UrBC, Moscow, December 7, 2018. The Russian market sales of new passenger vehicles and LCVs rose by 10.1% in November compared on a year-on-year basis and amounted to 167,494 units, Russia's Association of European Businesses (AEB) reports. All of the ten best-selling car makes are locally produced brands. All in all, 1.62 million automobiles got sold in January-November 2018, the AEB Automotive Manufacturers Committee (AMC) indicates. According to AEB AMC Chair Jörg Schreiber, car sales kept rising steadily throughout November. It was reported earlier that a similar increase in sales is

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 6, 2018. The 5th International High-Rise Construction 100+ Forum Russia opened in Yekaterinburg on December 5, 2018. This year, the focus is on BIM technologies and digital construction. The forum takes place at Yekaterinburg EXPO on December 5-7. Around 10,000 people are expected to visit the forum and present their talks at the business and academic sessions. The event’s business agenda covers presentations by 350 invited speakers, 30 of whom come from outside Russia. Among the new topic to be covered at the forum are ways to do urban renovations while

UrBC, Magnitogorsk, December 6, 2018. Metallurg Magnitogorsk Ski Resort, which Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) put up next to Lake Bannoye, got launched fifteen years ago this month, MMK’s Information & PR Department reports. The place is a popular mountain ski resort with over 200,000 visitors a year; the resort won Urals’ Best Mountain Ski Resort, Russia’s Best Mountain Ski Resort, and Best Sports Facility for Tourism awards. Metallurg Magnitogorsk also hosts high-profile mountain skiing, snowboarding, and mountain bike competitions on a regular basis. The resort was designed

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 6, 2018. The Urals-based Russians have used MegaFon’s banking card over 2,000,000 times to pay for their shopping this year so far, the telecommunications provider’s press service reports. ‘The company’s big data reveal how shopping patterns fluctuate depending on the season, in what time of the year men tend to part with their money more eagerly, and which season sees the male and female shoppers’ clocks ticking in the same rhythm. For one, women generally spend more in the summer, with their average receipt amount and the overall amount of money spent on

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 6, 2018. Starting December 1, 2018, the interest SKB-Bank pays its customers on their reward checking accounts goes up to as much as 6% a year (for the debit card holders who get their salaries in these accounts and have opted for the Special+ packages), the bank’s press service reports. Customers who have signed up for Premium Card, Elite, Premium, and Premium+ packages will earn 7% interest in their checking accounts.

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 6, 2018. Workers of EVRAZ Holding’s Nizhniy Tagil Metallurgical Plant (EVRAZ NTMK) Rail Department completed their round of Good Deeds Relay Race this month: the department’s head handed the symbolic relay baton over to the Vehicle Department, EVRAZ Holding Ural’s PR division reports. The plant’s metallurgical workers supported Kindergarten 16 in Novoasbest, Sverdlovsk Region. They spent forty-five days getting the building ready for the winter: new window panes got installed, pipes and flooring got replaced, the heating and power supply infrastructure had to be

UrBC, Magnitogorsk, December 5, 2018. MMK Industrial Park in Magnitogorsk came up with a performance report for the year, Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) Information & PR Department reports. MMK Industrial Park’s current premises are a ready-to-use, 65 hectares large facility with all the engineering infrastructure on hand. ‘The park got certified by Russia’s Industry & Trade Ministry, which means investors can enjoy the tax benefits of a zero property tax and a 3.5% drop in the local income tax,’ MMK Industrial Park’s Director Vladimir Dremov said at a recent off-site

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 5, 2018. EVRAZ Holding purchased a set of self-propelled vehicles and pneumatic tractor trucks for the mines of its member enterprise Raspadskaya Coal Company. The goal is to make the mining equipment reinstallation process safer and shorter (the required reinstallation time is expected to drop by eight to ten days on average), the holding’s press service reports. The self-propelled equipment got tested at Uskovskaya Mine. The appliances got used to reinstall parts of the powered support system from Long-Face 50-06 onto Long-Face 50-20. The miners could thus

UrBC, Magnitogorsk, December 5, 2018. Manufacturing Turkmenistan 2018 International Industrial Exhibition opened in Ashkhabad on December 3, 2018. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) is taking part in the event. According to MMK’s Information & PR Department, the plant’s stand features a wide range of metal products made at MMK and MMK Group’s member enterprises. The Turkmen customers will probably be mostly interested in the construction goods such as rolled section steel, hot- and cold-rolled steel sheets, and coated rolled products. ‘MMK now makes many more goods for the

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 5, 2018. Ural Customs identified more than 160,000 counterfeit items at their border control points in the eleven months of 2018, the customs’ press service reports. Unscrupulous importers typically try to take counterfeit clothing and footwear items, toys, and perfumes as well as adulterated wine, tea, and coffee into the country. There are even bits of equipment on the list: for one, the customs officers recently prevented the import of 1,500 counterfeit condenser units to Russia. ‘All these goods bear the famous brands’ logos and trademarks but in actuality

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 5, 2018. EVRAZ Holding’s Consolidated West-Siberian Metallurgical Plant (EVRAZ ZSMK) launched a second rail production line at its Rail Department. The new line will mean the plant can double its R65 100-meter rail output and focus on making the European standard 60Е1 and 54Е1 rails (length options: 30 m, 36 m, 60 m, 72 m, and 90 m), the holding’s press service reports. The second rail line cost RUB 168m to put up and launch. The 100-meter rail division underwent considerable production upgrades, with new ancillary equipment and rail delivery, straightening, and

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 4, 2018. UralBusinessConsulting Agency for Information & Analytics (UrBC) is going to act as an information support partner for the 100+ Forum Russia at Yekaterinburg EXPO in Yekaterinburg on December 5-7, 2018. This year’s forum will be dedicated to BIM technologies and digital construction. The 5th International High-Rise Construction 100+ Forum Russia will host talks by renowned international design and construction experts. Designers of ground-breaking architectural pieces will be giving their reports, lectures, and workshops. Among the invited speakers

UrBC, Magnitogorsk, December 4, 2018. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) and UralTrubProm held a coordination council meeting in Magnitogorsk. The two parties looked into their joint performance in the first ten months of 2018 and agreed to keep strengthening their business ties, MMK’s press service reports. This has been the two plants’ 17th coordination council meeting so far. Twice a year, managers and employees of the companies’ tech and sales departments meet on the buyer’s and the seller’s premises in turns to talk over the current cooperation issues, look for solutions to key

UrBC, Chelyabinsk, December 4, 2018. The international rating agency Fitch Ratings reconsidered its rating outlook on Chelyabinsk Pipe Rolling Plant (ChelPipe), promoting it from Negative to Stable; the plant’s long-term Issuer Default Rating remains at BB-, ChelPipe’s press service reports. According to Fitch’s report, the rating outlook changed for the better since the company managed to reduce its debt burden and also because the medium-term demand for piping produce is expected to remain stable. The agency also takes into account the plant’s leadership on the pipe produce market, a large

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 4, 2018. Ural Airlines are introducing a new flight from Saint Petersburg to Almaty and bank starting December 24, 2018. Flights U6 2523/2524 will get operated every Monday and Friday. According to the airline’s press service, prices start from RUB 15,678/€206 (one way) and RUB 27,608/€363 (round trip); one piece of luggage, an on-board meal, and all fees are included. ‘The airline is going to start flying its passengers to yet another country this December. Direct flights to Almaty will mean more travel opportunities for both Saint Petersburg-based Russians and

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 4, 2018. Together with the heads of respective ministries and federal constituencies’ governments, Russian Vice Premier Alexei Gordeyev is going to coordinate the process of building up on grain stock to make sure the food prices stay optimal and to contain the bread market fluctuations. According to Kommersant, all orders to this effect will get issued following the recent meeting with the President of Russian Bakers’ Union Valeriy Cheshinsky. The meeting in question dwelled on the ‘ways to provide the Russian grain processing companies with quality bread-grain’

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 3, 2018. MegaFon is now offering a TradeIn option at all of its retail outlets, meaning you can trade your old phone in for a new one. Customers can save up to RUB 40,000 on this deal, MegaFon Ural’s press service says. The offer holds for fifty-eight cities and towns in the Urals. MegaFon accepts more than 460 different Apple, Samsung, Sony, and LG makes. The estimated worth of your old device can be converted into a discount on either a new phone or various accessories, phone settings, or insurance. The new products can be bought on credit or through paying in

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 3, 2018. Federal Grid Company United Energy Systems completed the primary upgrades of its 500-kilowatt Irtysh Power Substation, the key power source for the Tobolsk area, FGC UES Western Siberia’s press service reports. The company engineers replaced all the cross-connect appliances and installed the modern micro-processing protection and automation relays. This is meant to make the power supply to end users in Tyumen Region’s Tobolsk area — large oil and gas and petrochemical companies — even more reliable. The reconstruction is estimated to have required RUB

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 3, 2018. The project for a medical cluster in Yekaterinburg’s District Akademicheskiy is now the focus of both national and international potential investors, RSG-Akademicheskoye’s press service reports. The project was presented at a reputable professional platform within a medical investment forum on November 29. The forum was held at I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University Congress Center in Moscow. The event covered topics like new biotech developments, new clinics and unique technologies, and the use of public-private partnerships to finance

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 3, 2018. ProyekTY, a social skills school in Pervouralsk that was created at ChelPipe Group’s initiative, coordinated the final presentations of the school’s first alumni in the children and teen group, the company’s press service reports. The high school and college students presented twenty business ideas that all had an important social input.Four projects made it to the finals. Presenters in the young adult/adult group are going to defend their projects on December 17; the best proposals will be granted special funding. ProyekTY Social Skills School started