The results of the work of the industry of the Nizhny Novgorod region in 2022 were summed up at a meeting with the participation of Governor Gleb Nikitin. Metallurgy has become the leader among the manufacturing industries in terms of shipment growth: plus 31% in monetary terms. As Viktor Klochay, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ruspolimet, noted, all the group's enterprises completed last year with growth, while the foundations for sustainable development in the future were created. The heads of the leading enterprises of the region gathered in the stamp hall of the Nizhny Novgorod Fair on March 31. Gleb Nikitin thanked the industrialists for their work in 2022. By joint efforts of the government and business, it was possible to prevent negative consequences in the conditions of external pressure. The industry maintained positive dynamics at the end of the year: physical production volumes increased by 0.1%, shipments in monetary terms - by 12%.

"Of course, this made it possible to prevent the scientific and technological process from stopping at enterprises. They are all developing, and we are confidently looking to the future," the governor said.



The head of the regional Ministry of Industry Maxim Cherkasov introduced the results by industry. Metallurgy has become the leader among the processing industries in terms of shipment growth in monetary terms: plus 31%. The largest Nizhny Novgorod metallurgical enterprises continue investment projects.

"In 2022, Ruspolimet JSC implemented a number of investment projects to create new and modernize existing production facilities with a total investment of more than 1.7 billion rubles, which allowed the company to increase revenue by more than 5 billion rubles in 2022," the minister said.



According to Viktor Klochai, all the group's enterprises completed last year with a positive result. "I am very grateful to the teams of all the enterprises of the group. All, without exception, finished the year with growth, and with growth slightly greater than in the region: Ruspolimet - by 31%, Grankom - by 46%, Drobmash - by 60%, - said the head of the Ruspolimet group Drobmash, according to the industrialist, has serious groundwork in the development of the production of gasostats - aggregates for the production of products from metal powders. This is a new direction for the plant and the most important for the country.

"A lot of work was done last year, which allowed this year, in March, to conduct hydro-tests of a unique unit - a gas station, the 3rd in size in the world. The hydro-tests were successful, and there is confidence that the project has taken place. Today there are already orders for 6-7 gas stations, orders for hydrostats have appeared. This direction is becoming important for the region and for the whole country," Viktor Klochai said.



The head of Ruspolimet added that the group's enterprises also fulfilled their planned plans for the first quarter of the year. "I think we have to cope with the tasks that stand for this year," the industrialist summed up.

On the same day, a meeting of the Council of the Nizhny Novgorod Association of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs was held. The heads of enterprises discussed proposals for new measures to support the industry, which will soon be submitted to the federal level.



Source: Business News 

"Sanctions are not a hindrance."Viktor Klochay about the opening of a unique production and the results of the year.

"The experience of our company's development shows that high-quality and necessary goods are always in demand. And sanctions are not a hindrance to deliveries. So far, there are more and more foreign partners."

The company "Ruspolimet" in early autumn launched in the Nizhny Novgorod region two factories for the production of metal powders and titanium products. What is the significance of new plants for the development of domestic engineering, and where are you planning to deliver innovative products? About this DK.RU Viktor Klochay, Chairman of the Board of Directors of PJSC Ruspolimet, said.

- Viktor Vladimirovich, in September, Grankom, a subsidiary of Ruspolimeta, began pilot testing of a complex for the production of metal powders and granules. What is unique about this project?

— First of all, there are no analogues of such production in our country. Until recently, Russian companies purchased high-quality metal powders abroad. Start of production in Kulebaki can rightly be considered a significant contribution in the Federal program of import substitution.

Secondly, conditions have been created at one site for the production of various grades of steels and alloys, their spraying into powders in order to further obtain already powdered steels and manufacture products from them. Including using additive technologies. We want to change the technological order in the domestic engineering industry.

The total investment in the project amounted to 1.4 billion rubles, of which 750 million rubles in a short time in the form of a loan was allocated by the industrial development Fund. Previously, Grankom specialized in the processing of ligatures, ferroalloys, and the production of products made of refractory materials (molybdenum, vanadium, tungsten, niobium, chromium, and others). Therefore, the project for the production of metal powders at the Ruspolimet site has become a landmark for Russia.

What do you think is the potential of powder metallurgy?

— This technological direction simultaneously solves the problems of efficient production of high-quality progressive products and obtaining materials with new properties.

I will give you one fact-the durability of the blank from the powder is six times higher than usual! Powder metallurgy by reducing the consumption coefficient compared to casting allows you to get many times more durable parts. You can immediately create the desired shape of the workpiece, fill it with powder, bake it in a gas chamber and get a practically finished product with minimal machining. When using powder metallurgy technologies, metal consumption and labor intensity are significantly reduced, and labor productivity is significantly increased.

In addition, this promising niche on the territory of our country is practically free. At the moment, Russia occupies less than 1% of the global production of powders. So we have room to grow!

In addition, our factory uses only advanced developments. This is not water spray, where the melt is dispersed by a high-pressure water flow. We are talking exclusively about elite powders that are obtained by centrifugal spraying, gas atomization in an inert environment. They are used for 3D technologies, isothermal pressing, etc., when a high pressure of up to 2 thousand atmospheres is created in the vacuum chamber for powders at a temperature of 1.5 to 2 thousand degrees.

When will the complex reach its full capacity?

- We plan to start mass production in the fourth quarter of this year. The capacity will allow to produce up to 500 tons of heat — resistant powders annually at one plant, and about 2.5 thousand tons of powders for the production of tool and stainless steel at the second one.

I would like to add that next year a third plant will be launched at the Grankom industrial site, which will produce tool powder. Here there will be two installations for spraying of titanium.

Are there any deliveries abroad?

- Products made of powder steel are widely in demand in mechanical engineering, nuclear power, aviation, oil, gas, and chemical industries. First of all, we are aimed at the domestic consumer. But the company's representative office in Dusseldorf (Germany) has been searching for possible foreign buyers for a long time. These efforts were continued at the international industrial exhibition "Metal-Expo": export agreements were signed for the supply of the first batches to Germany and Japan.

As you can see, high-quality and necessary goods are always in demand. And the sanctions regime is not a hindrance to supplies.

What other deals did Ruspolimet sign at Metal-Expo?

— We discussed the details and signed contracts for the next year with the United engine Corporation, which is our strategic partner. Cooperation continues on our traditional ring road
topics with domestic tool factories.

In September, the vacuum metallurgy plant (VSM) started operating. It is obvious that the production of titanium alloys has received a new impetus for development.

— In cooperation with Ruspolimet, more than 500 types of titanium products will be produced on the same site from ingots produced at ZVM: rings, bars, forgings. We expect to fully switch to our own Titan in the future. This will give us additional competencies, products, and safety tools. Our main goal is to ensure sustainable operation of the company. The certification process is currently underway. For some alloys, it has already been completed.

I think we will finish it completely within a few months.

I note that some of our customers, for example, from the aviation industry, who do not require complex certification, already buy products from our titanium. A major deal is currently being signed to supply titanium to a company that produces products to ensure the safety of people.

At the end of the exhibition, the first contracts were signed with foreign companies. Of course, we are still talking about small trial batches. So far, the volume of titanium supplies abroad is small, but we hope for demand from power engineers and specialists from the aerospace industry. Let me remind you that we signed a new contract at the Le Bourget air show this summer.

The volume of exports in the total sales portfolio reaches 20-22%. The geography of deliveries is quite wide: Canada, EU countries, South-East Asia, including China and South Korea, and the near abroad, mainly,

Belarus. At the end of last year, our sales increased by 1 billion to 12 billion rubles.

Do you expect the same growth this year?

"Yes, about the same. For the first nine months of this year, the company's revenue increased by 33% compared to the same period in 2018 (from 7.2 to 9.5 billion rubles), which was due to an increase in revenue from the sale of hot rolled steel and forged steel. Net profit in January-September increased almost fivefold and amounted to 769 million rubles. We are fully implementing this year's plan in terms of volumes, nomenclature, and financial results. On November 26, the Board of Directors will meet to review the preliminary results of the outgoing year and approve the next year's budget.

Ruspolimet was one of the first companies in the Nizhny Novgorod region to enter the state program "Improving labor productivity". Are there any results on implementing lean manufacturing?

— Yes, the main achievement is that in a year and a half we have reduced the technological production cycle by more than 30%. This allowed us to significantly increase productivity growth. If earlier every month we produced products totaling 750 million rubles, now we have "crossed" the indicator of 1 billion rubles per month. But we are not going to rest on our laurels. In may, the second stage of production optimization and cost reduction began.

How active is your participation in the creation of the Technopark "Mashinostroenie"in the Nizhny Novgorod region?

- The Technopark is being created on the site of our subsidiary "Drobmash", so we take an active part in this project. Its main goals are to improve the investment climate of Vyksa and the quality of its products. It is also intended to help localize the production of components, components, assemblies and components for Drobmash.

We did our part: we helped to carry out communications, repaired and built buildings and structures, and purchased some of the necessary equipment. The next stage begins soon: negotiations with potential residents of the Technopark will begin.

What important events have occurred for Ruspolimet this year? What are your plans for the future?

- In summary, we can highlight several points. First, as already mentioned, we have launched two significant enterprises for the industry. Secondly, we have signed a number of important export contracts that have resulted in new products, niches, and customers. Third, we have implemented a new SAP s/4HANA IT system. On its basis, it is planned to conduct a large-scale digital transformation of the enterprise.

The main task for the next year is to increase sales to 15 billion rubles. I Think we can do it. This will help us with new products in the range. In addition, the modernization of production will continue: we intend to purchase modern equipment in the European Union

Vice-President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, Head of the Ruspolimet Group Viktor Klochai took part in the annual congress of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, which was held on March 16 at the Moscow International House of Music on the Kosmodamianskaya Embankment.

The main topics of the meeting were import substitution and ensuring the technological sovereignty of the country, personnel training, improvement of state support measures for business.

President Vladimir Putin spoke at the congress. The Head of State noted that the country's economy is starting to develop according to a new model. And in the second quarter, GDP growth is expected compared to the level of last year.

"The active, creative position of the RSPP and the business community as a whole is especially in demand now, when the Russian economy is acquiring a fundamentally different quality, starting to develop according to a new model, as was said recently in a message to the Federal Assembly," the president said.

The congress was attended by about 1 thousand delegates - the largest entrepreneurs, representatives of small and medium-sized businesses, members of the government of Russia, heads of ministries and departments.

Source: Business News