May 6, 2014. The third stage of a state contract signed with the Russian Federation Industry & Trade Ministry was completed at Ural Diesel Engine Plant (UDMZ, a member enterprise of Sinara Transport Machines). This contract is part of the Dieselstroy Project. The work acceptance statement to this extent was signed at the ministry in late April, the company’s press service reports. During this third stage of the contract, UDMZ workers did all the start-up and commissioning jobs relating to the launch of a single-cylinder unit (up to 408 kilowatts strong) and of the testing stands for the

May 6, 2014. Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s head plant in Nizhniy Tagil hosted a research-to-practice conference on the vital issues of structural durability and wear resistance of spare parts. ‘Academicians and Corresponding Fellows from the Russian Academy of Sciences, PhDs in technical fields from Ural Federal University, experts from the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and representatives of the local industrial enterprises came to the conference to talk about the important aspects of the Urals’ industrial development,’ the corporation’s press service reports. The agenda of

May 6, 2014. MegaFon was declared the best telecommunications service provider in 2013 in the State Order 2014 Contest. It was awarded in the category called ‘Best Telecommunications Service Supplier’, the company’s press service says. The All-Russian State Order 2014 Contest recently closed at Crocus Expo Exhibition Center; the event gathered together all the major national-scale state suppliers. MegaFon presented several new products at once; these could be interesting for state-run organizations and private companies alike. MegaFon was awarded a prize in the ‘Best Telecommunications

May 6, 2014. The passenger load factor at interational flights decreased by 3.6% in March 2014 and came to 80.9% on average, the Association of Russian Tour Operators refers to Rosaviation as saying. ATOR Analytical Service reports that the increase in passenger traffic at international flights has slowed down recently. The international flights market (outside the CIS) rose by about 9% in the first two months of 2014, while in March, it only grew by 2.4%. According to Rosaviation, the passenger turnover of Russian companies went up by 4.3% in comparison with March 2013. The number of

May 5, 2014. Last Tuesday, April 29, Bank Koltso Urala made the payments on the 4th coupon period relating to its Series 01 bonds (state registration number 40100065B). The bond owners received a total of 41,189,970.66 RUR, that is, 51.89 RUR per bond, with coupon yield at 10.35% a year, the bank’s press service reports. Bank Koltso Urala went through with its first bond issue (Series 01, total face value 1bn RUR) successfully on April 27, 2012. The bonds are to be redeemed by April 30, 2015. The issuer announced on April 17, 2014, that the 5th and 6th coupon yield would stand at 10.35% a

May 5, 2014. The workers of Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation’s head plant and its member enterprises as well as employees of other Nizhniy Tagil-based companies took part in the traditional clean-up days that were coordinated in Nizhniy Tagil at the end of April, the holding’s press service reports. ‘Every participant could decide on what to do: clean up their working place or the streets of Dzerzhinsky District. The employees cleaned lawns and pavements, roads and squares, as well as parks. Over 15 streets were made to look much nicer, including the major arteries like

May 5, 2014. This year, Russia’s Central Bank intends to mint a coin dedicated to the Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol becoming Russian Federation constituencies, SKB-Bank refers to the Central Bank’s official website as stating. The ten-ruble coin will be made of steel with brass electroplated coating. ‘The coin will be minted in 10m units, which is the typical number for the ten-ruble coins. This means virtually every Russian citizen has a good chance of getting one,’ says SKB-Bank Operational Director Larissa Larionova. This is not the first time some Russian coins get minted

May 5, 2014. Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation received an employer trust certificate. According to the corporation’s press service, this paper certifies that on April 28, 2014 the corporation was placed on the list of employers who invariably comply with the workers’ labor rights. This was part of a program called Enterprises’ Declarations on Ensuring Employees and Employers’ Labor Rights’. ‘The certificate will enhance the corporation’s status on today’s labor market. Russian Federation constituencies are currently encouraging their local employers to declare their

May 5, 2014. Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant (ChTZ, a member of Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation) started making its new B10M bulldozer with mechanical transmission and a more advanced engine made by Yaroslavl Engine Plant instead of the older D180 diesel, Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s press service says. ‘As the most popular and best-selling make of Chelyabinsk tractors keeps enjoying good demand, including in the CIS member states, ChTZ designers developed an upgraded version of the classical series-produced vehicle. Yaroslavl-made engines have been installed on tractors with

April 30, 2014. Ural Airlines held its 20th 'anniversary' general annual meeting on April 28, 2014. The agenda of the meeting comprised the following: electing the Board of Directors, approving of the company's Annual Report 2013 and of the annual accounting report, distribution of profit at the end of the financial year, and related party transactions, the airline's press service reports. The main positive factors that ensured an increase in the company's production output last year were: flight safety, highly skilled staff, expanded fleet of vehicles, start of the

April 30, 2014. Russia's Federal Customs Services placed Bank Koltso Urala on the updated list of banks that are granted the authority to issue bank guarantees on customs payments, that is, taxes and duties. Under the order issued by the Federal Customs Service, the upper limit on a guarantee comes to 35m RUR, while the total amount of all the bank guarantees that can be in operation at once comes to 170m RUR, the bank's press service reports. 'Being placed on this register gives Bank Koltso Urala the right to act as a guarantor for its customers involved in foreign economic

April 30, 2014. The Tankopedia Project is quickly gathering pace. Users are taking increasingly more interest in the new project coordinated by Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation, and the company awarded Tankopedia's two most active contributors with branded souvenirs, Uralvagonzavod's press service says. The residents of Nizhniy Tagil proved more interested in armored vehicles than any other users. One of the authors of free tank encyclopedia was awarded at Uralvagonzavod Armored Vehicles Museum; he was presented with a vest, a pair of boots, a T-shirt, and a

April 30, 2014. The net loss of Chelyabinsk Tube Rolling Plant (ChTPZ), calculated in accordance with the IAS, came to 1.868m RUR in 2013 compared with 1.133m RUR in 2012. The plant's revenues reached 112,428m RUR, its EBITDA came to 18.173m RUR, its EBITDA margin reached 16.2%, and its joint debt decreased by 3bn RUR, the company's press service says. 'The company incurred 1.868m RUR worth of losses last year (against 1.133m RUR worth of net profit in 2012) due to the general decrease in profit margin that was typical of the Russian pipe-making sector because of last

April 30, 2014. Two high-precision lathes manufactured by the Russian-Czech JV МТЕ-KOVOSVIT and fitted with Siemens numeric program control and software were installed at Mechanical Assembly Department 1 of Uralvagonzavod Corporation's head plant, the corporation's press service reports. 'The launch of up-to-date equipment is the first stage of a large-scale technical upgrades program for the department. The upgrades became necessary because of a major increase in the target production figures,' the message says. Two MTE-KOVOSVIT machines will replace as many as six old,

April 29, 2014. In order to expand its range of products and to be able to fulfill the customers’ orders, Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) mastered the technology of making metal goods with zinc/iron coating (galvanil) last year. This development was part of the company’s annual program on innovative products. ‘Applying this kind of coating became possible after the launch of the second extension to the cold-roll facility at Rolling Mill 11. The beauty of this zinc/iron coating lies in the fact that it ensures great anti-corrosion properties, improves welding property, and enhances

April 29, 2014. Pipe Metallurgical Company (TMK), one of the world's major OCTG manufacturers, signed an agreement with Gazpromneft regarding the formula for calculating the price of its pipe products. According to TMK press service, the price formula is calculated in accordance with the market prices for raw materials and the materials needed for making pipes. This agreement is the first document of such nature that Gazpromneft has signed with this Russian pipe manufacturer. Since 2012, a similar agreement has been working between Gazprom and a number of major Russian pipe

April 29, 2014. 2GIS analysts found out which Russian cities are most suited for getting by without money in cash. Their research involved 220 cities of Russia that were analyzed in terms of how many local organizations accept international bank cards. Among the factors considered was not the number of such companies per se but their share in the total number of local businesses, SKB-Bank’s press service reports. As a result, the analysts came with a list of several top cities where life is quite manageable without cash, as a lot of POS actually accept bank cards. Interestingly enough, not

April 29, 2014. Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation looked up into the results of its social partnership with the educational establishments of Dzerzhinsky District of Nizhniy Tagil in 2012, the corporation’s press service says. The two parties looked at the promising fields in which they could cooperate in the future. In 2014, the corporation’s head plant is planning to allocate 22.25m RUR for the purpose. ‘Five best schools in the district were selected last year. They were assessed along such criteria as children taking part in Uralvagonzavod’s sports and educational

In 2014, Uralvagonzavod is going to allocate 4m RUR to thirty kindergartens located in Dzerzhinsky District of Nizhniy Tagil. The teachers and nurses of these kindergartens will be able to undergo professional development training at the plant’s Personnel Training Center, Uralvagonzavod’s press service reports. ‘This is the second year in a row that Uralvagonzavod has been supporting the kindergartens in the neighborhood. This year, 2m RUR are expected to be spent on repairs and 2m RUR will be directed to buying supplies such as special-purpose uniforms, tools, household equipment, and

MegaFon completed all the key processes relating to the company’s integration with Scartel and Yota (the telecommunications provider bought 100% of the latter’s shares in October 2013), the company’s press service reports. It took the parties seven months to get all their assets integrated; the process went through the following stages: first, Scartel and Yota were united into a single legal entity called OOO Scartel which operated under the brand ofYota. Then, all of Scartel’s telecommunications equipment was handed over to MegaFon under a purchase and sale agreement. Upon this, all the key