UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 29, 2015. Omsktransmash (a member enterprise of Uralvagonzavod Corporation) produced a set of heavy-duty mechanized bridges TMM6 and an amphibious track vehicle PTS4. The corporation’s press service reports special in-plant compliance tests had to be performed prior to shipping the machines to the customer. For one, the plant’s experts were to make sure the equipment would prove efficient in actual operating conditions. ‘To test the bridges, special earth trenches were dug on the premises to imitate natural obstacles, with bridges placed over them. The purpose of the

UrBC, Moscow, July 29, 2015. Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation was placed on the list of the world’s top hundred weapon manufacturers in 2014 by Defence News; the Russian company, with its $1.54bn in revenues, was given the 52nd position in the rating, Interfax reports. There are six more Russian companies on the list: Almaz-Antey ($9.2bn), United Aircraft Corporation ($6.24bn), Russian Helicopters ($3.96bn), United Engine Corporation ($3.32bn), Tactical Missiles Corporation ($2.8bn), and RTI Systems ($947m). Defence News reports the Russian companies’ performance was

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 28, 2015. The Russian Government allocated 14,521,500 RUR for highway reconstruction in Sverdlovsk Region, the Cabinet’s official website states. All in all, 4.5bn RUR were allocated by the federal authorities to get roads rebuild in fifty-two Russian Federation constituencies. The money is distributed in accordance with the road construction and reconstruction regulations for highways and roads leading to socially important infrastructure facilities and agricultural production and processing facilities.

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 28, 2015. ChTPZ Group’s employees got 67 original inventions patented in the first half of 2015, the company press service reports. The Group’s workers develop unique equipment, technologies, and methods that have never been used in the pipe-making industry before. The government patents are valid for twenty years. Most of the inventions aim to improve the technologies for production of Premium threaded joints, new types of OCTGs and pipes for the nuclear and heat supply industries as well as the machine-building sector, or to reduce prime costs and improve product

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, June 28, 2015. Russian President Vladimir Putin was invited to come to the 10th Russia Arms Expo 2015 International Exhibition (to be held at Staratel Range in Nizhniy Tagil on September 9-12, 2015), the event coordinators announced at a press conference in Yekaterinburg. Vladimir Putin has attended the annual exhibition a number of times before. He first came there in 2000, when Eduard Rossel was Governor of Sverdlovsk Region, and then in 2011, when the constituency was governed by Alexander Misharin. Once Evgeniy Kuivashev became Governor, President Putin’s visits to

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 28, 2015. Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s head plant’s armored vehicles museum became part of the Urals’ Gemstone Ring, a tourist route that is a pilot project on the federal domestic tourism development program for 2011-2018, the corporation’s press service reports. ‘The project was approved of by Rostourism and placed on the federal tourism program list. The Urals’ Gemstone Ring is a tourist route that covers the most historically important landmarks in the local towns and cities. The armored vehicle museum was chosen as one of Nizhniy Tagil’s most interesting

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 28, 2015. Armata, the new tank designed by Uralvagonzavod Corporation, will be displayed to the public on the second day of Russia Arms Expo 2015 Exhibition, the corporation’s Nikolai Smirnov announced at a press conference in Yekaterinburg. ‘Armata won’t be featured in the opening day show; only the weaponry already adopted by the Defense Ministry will be on display then. On the second day, our member enterprises will be demonstrating their latest achievements, so visitors to the exhibition will be able to see Armata and other new developments,’ Smirnov said. Armata

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 27, 2015. In Sverdlovsk Region, the price of commodity goods rose by 8.6% in June 2015 against December 2014, Sverdlovskstat reports. Besides, fossil fuels grew 33.1% more expensive, the prices of factory goods went up by 9.7%, and the prices in the distribution and production of electric power, natural gas, and water sector actually declined by 3.8%.

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 27, 2015. Sverdlovsk Region’s tour operators are no longer going to deal in local travel: this is the decision Kommersant reports has been made at a recent round table discussion dedicated to local tourism development. Director of Samotsvetnoye Koltso Urala Association Artem Islentyev and Director of SME & Tourism Department Alexander Porodnov pointed out that even new travel routes and special offers can’t get the tour operators interested in organization of travel/tourism in the Urals. ‘The main reason for this distaste for local travel is that these trips

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 27, 2015. Seversky Pipe Plant/STZ (a member enterprise of Pipe Metallurgical Company) launched a special production shop to make punches for its continuous Fine Quality Mill, the company press service reports. The new shop opened on the eve of Metallurgist’s Day. The opening ceremony was attended by Sverdlovsk Region’s Vice Premier Yakov Silin, Pipe Metallurgical Company’s First Deputy DG Alexander Lyalkov, and STZ Managing Director Mikhail Zuyev. The company says the new shop will deal in both making and repairing the FQM punches. The place is fitted with two

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 27, 2015. Seversky Pipe Plant/STZ (a member enterprise of Pipe Metallurgical Company) got a memorial cross, made from section pipes, erected in Polevskoy-Yekaterinburg tract, the company press service reports. It is reported an Orthodox cross in one of the most dangerous sections of the highway was the company workers’ idea, supported by Polevskoy Council. The thing is made of section pipes that were welded together into the Eight-pointed Cross mounted on a cylinder-shaped foundation that reads, ‘Remember, Lord, the city in which we live, and the faithful who dwell

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 27, 2015. The interior jobs at Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s head plant’s new clinic, located in Dzerzhinsky District of Nizhniy Tagil, are nearly complete. The company press service reports medical equipment is currently being assembled at the exam and operation rooms. A Turkish contractor is in charge of buying office and special-purpose furniture. The façade of the building and the surroundings are also being completed. ‘An X-ray imaging unit, a CT machine, an MRI scanner, a mammography unit, and other pieces of equipment will be installed in large and well-lit

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 24, 2015. Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s head plant is going to make and present to the city of Nizhniy Tagil two full-size models of the first Russian steam train which was designed by Cherepanovs (father and son), local inventors and industrial engineers, in the 19th century. The company press service reports a copy of the locomotive will be mounted on the embankment of Tagilsky Pond by the Park Inn by Radisson Hotel. Incidentally, the hotel is being put up by one of the corporation’s member enterprises. The other one will be displayed at the plant’s open air railway

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July24, 2015. Kamensk Uralsky Foundry Plant/KULZ (a member enterprise of Uralvagonzavod Corporation) paid some 440m RUR in taxes last year, which exceeded the figures for the year 2013 by 63m RUR. The corporation’s press service reports 162m RUR were directed to the town treasury and 27bn RUR were directed to Sverdlovsk Region’s budget. ‘The average monthly pay rose by 10% compared with a year earlier, with money premiums paid out to workers every quarter. The plant invested 84bn RUR in production upgrades and introduction of energy-saving and innovative technologies and

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 24, 2015. SKB-Bank now has one of the country’s five fastest-growing loan books, the bank’s press service refers to RBC research findings as indicating. The research focused on the retail lending dynamics of Russia’s fifty largest banks in the first half of 2015. Based on the research findings, most banks’ loan books shrank, with only ten banks (including SKB-Bank) managing to actually increase their lending volumes. ‘SKB-Bank is reported to have increased its loan book by 6.1%, or 3.6bn RUR, in the first half of the year. This secured the bank a place on the list of

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 24, 2015. Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant/PNTZ (a member enterprise of ChTPZ Group) designed new packaging for the delivery of its pipe products onto the white goods market, the company press service reports. A pilot batch of new boxing with 420,000 meters of welded small-diameter refrigerator pipes will be shipped to Minsk-based ATLANT and Lipetsk-based Indesit International. ‘The new packaging was designed from corrugated cardboard by PNTZ in cooperation with Tangsima. This packaging weighs 2.5 times less than the earlier variety, which means the plant could reduce the

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 24, 2015. One of SKB-Bank’s consumer loans made it to the list of the ten cheapest cash loans in the country; the loan was assigned the 6th position in Sravni.ru’s rating, the bank’s press service reports. According to the bank’s representatives, because of an appealing interest rate, suitable repayment period, and uncomplicated requirements a borrower needs to meet, the offer (dubbed ‘All-Purpose Loan’) is the most popular product with SKB-Bank’s customers.

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 23, 2015. Bank Koltso Urala had its plastic cards redesigned, with semi-precious and gemstones endemic to the Urals for the theme, the bank’s press service reports. The bank’s Marketing, Advertising, & PR Director Ivan Serebrennikov says the new cards reached the bank branches in mid-July. ‘We are now offering our customers Visa cards in special colors for each card type; the overall theme is that of the Ural gemstones’ shades and tints. For example, our most popular Visa Classic type presents a play of green and yellow hues and is dedicated to the famous Ural

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 23, 2015. The average asking price of studio apartments dropped by 5.3% on Yekaterinburg existing homes market compared with February 2015; that of one-bedroom homes declined by 4.4%, and that of two-bedroom ones by 4.3%, Ural Real Estate Chamber reports. The average asking price per square meter stood at 73,749 RUR on July 20, 2015, which was 3.2% less than in January and 3.8% less than in February. Prices went down in most of the city’s districts, with the exception of downtown Yekaterinburg, where the asking price actually went up by 1.4% over the last few weeks

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, July 23, 2015. The Ural Bank for Reconstruction & Development now offers its express bank warranty in more Russian cities, including Yekaterinburg. It only takes a business two days to get their application for a state procurement tender backed up by the bank, their press service reports. ‘How quickly the bid is completed and the warranty to back it is obtained is a key factor in winning in the auction. A business that has just joined the system or only takes part in such tenders occasionally is the one which our simple mechanism of express security is aimed at. As