UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 30, 2017. The number of Sverdlovsk Region-based small businesses (excluding the micro-organizations) came to 4,601 in January-September 2016, which was 46% less than on year previously (8,529), Sverdlovskstat reports. These companies used to imply 233,879 people in the first nine months of 2015 and 134,368 people in January-September 2016. Small businesses based in the Mid-Urals supplied 131,320,148,000 RUR worth of produce to their customers in January-September 2016, which was 15.3% less than one year previously (155,020,899,000 RUR). Capital investments declined

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 29, 2017. Engineer from the company’s Technological Institute Andrei Pestov was recently elected new Chair of Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation’s head plant’s Young Workers’ Council, the company press service reports. Pestov came to replace Vladimir Vaskov, who was the council’s Chair in 2009-2016. Additionally, new members of the council were elected as well. They are to stay in office until 2019. The elections took place at the head plant’s I.V. Okunev Culture Palace. The agenda of this meeting also covered a report on the council’s performance in 2014-2016. There are

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 29, 2017. ChTPZ Group supplied to its customer a set of pumping and compression pipes meant for producing oil at Prirazlomnoye Deposit in the Arctic. This unique, import-substituting produce was manufactured at the Group’s Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant’s Finishing Center for OCTGs. According to the company press service, the set comprises 115,000 kg of H2S resistant pipes with enhanced strength grade and ChT-VT and ChT-VC Premium threaded joints. By order of the customer, Gazprom Neft Shelf, the Group applied a special steel-testing technique as well as got the

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 29, 2017. One of the world’s largest pipe manufacturers, Pipe Metallurgical Company (TMK) took part in the Earth Hour (the most large-scale environmental event on this planet) on March 25, 2017. According to the company press service, all of their assets in Russia, the United States, Europe, and the Far East switched off the outdoor lighting for their buildings as well as all other non-production appliances. The Earth Hour is the WWF-inspired international event where everyone is encouraged to switch off the lights for one hour to show they care for this planet’s

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 29, 2017. Ural Airlines won two awards in the 20th Russian Wings Contest on March 27; firstly, the airline won in the Domestic Flights category, Group 1 (air carriers with turnover over 3m passengers a year), the airline’s press service reports. Also, the air carrier was given a special ‘coordinators’ choice’ award as Russian Civil Aviation Project of the Two Decades. Ural Airlines’ Director-General Sergei Skuratov was personally acknowledged as a major contributor to the development of Russia’s air travel. The company was nominated for two more prizes as well

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 29, 2017. Rosset’s Federal Grid Company United Energy Systems started gradually replacing the obsolete oil-filled units at its Western Siberia-based power stations with new SF6 equipment, the company press service reports. The new equipment will reduce the risk of oil spilling onto the soil or into water sources. Ten SF6 switches will get installed at 500-kilowatt substations Lugovaya, Pyt-Yakh, and Kustovaya, and the 220-kilowatt substation Varyegan. ‘The new units will operate more reliably in different climatic conditions, allow for longer time between repairs,

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 28, 2017. Russia’s Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu coordinated the United Military Produce Acceptance Day for enterprises involved in meeting the government’s defense procurement requirements, Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation’s press service reports. The corporation’s Deputy DG for Special-Purpose Vehicles Vyacheslav Khalitov reported on meeting this year’s target figures. Khalitov said the set of twenty T 72B3 upgraded tanks got the military officials’ approval and was sent to the Russian Army. ‘The company intends to meet its contractual obligations with Russia’s

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 28, 2017. Winners of the annual Investment Project of The Year Contest attended the awarding ceremony in Nizhniy Novgorod, Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation’s Burevestnik Central Scientific Research Institute’s press service reports. The contest brought into the limelight the investment projects that contributed to the economic development in the area. The event was coordinated by Nizhniy Novgorod Region Government. Burevestnik’s project on the reconstruction of its production base and the construction of a new launching unit proved the project of the year in the

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 28, 2017. Alexei Dolgikh from Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation’s member enterprise Uraltransmash proved Best Turner in Ural Federal District’s Glory to The Man of Labor! professional skills contest, the company press service reports. The contest was held at V.M. Kurochkin Yekaterinburg Industrial & Technological School on March 22. There were seventeen contestants from Ural Federal District’s six member constituencies: Chelyabinsk Region, Kurgan Region, Sverdlovsk Region, Tyumen Region, Yamalo-Nenetsky Autonomous Region, and Khanty-Mansiysky Autonomous Region.

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 28, 2017. EVRAZ Holding is now among the top ten environmentally responsible ore mining companies in Russia and No. 1 among the country’s ferrous metallurgy enterprises, the holding’s press service reports. The rating is the World Wide Fund for Nature’s pilot project, supported by the United Nations, the Global Environment Facility, and Russia’s Ministry for Natural Resources & the Environment. The rating features metallurgical companies, coal and ore mining businesses, and companies specializing in precious stones production. The rating is based on the data

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 28, 2017. Ural Airlines resume operating their Ulan Ude-Moscow flight on April 29, 2017. The flights will be available five times a week (and every day starting from May 20), the air carrier’s press service reports. Prices start from 15,550 RUR (one way Promo ticket, all fees included). The price covers lunch, cabin luggage (under 5 kg), and one piece of luggage (under 10 kg). A ticket that covers a piece of luggage under 23 kg starts from 17,050 RUR, all fees included. ‘Passengers can enjoy an additional discount if they join our Wings Club loyalty program. Once

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 27, 2017. The overall value of the Ural Bank for Reconstruction & Development’s savings certificates rose by 6.5 times in the course of one year and reached 6.16bn RUR on March 1, 2017; this is the second best result among all Russian banks, the bank’s press service reports. The bank’s customers apparently prefer to have the long-term fixed interest rate option. The overall value of UBRD’s six-month savings certificates went up by 7.5% and that of twelve-month ones by 12%, which reflects the overall national trend: the amount of one- to twelve-month savings

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 27, 2017. Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation’s head plant in Nizhniy Tagil is going to hold a business management and strategy contest, the company press service reports. The Best for the Job contest is meant to serve an educational purpose and to be used as a tool to train the company’s talent pool as well as to reveal the plant managers’ professional skills. The plant’s first business management and strategy contest is based on the Global Management Challenge, the world’s largest strategic management championship; the contest is focused on practical strategic planning

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 27, 2017. Ural Airlines are now offering their customers an additional flight from Yekaterinburg to Tbilisi, the air carrier’s press service says. Starting from May 5, 2017, flights to Tbilisi will be operated twice a week, every Monday and Friday. Prices start from 8,636 RUR (one way) and 18,935 RUR (round trip), all fees included. ‘A spring break in Tbilisi is bound to leave you greatly impressed. The city’s welcoming sunshine is an invitation to walk along Shota Rustaveli Avenue, take a look at the heart of the city - Narikala Fortress, and visit the National

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 27, 2017. R65-DT350 rails made at EVRAZ Holding’s West-Siberian Integrated Metallurgical Works (ZSMK) proved to withstand the overall workload of 1,000,000,000,000 kg at the All-Russian Railway Research Institute (VNIIZhT) test ring railroad, the company press service reports. The trial runs were carried out in compliance with the GOST standard requirements to prove the rails’ reliability. As a matter of fact, based on the Transport Ministry’s rules, the sufficient test-run tonnage for R65-DT350 rails comes to 750,000,000,000 kg, with 85% failure-free performance

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 27, 2017. Sinara Group’s Sinara Development, the general contractor for the reconstruction of Yekaterinburg Arena Stadium in time for the World Cup 2018, is now finishing the facades of the building, the company press service reports. The plan is to mount the special perforated panels onto the building’s ready metal structures supporting the stadium’s historic walls. The finishing jobs will touch upon the western and eastern sides of the building, while the northern and southern sides will be left open for the collapsible spectator stands. The grey perforated panels

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 24, 2017. Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation’s Director-General Alexander Potapov and Governor of Sverdlovsk Region Evgeny Kuivashev met in Yekaterinburg on March 22 during Potapov’s trip around Sverdlovsk Region. The two officials talked about the corporation and the constituency’s possible cooperation, the company press service reports. The Governor congratulated Potapov on his new appointment and said Sverdlovsk Region Government would be willing to support Ural Vagon Zavod and facilitate its further development. ‘This is a flagship industrial enterprise in the area

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 24, 2017. Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation’s Kamensk Uralsky Foundry Plant (KULZ) was founded seventy-five years ago this month and celebrated the occasion, the company press service reports. ‘KULZ celebrated by investing in production upgrades and retooling that touched upon all the production departments and quality control divisions. This is, in fact, an ongoing process. Also, every employee can now see for themselves that we prepared for the special date by investing in urban improvements as well: more trees got planted, the local fountain got re-built, and a

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 24, 2017. Chelyabinsk Tube Rolling Plant (ChTPZ) completed the procedures related to the release of their third issue of 001P 03 bonds (overall face value: 5bn RUR), the company press service reports. ‘The new bond issue proved interesting to all investor groups: banks, private individuals, and management and investment companies. This impressive demand resulted in that the designated coupon yield got reconsidered twice (within the 9.70% to 9.90% a year range) and was finally set at 9.70% a year (10.06% by the time the bonds get redeemed, +197 points on the federal

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 24, 2017. Up-to-date hose-filter suction units were recently installed at the vanadium slag fine grinding department of EVRAZ Holding’s Nizhniy Tagil Integrated Metallurgical Works (NTMK), EVRAZ Holding Ural’s press office reports. ‘The new equipment ensures zero environmental impact and an improvement in working conditions. 229 Russian filters were installed to avoid any release of production dust into the air. The entire amount of trapped dust (over 40,000 kg a day) — goes back to the production line and is used for making the end product,’ the press office says.