Russia Requires Technical Certification

Alexander Ostashov

Editor”s Note: The following is part of an international exchange of news columns with Fastener & Fixing Europe, Fastener, Fixings & Tools of Russia and FastenerNews.com.

By Alexander Ostashov
Editor, Fastener, Fixings & Tools/Russia

New fastener construction products in Russia must be evaluated for technical capability and receive technical certification from the Russian State Construction Committee.
Only 13 companies including three Russian firms have received the technical certification.
Approved foreign suppliers include Halfen-Deha Vertriebsgesellschaft GmbH of Germany; two rivet makers, Bralo SA and Shanghai FeiIKeSi Maoding Co. of China; and Bravill spol s.r.o of the Czech Republic, Ejot, Fischer, Hilti, KEW, Mungo and Sormat for heat-insulation fasteners or anchors.

Imports Heading to Russian Far East Center-Metiz opened a Shanghai office and is now starting to export Chinese wire products to the Russian Far East market. Previously Center-Metiz imported via St. Petersburg, requiring the cargo to be shipped across the vast country. The route from Shanghai to Khabarovsk is only 1,500 km.
Chinese wire products are being shipped to Center-Metiz Company in Khabarovsk near the Chinese border.
The products will be marketed in Russia under the Center-Metiz name.
Center-Metiz sells about 6,000 tons of steel ropes, fasteners and wire annually. Analysts expect Chinese, Japanese and Korean manufacturers will enter the eastern Russian market when Russia joins the WTO.

Bryansk Expanding Production Bryansk is expanding with a German thread roller and the first main-line diesel locomotive with asynchronous driving gear. The Profiroll thread rolling machine costs 4 million rubles (US$150,000).
The Bryansk plant will invest 1 billion rubles on equipment to increase productivity, replace manpower and improve quality.

Belebeyey Accredited Automotive fastener manufacturer Autonormal Belebeyev completed the first stage of a SAP ERP system. The company is seeking ISO TS 16949 automotive quality accreditation.
The 180,000 sq meter plant in Bashkortostan with 7,000 employees produces 3,500 types of fasteners.
The new system will allow automation from ordering to shipment, financial director Svetlana Skvortzova told Fastener, Fixings & Tools. “With the realization of this project the plant received an integrated information system, ensuring high quality of production and management decisions in real time mode.”

Russian Automaker Looking Elsewhere for Quality AvtoVAZ, builder of Lada cars, is negotiating with foreign fastener suppliers due to the low quality of Russian fasteners.
AvtoVAZ quality director Vladislav Matus said the automaker will continue ordering from the Autonormal Belebeyev plant only “on condition that there are serious quality improvements.”

Bridge Fasteners Selected MMK-Metiz is supplying Magnitogorsk fasteners for the first cable bridge in Russia”s capital. The picturesque bridge of the Moskva River also has a three-story restaurant above the roadway supported by the bridge arches. \ �2006 FastenerNews.com