Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) looked into the performance of its environmental management system in the first half of 2012. MMK’s environmental management system has been certified in accordance with the international standard 14001: 2004 requirements. The performance analysis has shown that MMK’s production activity in the first half of 2012 was carried out in compliance with the requirements set by the Russian Federation environmental law and with those set by the international standard. The enterprise was particularly successful in implementing its water-protection initiatives.

The Expert magazine carried its annual rating of Russia’s 400 largest enterprises for the year 2011. The research methodology has remained the same: the companies’ position in the rating was determined through ranging them in terms of sales volume, be it products, work, or services, last year. The rating does not differentiate between various branches of industry, so this meant that companies from nearly all of the existing economic sectors were featured in the rating. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) is always present in this rating and is normally ranked as one of the country’s

Ural Airlines came up with a special winter season offer that is specifically targeted at people living in Zabaikalye Territory. Starting October 28, the airline will be operating daily direct flights from Chita to Moscow and back without any stopovers, and for an appealing price. The cheapest one-way tickets are available for 5,000 RUR, the company’s press service says. What is more, the air carrier will also be offering a Chita-Yekaterinburg-Chita flight two times a week, so passengers will be able to use the company’s connecting flights options in Yekaterinburg. For one, it means that if

Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation is about to complete the reconstruction of the first section of its all-plant filtering facilities; this is done within the framework of the program for the improvement of the company’s environmentally friendly segment. The obsolete technologies are being replaced with up-to-date ones, which means the negative environmental impact will be reduced several times and the production site will get plenty of recycle water that meets the utility water standards, Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s press service reports. The project has been implemented

Uralvagonzavod Corporation started the early repayment of the 2,856m RUR worth of government guarantees that were issued to back up OOO ChTZ-Uraltrac’s loans, the corporation’s press service reports. The guarantees helped this Corporation member get a 2,880-million-ruble loan at Sberbank of Russia (the guarantee amounted to 2,016m RUR) and a 1,200-million-ruble loan at VTB (the guarantee amounted to 840m RUR). This money was directed to the development of Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant (ChTZ-Uraltrac), one of Russia’s largest manufacturers of a wide range of caterpillar and wheeled road building

October 26, 2012. Uralvagonzavod Corporation started the early repayment of the 2,856m RUR worth of government guarantees that were issued to back up OOO ChTZ-Uraltrac’s loans, the corporation’s press service reports. The guarantees helped this Corporation member get a 2,880-million-ruble loan at Sberbank of Russia (the guarantee amounted to 2,016m RUR) and a 1,200-million-ruble loan at VTB (the guarantee amounted to 840m RUR). This money was directed to the development of Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant (ChTZ-Uraltrac), one of Russia’s largest manufacturers of a wide range of caterpillar and

October 26, 2012. Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation is about to complete the reconstruction of the first section of its all-plant filtering facilities; this is done within the framework of the program for the improvement of the company’s environmentally friendly segment. The obsolete technologies are being replaced with up-to-date ones, which means the negative environmental impact will be reduced several times and the production site will get plenty of recycle water that meets the utility water standards, Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s press service reports. The project

October 26, 2012. The Municipal Transport Enterprises Committee for Transport, Traffic Coordination, and Road Network Development that was set up in preparation for the World Cup 2018 is going to purchase 250 new buses, 100 trams, 100 trolley-buses, and 32 underground carriages, Yekaterinburg Council’s press service reports. All these vehicles are expected to be low-floor ones and fitted with GPS GLONASS, video recorders, heaters, and air conditioners. Deputy Mayor of Yekaterinburg for Urban Development, Transport, & the Environment Evgeny Lipovitch asked the local transport experts to

October 26, 2012. According to Kaspersky Lab and B2B International’s research carried out in July 2012, Russian companies see cyber threats as one of the key factors that jeopardize their businesses. However, in 40% of cases, these companies’ IT infrastructure is not secure enough to resist the malefactors’ cyber attacks, Kaspersky Lab’s press office reports. 42% of Russia-based companies don’t have enough intellectual property theft prevention systems, and 41% are positive that the infrastructure protection system they use cannot prevent industrial espionage from happening. Kaspersky Lab

October 26, 2012. Seversky Pipe Plant (STZ), a member of Pipe Metallurgical Company organized an Initiation Ceremony for its young workers. The ceremony was attended by a hundred college and vocational school graduates who joined STZ this year. The event took place in the plant’s museum facility, next to the casting yard of Severskaya Furnace, which is a 19th century industrial architecture landmark. To commemorate this event, heads of production departments, chairmen of trade unions, and the company’s long-service employees prepared their speeches for the newcomers and gave them booklets on

October 25, 2012. The sales output of Transport Machine-Building Design Office (an Omsk-based member of Uralvagonzavod Corporation) came to 1.77bn RUR in the nine months of 2012, which is 2.2 times better than a year earlier, Uralvagonzavod’s press service reports. Special attention is paid to the foundry department’s produce this year, namely, to goods cast from carbon- and manganese-bearing materials. The office is effectively implementing its metallurgical production facilities modernization program: the third steel-smelting furnace has recently been launched; then, some new, up-to-date,

October 25, 2012. Industrial Loader PK-46 manufactured by Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant/ChTZ (a member of Uralvagonzavod Corporation) will be used in the agricultural sector, the Corporation’s press office reports. The loader was purchased by one of the agricultural businesses in Amur Region. The farm, located in the vicinity of Blagoveshchensk, had some very good crop harvest this year, so the PK-46 loader will be used for loading grain now and for shoveling snow in the winter. The vehicle has already been delivered onto the site. ChTZ Amur Region dealer handed the loader over to the consumer,

October 25, 2012. Tyumen Region public prosecution authorities have detected over 400 violations of the law in the fuel and energy sector since the beginning of the year. To eliminate these violations, the authorities issued 84 decrees, placed 11 claims with the court, and made 2 warnings. Following the public prosecutor’s reports, 85 people had to face disciplinary liability and 67 people had to face administrative liability, the spokesperson for Tyumen Region public prosecution authorities reports. This is why the recent meeting resulted in the decision to take additional steps targeted at

October 25, 2012. The regional budget deficit will be gradually going down in the future, Sverdlovsk Region’s Finance Minister Galina Kulichenko said at a press meeting recently. The Minister stressed that, while this year’s budget deficit comes to 16.9bn RUR, it is only expected to come to 9.4bn RUR in 2015. When asked about the draft law on the regional budget for 2013 and the plans for 2014 and 2015, Kulachenko said that the regional finance analysts prefer to sustain the increase in Sverdlovsk Region’s public debt and suggest that it should be reduced by 2.2bn RUR as soon as 2013. As for

October 25, 2012. Sverdlovsk Region’s agricultural companies completed their potato harvesting for this year, the regional Government’s Press & Information Administration reports. ‘The harvesting of potatoes fit within the best agronomical terms, despite the rainy weather this fall. Our farmers managed to harvest everything before cold weather has set in. Enough potatoes have been harvested to fully meet the local population’s needs, provide plenty of those to socially important facilities, and keep the price within reasonable limits, which suits both the customers and the producers,’

October 24, 2012. Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation took part in the international Anti-Counterfeit Forum 2012 in Moscow on October 22-24. Russia’s largest railway vehicles manufacturer presented its newest counterfeit protection technology there, the corporation’s press service reports. The counterfeit protection technology consists in applying a 2D barcode onto the main components of the vehicles: pedestals, beams, and sets of wheels. This method, elaborated by the Russian company OOO Flurintech, is unique in that it uses fluorescent dyes. ‘This technology allows for

October 24, 2012. The sale of a 34.56% shareholding in Koltsovo Airport (currently the property of Sverdlovsk Region Government), Sverdlovsk Poultry Factory, and Pervouralsk Poultry Factory in 2013 is expected to yield 4bn RUR, the region’s Finance Minister Galina Kulachenko said at a briefing today. 4bn RUR is the opening bid for the auction, so the final sum might actually be greater, the Minister explained. These assets will be put up to auction under the program for Sverdlovsk Region Public Property Management.

October 24, 2012. In the nine months of 2012, TMK (Pipe Metallurgical Company) raised the volume of its weldless pipe shipments by 3.8%, so that the figure came to 1,860,000 tons. The volume of welded pipe shipments dropped by 8.3% so that the figure came to 1,286,000 tons: this had to do with a decreased demand from the Russian customers for large-diameter pipes in the nine months of 2012. At the same time, the shipments volume in the third quarter of the year increased by 3.6% on the previous quarter, TMK’s press service reports. The volume of OCTG shipments was 11% greater than a year

October 24, 2012. Chelyabinsk Tube Rolling Plant is to deliver a set of pipes to the construction site of Spartak stadium in Moscow: this will be one of the key venues for the World Cup 2018. Over 600 tons of hot-rolled weldless pipes made of 09G2S steel with the diameters ranging from 89mm to 377mm and wall width ranging from 7mm to 16mm will be manufactured by Chelyabinsk Tube Rolling Plant and Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant. The first shipments will be made in late October, the company’s press office reports. Spartak Stadium is currently being put up in Moscow. This will be a sports facility

October 24, 2012. The share of Ural Federal District in Russia’s accumulated gross regional product will be going down soon, INFOline claims. The agency’s analysts report that, over the next two years, the top ten GDP producers will retain their current positions; these are: the Republic of Bashkortostan, the Republic of Tatarstan, Krasnodar Territory, Krasnoyarsk Territory, Moscow Region, Sverdlovsk Region, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Khanty-Mansiysky Autonomous Region, and Samara Region. Moscow, with its 22% of the accumulated regional GDP, will remain at the top of the list. Just like in the