December 24, 2012. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) and Metalloinvest announced they had signed a long-term contract on expanding the volume of iron ore raw materials supplied by the latter to the former. This agreement determines the price formula for the goods delivered on the basis of current market indicators and the global iron ore market price dynamics. The new contract ensures an increase in the amount of iron ore raw materials delivered to MMK. The ore concentrate and pellets will be shipped onto MMK production sites from Lebedinsky and Mikhailovsky Ore Mining &

December 24, 2012. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) recently presented its renewed brand concept that covers all the production, mining, maintenance, sales, financial, administration, and social welfare-focused divisions of the Group. The new brand was launched in the year of MMK’s 50th anniversary. The MMK trademark registered in 1962 is currently Russia’s only logo that still looks exactly the same as it did in the Soviet era. MMK Group’s brand currently has an 18% share of the domestic metal goods market and is one of the world’s leading metallurgical companies. ‘MMK Group is a

December 24, 2012. On December 17, 2012, Banki.ru’s Information & Analytics Service carried a rating of banks based on the number of people they employ and the median monthly pay in the nine months of 2012. As a result, the Ural Bank for Reconstruction & Development (UBRD) proved the best bank among all Sverdlovsk Region-based lending institutions, the bank’s press service reports. According to Banki.ru, the UBRD, which employs 4,220 people (as of October 1, 2012), is now 32nd largest bank among the country’s top hundred. The number of employees has actually gone up by 24.41% since

LLC «Lobvinsky biochemical factory», who hasbeen in a frozen statefor several years, is now possibly becoming the subject of investing. Recollecting its history, LLC «Lobvinsky biochemical factory» has been possessed by the Ural businessman Mars Sharafulin who conservedthe enterprise due to his absence in the region. LLC «Lobvinsky biochemical factory» came under the management of Mars Sharafulin in 2009 by the decision of the Sverdlovsk region Security Council. This decision was made as a resolution to the disastrous state of the plant brought to the production collapse and bankruptcy by the

December 21, 2012. Burevestnik, the Nizhniy Novgorod-based scientific research institute and member of Uralvagonzavod Corporation, hosted a scientific and technological seminar on the use of super-computer technologies in the defense industry sector, Uralvagonzavod’s press service reports. The event was coordinated after a data-processing center for the design modeling of artillery weapons and military vehicles (based on the Minin super computer) had been launched at the institute. The seminar was attended by experts from 33 different companies and organizations from Moscow, Nizhniy Tagil,

December 21, 2012. Sinara Pipe Plant (a member of Pipe Metallurgical Company) conducted a professional skills contest among the young electricians in charge of repairs and maintenance of the company’s electric equipment. The contest was part of the plant’s youth program, Pipe Metallurgical Company’s press service reports. The contest program comprised three stages: proving one’s theoretical knowledge of the norms and regulations pertaining to labor protection, the knowledge of the Labor Code, and the knowledge of the collective agreement. The second, practical stage involved assembling and

December 21, 2012. Ural Airlines put the logo and colors of the World Fair EXPO 2020 onto another one of its A320 planes, the one with the side number BDJ. Last night, the air carrier’s technicians painted the logo and the slogan that reads, ‘Ekaterinburg World EXPO 2020. Candidate City’ on the aircraft, and as soon as tonight the plane is to operate a scheduled flight from Yekaterinburg to Novosibirsk featuring the emblem, the airline’s press service reports. Now Ural Airlines decided to support Yekaterinburg applying for the right to host the international exhibition EXPO 2020. The first

December 21, 2012. Chelyabinsk Tube-Rolling Plant (ChTPZ) announced the results of its annual company contest known as the Golden Fund. 28 workers from Chelyabinsk Tube Rollign Plant and Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant were declared the best in their professions, the company’s press officer reports. The categories in which the contestants compete are meant to determine the best-skilled workers in the fields that are key to the plant’s activity: rollers, electric welders, rollers, boilmakers, molding machine operators, millers, and passers, as well as the best innovators, foremen, and shift

December 21, 2012. MTS announced it was about to launch a project on providing Wi Fi Internet access to users in Sverdlovsk Suburban Company’s (SPK) electric trains and at the commuter train stations, the company’s press service reports. The new service is now available on the high-speed electric trains that travel from Yekaterinburg to Kamensk-Uralsky and from Yekaterinburg to Nizhniy Tagil. In the first half of 2013, the service will also be introduced on the city train and inside Koltsovo Express Train. ‘Every day, over 46,000 passengers use Sverdlovsk Railways’ commuter trains, and this

December 20, 2012. Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation won in two categories of the interregional Urals and Siberia Business & Politics Award also known as Year’s Achievements. The awarding ceremony took place at the Hyatt Regency Yekaterinburg Hotel. For the 7th time, the event was coordinated by the expert information channel UralPolit.RU under the auspices of the Plenipotentiary Representative of Russian Federation President in Ural Federal District’s Administration. For a few months, 600 experts selected the Urals and Perm Territory’s leading economic and political

December 20, 2012. Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant (a member of Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation) directed its PK-46 loader to Afghanistan so that the vehicle could be presented to the local road building enterprises, Uralvagonzavod’s press service reports. The lift truck’s design features a number of innovational solutions, including joystick control. Amin Qasim, the enterprise’s official dealer in Kabul, is to organize a presentation of the vehicle to the employees of building, road-building, and communal housing services enterprises. Despite the fierce competition from the

December 20, 2012. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) mastered the production of hot-dip galvanized rolled metal products whose surface quality meets the standards of Type C (the highest class there is), MMK reports. The company expects to start supplying its key customers with this steel after the product has been approved and the supplier status has been granted to the enterprise. The sales are expected to start in 2013. Next year, MMK intends to start producing its pilot batches of hot-dip galvanized rolled metal goods pertaining to Type C for such major carmakers as Renault, Ford,

December 20, 2012. In 2012, Sverdlovsk Region was one of the top 10 most economically and socially successful federal constituencies in the Russian Federation. Its gross regional product grew by 7.8% in 2012: in money terms, this amounts to 1.4 trillion RUR, Governor of Sverdlovsk Region’s Information Policies Department reports. In terms of industrial goods supplied to consumers, Sverdlovsk Region is in the 6th position in the national rating; in terms of retail trade, it is in the 3d place, only outstripped by Moscow and Moscow Region. In terms of capital asset investments, the region is

December 20, 2012. MegaFon is going to install an ice MegaMoney-Box next to Yekaterinburg’s largest skating rink GlavYelka; this structure is meant for collecting donations for children who are ill, and anyone can donate money from now to January 19, MegaFon’s press service reports. All the money collected in this way will be used for preventing and curing child cancer and for rehabilitation of the young cancer patients through the charity fund called ‘We Are Together’. MegFon subscribers can also help the children any time by simply sending a text message to 000777. One text message costs

December 19, 2012. Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation held the final tour of the Person of the Year competition. ‘All in all, over 40 people took part in the contest, and the best ten candidates made it to the final tour,’ the corporation’s press service reports. Throughout the year, Uralvagonzavod kept on supporting the region-wide project dubbed ‘Glory to the Man of Labor!’ In 2012, 132 professional skills contests in 42 categories were held. Some 1,300 Uralvagonzavod employees, all of them under 35, took part in the events. The corporation’s management says these

December 19, 2012. ‘Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation’s Special Vehicles Division filled the state defense procurement order for 2012 in full and well ahead of deadline,’ the corporation’s press service reports. The corporation’s defense procurement order consisted of several sets of tasks, the most important ones being the delivery of new vehicles to the Russian Armed Forces and large-scale modernization of the T-72B tanks. The servicing of the army ammunitions and military and special vehicles by the company workers was another important task. The year 2012 was special

December 19, 2012. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) is about to start the shipments of rolled metal products meant for the production of bodies of nuclear-powered submarines, the company reports. An interregional committee comprising Prometey Design Bureau, some building companies, and a number of design offices approved of the manufacturing of this produce. The approval applies to MMK’ entire technological chain for the production of special steel for the bodies of these nuclear submarines, including the oxygen converter shop, the Mill 500, the thermal treatment section, and the

December 19, 2012. The international building and finishing materials hypermarket Leroy Merlin opened its outlet in Yekaterinburg today. This retailer is actually a member of Auchan Group. This is currently one of the largest stores in Yekaterinburg: its area comes to 20,600 sq m. The new building supplies hypermarket offers its customers finishing and building materials, sanitary fixtures, floor tiles, lighting fixtures, household goods, and much else besides.

December 19, 2012. 33 mutual investment funds presented by the Ural Bank for Reconstruction & Development at the SuperMIFmarket improved their performance between December 1, 2011 and December 1, 2012. ‘Non-specialized funds, retirement funds, and natural gas and oil funds proved the most profitable over one year,’ the bank’s press service reports. Three mutual investment funds’ profitability ratio was over 11%; these are ‘Volkhonka Bonds Fund’ managed by the Bank of Moscow Management Company (12.1%), VTB Treasury Fund (11.73%), and Uralsib Conservative Fund (11.28%). At the same time,

December 18, 2012. Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant (ChTZ) will supply over 50 vehicles to the firefighting stations of Rosleskhoz. ’34 tractors will be shipped to the Urals and Siberia,’ Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation’s press service says. What is more, some shipments will also be made to the distant Magadan Region. All of the vehicles are fitted with the special detachable equipment that is used for making protective forest strips and for protecting the vehicles against falling trees. Under the order placed by Perm territory, 3 bulldozers are fitted with radio stations. The