers in the building and machine-building sectors. ‘The Group sold 19% more weld-less pipes last year than in the year 2016 (around 1.2m tons

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 13, 2018. Bankovskoye Obozreniye magazine came up with its annual rating of successful women bankers in executive positions on International Women’s Day. ‘SKB-Bank Deputy Chair of the Board Margarita Burbik is now among Top 100 Successful Women Bankers in 2018,’ the bank’s press service reports. This year’s rating was based on the amount of assets held by the country’s one hundred largest banks (as of February 15, 2018), the nominee’s position (member of the BOD or the Supervisory Board or higher), and the nominee’s share in the bank’s stock capital. According to

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 12, 2018. The Ural Bank for Reconstruction & Development’s female cardholders spent nearly RUR 14bn paying with their cards for goods and services last year; this is nearly 40% more than what the bank’s male customers spent, the UBRD’s press service reports. Women spenders mostly use their bank cards to pay for food, clothing and footwear, and drugstore items. Compared with one year earlier, they used their cards 27% more often, spending 22% more money than in 2016. This much is clear from the number and amount of transactions registered. ‘In terms of spending

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 12, 2018. Ural Airlines will be operating direct flights from Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport, Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don, and Samara to Bologna beginning in April, the air carrier’s press service reports. The flights will be operated every Saturdays; tickets are already available for purchase. This new destination, Bologna, is yet another holiday-making opportunity for those interested in both enjoying the seaside and doing sights. Arriving in Emilia-Romagna’s historic capital gives travelers improved sightseeing options that cover northern Italy

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 12, 2018. Chair of ChTPZ Group’s Board of Directors Andrei Komarov took part in a meeting dedicated to vocational education system’s development. The meeting was coordinated in Yekaterinburg and chaired by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, the Group’s press service reports. The meeting was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation Andrei Fursenko, constituency governors, and representatives of business community and the education sector. Andrei Komarov made a report on ChTPZ Group’s

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 12, 2018. Sverdlovsk Region’s private medical insurance market declined 1.5% in 2017, Renessans Strakhovanie Group’s press service refers to the Bank of Russia’s data as indicating. In the country on average, the market actually expanded in the course of last year, the press service says. All in all, Sverdlovsk Region’s insurance market rose by 4.9% by the end of 2017 and reached RUR 24.2bn. In the country on the whole, the market grew 8.2%.

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 12, 2018. Sverdlovsk Region’s inflation rate reached 1.9% in February 2018 compared with last February, Sverdlovskstat reports. Food items grew 1.4% more expensive in the course of one year, non-food items grew 2.2% more expensive, alcohol and services grew 4.3% and 1.6% more expensive, respectively. Compared with January 2017, inflation rate reached 0.4%.