UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 6, 2017. ChTPZ Group won the independent national HR Brand 2016 Prize in a category called Region, where prizes are given out for a successful project implemented in one or several Russian cities other than Moscow or Saint Petersburg, the company press service reports. The Group’s Power of White Metallurgy talent pool program was evaluated very highly by the contest judges’ panel and expert board. ‘The Group has been implementing the project at its pipe-manufacturing plants since 2015. The goal is to create a pool of employees who share the company values and will

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 6, 2017. The share of deposits the Ural Bank for Reconstruction & Development’s customers opened online last year came to 14% of the overall deposit amount, which exceeds the figures for the year 2015 by 100%, the bank’s press service reports. Over 73,000 deposits amounting to 18bn RUR altogether were set up with the bank online last year; this is twice the amount for the year 2015. ‘The bank improved its business processes greatly and introduced a more powerful marketing campaign management system, which resulted in a dramatic rise in cross sales to existing

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 6, 2017. Ural Airlines are offering a new flight linking Saint Petersburg and one of Georgia’s largest cities, Kutaisi, the air carrier’s press service reports. The new international flights will be operated every Wednesday starting from May 3, 2017. In fact, the airline already offers a number of flights to destinations in Georgia, including direct ones from Moscow to Kutaisi, from Yekaterinburg to Tbilisi, from Saint Petersburg to Tbilisi, and from Moscow/Saint Petersburg/Yekaterinburg to Batumi. Tickets can be booked on the company website www.uralairlines.com,

UrBC, Moscow, March 6, 2017. The number of loans issued by Russian banks last year dropped by 3%, whereas the amount of money lent actually rose by 18%, United Credit Bureau’s press service says. The number of new loans rose by 8% against on year earlier, while the amount of money lent went up by 33%. 1.19m loans (total amount: 121.22bn RUR) were issued by Russian banks in January 2017, compared with 1.10m loans (total amount: 91.08bn RUR) a year earlier. The average loan amount increased from 82,000 RUR to 102,000 RUR. As for mortgages, their number declined by 18%, whereas the amount of

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 3, 2017. Sinara Group’s Sinara Development, the general contractor for the reconstruction of Yekaterinburg Stadium in time for the world football championship of 2018, completed the uncentering of the external roof ring. ‘Our builders transferred the external ring weight load from the temporary supporting structures onto eight reinforced concrete pylons. To redistribute the load evenly, every pylon has been fitted with special metal pivot-hinged units,’ the Group’s press service reports. Given all the preparatory work, it took the workers two days to get the job

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 3, 2017. Sverdlovsk Region Government and SKB-Bank’s Supervisory Board signed a socioeconomic cooperation agreement, the bank’s press service reports. The goal is to ensure the two parties’ cooperation in multi-layered constituency development programs and the Governor’s projects. The federal constituency and SKB-Bank intend to focus on Sverdlovsk Region’s strategic development plan for 2016-2030. More extensive lending and a full package of banking services for the local enterprises in the real sector and infrastructure development projects are seen as the key

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 3, 2017. Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation’s Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant (ChTZ) shipped a number of spare parts for B10 and T170 bulldozers to Mongolia; the spare parts are needed for repair and maintenance, the company press service explains. The shipment comprises D180 engines, turbine compressors, filler rings, filters, bearings, and other component parts. The order was placed by ChTZ’s Mongolian dealer Promtechavtomechanika from their Ulan Bator office. According to the plant’s Export Service representative Alexander Bedritsky, their sales partner bought a ChTZ

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 3, 2017. ChTPZ Group is going to deliver an additional batch of pipes for the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline under the terms of its existing contract. The pipe manufacturer is to ship over 3,200,000 kg of large-diameter pipes (diameter: 1,153 mm; layer thickness: 41 mm), twelve adapters, and 499 buckle arrestor units to Nord Stream 2 AG in the third and fourth quarters of 2017, ChTPZ Group’s press service reports. The pipes will be made at Vysota 239 LDP Department and Eterno - a project run jointly by ChTPZ Group and Rosnano Corporation. Eterno is currently Russia’s only

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 3, 2017. Students from Ural State University of Railway Transport took part in the trial run of Lastochka, an electric train that went from Yekaterinburg to Nevyansk and back in late February. They did so upon an invitation from Ural Locomotives, Sinara Group’s press service reports. ‘These try-out runs are meant to check the performance of the train units and nodes and are an indispensable part of the testing process that precedes the train’s actual launch. Lastochka trains were earlier tested at Oktyabrsk and Gorky Railways as well as at Yekaterinburg-Nizhniy

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 2, 2017. Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation’s Omsktransmash introduced lean manufacturing principles at 129 work stations last year, the plant’s press service reports. More than 140 blue-collar workers and plant managers underwent the 5S training program. ‘Most of the plant’s core and auxiliary departments’ employees mastered the basic 5S principles such as keeping the production site clean, keeping your tools and materials in perfect order, and so on. As a result, the plant now has 358 m2 more of clutter-free space. Both the workers and the managers already feel the

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 2, 2017. Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation’s head plant is going to hold a blue-collar job contest this year in order to distinguish the best professionals in their field. According to the corporation’s press service, the goal is to both select the best-performing workers and to enhance the prestige of blue-collar occupations as well as to contribute to the national machine-building industry’s development. Workers from sixty-two different fields - designers, checkers, welders, and even pastry chefs - can compete in 150 contests altogether, including 109 department

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 2, 2017. Ural Airlines are currently offering special prices on their Novosibirsk-Moscow-Novosibirsk flights: starting from March 18, 2017, prices start from 4,235 RUR (one way in either direction). According to the air carrier’s press service, the ticket covers a hot meal, cabin luggage (up to 5 kg) and one piece of luggage under 10 kg. You can also get an additional discount by joining the airline’s Wings Club loyalty program. To do this, you buy a 500-ruble welcome bonus and only pay 3,735 RUR for your flight ticket. This Novosibirsk-Moscow-Novosibirsk flight is

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 2, 2017. The Ural Bank for Reconstruction & Development (UBRD) is launching a number of new mortgage offers on March 1, the bank’s press service reports. New mortgages are now available in Yekaterinburg, Nizhniy Tagil, Ufa, Chelyabinsk, and Perm. These new offers were designed to meet all of the customers’ property-buying needs: you can apply for a mortgage to purchase either a new or an existing home as well as use the scheme where the state-offered maternity subsidies can be used as part of your loan repayment. Additionally, there are debt refinancing options

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 2, 2017. Pipe Metallurgical Company’s (TMK) Sinara Pipe Plant (SinTZ) held its annual meeting of the Group’s Tech & Quality Services at the plant, the company press service reports. The meeting was chaired by TMK Deputy Director-General and Senior Engineer Alexander Klachkov. Over sixty managers and experts from the company’s Russian, European, and American divisions as well as from TMK Trading House attended. ‘The meeting participants looked in the pipe market situation last year and tried to come up with the forecasts for the year 2017; the also talked about

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 1, 2017. Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation’s head plant’s museum facility is currently hosting 21st Century Art, an exhibition featuring presents given to the company by its Russian and international partners, the company press service reports. These are all gifts presented to Ural Vagon Zavod after the year 2000. There are some sixty exhibits altogether, including arts and crafts works, paintings, sculptures, and autographed books. ‘The exhibition is an opportunity to see paintings executed in all kinds of styles and techniques, with every piece presenting a unique

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 1, 2017. Lastochka Premium ES2GP, an electric train made by Ural Locomotives (Sinara Group and Siemens’s joint venture), was issued a certificate of compliance with the Customs Union’s technical requirements, Sinara Group’s PR Center reports. ‘The wintertime tests were carried out in December 2016, with test results considered at an Intergovernmental Committee meeting; the train was then issued a certificate of compliance in February 2017. Premium proved even more efficient during the tests than the existing regulations required. For one, its dynamic and strength

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 1, 2017. ChTPZ Group and Severstal held their 21st coordination meeting in Chelyabinsk, the Group’s press service reports. The meeting was attended by representatives of the two companies’ production, technological, and commercial departments. The parties looked into their joints performance results, their supply policy, and possible ways of future cooperation. ‘This year, ChTPZ Group and Severstal intend to keep sharing their experience of working within large-scale international projects, their intellectual property management practices, and their customer service

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 1, 2017. Rosatom Corporation is going to pay nearly 1.5 times more taxes to Sverdlovsk Region’s budget funds this year. A cooperation agreement to this effect was signed by Governor of Sverdlovsk Region Evgeny Kuivashev and Rosatom’s Deputy Director-General for Economic Analysis and Planning Sergey Novikov at the Russian Investment Forum in Sochi. According to the corporation’s preliminary forecasts, 4.3bn RUR worth of additional payments will be directed to Sverdlovsk Region’s budget this year. This means some 900m RUR can be allocated for the development of local

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 1, 2017. Over 900m RUR were paid to Sverdlovsk Region’s budget as the shadow market of migrant labor grew legally visible last year. This is 1.2 times more than one year previously, Sverdlovsk Region Government’s website states. According to the local division of Russia’s Federal Migration Service, 911.5m RUR were directed to their budget funds in 2016 from income tax paid by foreign workers employed here on a patent. 766m RUR were meant for Sverdlovsk Region’s budget and 145.5m RUR were meant for city budgets. Sverdlovsk Region Finance Ministry says the overall

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, February 28, 2017. Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation’s head plant coordinated a special Heroes’ Race on Defender of the Fatherland’s Day, the company press service reports. Fifty-nine teams comprising workers of the head plant and the corporation’s member enterprises Ural Transport Machine-Building Design Office and UVS Media Service as well as the corporation’s partners’ teams took part in the race. In addition, eleven two-people teams competed in the pair race. 317 people joined the race altogether. There were five contestants, both male and female, in the regular teams, and