Official opening of the OAO “Kirovo-Tschepezki Kirpitschny Zawod” brick factory
On 18 December 2008 the opening of the modern facing brickworks OAO “Kirovo-Tschepezki Kirpitschny Zawod“ took place in Kirovo-Tschepezk, the second largest town in the Kirov area, in the presence of the highest dignitaries in the area.
The senior politicians of the Kirowskaja area, the outgoing Governor Nikolai Ivanowitsch Schaklein and the newly sworn-in Governor Nikita Jurjewitsch Belych, used this state occasion for a first combined appearance in public, much to the delight of the investors and invited guests from home and abroad.
Together with the two Governors, the General Manager of the OOO “Sojuz” Sergej Leonidovic Zykov and the Area Sales Manager of Keller HCW GmbH Torsten Bärtels had the great honour to cut through the “red ribbon”, thereby sealing the opening act. After the official speeches by the Governors, the area government, the investors, the bank and the representatives of all companies significantly involved in this project, the complete brick factory was blessed by the ecclesiastical dignitary.
The OAO “Kirovo-Tschepezki Kirpitschny Zawod” company opened the brick factory at the same location where the first brick factory was built at the beginning of the last century. This state-of-the-art brick factory has been built in a – for Russian standards – record time and within the original contract time schedule. The brick factory will, with its own local raw materials, provide the area itself and the bordering regions with 42.3 million NF units of high quality, aesthetic ceramic bricks per year. From the opening day on, production will be effected according to the motto of the OAO “Kirovo-Tschepezki Kirpitschny Zawod”: “We give shape to the best raw material that was once created by nature”.
In the highly automated plant, besides first-class facing bricks, it also possible to manufacture heat insulating blocks of a convincing quality according to GOST 530-2008 and EN 771-1.
During the construction phase a 12 000 m² large factory hall in a modern design and with optimum utilities as well as the most modern heating and ventilation technology was built – equipped with the most innovative technology “made in Germany”. An innovative and flexible chamber dryer and an ultra-modern energy-saving tunnel kiln with a temporary reduction device (flashing) are in the centre of the production line. A user and maintenance-friendly production line on the green field site has been planned with creative material flow concepts, intelligently combined material preparation and shaping, individually conceived automation, tailor-made machine solutions and robot technology for the feeding and handover as well as the handling between the chamber dryer and tunnel kiln.
With the realization of the brick factory using the latest technology, many new and interesting jobs have been provided for the people in the town and surrounding regions. The training of the specialists took place in Germany and in the brick factory.
Torsten Bärtels
