UrBC, Magnitogorsk, July 18, 2017. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) got the gas-filtering facilities at its electric steel-smelting department rebuilt and upgraded, MMK PR Department reports. The project cost 1.6bn RUR to implement, with the current filtering efficiency at nearly 100%. Two obsolete gas-filtering Units 32 and 33 had to be replaced with their up-to-date counterparts. The new equipment is meant to trap, cool, and filter smoke gases resulting from DSPA 32 steel-smelting machine’s performance and random exhausts that don’t get trapped in the gas duct. ‘DSPA 32 filtering

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 18, 2017. Sverdlovsk Region-based building businesses’ turnover amounted to 42.88bn RUR in January-June 2017, which was 20.9% less than one year perviously, Sverdlovskstat reports. The turnover of companies involved in production of ready metal goods declined by 10.2% in the first half of the year; that of companies in the beverage industry declined by 10.6%, that of companies in the printed goods sector declined by 7.3%, that of pharmaceutical companies declined by 5.8%, that of companies producing steam and hot water declined by 1.9%, and that of companies in the

UrBC, Chelyabinsk, July 17, 2017. Chelyabinsk Region’s Ministry for Economic Development and MMK Group’s MMK METIZ signed a contract to upgrade the latter’s metal goods production and to produce 39bn RUR worth of goods by 2025, MMK’s press service reports. The two parties’ special investment contract sets out the investor’s responsibility to master the production of metal goods within the given period and Chelyabinsk Region’s responsibility to provide both tax reliefs and subsidies. The investor, MMK METIZ, is to allocate at least 2.9bn RUR for the project, produce and sell 39bn RUR worth of

UrBC, Magnitogorsk, July 17, 2017. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) launched its Continuous Hot-Dip Galvanizing Unit 3, the company’s PR Center reports. This means MMK will now be able to produce 20% more zinc-coated products, that is, over 2,000,000,000 kg a year. The unit is meant for making zinc-coated goods through hot-dip galvanizing of cold-rolled sheets made from low-carbon steel. These are very high-margin goods that proved to be reliable and to have a longer lifespan. The building industry, as well as packaging manufacturers, are the key customers for this produce.

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 17, 2017. ChTPZ Group’s top managers took part in the Innoprom 2017 International Industrial Exhibition’s business program in Yekaterinburg on July 10-13, 2017, the company press service reports. Their reports were presented within the framework of the exhibition’s special project on Educational Solutions for the Industrial Sector. Managing Director of the Group’s Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant Alexei Dronov shared his experience in the field of training highly skilled blue-collar workers who can feel confident at a modern production site; he talked about the company’s

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 17, 2017. The Ural Bank for Reconstruction & Development (UBRD) keeps improving its remote banking services, the bank’s press service reports. For one, the daily limit on the online transactions amount was increased from 50,000 RUR to 150,000 RUR in July. The decision was taken after some customer feedback analysis; according to the UBRD, making online payments (over 6,000 transactions daily), card-to-card money transfers (more than 2,000 transactions daily), and payments to private accounts (around 700 transactions daily) are currently the top three online

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 17, 2017. The average per-square-meter price went down by 1.9% on Yekaterinburg existing home market in the second quarter of the year compared with one year previously, domofond.ru reports. The average asking price declined from 70,300 RUR per m2 down to 68,900 RUR per m2. Still, Yekaterinburg-based homes are still a bit more expensive than the country’s average. The average asking price on the national existing home market also decreased by 0.9%, down to 59,500 RUR per m2, with prices fluctuating within 1.5% range in forty-nine federal constituencies.

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 14, 2017. Russian President Vladimir Putin considered a number of healthcare and road construction proposals submitted by acting Governor of Sverdlovsk Region Evgeny Kuivashev, the Governor’s Information Policy Department reports. ‘Acting Governor was able to talk about a few socially important project proposals during the President’s recent business trip to Sverdlovsk Region. For one, Kuivashev told President Putin about the plans to set up an emergency unit on the premises of Municipal Clinic 40 in Yekaterinburg. A 5,300 m2 surgery block needs to be completed.

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 14, 2017. ChTPZ Group signed a cooperation agreement with WorldSkills Russia, the company press service reports. The paper was signed by the Director of the Group’s pipe-manufacturing division Alexander Grubman and Head of WorldSkills Russia Robert Urazov. The two parties intend to join their efforts in designing and promoting FutureSkills. The Group’s goal is to coordinate foresight sessions during corporate WorldSkills championships in order to decide on the popular jobs of the future; the company will also set up teams of contestants and experts in specific

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 14, 2017. Russian Copper Company intends to start extracting porphyry copper ore from Tominsky Deposit next year, the company’s Director for the Environment, Job Safety & Industrial Safety Natalia Gonchar told reporters at the Innoprom 2017 International Industrial Exhibition. ‘We already have a mining jobs plan that was approved of by the authorities, and we must go along with this plan in full compliance with our license requirements. This is why we need to start with the open-cast mining operations. The plan is to get the first batches of ore in 2018. One

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 14, 2017. ChTPZ Group supplied its first 1,980,000 kg of large-diameter pipes with concrete coating to the construction site of Nord Stream 2 Pipeline, the Group’s press service reports. The shipment comprises pipes (diameter: 1,153 mm; layer thickness: 30.9 mm) made at Chelyabinsk Pipe Rolling Plant’s Vysota 239 Department. The outer concrete coating was provided by Pipeline Coating & Technologies (Concpipe). ‘The shipping-off ceremony took place in Volzhsky and was attended by representatives of the project shareholder Gazprom, Nord Stream 2 Director Henning

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 14, 2017. The Ural Bank for Reconstruction & Development (UBRD) took part in an environmental conference in Yekaterinburg during the Innoprom Exhibition, the bank’s press service reports. The UBRD’s Trade & Project Financing Director Sergey Okhrimenko made a report on the use of efficient financing mechanisms to support international environmental programs. The conference participants focused on ways to reduce their investment risks and on how much the economy needed green technologies. The national business community’s corporate social responsibility has

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 13, 2017. Sverdlovsk Region-based hotels are expected to receive some 200m RUR in extra revenues resulting from Innoprom Exhibition in Yekaterinburg, Governor of Sverdlovsk Region’s Information Policy Department reports. All in all, visitors to Innoprom are estimated to bring around 1bn RUR in short- and long-term revenues for the area. According to Sverdlovsk Region Tourism Development Center, Yekaterinburg hotels are all 100% full at the moment, as the exhibition is in progress. Innoprom 2017 is taking place at Yekaterinburg EXPO on July 10-13. This year, Japan is

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 13, 2017. Ural Airlines came up with a performance report for the six months of 2017. 776,966 passengers flew with the airline in June 2017 alone, which exceeded the figures for a year earlier by 14%, the air carrier’s press service reports. 5,218 flights were operated last month, including 3,162 domestic flights, 720 flights to and from the CIS member states, and 1,336 international flights. This is 7% more than one year earlier. Ural Airlines have offered their services to 3,319,504 people this year so far, which is 25% more than in the first half of 2016. 24,178

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 13, 2017. MegaFon and Veon (Vimpelcom) decided to stop doing business together in Euroset, the former’s press service reports. The company decided to buy a 50% stake in the retail chain from Vimpelcom and will thus obtain 100% of Euroset’s shares. Vimpelcom will receive a half of Euroset’s retail outlets in return (there are currently 4,200 outlets operating throughout the country). ‘We are grateful to VEON for the retail trade partnership we’ve enjoyed for the last five years. The agreement we have allows both parties to work on their independent retail strategies

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 13, 2017. Nearly a quarter of all apartments currently for sale on Yekaterinburg housing market are under 33 m2 large, N1 reports. The smallest (and least expensive) homes — under 20 m2 big — can be found in three parts of the city: Elmash (19%), near the bus station (18%), and Uralmash (17%). These are mostly studio apartments in the older buildings. Homes under 33 m2 large are available on the existing home market and in the newly commissioned buildings in Uktus, Shirokaya Rechka, and Vtuzgorodok. ‘Studio apartments vary in size greatly. The smallest ones range in

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 13, 2017. The 2nd Uzbek-Russian Business Forum will take place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on September 26. South Ural Chamber of Commerce and Industry, whose President Fedor Degtyarev chairs the Russian-Uzbek Business Council, acts as one of the event’s primary coordinators, the CCI’s press service reports. ‘It was Degtyarev who, following his appointment as chair of the council in June 2016, put forth the idea of holding the business forum in question. The very first forum was held in Tashkent last October. Around a hundred bilateral meetings and business talks took

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 12, 2017. Governor of Sverdlovsk Region Evgeny Kuivashev and President of Boeing Russia & CIS Sergey Kravchenko talked about the ways the constituency and the company could work together during Innoprom 2017 International Industrial Exhibition, Governor of Sverdlovsk Region’s Information Policy Department reports. ‘Boeing’s decision to do business in the area, including some projects with VSMPO Avisma, is crucial to all the parties involved in this mutually beneficial partnership. The opening of the second Ural Boeing Manufacturing Plant in Titanium Valley (a

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 12, 2017. Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a visit to Pipe Metallurgical Company (TMK) and Sinara Group’s united stand at Innoprom 2017 International Industrial Exhibition. Chair of Sinara Group and TMK Board of Directors Dmitri Pumpyansky informed the President about the projects featured at the stand, the company press service reports. Pumpyansky said that their Yekaterinburg Arena Stadium, currently under construction in time for the World Cup 2018, would be big enough for 35,000 visitors and was in many ways a unique project. For one, with construction costs

UrBC, Chelyabinsk, July 12, 2017. MMK Group keeps organizing festive events in Magnitogorsk in celebration of Town Day and Metallurgist’s Day, Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) press service reports. The usual classical music concert was already coordinated at Narodnykh Gulyany Square, as was an open-air party. The town residents could also take part in a dancing round next to a fountain. Last Saturday, the Day of Saint Peter and Saint Fevronia, aka Family Day, celebrations were held in the local Lukomorye Park. The festive marathon’s key events are scheduled for July 14. A