OREANDA-NEWS. A joint meeting of representatives from Rosatom State Nuclear Corporation, ARMZ Uranium Holding Co. and companies operated by the Holding was held. The meeting was devoted to discussion of the main results of the Rosatom Production System (RPS) implementation at ARMZ facilities in 2013.

It included the participation of Vladimir Verkhovtsev, Director General of JSC Atomredmetzoloto; Igor Zhilkin, First Deputy Director General – Chief Operating Officer of JSC Atomredmetzoloto; Aleksandr Kosarev, Director for Operation Efficiency and Implementation of Rosatom Production System; Sergey Obozov, Director for Implementation of Rosatom Production System, State Corporation Rosatom; as well as heads of ARMZ key production assets – JSC PIMCU, JSC Khiagda and JSC Dalur.

Sergey Shurygin, Director General of JSC PIMCU, noted that a pilot project under the Rosatom Production System programme was launched at one of the sites of the Shaft-Sinking Department in 2013 to organize high-speed sinking at the 6th level of Mine No. 8. The primary aim of this project – breasting 160 linear metres by the drifting method – was fulfilled ahead of schedule. As a result, in 2013, an average sinking speed at the Shaft-Sinking Department exceeded 70 linear metres, while in 2012 it was no more than 48 linear metres. In future, it is planned to apply the successful experience, which has been gained in the course of the project execution, during organization of shaft-sinking activities at Mine No. 1.

Among the main achievements attained in 2013 through the Rosatom Production System implementation, Sergey Shurygin also mentioned increasing drift advance by 5 centimetres at the Gluboky Mine, as well as fulfilling a project to optimize logistics at the Urtuiskoye open cast mining office, which allowed to increase vehicle loading from 25 to 32 tons, cut expenses for petroleum, oil and lubricants and reduce necessary fleet engaged in the operations.
In January 2013, under the Rosatom Production System programme, JSC Khiagda launched two projects targeted at Improving Warehouse Management at the Central Supply Base and Organizing Rejection System and Shipping Packaging Set Preparation. According to Aleksey Dementiev, JSC Khiagda Director General, within the first project, considerable premises were cleaned and equipped in compliance with requirements of the Rosatom Production System, and also inventory reception and handover procedures were standardized. Execution of the second project was motivated by complaints from product consumers. Aleksey Dementiev noted that under this project all revealed deficiencies were rectified, with no new remarks having been made until now.

As a result of the Rosatom Production System implementation at JSC Khiagda, six operations were standardized, storage areas were reduced and two office processes were optimized by year-end 2013. In the first quarter of 2014, the company plans to fulfil a project on optimization of process operations associated with dismantling and installation of electric pump units on well sites, Aleksey Dementiev said.

Nikolay Poponin, Director General of JSC Dalur, reported that three projects aimed at standardization of work processes were implemented at the facility in 2013 as part of the Rosatom Production System programme. One of the most large-scale of these projects was standardization of sulfuric acid reception procedure, which enabled a significant optimization of the entire facility’s operation. All the projects achieved stated objectives and have been completed so far. According to Nikolay Poponin, in 2014, JSC Dalur will continue working at process standardization and plans to undertake three new projects.

Summarizing the meeting results, Vladimir Verkhovtsev emphasized that within the framework of the Rosatom Production System implementation, companies operated by ARMZ Uranium Holding Co. managed to attain significant improvements in 2013, therefore, many of these successful pilot projects may be repeated at the majority of subsidiaries in 2014. The Director General of JSC Atomredmetzoloto also highlighted that priority attention during the RPS projects’ fulfilment must be paid to occupational health and industrial safety. “Safety comes before all else. In the “race for metres” we first of all must care for people; results should not be achieved at the cost of our employees’ health,” noted Vladimir Verkhovtsev.

Sergey Obozov, in his turn, stressed the need for organizing systematized work with stocks at the facilities of ARMZ Uranium Holding Co. in 2014. For learning from good practices, he suggested that ARMZ professionals visit one of State Corporation Rosatom’s nine operating nuclear power stations, which in the current year has shifted to a practice of concluding year-round contracts for delivery of small bulks depending on consumption rates. “This enabled us to halve the stocks for 10–15 positions at all NPPs, whereas for certain positions they were decreased by four and five times,” pointed out Sergey Obozov.