The Obilsky Ceramic Plant is implementing an innovation and investment project on the use of local fuels in brick firing

Obol Ceramic Plant is the flagship of the industry in the Shumilino district of the Vitebsk region and one of the oldest building materials manufacturers in our country. Its history began in 1929. The high quality of Obol bricks was well known at the largest construction sites of the Soviet Union, used in the construction of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, the restoration of the Kremlin Wall, and at many facilities in Belarus.

The main type of product manufactured by the plant is ceramic brick.

Betting on Petroleum Coke

The plant has been continuously developing and modernizing since its inception. From energy-intensive brick production using the dry-pressing method, the enterprise switched to the traditional plastic molding method. Specialists from the Greek company SABO and the Ukrainian company PLINFA built a modern high-quality brick production line in Obol, but also kept the old one, where dry-pressed bricks can be produced. Loading onto drying and kiln cars is fully automated, energy consumption has been halved, and consequently, the cost of production has decreased. And today, the enterprise is undergoing another modernization.

— The largest share (40 percent) in the cost of our products is accounted for by energy costs, — says the first deputy director of the plant, Vasily Serafimovich. — Currently, we use Russian natural gas for firing bricks, but we want to reduce import dependence and switch to local types of fuel. For this, we are modernizing the firing system, after which we will be able to use briquettes and peat. We are betting on petroleum coke, which has a calorific value 2.5 times higher than briquettes. The petroleum coke production complex is scheduled to be launched at OJSC Naftan in 2021. By this time, we will also complete the modernization. 

Production capacities are fully utilized.

Some directions of innovative development are suggested to the plant's specialists by scientists from the Institute of Physics and Technology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and the Vitebsk State Technological University, with whom the organization has long been cooperating. The implemented project is also the result of joint work. Modernization will reduce

to reduce energy costs, which will lead to a further decrease in production costs, an increase in its competitiveness in domestic and foreign markets, and an increase in employee wages.

— In addition, we will be able to get rid of heavy manual labor, which is currently used to unload bricks, stack them on pallets after firing, and pack them. When switching to petroleum coke, a line is provided where robots do all this. Also, according to the project, we will replace the firing trolleys, which do not need to be repaired after each entry into the furnace, — shared Vasily Nikolaevich.

Innovations are being implemented in close cooperation with Belarusian scientists.

Bricks and Blocks

The main type of product manufactured at the plant is ceramic brick, which accounts for about 96 percent of the total production volume. The plant produces eight types of it, two of which received high awards in the autumn.

— Thanks to the use of peat and sawdust as a combustible additive, the block has high frost resistance, strength, and retains heat well. The required ratio of additives to obtainthe best result, found experimentally. This stone was tested at the Research Institute of Building Materials, — explained Vasily Serafimovich.

The production capacities of the enterprise, which employs more than 250 people, are fully utilized. In addition to bricks, the plant produces a mixture for the construction of tennis courts, sports grounds, running tracks, and clay powder, which allows for high-quality masonry of stoves, fireplaces, and chimneys.

— Perhaps only in our workshop will we never abandon manual labor, because zHere craftswomen create exclusive souvenir ceramic products. Innovations are possible only in the creators' ideas, — noted the head of the ceramics department, Alexander Zakharenko. — We produce souvenir products both for sale in the company store and for custom orders. Recently, we started cooperating with an online store and an entrepreneur from Vitebsk.

Modernization of production will allow us to move away from manual labor as much as possible.

Financial Recovery

For many years, the plant was in a difficult economic situation. But thanks to state support, the enterprise managed to get a deferral of debt for fuel and energy resources, which significantly improved all indicators and by 2019 it reached a net profit. In 2020, it also has a profit, as well as profit from sales, including due to exports, which increased by 1.5 times compared to last year. The volume of product supplies to Ukraine has doubled, but the largest part of exports goes to the Russian Federation.

— It is very difficult for us to compete with Russian enterprises, as the price of gas for them is lower. Once, the share of exports to Russia was 90 percent, now it has decreased by half. We have our own railway line and a favorable logistics route to Kaliningrad. This region is our main export partner. The rest of the products go to construction enterprises in Belarus, the main consumer is the Vitebsk region, — said Vasily Serafimovich.

Craftswomen making exclusive souvenir products.

Despite the difficulties in the global economy, the enterprise is seeking reserves and annually increasing production volume in both physical and value terms.

— Last year, with a design capacity of 30 million bricks, we produced more than 33.6 million. In ten months of the current year, the volume of products manufactured is 106.3 percent of the level of the same period last year, and shipped - 123 percent. We have cleared the warehouses, — confirmed the words with figures the deputy director of the plant for economics Anastasia Mulkova.

The Obol Ceramic Plant is confident that an innovative approach and modernization of production will allow the enterprise to reach a new level of development.

 

"SB".