March 21, 2014. Six new German high-precision Heckert units and Austrian WFL numerical program control units meant for making spare parts for up-to-date engines were recently installed at Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant (ChTZ., a member enterprise of Uralvagonzavod Corporation) advanced technologies production site, Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s press service reports. ‘These are the most advanced metal-cutting units available at the moment. This sort of equipment is used by the leading machine-building companies in the West and in Russia, companies that lead the way in technological and technical

March 21, 2014. The gross domestic product of Sverdlovsk Region amounted to 1,484.4bn RUR in 2012 (in current prices), Sverdlovskstat reports. In comparison with the year 2011, this was 7.1% higher; the deflation index against the year’s average for 2011 was 7.4%.

March 21, 2014. Chelyabinsk Tube-Rolling Plant (ChTPZ) had over 500,000 RUR worth of new equipment installed at its roll-forming and tooling department (in charge of making spare parts) within the framework of its upgrades and production enhancement program, ChTPZ Group’s press service reports. ‘The new-generation plasma heat treatment unit is meant for surface treatment of the spare parts and tools for the pipe-making departments that are made at the roll-forming and tooling department. The purpose of the treatment is to make the metal wear-resistant. The hardening comes to 0.8mm-1.2mm, and

March 21, 2014. In 2013, the net profit of Fat-Processing Works (calculated in accordance with the Russian Accounting Standards) dropped by nearly five times. The figure stood at 504.197m RUR in 2012 and decreased to 105.808m RUR last year, the enterprise’s report states. As for the company’s revenues, these reached 5.749 bn RUR in 2013 against 5.096bn RUR in 2012.

March 21, 2014. Ural Electrochemical Plant (UEIP) is now actively implementing its project called Production Site Topology that is part of a new strategy adopted by TVEL, a fuel company. The strategy is aimed at leadership in the non-nuclear, yet promising, segments of industry. The idea is to locate new production facilities on the premises of currently unused and soon-to-be-available production sites at UEIP (some 34,000 sq m altogether), the company’s press service refers to the Project Curator Andrei Fedorov’s report as stating. To ensure speedy communication with the potential site

March 20, 2014. Some 8bn RUR will be directed to the technical upgrades of Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation’s head plant in Nizhniy Tagil this year. According to the corporation’s press service, the main focus is on upgrading the mechanical assembly section. ‘The modernization program for the head plant will be several-fold and will include, among other things, the projects that were embarked upon in 2013. More than 1.1bn RUR will be directed to this. Nearly 660m RUR will be directed to the development of innovative railway products, and some 540m RUR will be spent on

March 20, 2014. The official unemployment rate was registered at 1.24% in Sverdlovsk Region on March 1, 2014. This was 0.11% lower than a year earlier (1.35% on March 1, 2013). In 23 towns and cities within the federal constituency, the figure was actually even lower than in Sverdlovsk Region on the whole, the local Economics Ministry’s press service reports. The number of the unemployed registered with the state-run employment agencies was 28,506 on March 1, 2014. The number of job openings advertised by the local employers is actually 1.4 times greater than the number of the unemployed.

March 20, 2014. The Crimea crisis is bound to affect the Russian economy tremendously, yet this impact will be less keenly felt by startups, Advisor to President of Skolkovo Foundation Pekka Viljakainen said in the course of the Russian Startup Tour in Yekaterinburg today. ‘Startups are, by definition, international businesses. They might even profit from what is happening in the short term, because their salaries are paid in rubles, so the labor costs are lower against all the other currencies,’ the advisor said. Viljakainen believes that the heart of the problem is in the difficulties of

March 20, 2014. Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant (ChTZ, a member enterprise of Uralvagonzavod Corporation) will fully fulfill its contract for the delivery of 12 B10M tractors to Uzbekistan, the corporation’s press service reports. ‘The tractors are shipped to one of the local plants, where the vehicles are fitted with special attachments for the repair and maintenance of oil and natural gas wells. The company has already delivered a number of standard, series-produced tractors with mechanical transmission to the customer. In the future, the two companies might agree to have the basic model upgraded

March 20, 2014. Kalugaputmash (Kaluga-based track machine and hydraulic drive plant and a member enterprise of Sinara Transport Machines) Board of Directors appointed Andrei Antropov the company Director-General, Sinara Group’s PR Center reports. Andrei Antropov was born in Pervouralsk, Sverdlovsk Region, on July 29, 1963. He graduated from Ural Electromechanicall Institute for Railway Transport Engineers in 1987 with a degree in Electromechanical Engineering. He started working at Chelyabinsk Locomotive Repair Plant in 1987 and evolved from Electrical Machines Department foreman to the

March 20, 2014. The Russian Union of Industrialists and Employers summed up the results of the All-Russian Business Leaders Contest 2013. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) was awarded with a diploma in the category called For Contributing to the Solution of Local Social Problems, MMK says. The awarding ceremony took place during the Russian Business Week, at a conference dedicated to labor market, social investment, and public-private partnerships. A large part of MMK's CSR projects last year had to do with supporting family growth and helping mothers and families with many

March 20, 2014. The Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP) summed up the results of the All-Russian Russian Business Leaders: Dynamic & Responsibility 2013 Contest. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) was awarded a diploma in the Contribution to Solving Social Problems category, MMK says. The awarding ceremony took place during the Russian Business Week at the Labor Market & Social Investment: Private-Public Partnership Conference. In 2013, MMK's SCR activity focused on increase in childbirth and support to mothers and families with many children: 42m RUR

March 19, 2014. Yekaterinburg existing homes market has been going through the same trends as at the beginning of the year: prices have been rising gradually, while the supply keeps shrinking, Ural Chamber of Real Estate’s press service reports. According to the chamber’s analytical data, the median price of a square meter of housing came to 73,892 RUR on March 17, 2014. This figure has grown by 0.7% over the last few weeks and by 1.5% since the beginning of the year. ‘Since the start of the year, the number of apartments offered for sale has dropped by 11%, that is, by nearly 1,000

March 19, 2014. The employees of Transport Machine-Building Design Bureau (KBTM, a member enterprise of Uralvagonzavod Corporation) were once again among the winners of the first round of a prestigious All-Russian contest called Engineer of the Year 2013 in the Military and Special Purpose Vehicles category along the segments designated as Professional Engineers and Engineering Art of the Young, Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s press service says. KBTM engineers have been taking part in the contest since 2007 and have always achieved good results. Over the said period, 17 workers took part in the

March 19, 2014. Sverdlovsk Region industrial production index was 11.2% less in January-February 2014 than in the first two months of 2013. According to Sverdlovskstat, the figure was 20.2% lower compared with February 2013 and 6.8% higher than in January 2014. In the mineral resources development segment, the industrial production index was 1.6% lower in the two months of 2014 than a year earlier (3.6% lower compared with February 2013 and 2% lower against January 2014). In January-February 2014, the IPI in the processing industries segment was 14.2% less than in the two months of 2013 (24%

March 19, 2014. Uralvagonzavod and Nizhniy Tagil Blood Transfusion Station 3 coordinated Donor Day: the head plant of Uralvagonzavod Corporation supported the program run by Russia’s Health Ministry on large-scale voluntary blood donation in 2008-2014. The program is implemented with help from Russia’s Union of Machine-Builders. The blood was collected on the premises of the plant’s health unit located at Foundry Shop 7, the corporation’s press service says. ‘The last time Uralvagonzavod coordinated an event like this was 9 years ago. It was now decided to have such days on a regular basis.

March 19, 2014. Sinara Transport Machines (STM, a divisional holding of Sinara Group) completed its transaction with TransFinGroup Management Company (which acted as the trustee of Blagosostotyaniye Non-State Retirement Fund in the purchase of the controlling shareholding in Kalugaputmash, a track machine and hydraulic drive plant). As a result, STM now owns 86.61% of the plant’s ordinary registered shares, Sinara Group’s PR Center reports. Besides, Kalugaputmash BOD appointed Andrei Antropov the company Director-General. Also, Governor of Kaluga Region Andrei Artamonov visited the plant on

March 18, 2014. The three new makes of freight carriages made by Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation got compliance certificates from the Federal Railway Transport Certification Register, the corporation’s press service says. ‘The first make is the gondola car 12-196-02 with the bogie 18-194-1 that can handle up to 25 tf. It differs from the mass-produced gondola car 12-196-01 in that its body has been increased from 88m3 to 94m3. The second one is the oil tank 15-5157-02 with the bogie 18-100 that can handle up to 23.5 tf. The new make will replace the mass-produced the

March 18, 2014. Five young men with disabilities from Yekaterinburg, Perm, Syktyvkar, and Kirov were able to go to Russia’s first Paralympics in Sochi this winter: this trip was the first prize in the I Am a Leader Contest that was coordinated by MegaFon, the general sponsor of the winter Paralympics in Sochi, the company’s press service says. ‘I Am a Leader Contest that was organized by MegaFon and Perspective (an NGO for people with disabilities) was directed to singling out leaders among people with disabilities throughout Russia. The contest aims to draw the society’s attention to

March 18, 2014. The website of bank VTB24 and its e-banking services were unavailable today, as the web pages underwent a hacking attack by a group identified as Anonymous Caucasus. An hour later, however, the bank’s website performance was fully restored. ‘The Russian bank VTB24 website is out of order, as is its e-banking service the hacker group’s Twitter states. VTB24 press service says the lending institution’s website underwent a DDoS attack. ‘All the services will be restored very soon. This has not affected the performance of our brick-and-mortar branches in any way, our ATMs are