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The Legislative Duma of Tomsk Oblast
09.07.09 Boris Maltsev, speaker Tomsk Oblast State Duma, visited plants under construction
After small business enterprises Boris Maltsev visited plants under construction in Tomsk Oblast: in Itatka village – particle board mill, in Kopylovo – brick plant.
Particle board mill is at its pre-startup stage; June is scheduled for production startup. However, it is rather troublesome to get to the mill: a poor 15 km road leads to the state-of-the-art manufacturing facility. This road section has been renovated for two years; works are financed from the Tomsk Oblast budget. The first thought that crosses one's mind when trying to reach the future facility surmounting the road bumps – “What a brave-heart should Sergei Kravchenko be – a businessman and Oblast Duma deputy – to launch the “Green Mill” project in such conditions!”
Close proximity to raw materials source together with promises of authorities to help with the road played its role. Besides, a motor road is a social project as well. Itatka is only 60 km from Tomsk but its citizens are virtually divided from the rest of the world.
Comments of Boris Maltsev:
‘It is astonishing how such a ‘monster’ was built in a plain field, better to say – amidst boreal forest, on an uninhabited site. I have many times expressed the idea to build a good-quality motor road, lay a power supply line along Tomsk - Asino railroad branch; and to allocate all this area for up-to-date industrial zone. Quite a number of enterprises can be built here, where people both from Tomsk and Asino can work. The newly built particle board facility “Green Mill” is located nearly in the middle of the specified area. Sergei Kravchenko showed a sound example for all other investors. And the authorities shall support such initiatives. Available railroad together with a good motor road and sufficient power line can, certainly, attract investors to put up their capitals in new enterprises. Particularly, it concerns high value added wood products such as particle board, pulp facilities and plywood mill and lot’s of others.’
‘The second problem which shall be solved with the authorities’ assistance is, surely, to provide living conditions for people who will be working at these enterprises. I think good land plots shall be primarily allocated for construction of private housing. And these plots shall be provided with roads, power, water and gas supply.’
Construction of a new Poroton brick plant by Gazkhimstroy Invest Company astonished the speaker to such extent that the first he said was:
‘It seems to me that I’m not at the brick plant but rather at the missile one.'
Here commissioning is in its full swing. According to Sergei Zvonarev Director General of the enterprise and Oblast Duma deputy, in 2-3 months the first bricks will be manufactured. It will be not only a quantitative leap (60m bricks per year in comparison with 120m bricks produced by all the rest Tomsk Oblast brick manufacturing facilities together) but foremost a revolution in qualitative renovation of construction industry base. Poroton is a brick with heat conductivity twice as less than that of conventional bricks due to more pores in it. Correspondingly – thinner walls, lighter foundations, less piles required. The enterprise will be capable of producing 16 sizes of bricks including quite large ones, which means 2-3 times less cement consumption for construction. In such ratio the labor productivity of masons can be increased as well. Production cost of new bricks will be reduced by 40%.
‘I have never seen such amount of super-equipment, automatics and robots in any other industry’, Boris Maltsev shared his impressions after a tour along the facility. ‘These are state-of-the-art technologies in practice. Special attention is given to raw material preparation. More than half of the plant area, major mechanisms installed for raw material preparation – all this boggles the imagination. And good bricks can be made only of properly prepared raw materials. New construction material will bring construction technology to change. It is a new dawn in construction.’
The speaker’s main conclusion after the visits is as follows:
‘During crisis these enterprises made the longest leap in facility construction. Both facilities are constructed without budget money. The owners constructing these enterprises are both deputies of the Tomsk Oblast State Duma find various ways for financing. And here we speak about billions of rubles! It is admirable that in such period they have not lost their hearts, in less than a year dramatic changes have taken place. For many years I worked in construction but I can't remember such speed of construction.’
‘Certainly, these enterprises will require entirely new manpower, workshop leaders of new level, process engineers, etc. I think that at the initial stage staff problems can occur at both enterprises. Only particle board mill will require 300 employees for continuous work of the enterprise. Highly proficient specialists, qualified operators are required but not workers with spades.’
‘Another question is entering the market with a product. Without demand for the board this mill will close soon. The contracts for supply of particle boards shall be concluded already today. However, I have not seen such, only framework agreements with some customers. And the mill plans to produce 36 000 m3 of particle boards in 2009.’
These two mangers show that even in crisis period there is a way for development. They could postpone their projects and wait out the crisis. However, they acted the way the wise businessmen do – they get over the crises with their both feet on the ground. For us it is a point of honor now – both of district and Oblast authorities – to ensure the startup of these enterprises in order they show their high efficiency and example that Tomsk Oblast is worth investing in.
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