"Uralasbest" yesterday and today
Asbestos - one of the major kinds of nonmetallic mineral raw materials. Thanks to its unique properties - high breaking strength, elasticity, spinning qualities, fire resistance, alkali resistance, and also high sorbate, heat-sound-electroinsulatingproperties, a mineral asbestos has found wide application in many industries The nomenclature of industrial products from asbestos in a combination to other materials exceeds three thousand names.
The stages of development of "Uralasbest"
The foundation and development of industrial complex "Uralasbest" and town Asbestos are inseparably linked with the remarkable mineral chrysotile-asbestos which has entitled both our enterprise and the town. The Bazhenovsky deposit of asbestos developed by industrial complex "Uralasbest", is the largest in the world. Its uniqueness consists in huge stocks of ore, and in a wide set of a fibre in length from shares of millimetre to several centimetres.
Industrial working out of a deposit began since 1889. For this period it was developed about 52 million tons of asbestos and it was taken more than 5 billion tons of mountain weight from open-cast mines. Despite so long and intensive operation deposit stocks, thanks to spent prospecting works, have not decreased and will ensure functioning of industrial complex on long prospect.
The history of development of industrial complex "Urakasbest" began on April, 29th, 1918 when asbestos mines have been nationalized by the decision of the Perm provincial council and began to be called as mines. Since 1922, after efoumdation of the state enterprise "Uralasbocombinate", work on a deposit got the planned character, many productions have been mechanized. Same year the concentrating factory №1 was completed and began to work. Restoration of asbestos manufacture on the Bazhenovsky deposit ended by 1928 when the volume of output had exceeded level of 1913 and was 25.4 thousand tons. Start-up in 1930 of the concentrating factory №2 calculated for processing of 2400 tons of ore and manufacture of 100 tons of chrysotile-asbestos a day, allowed to increase volumes of extraction of mountain weight to 1625 thousand tons and to develop 35.1 thousand tons of asbestos.
Search of the technical decisions allowing to use natural resources more effectively was the most typical line of manufacture of 1930th. On mountain works the basic productions are mechanized: drilling, loading, transport; at concentrating factories there is a the process of the creation of the way of dry gravitational enrichment with pneumatic drawing-off of the opened fibres.
In process of perfection of technics and technology of works, and also results of follow-up exploration of deposits, borders of working off of open-cast mines design depth of open-cast mines repeatedly was reconsidered, increased. For industrial complex the 1930-1950th years were marked by effective mechanization and introduction of more perfect systems of working out of a deposit: dredges began to be used more widely for strip and mining works, inclined lifts and cable cranes were liquidated, new roads on boards of an open-cast mine which equipped electrified railway were built. Early 50s volumes of mountain works reached 17.2 million tons, asbestos manufacture - 195 thousand tons, and by 1960 these figures already made 58 million tons and 768 thousand tons respectively.
Before 1969 in manufacture rich ores with the maintenance of chrysotile-asbestos more than 2 % were used only, poor ores were stored in special sailings. With the starting of factory №6 all ores of the confirmed stocks were involved in processing, including poor ores, from special sailings. A new technology of enrichment which allowed to pass to complex use of ores of the Bazhenovsky deposit of chrysotile-asbestos had been developed for the factory. Here the centralized system of pneumotransport and aspiration in a combination to system of clearing of air in bag filters has been introduced for the first time in the domestic asbestos industry It allowed to solve simultaneously problems of clearing of air from a dust and recirculation of air in the enrichment case. Design capacity of new factory on ore processing has made 12 million tons, and on chrysotile-asbestos manufacture - 320 thousand tons a year. On August, 30th, 1969 the factory had been put in operation, and in 1971 was deduced on a designed capacity.
By 1990 the volume of mountain works reached 173 million tons, and manufacture of an asbestos fibres - 1118.7 thousand tons a year. Transition to complex mechanization of explosive works on the basis of application of new generation of water containing explosives (emulsion) became the major action for industrial complex. In 1988 the industrial complex one of the first in the country constructed skilled plant on manufacture emulsion explosive (poremit). Application of poremit allowed to lower expenses for explosive crushing of water-encroached rocks in 3.6 times. Considering results of tests and world experience of application emulsion explosives as the most perspective and more safe, the special factory on manufacture of emulsion poremit was constructed. The manufacture of emulsion poremit and application of new mix-pump trucks allowed completely to mechanise explosive works in career.
In 1996 on industrial complex open-cast mines, for the first time in the country, there was begun the application of new type of industrial explosive - granemit I-50А (structure: 50 % of poremit and 50 % of granulite - igdanite) which is made on a place of hole loading by mix-pump truck MZG-10, designed by Open Society "NIPIgormash". Transition to manufacturing of emulsion on the basis of solutions of the oxidizers which are not containing in the structure expensive chile nitrate, allowed to lower the cost price of emulsion for 27 %.
In 2005 the factory tests began and in 2006 the new charging machine TZSM-11PG designed by joint stock company "Gormash" was introduced. This machine allowed to loads holes by new explosive - granemit I-30A, under the head of water. As now in open-cast mines of industrial complex 95 % of holes are drowned, the introduction of new designed charging machines is a perspective only. Introduction of new techniques of non-electric systems of initiation and new schemes of hole drilling of blocks and communications of an explosive network of holes allowed to operate effectively by flares, to reduce seismic influence by nearby buildings and, as a whole, to improve indicators of drilling-and-blasting works in career.
Since 1993 the difficult period for industrial complex "Uralasbest" has begun. In context of industry reorganisation, volumes of industrial and civil building, building iron were sharply reduced and highways, works on land reclamation have completely stopped, there was a slump in production in mechanical engineering and defensive branches, namely these branches were the basic consumers of production of industrial complex. On the other hand, the antiasbestos campaign developed in the world which had in the basis the economic reasons, has considerably lowered export possibilities of industrial complex. The competition in the international markets of asbestos has become aggravated. Adverse for industrial complex the price policy had led to that deliveries of asbestos for the export hardly covered the manufacture operational expenditure (for export industrial complex delivered more than 50 % of developed chrysotile-asbestos). In these conditions the industrial complex appeared in extremely difficult situation. Volumes of output and accordingly ore extraction were reduced in three times, and volumes of mountain-spadework - more than four times. All this led to sharp increase of the cost price of production.
For stabilisation of the situation the industrial complex management worked up and realized the number of programs, from which by the most essential steels of action for reduction of expenses for manufacture, on improvement of quality and competitiveness of production, and also expansion of assortment and volumes of output of building materials (rubble and sandy-rubble mixes). Mountain works were concentrated to the central, richest site of a deposit, in directions with the minimum factor of stripping. This and many other actions allowed to reduce a share of mountain repartition in production cost price in 1.7 times. The big work has been spent at concentrating factories on improvement of quality of chrysotile-asbestos. For systematic performance of tasks, in 1994 the long-term program on maintenance of release of the competitive production corresponding "to special conditions of delivery to export" was developed. Realisation of these programs allowed to stabilise industrial complex work, and since 1999 the industrial complex works steadily and is break-even.
Today the industrial complex is the world`s largest manufacturer of chrysotile-asbestos, on its share it is necessary about a quarter (24 %) of world production and over 50 % of extraction of chrysotile-asbestos in Russia. Open Society "Uralasbest" includes 15 divisions, including mine group, concentrating factory, enterprise "Promtechvzryv", mechanical-repair factory, the motor transportation enterprise, power management and others. The ten-thousand collective of industrial complex produce 530 thousand tons of chrysotile-asbestos in a year. Open Society "Uralasbest" lets out over 30 stamps of the asbestos, different in the length of a fibre, and also rubble of various fractions, sandy-rubble mixes, building sand, coarse-grained dressing compound for a soft roof and other kinds of production. The developed space of a modern deposit - biggest in Europe: its length of 11.5 km, width of 1.8 km, depth of 310 m.
"Uralasbest" in the present
Today there is, perhaps, no industry and the building industry in which asbestos and asbestos products was not used. Industrial complex "Uralasbest" is the unique enterprise in the CIS, producing full assortment of asbestos in accordance with all-Union State Standard 12871 from zero to seventh group. Each group of asbestos includes from two to seven trademarks. Asbestos of 0, 1, 2 groups is applied in manufacture of asbestos-technical products. Asbestos of 3, 4 groups is used in manufacture of asbestos-cement pipes (pressure head and free-flow), 5 and 6 groups - in manufacture of asbestos-cement building materials (slate, extrusive building products), 6 chamber and 7 groups - in manufacture of heating-isolating materials, plastic etc. On request of consumers, industrial complex may produce special purpose asbestos, and asbestos mixes with the set indicators, also on special conditions, or on the Canadian classification.
Ecology, social development and charity
The great attention at industrial complex is given to ecology questions. In June, 2004 at industrial complex Control systems of environment, according to requirements of International standard ISO 14001 were introduced. Audit have spent certified body Evrosert - Ural Mountains together with the Austrian certified body OQS - a member of international network IQNET. The system was estimated as effective, capable flexibly and operatively to solve questions of preservation of the environment in scales of the enterprise and a city. The industrial complex got the International certificate.
Along with industrial activity, industrial complex "Uralasbest" carries ut a number of measures on social development, improvement of working conditions and rest of workers. At industrial complex the sanatorium-dispensary on 200 places, with swimming pool, a bath-sauna operates. The dispensary has good medical base. Annually the dispensary accepts 14 arrivals, from them three arrivals of parents with children. For 2006 in a dispensary 2219 persons, including 217 pensioners and 267 children have been improved. Annually more than four thousand of workers of the industrial complex have a rest in camps, more than 600 children of workers of industrial complex take rest in children`s camps. For the purpose of creation of system work on improvement of workers of divisions, in 1999 the medical-sanitary part was created. The industrial complex administration gives a great attention to the additional social guarantees, provided by the collective agreementю There are free delivery of workers from a city to a work place, maintenance with fire wood for 50 % of cost, maintenance with a free food of pregnant women, rendering assistance to gardening and garden associations. On development of sports actions in 2006 it is spent 2.6 million roubles. For rendering of the charitable help it is directed over 44 million roubles.
The industrial complex renders material aid to its workers at the first marriage, a birth of the child, on partial compensation of a payment for the maintenance of children in preschool institutions. On these purposes in 2006 it was directed 2.5 million roubles, and material aid for the large families having of three and more children at the rate about 1 million rubbles. Last years industrial complex works stably and steadily, could leave an unprofitableness period.