In touch with president: how Nizhnekamskneftekhim celebrates professional holiday
Rustam Minnikhanov congratulated the petrochemists via teleconference
President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov participated in the celebration of the Chemist’s Day. The holiday has been celebrated in Nizhnekamsk — the petrochemical capital of Tatarstan — for seven years in a row, however, this year the traditional had to be cancelled. The event took place at Kazanorgsintez PJSC via teleconference. Rustam Minnikhanov thanked workers of the sector for their dedicated labour. Director General of Nizhnekamskneftekhim Ayrat Safin also went online. He stressed that despite objective difficulties, the company kept implementing scheduled investment projects and master new lines of production.
Chemist’s Day during pandemic
The professional holiday of workers of the chemical and petrochemical industry is usually celebrated on May’s last Sunday. Nizhnekamsk has been the centre of the celebration of the Chemist’s Day in the republic for many years. And it isn’t accidental that leading petrochemical enterprises of not only Tatarstan but also the whole country are concentrated precisely here.
This year they had to refuse a large-scale event because of the risk of the coronavirus spread. But this didn’t impede Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov from congratulating all workers of the sector on the professional holiday.
Head of the republic Rustam Minnikhanov addressed the chemists via teleconference from Kazanorgsintez’s central dispatcher’s room. Director General of TAIF JSC Ruslan Shigabutdinov and Senior Adviser to Director General in Development at TAIF JSC Albert Shigabutdinov welcomed Rustam Minnikhanov in the enterprise.
Vice Premier, head of the Tatarstan Minister of Industry and Trade Albert Karimov became the moderator of the meeting. He said that workers of almost 50 chemical and petrochemical enterprises as well as young scientists, students, academia of research and development institutes went online to teleconference with the president.
“It is hard to overestimate the meaning of chemistry for the republic. Last year, enterprises of the chemical sector produced goods for 429 billion rubles. We are still the leading region in chemistry. We produce three-fourths of all tyres, 100% of polycarbonate and already the third type of polymer is processed in the republic,” Karimov said.
He stressed that industrial enterprises of the republic quickly joined the fight against the coronavirus infection. Thanks to them, Tatarstan arranged the production of means of individual protection: medical masks, hazmat suits and antiseptics.
Rustam Minnikhanov gave a high evaluation of the work of Tatarstan petrochemical and chemical enterprises.
“Good afternoon, our veterans, directors of our petrochemical enterprises, employees, students, undergraduates — everybody who is linked with chemistry and petrochemistry. The Republic of Tatarstan is the country’s leading centre of chemistry and petrochemistry. And, of course, the Chemist’s Day is a festive day for us that we have always hosted solemnly. We have found such a good way: the Chemist’s Day has been in Nizhnekamsk. Anyway, Nizhnekamsk is a concentration of our big chemical plants. Unfortunately, the situation with the coronavirus this year has restricted us from hosting such an event. But I sincerely thank you all,” the Tatarstan president claimed.
Director General of Nizhnekamskneftekhim Ayrat Safin, in turn, thanked Rustam Minnikhanov for constant support and trust, especially now — during the world economic crisis.
“The Nizhnekamskneftekhim staff as well as the whole industrial complex welcomes the Chemist’s Day and 1,000th Anniversary of the TASSR in the special conditions of the coronavirus pandemic, which caused the world economic crisis. This has also influenced the operation of our enterprise, there have been problems in sales of some types of products. We are putting all the effort to solve them with your support. Despite the objective difficulties, the company keeps the uninterrupted operation meeting all recommendations of Rospotrebnadzor (Editor’s Note: Russia’s consumer protection watchdog) in meeting the sanitary and epidemiological regime,” Ayrat Safin said.
Nizhnekamskneftekhim helps in fight against COVID-19
The petrochemists help to fight the coronavirus. Its subsidiary Polymatiz increased the production of nonwoven fabric for medical purposes. It launched the production of protective masks in April. Nizhnekamskneftekhim purchased the equipment. The automated line was assembled in the shortest time possible and they were the first Tatarstan to achieve the installed capacity of the installed equipment. Today Nizhnekamskneftekhim's subsidiary is making 70,000 masks a day.
“We provide them not only to the workers of TAIF Group but also employees of urban and republican health care and social establishments who work with a lot of people,” Ayrat Safin emphasised.
The company has been supporting Nizhnekamsk health care since the first days of the pandemic. Safin noted that almost the day before the petrochemists handed over the hospital a big batch of hazmat suits and a B and V class hazardous waste disposal unit. The medics have received over 20,000 masks in total. Health care workers of the hospital for infectious diseases are living in The Youth camp with all conditions created for them. The company began mass production of its disinfectant that was registered according to all rules.
New projects despite economic crisis
But even in the complicated economic conditions, Nizhnekamskneftekhim PJSC is mastering new sought-after lines of production and implementing investment projects. Nowadays it is building a 495 MW power plant. It will generate electrical energy for the company’s own needs. The works are going according to schedule.
Nizhnekamskneftekhim’s another big project is in the final stage — the construction of a divinyl-styrene rubber plant. Start-up and commissioning will begin here soon. The plant will manufacture new generation functionalised butadiene-styrene synthetic rubber, which is needed to make highly effective car tyres.
The construction of the new Ethylene-600 plant continues too. The first lot of large heavy equipment has recently been delivered to the site. It is 37 units of linear transfer line exchanger and six units of steam collectors for pyrolysis furnaces. The equipment has been delivered to Nizhnekamsk by water, on a cargo ship. 90% of all equipment and material has been ordered at the moment.
Company implementing social programmes during pandemic
Nizhnekamskneftekhim continues implementing its social projects. The Museum of Military Fame of Neftekhimik search party opened by the 75th anniversary of the Victory. Most of the exhibits are authentic unique findings that soldiers of Neftekhimik party found during expeditions on cruel battlefields of the Great Patriotic War. A sports venue for archery, crossbow, airguns and interactive weapons. Workers of Nizhnekamskneftekhim, schoolchildren and students will be able to visit it.
The reconstruction of Neftekhimik stadium is coming to an end. It is built by standards of the Russian Football Union. After the works end, the stadium will end the second-level certification of the Russian Football Union. This will enable hosting Russia’s Football National League matches.
In the end, Ayrat Safin asked Rustam Minnikhanov to congratulate the workers of the company on the Chemist’s Day. The Tatarstan president admitted he would be only glad about it.
“I am very thankful to you all because despite the economic difficulties, everything we scheduled is realised. People, professionals are the most important thing here. This is why, dear directors, I want to communicate words of gratitude to all workers who work in the chemical sector, congratulate on the Chemist’s Day and wish that our republic will remain the centre of chemistry. And of course, it is impossible to do this without science, without the university, without the technological university, without institutes, without federal support. But today we fully understand how we should move. This is why I want to wish all health and successes. Many thanks for your labour. Happy holiday!” Rustam Minnikhanov congratulated.
“Most importantly, I wish you, your relatives and family good health”
After the teleconference ended, the holiday went on in the assembly hall of Nizhnekamskneftekhim PJSC where the best employees of the company were traditionally awarded. Equipment repair and maintenance electricians Valery Danilov, Yevgeny Orlov and Vyacheslav Kurochkin received the honourable title Honoured Energy Worker of the Republic of Tatarstan.
Vice chief accountant of Shop 1141 Galnur Khanova became the honoured economist of Tatarstan, instrument technician of Shop 4811 Yury Zaripov and combustion operator of Shop 6704 Vladislav Rodionov became honoured chemists.
“I have been working at Nizhnekamskneftekhim since 1988 as instrument technician. I like the profession I chose very much, and I will be faithful to it. It is linked with precise sciences, measurements. I am a scrupulous person and love precision in all manifestations. It is a pleasant surprise for me because there are a lot of specialists like me, while I was chosen for some unknown reason. I am glad about it, of course, but I won’t say that I am exceptional. NKNK for me is my favourite job, well-being and stability are the consequence of my favourite job. My wife also works at NKNK. We got to know each other in the enterprise,” instrument technician Yury Zaripov shared his impressions.
“I came to NKNK in 1985 as a sixth-grade operator in the surfactant plant, which was under construction. I participated in the assembly, start-up and commissioning and launch of the plant. During this time, I worked as the chief operator in the hundredth section of the reactor block in combustion. My father worked in the chemical factory, and I followed in his footsteps. I worked in the Synthetic Rubber plant in Kazan, while I moved to Nizhnekamsk when a vacancy opened in the enterprise. It was also possible to get a flat here. I have been working in the factory for almost 35 years. All my life has passed here, I have trained ten young specialists. Now the youth are smart, everybody needs an individual approach. Somebody needs a soft approach, somebody needs a hard one. I am surprised at the award and proud that my labour has got such a weighty, high evaluation,” combustion operator Vladislav Rodionov said touchingly.
Vice Director of the department in Shop 1141 Farida Ziangirova was given a 2nd-degree medal For Merits in Development of Fuel and Energy Complex. Over 30 workers of the company received memorable commendations and letters of gratitude.
Addressing the staff, Ayrat Safin thanked every worker of Nizhnekamskneftekhim for loyalty to the profession and dedicated labour.
“This year our professional holiday has coincided with the uneasy times. We are celebrating it during the coronavirus infection pandemic, which caused the world economic crisis. Our company is experiencing economic hardships. But we keep performing the tasks we were set, and each of you has merit in it. I am sure that we will overcome all difficulties with a joint effort. I wish new successes in production and social activity. Most importantly, I wish you, your relatives and family good health, family well-being, stability and happiness. Happy holiday,” Ayrat Safin said solemnly.