UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 13, 2017. ChTPZ Group intends to raise its pumping and compression pipe output from 18,000,000 to 35,000,000 kg a year, the company press service reports. This is now possible due to a recent upgrades program implemented in Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant’s Finishing Center for oil country tubular goods. The upgrades involved introducing new spare parts on pipe-cutting units, coupling-fitting units, and hydro-testing units, and updating the equipment software. Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant makes external upset pumping and compression pipes (diameter: 60 mm, 73 mm, and 89

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 13, 2017. A new overhead crane was installed at Russian Copper Company’s Kyshtym Copper Electrolysis Plant, the company press service reports. The crane arrived at the blister copper unloading site early this year. The idea was to replace the obsolete equipment from the year 1962. ‘It took us only a week to assemble and launch the 5,000-kg-strong electric crane made at Volgo-Vyatsky Mechanical Plant in Kirov. In slightly over one month, the powerful crane proved durable, easy to use, and reliable. The equipment is now used for unloading blister copper, scrap copper,

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 13, 2017. The number of MegaFon Ural’s 4G-supporting access points rose by 40% in the last twelve months, the company press service reports. ‘Our users are now two times happier with the mobile connection quality than one year ago. They report on improved data transfer speed and quality when using their smartphone Internet connection. The feedback comes from the queries they place with MegaFon contact center and retail outlets,’ the press service says. ‘We keep working on network quality to make sure users can open a webpage/download a video or a music clip

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 13, 2017. Yulia Sultanova, a high school student from School 135 in Snezhinsk, won the Green Technology by the Young Prize, Russian Copper Company’s press service reports. Sultanova’s research focused on Russian Copper Company’s Karabashmed in Karabash. She described the state of the enterprise (founded in 1910) thirteen years ago and what Russian Copper Company, which assumed control over the business in 2004, did to upgrade the production facilities. ‘Sultanova writes that the large-scale upgrades resulted in reduced harmful emissions and improved environmental

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 10, 2017. The share of online payments came to 40% of all transactions the Ural Bank for Reconstruction & Development’s customers carried out in January 2017, reaching an all-time high, the bank’s press service reports. All in all, 68% of transactions get carried out remotely via e-banking options, ATMs, and payment terminals. The increase in online payments has to do with an expanding range of the bank’s partner companies that offer online card payment options. The list keeps getting longer, with 120 new companies joining the system last year alone. These are

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 10, 2017. EVRAZ Holding’s Raspadskaya Mine is getting ready to introduce its new flotation technology to process the complicated K and KS coals with under-15-mm grade. The company intends to direct more than 300m RUR for the purpose, EVRAZ Holding’s press office reports. The fine K and KS coals didn’t use to get processed at the mine at all and were only partially added to the concentrate mixture instead. The flotation technology will mean the two coal types’ ash content and humidity parameters can get improved considerably so that more of them can get added to the

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 10, 2017. TMK’s Seversky Pipe Plant launched a heat recycling unit for its steel-smelting arc furnace recently. According to TMK press service, the goal is to recycle the heat the furnace gives off when cooling. The recycling unit allows the plant to use this heating power (some 5 gigacalories/hour) to provide less expensive heating for the plant. Besides, this is a very environmentally friendly energy source, as no natural gas needs to be burned in the process. The heat recycling unit cost 25m RUR to launch. Provided the unit works smoothly, the entire project will

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 10, 2017. Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation’s Director-General Alexander Potapov signed a decree for the plant’s female workers to get a bonus on International Women’s Day; this is an acknowledgement of the women’s considerable contribution to handling production challenges, the company press service reports. Additionally, special ceremonies were held at the head plant’s department, where managers congratulated their women workers on the event. ‘The plant employs over 28,500 people at the moment, 45.6% of whom are women. We have female employees performing at every

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 10, 2017. Heads of Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation’s Corporate Governance Center and directors of the corporation’s member enterprises met on March 7 to talk over the recent changes. The meeting was run by BOD Chair Vladimir Artyakov. Artyakov said the management of Rostech Corporation, which owns 100% of Ural Vagon Zavod shares, decided to appoint Alexander Potapov the company Director-General. ‘Ural Vagon Zavod is facing formidable challenges and setting ambitious goals for itself. We need a scenario for how to handle current economic issues and how to assess and use

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 9, 2017. Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation’s head plant introduced some changes to its customer feedback research techniques. The changes were proposed by the auditing body Russian Register, the corporation’s press service reports. A new customer satisfaction survey is now available on the company website under the heading ‘Information for Customers & Supplies’. There are now eleven points to consider rather than just four. ‘A smooth customer satisfaction evaluation system is an important factor in making our produce more competitive, achieving better results, and

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 9, 2017. A large-scale family event called Our Big Sauna Day featuring dancing, games, and refreshments is held in Ananyevsky Spa in Yekaterinburg. ‘It’s springtime in Yekaterinburg now, so it’s time to wash off the winter’s loads and stresses. Our Big Sauna Day is an open-air event moderated by experienced entertainers. All visitors will enjoy our quests, games, dancing opportunities, goodies, and gifts,’ says the even organizer Oksana Sushinskikh. Our Big Sauna Day is advertised as a perfect family event on a Sunday. ‘Children will be taken care of by our

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 9, 2017. The average asking price declined by 0.4% on Yekaterinburg existing home market in February 2017, Novosel Group’s analytical report states. Prices went down for all apartment types and sizes. Studios and one-bedroom homes grew 0.2% less expensive, two-bedroom apartments lost 0.9% of their value. Apartments in building dating back to the fifties, the seventies, and the eighties grew 0.2% less expensive, those in more recently put up buildings grew 0.9% cheaper. The downward trend was also visible for all locations, with the price decline most noticeable in

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 9, 2017. Following the market stagnation in 2015 and 2016, online flower sales are now up by 60% in Yekaterinburg. At the same time, people now spend up to 20% less on a bouquet on average, Moscow-based florist.ru’s press service reports. ‘Russia’s flower market was dead in the previous two years, with sales only increasing by a mere 10% to 12% on holidays. This year, we are in for an unexpected flower boom: retail sales soared by 90% on St. Valentine’s Day, while online sales peaked by as much as 200% compared with one year earlier. In Yekaterinburg, the rise came

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 9, 2017. Sverdlovsk Railways’ freight turnover declined by 2.1% in February 2017 compared with one year earlier and amounted to 16.1bn ton-kilometers, the company press service reports. The freight forwarder hailed 10.6m tons of cargo in February, which exceeded the figures for one year earlier by 3.2%, with average daily load at 377,000,000 kg. The overall amount of cargo handled in the first two months of the year is reported to come to 21.4m tons, which is 1.6% more than in January and February 2016. Among other things, Sverdlovsk Railways delivered to customers

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 7, 2017. Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation’s ChTZ Uraltrac paid off its principal debt to Alfa Bank, the corporation’s press service reports. Also, another one of the corporation’s member enterprises, Uraltransmash, paid off its loan taken out from Alfa Bank in February. The money to pay off debt were provided by Gazprombank, backed up by government guarantees. The agreements to this effect were signed on December 30, 2016.

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 7, 2017. Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation’s ChTZ Uraltrac is currently working on a new diesel type based on the serially produced B31 diesel engine for DET 250 tractors, the company press service reports. ‘The goal is to come up with a variety of new diesel engine modifications with many power range options for the customer to choose from. The engines will be used for boring and diesel generating units as well as for locos and motor boats,’ the press service says. ‘Our B31 diesel is to undergo major upgrades. The innovations will be targeted at increasing its lifespan

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 7, 2017. EVRAZ Holding Nizhiy Tagil Integrated Metallurgical Works (NTMK) is working to make a new ball-rolling mill at the moment: a site is being prepared to mount the rolling unit and foundation is being laid for the heating furnace, the company press service reports. All the technological equipment needed for the mill is getting made and assembled as well. Tomsk Electronic Company, the general contractor for the project, is to supply its ball thermal treatment unit onto the plant as well as to design an automated control system and auxiliary electric equipment

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 7, 2017. Miners from EVRAZ Holding’s Yerunakovskaya 8 Mine started extracting coal from the new long face 48-5, EVRAZ Holding Siberia’s press office reports. The coal reserves there are estimated at 3,000,000,000 kg of valuable GZH coal and are expected to get fully extracted by the second quarter of 2018. ‘Getting long face 48-5 ready for work was a bit hard, since there were so many harmful gases in this mine layer. Thanks to all the thorough and timely degassing procedures, however, the mine was prepared in time, with stoping teams working through some 15 km of

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 7, 2017. SKB-Bank’s cash back card proved one of the most money-saving offers on the market, the bank’s press service refers to spavin.ru’s rating as indicating. SKB-Bank’s card comes second among all cards issued by banks outside Moscow and Saint Petersburg and eighth in the overall national rating. There are sixteen different bank cards in the rating all in all.

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 6, 2017. Ninety-two employees of Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation’s head plant (sixty men and thirty-two women) were given the Ready for Labor & Defense All-Russian Initiative fitness badges. According to the company press service, the accompanying certificates (signed by Russia’s Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov) and the badges themselves were presented to the workers by State Duma Deputy and two-time Olympic Games biathlon champion as well as the initiative’s ambassador Sergey Chepikov. ‘I’m happy to be here today. I wish you all the best, please keep in this good