PRESS RELEASE

For the last decade St.Petersburg has regained the status of the regional industrial center and has become the most metal consuming market in the Northwest of Russia. That is why the exhibition gathers the best representatives of metallurgic branch both from Russia and abroad. The year 2004 has continued this tradition and the International Specialized shows “Metallurgy”, “Casting”, “Metalworking” and “Tools” included the largest enterprises of ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, as well as casting, machine engineering and tooling companies. The exhibitions were held in March in Lenexpo Fairgrounds in Gavan, St.Petersburg. These trade events gave all market players the opportunities to establish new business contacts, display production novelties, new technologies and developments, study the competitor environment in the Northwestern region of Russia.

The exhibitions were organized with the support of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Energy, International Metallurgist Union, Russian Casters Association, St.Petersburg Administration, St. Petersburg Union of Manufacturers and Employers.

The official opening ceremony featured the greetings by V.P.Koveshnikov, President of St.Petersburg Union of Manufacturers and Employers, A.I.Kotov, Chief of exhibition and fair department KERPPiT SPb, I.V. Zlunitsin, Director of St.Petersburg branch of Rosbank, A.A.Potapchuk, representative of Byelorussian Ministry of Industry, I.A.Dibrov, President of Russian Casters Association.

The metallurgic exhibitions have been held in St.Petersburg for 5 years and managed to obtain the reputation of the most interesting branch trade show in Russian Northwest. This year the exhibition presented production and services by more than 130 companies from Russia, 10 foreign countries and the CIS.

Metallurgic section included the largest producers of ferrous and non-ferrous metals as Evrazholding, West-Siberian Metallurgic Plant, Novokuznetsky Metallurgic Plant, Nizhnetagilsky Metallurgic Plant, Bogoslovsky Aluminum Plant, Krasny Vyborzhets, Zlatoustovsky Metallurgic Plant, Kolchuginsky Non-ferrous Metals Working and many others.

This year exhibition was especially remarkable for machine engineering section – Kievsky Machine Engineering Concern, Stanko-Balt, Unifos, Kharkovsky Machine Engineering Plant, Remmash SPb. For the first time the exhibition hosted the collective exposition of machine engineers from Byelorussia (VISTAN, VIZAS Plant, Gomelsky Plant of Machine Units, Gomelsky Kirov Machine Building Plant, Grodnensky Plant BELTAPAZ, Minsky Masherov Plant of Automatic Lines, Kirov Plant of Machine Engineering, Molodechnensky Machine Building Plant, Kuzlitmash etc.).

The exhibitions attracted a range of foreign companies that brought the equipment having no analogs in the CIS. Some of their exhibits may serve a precious components to the existing machinery produced in the CIS. Polish companies SECO/WARWICK and ELTERMA S.A. exposed equipment for thermal metal processing, a Norwegian company
ELKEM ACA displayed software and hardware for casting processes. A greatest interest was evoked by the machinery of ROBUR INTERNATIONAL (Italy) and KNOTH wefkeugmaschinen GmBH (Germany).

The exhibitions registered more than 4,500 trade visitors from 46 cities of Russia, the CIS and abroad (Byelorussia, Ukraine, Moldova, Estonia, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Poland, Germany, Italy, Mongolia, Finland, Iran, the USA).

The exhibition was accompanied by intensive business program.

The business program traditionally included the round table “Market of metals in the Northwestern region”. It gathered more than 160 representatives of metal trading and producing enterprises. The round table was opened with the report “Russian metal market on the way of civilized development” by A.G. Romanov, President of Russian Association of Metal Traders. The round table allowed participants receiving complete market information, sharing experience, determining tactic and strategic business objectives.

Due to the first held Business Contact Exchange, the representatives of St. Petersburg industrial enterprises managed to establish live dialog with the exhibitors. The negotiations covered representatives of Russian branch of Swedish concern ALFA LAVAL, Mongol firm ERDENET, Pella-Mash Plant, NIIKI OEP, Zlatoustovsky casting plant “Metaplast”, “Kamet-Tas” firm, as well as the top managers of financial bodies interested in investing to metallurgy, machine engineering and instrument building – VNESHTORGBANK and AKB ROSBANK.

The exhibition presenting the entire cycle of metal production obligatory involves the discussion of industrial cooperation issues and subcontracting based integration. These questions were featured at the seminar “Industrial partnership in metallurgy and metal working” prepared with the support of the Institute of Industrial Subcontracting. The seminar united representatives of St. Petersburg industrial companies and Finnish firms. A special interest was gained by the reports of S.P. Kamenkova, corresponding member of the International Academy of Higher School Sciences, Yaan Mulluluom, Finnish coordinator of TASIS “SUBMET” project, V. Stankovsky, Director General of Patent company “Gorodissky & Partners” etc. The seminar discussed the issues of intellectual property protection while subcontracting and technologies transfer, expert assessment of enterprise investment attractiveness, legal cooperation forms between Russian and foreign entrepreneurs etc. The seminar assisted to meeting between new sub-suppliers and subcontractors and presented the advanced business technologies lowering production costs.

This subject was caught up by the seminar “Means of technical production re-equipment” that allowed its participants exchanging experience in this field.

The business program also included a post exhibition seminar with the visit to the casting plant Sacotec Components Oy (Finland), organized by St. Petersburg office of Finnish-Russian Chamber of Commerce.

The Organizing committee expresses its gratitude to the information sponsors: magazines “Metals and prices”, “Equipment: Market, Offer, Prices”, “National Metallurgy” and the information analytical agency “Metal-courier”.

ORGANIZER:
Scientific industrial exhibitions division
Tel.: +7 (812) 320-8092, 235-8868
Fax: +7 (812)320-8090
E-mail: scipr@restec.ru