UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 24, 2016. Kalugaputmash (a member enterprise of Sinara Transport Machines) got visited by students from Moscow State University of Railway Engineering (MIIT) Kaluga subsidiary, the Group’s press service reports. Students and their professors took a look at various production departments’ performance and saw how wheel sets are made, how track machine components are assembled, how sheet metal gets cut and bended, how hydraulic transmission gear is assembled, how components get subjected to thermal treatment, and how frames and smaller parts of track machines get

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 24, 2016. Electromachine (a member enterprise of Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation) is going to direct some 16m RUR to servicing of its engineering infrastructure systems and application software, the company press service reports. A portion of this money will also be spent on maintenance and repairs of office appliances, IT infrastructure, and communication services. The portion designated for the IT segment will be doubled this year compared with the year 2015. For one, Electromachine is planning to purchase new engineering design software, which is expected to cost

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 23, 2016. Prices dropped by 9.2% on Yekaterinburg existing home market compared with February 2015, Ural Real Estate Chamber reports. As of March 21, 2106, the average price of a square meter came to 69,633 RUR, and the customers currently have plenty of options to choose from. Even though the market supply declined somewhat in January and February, it is still 28.6% larger than one year earlier: there are 10,360 apartments and 1,850 rooms in communal apartments for sale in the Chamber’s database (compared with 8,000 apartments and 1,200 rooms in February 2015). The

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 23, 2016. Sverdlovsk Region residents’ accumulated income amounted to 1,809.5 trillion RUR last year (up 8.4% on a year earlier), while their spending was estimated at 1.867.6 trillion RUR (up 11.4% on a year earlier), Sverdlovskstat reports. Their paying capacity (calculated against the minimum shopping basket) dropped by 7.3%. For example, Sverdlovsk Region resident’s average monthly pay could get you 121.7 kg of beef in 2014 against 109.4 kg in 2015, or 650.3 against 641.6 liters of milk, or 6,414 against 6,103 eggs, or 857.7 against 650.1 kg of sugar,

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 23, 2016. Ural Airlines are now offering new flight-planning options for online customers, the air carrier’s press service reports. For example, when booking online you can select and pay for any seat of your choice and get a boarding pass printout immediately. If you do not have access to the web at a given moment, you can also check in by contacting the company call center (the 300 RUR that this service costs get paid by credit card). You can buy an insurance policy for your flight alongside with your ticket online or through the call center (8-800-7700-262) and

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 23, 2016. Omsktransmash (a member enterprise of Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation) manufactured and delivered to customer its first two special fire trucks that are expected to be produced on a serial scale in the future. According to the company press service, the trucks withstood all the tests and trials and were approved all around. Under the terms of the contract, the customer is to receive the vehicles at the end of March. The special-purpose fire truck was designed at Omsktransmash in 2012 and presented at Russia Arms Expo in Nizhniy Tagil in September 2013. The

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 23, 2016. Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation’s company television recently aired the 100th broadcast of its UVZ Segodnya, newly themed for the purpose, the company press service reports. The program was first broadcast on March 28, 2014 and still retains its general concept today. The idea is to inform the teams of the corporation’s member enterprises located in different parts of Russia about the company news and the Russian machine-building and defense industry trends which influence the company’s current performance and its future prospects. UVZ company television is

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 22, 2016. A cyclone and a strong wind (up to 25 meters per second at some points) destroyed the electric mains and caused power cuts in thirty-nine towns and villages in Sverdlovsk Region, the local division of Russia’s Ministry of Emergencies reports. Also, several flights were delayed at Koltsovo Airport in Yekaterinburg. 104 rescue teams (over 600 people) and 110 vehicles were involved in the restoration work. All the jobs were completed on March 20, ensuring a stable power supply for all the users in the area.

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 22, 2016. Ural Airlines are now starting to sell tickets for their direct flights to Crete, Greece, the air carrier’s press service reports. Yekaterinburg-Heraklion-Yekaterinburg flights will be operated every Thursday starting from April 28. Starting from May 29, 2016, two more flights (on Tuesdays and Sundays) will be available weekly. Tickets can be booked for as little as 13,350 RUR (one way) and 28,420 RUR (round trip), all fees included. ‘Heraklion offers amazing beach holiday options, rich history, and well-developed infrastructure, which makes it one of the

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 22, 2016. Ural Airlines made booking extra in-flight services easier for its customers, the air carrier’s press service reports. When you book online, you can now select and pay for any comfortable seat of your choice as well as book and pay for the transfer of your pet on board. ‘The extra services options are available at Step 4 of the booking procedure. For example, passengers flying Economy class can pay extra for a seat close to the entrance/emergency exit (the other seats in the cabin are fully covered by the price of their ticket). Then, the price of taking

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 22, 2016. EVRAZ NTMK now produces a new variety of rolled metal products, namely, core components of P65 insulated rail joints. The first batch has already been delivered to the plant’s first customer, the company press service reports. ‘This is a popular product for railway builders and operators, essential for automatic block systems and electric interlocking,’ the press service says. The components are made from 30XGSA steel which has the necessary strength, hardness, and resilience parameters. A set of new rollers was purchased specially for this new product

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 22, 2016. Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation presented its Voentur Project at the 11th International Intourmarket Exhibition, the company press service reports. The corporation’s and the city of NizhniyTagil’s joint stand got quite a few visitors, including Executive Director for Programme and Coordination at the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Zoltán Somogyi and head of Rostourism Oleg Safonov as well as deputy heads Roman Skory and Alexei Konyushkov. Mr. Somogyi was also shown souvenirs from the corporation’s UVZSHOP and presented with a small copy of today’s most

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 21, 2016. The overall output of Sverdlovsk Region’s fossil development enterprises decreased by 8.9% in February 2016 compared with the previous month, Sverdlovskstat reports. Additionally, the output figures also went down in the sector for production and distribution of electric power, natural gas, and water (-11.9%) and went up in the processing industry (+15.1%). All in all, the constituency’s industrial production index rose by 7% in February 2016 against one month earlier.

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 21, 2016. SKB-Bank got on the Forbes magazine’s Top100 Most Reliable Russian Banks list and proved one of the best institutions in the Urals, the bank’s press service reports. Its assets were estimated at over 133bn RUR; the bank carries a number of international Fitch Ratings. Forbes analysts came up with a reliability rating in March 2016; the banks were evaluated against their international ratings, funds, capital adequacy, major lending risks, and the share of private customers’ deposits in their loan books.

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 21, 2016. Ural Airlines are now offering special prices on tickets for their Moscow- and Saint Petersburg-bound flights, the company press service reports. ‘A special 20% discount is offered on scheduled flights to Moscow and Saint Petersburg and back on March18-20; departure dates all fall in the March 25 to May 31, 2016 range,’ the press service says. You can book the tickets at www.uralairlines.com, via Uralairlines mobile app, over the phone (8-800-7700-262), or in any booking office.

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 21, 2016. The Ural Bank for Reconstruction & Development (UBRD) is now a member of MIR, the international payment system, and is undergoing technical certification procedures, the bank’s press service reports. According to the bank representatives, the organization is planning to start issuing MIR cards before the end of the year. Bank Card Director Alexei Piskunov says the ATMs will be all set up before July, as will be the information acquiring and processing and servicing procedures. Cards will be available at any of the bank branches. The UBRD currently has

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 21, 2016. Georgiy Zakamennykh, Director-General of Burevestnik Central Scientific Research Institute (a member enterprise of Ural Vagon Zavod Corporation) received the Alexander Nevsky Award. According to the company press service, the award was given to Zakamennykh by Plenipotentiary Representative of Russian Federation President in Volga Federal District Mikhail Babich in the course of a solemn ceremony. ‘The order was given for Zakamennykh’s work achievements, many years of conscientious performance, and proactive social policy,’ the press service says.

UrBC, Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk Region, March 21, 2016. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) intends to have its metal produce approved and accepted by 100% of carmakers running their factories in Russia. The company keeps working on its import substitution program and towards becoming an authorized metal goods supplier, MMK reports. The company’s rolled metal products have been approved by 80% of localized carmakers so far, and 60% of these companies use MMK as their regular supplier. For one, MMK is the key metal goods supplier for AvtoVAZ and UAZ and has already been approved by a

UrBC, Moscow, March 17, 2016. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) intends to retain its share of the Russian coated rolled products market, even though the domestic consumption is expected to decrease this year, MMK representative said at the 11th Zinc- and Paint-Coated Rolled Products Conference in Moscow. The representative said MMK’s share of galvanized rolled products market came to 31% last year, while that of the market for rolled products with polymeric coating came to 16%. The home market is still the company’s priority one: 86% of zinc-coated products were sold in Russia last

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 17, 2016. The telecommunications provider MegaFon reduced the monthly cost of its All-Inclusive pay scheme and offered its subscribers unlimited connection for calls to other MegaFon subscribers both in their home region and in other parts of Russia, the company press service reports. ‘Our subscribers can now talk to their nearest and dearest for as long as they like for only 180 RUR a month. This is one of the best offers on the market,’ the press service says. Remarkably, no limit is set on the number of minutes per month; nor is the offer limited to a