Ust-Kamenogorsk valve plant was awarded a certificate quality by the American Petroleum Institute (APA), which opens to them access to world markets.

-You will not get there in an old cart, N.Greznev, the board chairman of the “Ust-Kamenogorsk valve plant” JSC jokes. –The awarded certificate is not a life-time pass, but a high estimation of quality, the production has to be permanently retooled.

The project on the plant’s capacities’ upgrade and diversification is on the country’s industrialization map. They expect a new state-of-the-art laboratory equipment this September -a processing center from Italy to replace a few machines that saves time and resources, and gives a far better quality of the produce. Another processing center is ordered from Czech Republic, welding machinery is due from Russia. They are confident the hefty investments in retooling - $15mn – will pay off handsomely.

Their customer is the Russian “Transneft” company, other CIS markets; they won a tender on selling valves to the Caspian pipeline consortium. The present target is exit to world markets, and their ISO-9001 quality management system of the year 2000 was certified by a high-rated British Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance.

They have also launched the international ISO-14000 and ISO-18000 international standards in safety rules and labor protection, and ecological safety, although the plant does not pollute the environment.

-You have to look ahead , to the future, to competitive produce not to be ousted out of the market, N.Greznev says.

Victoria Shevchenko

East-Kazakhstan oblast

Photo: Author (the plant is under retooling with production going on)