October 19, 2012. As part of the celebration ceremonies for the 80th anniversary of Voronezhsintezkauchuk, SIBUR launched a new air separation plant for nitrogen and dry compressed air production. The unit was supplied by the US company Air Products, a global leader in air separation equipment manufacturing and on-site supply of industrial gases. The ceremony was attended by First Deputy Governor of the Voronezh region Alexander Gusev, SIBUR’s CEO Dmitry Konov, SIBUR’s Executive Director Vladimir Razumov and the Managing Director of SIBUR’s Synthetic Rubbers Division Mikhail Gordin.

Pursuant to the terms of the agreement between SIBUR and Air Products, the American company installed the equipment at its own expense and guaranteed supply of the required amounts of the industrial gases to Voronezhsintezkauchuk. The Voronezh enterprise, in its turn, built the necessary constructions and communications, offered facilities for lease, and guaranteed regular purchase of the agreed amount of the industrial gases at a specified formula-based price.

The Air Products air separation plant, with the total annual capacity of 166.4 million m3 exceeding Voronezhsintezkauchuk’s current needs, will increase the reliability of the industrial gas supply to the enterprise. The unit is remotely operated from the Czestochowa control centre in Poland, with two Air Products specialists providing on-site support. The air separation plant emits no environmentally unsafe byproducts.

"Outsourcing industrial gas supply will save us the money for upgrading our servicing equipment. It will also help us cut the current operation and maintenance costs, and allocate the released funds to our core operations," noted SIBUR’s CEO Dmitry Konov.

"Building solid and win-win business relationships with Russian companies is indispensable to Air Products’ plans of tapping into the long-term economic growth of the region. On-site plants provide considerable commercial benefits for both the buyer and the seller," commented Robert Mills, General Manager, Russia and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) at Air Products.