UrBC, Yekaterinburg, October 30, 2017. RUR 130.8bn got invested in Sverdlovsk Oblast’s fixed assets in the first half of 2017, which was 12.2% less than one year earlier, Sverdlovsk Oblast Economics Ministry refers to Sverdlovskstat as stating. 68% of investments (RUR 89bn) got directed to large and medium enterprises based within the constituency. This was 2% less than in January-June 2016. Most of these investments (49.6%) came from the industrial sector.

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, October 30, 2017. Rector of I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation and member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Petr Glybochko met with a number of Ural experts to talk over the issues of medical training in Russia; he also got acquainted with the details of a project to put up a medical cluster in Yekaterinburg’s Akademicheskiy District. The meeting was held on the campus of Ural State Medical University and was attended by Sverdlovsk Oblast Healthcare Minister Igor Trofimov, his first deputy Dilyara

UrBC, Chelyabinsk, October 27, 2017. Russian Copper Company’s Kyshtym Copper Electrolysis Plant (KMEZ) is now busy retooling its gold refining department, the company press service reports. ‘Because of the security requirements set out for precious metal treatment and production, we cannot have any windows that can get opened for airing purposes. This is why the plant’s management decided to ensure good working conditions through a forced air ventilation system. The system will get introduced at the refined gold, refined silver, and gold and silver bullion production department,’ the press

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, October 27, 2017. A steel-smelting arc furnace recently got upgraded at EVRAZ Holding’s West Siberian Integrated Metallurgical Works (ZSMK), EVRAZ Holding Siberia’s press office reports. The upgrades are expected to improve the arc furnace’s productivity and to cut down on production costs. The plant directed some RUR 300m to the project. ‘The furnace now has an up-to-date smelting acceleration system that will both increase our output and reduce electric power and electrode spending. We also had some new coke delivery and lime powder delivery units installed. Thanks to

UrBC, Magnitogorsk, October 27, 2017. The 44th WorldSkills Competition 2017 recently closed in Abu Dhabi, with Russia’s national team winning the first prize. Representatives of Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) — students of Magnitogorsk Polytechnic Alexander Arapov and Maxim Aksenov — competed in Mechatronics and won the Skills Medal, MMK Information, PR & Advertising Department reports. ‘The Skills Medals are given out to contestants who fully completed their task, scored at least 500 points, and proved their exceptional professional competence. In fact, this year’s MMK

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, October 27, 2017. Rosatom-Energomash’s SverdNIIkhimmash landed a contract for development, production, and delivery of solid radioactive waste recycling equipment to Belorusskaya Nuclear Power Station’s Power-Generating Unit 1, the company press service reports. The equipment is meant for crushing and sorting of solid, low- and medium-level radioactive waste and for pressing it into metal barrels. The company is to supply its customer with a press (capacity: 950 kN), a sorting platform, a dust-trapping unit, a control system, and equipment for radwaste container data

UrBC, Moscow, October 27, 2017. Russians spent RUR 1 trillion on their online shopping in the first half of the year, which exceeded the figures for the first half of 2016 by 8%, Izvestia refers to Expert RA’s research findings as indicating. Analysts point out that the overall amount of private online transactions might reach the record of more than RUR 2.2 trillion by the end of the year. This is explained through recovering consumer demand once the Russian economy has survived through the acutest phase of the crisis; also, Russians have got used to shopping and paying their housing bills,

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, October 26, 2017. A luna park-style sales night will be held in Yekaterinburg’s Greenwich Mall on October 27; there will be a prize-winning lottery (prize fund: RUR 250,000), Obschestvo Malysheva 73’s press service reports. Visitors to the event can enjoy the excellent deals, large money prizes given out to shoppers, and an eccentric entertainment program. A three-meter-tall pink elephant (a real one) will be welcoming all the guests at the entrance. ‘There will be a big piano in the hall for professional and amateur performers alike. Also, everyone will be able to join a

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, October 26, 2017. All-in-one Information Center opened at ChTPZ Group’s Chelyabinsk Tube Rolling Plant recently; the center will handle all in the incoming messages, the Group’s press service reports. The goal is to improve the Group’s customer service and come up with an efficient way to communicate with all kinds of customer segments. ‘Thanks to the center, our customers, suppliers, and employees can all get prompt and useful advice. Highly skilled experts will provide them with the information they need, transfer calls to respective departments if necessary, or put the

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, October 26, 2017. Miners from EVRAZ Holding’s Uskovskaya Mine have extracted 2,000,000,000 kg of coal since the start of the year so far, EVRAZ Holding Siberia’s press service reports. This valuable GZh coal came from two long faces, the old 50-10 and the new one 50-08 that got launched in May. The latter has already reached its projected capacity (up to 300,000,000 kg of coal a month). ‘Oleg Moskalenko’s team proved extremely productive: every miner does some 3,700,000 kg a month on average. This is possible due to a range of security measures and efficient use of

UrBC, Magnitogorsk, October 26, 2017. Metallurg Charity Fund (for which Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works acts as the primary donor) won Silver Standard in the 8th national Tochka Otscheta, a contest of nongovernmental organizations’ annual reports, MMK Information, PR & Advertising Department reports. 244 applicants submitted their reports for the contest altogether. Every report got categorized as Basic, Bronze, Silver, or Gold. ‘Ours is a very transparent NGO. All the data are open to the general public. What matters to us is this acknowledgement of our efforts, of what all the

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, October 26, 2017. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) won in the national Competitive Purchasing Leader Contest, MMK Information, PR & Advertising Department reports. ‘MMK won in Purchasing Transactions Efficiency category, which means the plant offers its suppliers a transparent and accessible selection procedure and has a technologically advanced and well-regulated purchasing policy,’ the Department says. 127 large Russian companies competed for prizes in six different categories all in all. MMK shared the first prize in Purchasing Transactions Efficiency with

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, October 25, 2017. The Ural Bank for Reconstruction & Development (UBRD) is introducing new, increased cashback options for its Visa Maximum cardholders; the cashback is available for a number of new seasonal items, the bank’s press service reports. Under the terms of the cardholders’ debit card agreement, 1% off the money you spend shopping goes back to your account; the amount goes up to 10% if you buy the seasonal items. Between November 1, 2017 and January 31, 2018, you can get 10% in cashback options when you use your card to pay at cafes and restaurants, for

UrBC, Magnitogorsk, October 25, 2017. Magnitogorsk City Council's Education Department carried a report on the recent A Thousand Trees for Children Project coordinated by Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK), the company's Information, PR & Advertising Department reports. 'We mostly selected schools and kindergartens where a lot of old, dead trees got cut down last year. These were quite a few establishments: new trees got planted next to 43 kindergartens and 34 schools, some 500 ash trees and over 500 young maple trees got planted there,' the Department says. MMK

UrBC, Magnitogorsk, October 25, 2017. New residents keep coming to Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) Industrial Park, MMK Information, PR & Advertising Department reports. 'MMK Industrial Park was set up upon the company management's initiative last September. Once the plant's calibrated goods production got transferred to MMK METIZ production site, MMK got some available industrial space to let. These sites can now get used by small and medium enterprises that can also make good use of all the infrastructure already in place,' says MMK METIZ Senior Manager for

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, October 25, 2017. Sverdlovsk Region came 14th in the new energy efficiency rating among federal constituencies with balanced budgets; the rating for the year 2016 was created by Russia's Energy Ministry, Energosovet reports. The rating breaks all the federal constituencies into three different categories based on their budget balance. The constituencies based in the Mid-Urals currently have some of the best-balanced budgets in the country. Sverdlovsk Region came last in this category (30.9 points), whereas Saint Petersburg (65.3 points), Khanty-Mansiysky Autonomous

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, October 25, 2017. More than 36,000 kg of sanctioned foods got confiscated in Sverdlovsk Region in the nine months of 2017,. Head of Sverdlovsk Region's division of Rospotrebnadzor Svetlana Terekhova announced at a recent press conference in Yekaterinburg. 'Most of these are apples (some 27,000 kg), as well as pears, tomatoes, strawberries, various kinds of lettuce, mushrooms, peppers, and celery. We also detected 172 kg of meat of unknown origin. The sanctioned foods that people try to import to Sverdlovsk Region most often come from Poland, Spain, Turkey, and

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, October 24, 2017. EVRAZ Holding’s Kachkanar Ore Mining & Processing Enterprise (KGOK) launched a special loco unit repair site at its Repair Depot 2, EVRAZ Holding Ural reports. EVRAZ’s new business system now makes it possible to cut back on the time and money needed for vehicle repair. ‘The depot now has several assembly sites, each designed for a certain type of locomotive units. Repairs are all done on a case-by-case basis and take place in several sections of the depot at a time. This ensures more efficient staff performance, better working conditions, and faster

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, October 24, 2017. SKB-Bank’s Board of Directors ruled that the bank’s Deposit Transaction & Commission-Based Services Director Anna Samuilova is going to be on the bank’s Board starting October 18, 2017, the bank’s press service reports. Ms Samuilova came to work at the bank’s Audit Department as a settlement operations expert in 1998. Three years later, she was appointed Head of the Internal Control Administration’s Audit Department. In 2002, she was transferred to the position of Due Diligence Director and then appointed Mortgage Lending Director in 2003. Samuilova

UrBC, Magnitogorsk, October 24, 2017. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) won the local round of the national Russian Socially Responsible Company Contest, MMK Information, PR & Advertising Department reports. The contest results were announced at the Chelyabinsk Region Trilateral Social & Labor Relations Committee meeting. MMK won in the Promotion of A Healthier Lifestyle in Production category. A set of documents has been forwarded to Russia’s Transport Ministry that is needed to make sure MMK can apply for the national round of the contest, in the same category. ‘MMK Group