In Miory, they are starting to run in the equipment of a unique metal rolling plant
Miory. A Look into the Future
Three years ago, the first pile of the future rolled metal plant was driven into the ground on the outskirts of the small district center of Miory in the Vitebsk region. The construction of the enterprise is carried out in accordance with the State Program of Innovative Development of Belarus for 2016-2020 and the Decree of the Head of State of June 9, 2014 No. 271. The main investor is the Austrian company MMPZ-Group LLC. The investment volume is about 300 million euros. In August last year, during a visit to the Miory district, Alexander Lukashenko met with the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company, Alexey Kovalenok. The discussion then turned to the construction of a high-tech cardiology center in the city in addition to the plant, according to German standards and with the involvement of foreign investment. The President then emphasized that the services of the future medical institution should be balanced, and assistance should be accessible to all. "If we treat people who cannot pay, we will pay for them," added the Head of State. At the plant itself, the equipment is now being run in. The cold rolling mill, one of the most important lines in the complex technological process, will be the first to undergo testing.First to Start
Huge buildings in white, cornflower blue, and light blue colors and tall lighting masts. In the evenings, they say, the outskirts of Miory shimmer with colors like a flying saucer. The scale is truly cosmic. An administrative building of unusual architecture made of glass and concrete has already been erected. Builders are still working at full swing here, but a workshop with an area of 40 thousand square meters is almost ready. The main technological equipment, manufactured to special order for metallurgists, was brought here from Germany; the supplier is SMS group GmbH. Auxiliary equipment was delivered from its branches in different countries and from other firms. For example, a slitting line arrived from Spain, compressors and a water treatment station were received from Germany.
The General Director of the Miory Rolling Mill LLC "MNPZ-Group", Petr Shimukovich, leads us through the enterprise. Inside, it already looks quite lived-in, although in some places the equipment is still covered with film to prevent dust contamination. Petr Nikolaevich shows:
— This is the cold rolling mill. It will be the first to start, and it will take six weeks to test the equipment in operation. In February, we will begin working with metal and feed the line with raw material — hot-rolled coil with a thickness of 4 mm. There, its thickness will be reduced to 0.2 mm. Then it will go to this huge line, where it will be cleaned of contaminants. Yes, yes, the metal is thoroughly washed without fail. Then bell annealing furnaces. They will start operating in March. The installation of the rolling and dressing mill (where the metal will "learn" to become elastic) is now being completed. The final stage is the electrolytic tinning line. That's it. We expect to receive the first sheet of tinplate at the end of May next year. This will mean the launch of the enterprise.
So, at the input, there is a sheet of thick tinplate as raw material. At the output, there is tinplate with a thickness of 0.1 millimeters and above, depending on customer orders, coated with a layer of tin and suitable for the production of all kinds of packaging for the canning, perfumery, cosmetic, and other industries.
During the construction of the plant, about 30 thousand cubic meters of soil were removed from the site
Demand is only growing
The construction of the Miory Metal Rolling Plant was carried out in parallel with the design. The latest technologies and developments were used, and a unique set of equipment was assembled. The project is practically exclusive. Much attention has been paid to ecology. The enterprise is completely autonomous. And quite energy-intensive: the power consumption is 45 MW. In an hour, the production will use up to 9.3 thousand cubic meters of gas.
The new metal rolling plant is the only one of its kind not only in Belarus but also in the post-Soviet space. Magnitogorsk also produces tinplate, but it has its own specifics. The same applies to the enterprise in Slovakia. The Miory plant's capacity is 240 thousand tons of tinplate per year. And the domestic market's needs are about 30 thousand tons. So, the plant workers will be able to export 210 thousand tons. The main target markets have already been determined.
A historic moment – plant workers, electric welder Dmitry Demidov, fitter Mikhail Kovalsky, and General Director Petr Shimukovich are preparing for the first run-in of the unique equipment.
It took more than five years to implement the idea. Has the project lost its relevance? How in demand is tin packaging now? Petr Shimukovich suggests looking at the latest world news: dozens of progressive countries are protesting against the use of plastic packaging, which can lie in the ground and at the bottom of the sea for centuries. Tin is different. It will either turn into harmless waste or be recycled. So, the popularity of this type of packaging material is only growing.
Currently, in addition to half a thousand representatives of contractors, over 300 MMPZ staff members are already working at the enterprise. The number of permanent employees will soon double.
— We hire residents from both Miory and neighboring districts, — notes Petr Nikolaevich. — They undergo training in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, and Russia. They receive relevant certificates, and the manufacturing companies officially allow them to operate their equipment. By the way, our specialists are already winning professional competitions.
Indeed, surprisingly, the Miory metallurgists, who are not yet known to anyone, are showing their class. The plant has not been launched, there is no production, but there are winners. Twenty-seven-year-old Arkady Ralovets is a lawyer by education. He retrained as a cold rolling mill operator in the capital of Russian metallurgy — Magnitogorsk. Together with his friend and countryman Evgeny Zhvirblya, while attending a two-month course, they participated in a professional skills competition held among the workers of the Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works. As a result, our guys were recognized as the best operators of the cold rolling mill control post. Arkady took first place, and Evgeny took second place, surprising the Russians who have solid practical experience.
Hopes of the Region
The Chairman of the Miory District Executive Committee, Igor Kuznetsov, does not hide: the small district has very high hopes for the new plant. Over the past 20 years, the population has decreased by 10,000. It is impossible to solve the demographic problem without a powerful impetus.
— Last year, we had rwas born 176 babies, and more than 400 citizens died. Every second or third resident of the district is of retirement age. And a modern metal rolling plant employs 650 people. Plus another 550 people are employees of the future cardiology center, which foreign investors plan to build for their enterprise. Calculate the average family size – already a more than serious increase. The cardiology center will need a rehabilitation base – a sanatorium unit will appear on the shore of Lake Obsterne. And this also means new jobs.
We continue our conversation with the head of the district during a short tour of the city.
— Here, — says Igor Kuznetsov, — is where the site for the German cardiology center has been designated. It will have its own helipad and helicopter. It will be needed to transport patients from other places: an agreement has been concluded with the investors that this clinic will undertake the free servicing of residents of five adjacent districts. In addition, special offices will be equipped in each district hospital, where representatives of the cardiology center will work.
Next is residential development. Taking into account the new plant, the district's boundaries were recently expanded by 90 hectares. About 20 of them were allocated for the construction of departmental housing for metallurgists. This is in addition to the fact that a beautiful microdistrict of two-story houses has already been built in the city – about 50 families of plant workers live here, and a 40-apartment multi-story building has also been laid by the plant. About 20 million euros will be invested by investors in the construction of housing for the cardiology center employees. The chairman of the district executive committee notes:
— We are ready to do everything possible to make it comfortable for newcomers in their new place. We have offered the enterprise to allocate land for a new cottage street as well – we will gladly put Metallurgicheskaya on the map. A kindergarten for 200 places has already been designed. The construction of a new district polyclinic will begin soon. Our interest is quite understandable: as soon as the plant reaches its design capacity, the district's income from tax payments will increase by 50 percent. And this is a guarantee of stable development for decades to come.