June 14, 2013. Experts from Sinara Transport Machines Innovational Development Center (CIR STM, a member enterprise of Sinara Transport Machines) conducted another series of tests on the SinaraHybrid locomotive with the hybrid unit TEM9N using VNIIZhT experimental route, Sinara Group’s PR Center reports. During the tests, the loco reached the maximum capacity that was set out in Russian Railways’ design specifications in 2011: the loco moved at 100 kmh and carried the load that fit with the design specifications limits. Testing the pilot TEM9N-001 sample started at Lyudinovsky Locomotive

June 14, 2013. Yekaterinburg keeps struggling for the right to host the World Universal Exhbition EXPO 2020; its application presents a very clear-cut plan on the use of the exhibition area and infrastructure after the event, the city council’s press service reports. Issues relating to the cultural heritage of the exhibition are given the top priority in Yekaterinburg’s application. After the exhibition is over, the housing fund (about 2.5m sq m) will be handed over to the local residents and will create a new, comfortable residential district in VIZ. Most of the large-scale buildings on the

June 14, 2013. Following Sverdlovsk Region Culture Minister Pavel Krekov to Kyrgyzstan, an agreement was reached on holding cultural exchange days: Kyrgyzstan Days in Sverdlovsk Region in 2014 and Sverdlovsk Region Days in Kyrgyzstan in 2015, the region’s government’s press service reports. The agreement was reached in the course of Pavel Krekov’s meeting with the Kyrgyz Minister for Culture, Information, & Tourism Sultan Rayev; the two parties agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding there. The ministers also talked about a number of common problems and cultural development

June 14, 2013. Russian Vice Premier Dmitri Rogozin chaired a meeting of RAE 2013 national coordination committee that was dedicated to the key issues relating to preparation for and coordination of the exhibition in Nizhniy Tagil. According to Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s press service, the holding, as the exhibition’s general coordinator, Business Dialogue, and NTIIM presented a concept of the event’s business agenda, a consistent visuals design of the area and the stands, and a general scenario of the show. ‘If we aim to achieve serious, ambitious goals, that is, to compete on equal terms

June 13, 2013. The 9th International Weapons, Military Vehicles, and Ammunitions Exhibition Russia Arms EXPO 2013 (RAE 2013) is both getting a new image and changing the concept of working with the social networks, Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s press service reports. The changes in the visuals of the exhibition reflect the gargantuan amount of work done by the exhibition coordinators and organizers in terms of content and business agenda. RAE 2013 new logo is meant to put an emphasis on the innovational component and the international scale of the project organization. ‘Our wish to make RAE

June 13, 2013. The Russian Federation Accounts Chamber is going to look into the efficiency of spending budget funds on the design and construction of sports facilities that will be necessary for the World Cup 2018, the Chamber’s website states. The inspections will take place in June-September 2013. Subject to checks are the Russian Federation Sports Ministry, the Governments of Mordovia, Volgograd Region, Sverdlovsk Region, Samara Region, Kaliningrad Region, Rostov Region, Nizhniy Novgorod Region, Moscow-based State Expertise Main Administration, Moscow-based Sport-Engineering Federal State

June 13, 2013. Plenipotentiary Representative of Russian Federation President in Ural Federal District Igor Kholmanskikh introduced the new Director-General of Development Corporation Sergey Maslov to the heads of Ural Federal District’s federal constituencies during his business trip to Khanty-Mansiysk. ‘Development Corporation has already acquired a reputation as an effective organization for implementing infrastructure projects in Ural Federal District. Over the last few years, a heat and power station was launched in Harp, a number of new, more energy-efficient boiler houses were built in

June 13, 2013. A big meeting on issues relating to the quality of goods the company makes was held at Ural Locomotives (a joint venture run by Sinara Group and Siemens AG based in Verkhnyaya Pyshma, Sverdlovsk Region). Vice President of Russian Railways and Director of the Traction Department Alexei Vorotilkin, some representatives of the Technical Audit Center and Russian Railways’ departments and local divisions, and industrial scientists and suppliers attended the event. The Quality Day was mainly targeted at organizing the multi-faceted co-performance of the manufacturing plant with the

June 13, 2013. The world’s best-known futurologists and pioneers in their fields – scientists, business gurus, and experts on technology and innovation – are coming to Yekaterinburg on July 11 to take part in the second forecasting session within the framework of Innoprom International Industrial Exhbition (July 11-14, 2013). This year, the foreign visitors will share their vision of the future developments in Technological Breakthroughs: Where and When? Just like a year earlier, the forecasting session will be moderated by journalist and writer, TEFI laureate and the Book of the Year nominee

June 11, 2013. Nine employees of Uralvagonzavod, the head plant of Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation, and three representatives of Ural Transport Machine-Building Design Office (a corporation member enterprise as well) were given the Russian Federation’s supreme state awards. The awards for their outstanding work achievements were given out by Plenipotentiary Representative of Russian Federation President in Ural Federal District Igor Kholmanskikh in the course of a solemn ceremony in his official residence in Yekaterinburg, Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s press service

June 11, 2013. The agenda of the forum and the concept of Sverdlovsk Region stand are almost ready for the 4th Ural International Industry & Innovations Forum & Exhibition Innoprom 2013 that will be held in Yekaterinburg on July 11-14. All of Sverdlovsk Region ministries, departments, and municipalities are taking part in drawing up the agenda, Sverdlovsk Region Government’s Press Service & Information Administration reports. According to Formica Group Marketing Director Anton Atrashkin, ‘the business agenda of the exhibition is 90% complete’. Russian Prime Minister Dmitri

June 11, 2013. Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant (PNTZ, a member of ChTPZ Group) completed a scheduled overhaul of its pipe and tube mill 30-102 at one of its primary departments, ChTPZ press service reports. Under the current upgrades program, 107 tons of obsolete equipment that was launched as early as in the 90s were finally dismantled and replaced with new machines. These changes involved the entire technological pipe production chain, including the main mechanical and electric machines, barrel-type furnaces, mechanical appliances, the grease and liquid lubricating systems, pipe conduits, and

June 11, 2013. VUZ-Bank’s capital came to more than 2bn RUR: the figure came to 2,016,637,000 RUR on June 1, 2013, which was 10%, or 179m RUR more than at the beginning of the year, the bank’s press service reports. The bank’s own funds increased due to growing profits. As of June 1, 2013, VUZ-Bank’s net profit exceeded 200m RUR since the beginning of the year. This positive dynamic was due the improved performance indicators: lending volumes and a growing share of the commission-based services (money orders, cashless payments, e-, and m-banking for both private individuals and corporates).

June 11, 2013. An inspection by Sverdlovsk Region public prosecution authorities ended up with the institution of criminal proceedings, with charges based on Article 180 (part 1) of the Russian Federation Criminal Code (trademark abuse resulting in large-scale damage). The spokesperson for the authorities explains that in May 2013, a clandestine shoe-making enterprise was discovered in the village of Atig, Nizhneserginsky District. The workshop produced fake Chanel shoes and employed over 100 Central Asia natives. The police officers confiscated about 3,600 pairs of shoes then. The

June 10, 2013. Visitors to Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant’s stand at Russia’s leading road construction vehicles exhibition STT-2013 were invited to see a film on the vehicles produced by the plant that starred in feature films, Uralvagonzavod Corporation’s press service reports. The film was made by the crew of Uralvagonzavod Corporation on the basis of a script written by the plant newspaper’s reporters. The collection of bits where the company vehicles are ‘co-starring’ with actors was originally presented in a newspaper version. The script writers found about 40 Russian and foreign motion

June 10, 2013. Yekaterinburg will have nice climate conditions to offer during the EXPO 2020 compared to other candidate cities. Its temperate climate minimizes health risks as well as problems arising from large crowds of people gathering together on hot days, the city’s official web portal says. In the summer, the temperature range in Yekaterinburg varies between 17 and 22 degrees centigrade; in the fall, its between 5.5 and 10 degrees centigrade. What is more, the city has comfortable relative air humidify figures: during the exhibition, they will vary between 52% and 73%. Even though the

June 10, 2013. Sverdlovsk Region technological parks development committee decided to place Sinarsky Techno Park on its register. Thus the total number of local techno parks now comes to 13, Sverdlovsk Region Government Press Service & Information Department reports. Sinarsky Techno Park is based on the site of Sinara Pipe Plant in Kamensk-Uralsky and the plant is going to act as the primary enterprise, while Sinarskaya Management Company was set up to act as a management company. ‘The techno park’s production and lab facilities occupy the area of 10,000 sq m, with residents based on

June 10, 2013. Sverdlovsk Region’s leading experts talked about the prospects of further promoting Yekaterinburg’s application for the right to host the EXPO 2020 exhibition and about the areas that need special attention during a round table discussion on Yekaterinburg in the range from hosting the Russia-EU summit to welcoming EXPO 2020 on June 6, Governor of Sverdlovsk Region’s Information Policies Department reports. The discussion participants gathered round a model of the would-be EXPO part that the Governor Administration First Deputy Head Vadim Dubichev said was a historically

June 10, 2013. Russia’s foreign trade turnover dropped by 0.7% in the first quarter of 2013 against January-April 2012 and came to $267.6bn. The export figures amounted to $168.8bn RUR (a 4.1% decrease). For one, copper export declined by 24.8% and nickel export dropped by 35.6%, the Federal Customs Service’s website reports. Most of the goods exported by Russia to the far abroad were fuel and energy ones (their share in the export volume was 75.1% against 73.7% in January-April 2012). The physical volume of gasoline exports rose by 15.6% and that of coke rose by 26.6%. The share of metals

June 7, 2013. A solemn ceremony to designate the start of the construction process took place on the site of UVZ Baltija future plant in Jelgava, Latvia. This plant will become a part of Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation. The corporation’s press service reports that the ceremony, which included the burying of a time capsule, was attended by Latvian President Andris Bērziņš, Russia’s Industry & Trade Minister Denis Manturov, and Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation DG Oleg Sienko. ‘This plant is more than just a new production facility. This