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

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