OREANDA-NEWS. Vyksa Steel Works (JSC VSW, Vyksa, Nizhny Novgorod region, part of CJSC OMK) came in second in the Components for Trains and Infrastructure category in a contest for best quality in railway transport and sophisticated engineering systems. The contest was held by RZD. The award was for the company's new-generation railcar wheels produced from the L-grade steel for passenger cars. The company mastered the production of these wheels only recently.

Railcars of the Federal Passenger Company (Moscow-Vladivostok-Moscow route) were used to test railcar wheels produced from the L grade steel. The test results proved that the use of railcar wheels produced from the L grade steel reduces expenditures for the maintenance of wheel pairs.

The awarding ceremony was held in Moscow on November 22, 2013. Awards were handed out by the President of RZD, Vladimir Yakunin, and Senior Vice-President of Innovation Development, Chief Engineer of RZD, Valentin Gapanovich. The Director of VSW Quality, Andrei Shishov, represented Vyksa Steel Works and received a memorial plaque and diploma from Russian Railways.

In the future, new types of railcar wheels for innovative cargo cars and Lastochka high-speed trains will be produced at VSW.

Mastering and post-sale support of new types of railcar wheels from VSW are done in compliance with the requirements set forth by the IRIS international standard. Managing wheel performance enables the company to improve quality and define the economic efficiency of the use of the wheels produced.

At the request of the Russia's Government, RZD is reducing its expenditures under a price freeze. VSW was among the first who responded to the Russian Railways' appeal to reduce the products' sale price. Since early 2013, the company has reduced the sale price for wheels by 12%. In just November, VSW reduced the prices for wheels for RZD by 4.8%.

“The quality of wheels from OMK was very well reviewed by Russian Railways. Justifying its confidence, the company keeps on improving production technologies and producing new types of railcar wheels for high-speed trains and innovative cargo cars. This became possible largely due to the long-term partnership between RZD and the United Metallurgical Company,” said OMK President Vladimir Markin.