OREANDA-NEWS. June 28, 2011. In Uzhevsk, in the Republic of Udmurtia, RUSNANO project company NPC Springs has launched its first line for producing of ultrastrength springs. The manufacturing process employs unique Russian technology. The springs are used in suspension mounts for automobiles and agricultural equipment, railroad cars, energy complexes, and elevator systems.

The project has a total budget of 1.11 billion rubles. Its investors are RUSNANO, IZHMASH, and URALSIB Financial Corporation.

Taking part in commissioning ceremonies for the first production line were Udmurtia Prime Minister Yuriy Pitkevich, RUSNANO CEO Anatoly Chubais, head of URALSIB Financial Corporation’s Private Equity Fund Alexander Rakhlevsky, acting General Director of IZHMASH Maxim Kuzyuk, and General Director of NPC Pruzhina Valimir Kutergin.

The new line for mass production makes it possible to process an additional 3,000 tons of metal per year. Added to earlier small-batch production, capacity at the Izhevsk plant rises to 6,000 tons per year. Recalculating that figure to the ultrastrength springs means that the factory can produce about 266,000 sets of springs for railway cars or two million springs for automotive suspension mounts annually. When the second production line begins operating and facilities for small-batch production are modernized, the company will have capacity to process 9,000 tons of metal per year—three million automotive suspension mounts yearly—enabling it to satisfy nearly all the current demand from Russian automobile manufacturers.

The ultrastrength springs produced in Izhevsk are already being used in energy blocks at hydropower plants, in spring blocks for oil and gas pipelines, and in braking systems for elevators.

“The new plant capacity will enable Pruzhina to increase delivery of ultrastrength springs to the market. Its customers are companies that pay strict attention to the quality of parts. It is extremely important to them that we extend the useful life of the final product. Izhevsk springs have already shown their reliability in armored vehicles where suspension components, because of the armor, experience significant strain. Use of these springs in regular automobiles will add considerably to spring longevity,” RUSNANO Managing Director Konstantin Demetriou explained.

“We are realizing three projects with RUSNANO. All are directed toward modernizing Russia’s economy, particularly in high technology. Our investments to date are around 400 million rubles,” URALSIB’s Alexander Rakhlevsky noted. “Believing in the principle that business has social responsibility, we have chosen to support, foremost, the introduction of leading domestic technologies.”

“Udmurtia even in Soviet times was known as a region with highly developed industry,” said General Director of Pruzhina and First Deputy General Director of IZHMASH Vladimir Kutergin. “It is a reputation we want to maintain and, therefore, introducing innovative solutions in all phases of production is vital. In our case, successful commercialization of promising Russian technology will enable us to speak not only of the appearance of unique manufacturing capabilities in the region but also of the creation of a sizeable economic impact for the entire country as a result of using our products. For example, by using new springs in railway transport, expenditures for exploitation and repair of rolling stock will significantly decline and the volume of cargo carried will increase.”