History
On the 8th of 1958 Council of Ministers of the USSR had accepted resolution about preparation of project for building a factory for production of manganese ferroalloys in Nikopol’. In December, 1961 Council of Ministers of the USSR had approved project decision by special resolution. In the summer of the next year our steppe that remembered Tsar's Scythians and fearless Cossacks of the ataman Ivan Sirko, came back to life and began to breathe...First works were related with building of a plumbing, an overpass and a line of an electricity transmission. General contractor came forward Trust of «Nikopol'stroy». Already by the end of autumn in 1962 areas under building of the first factory objects had marked out. They were a fire station and a pump station.
Work was in full swing at the building: storages, auxiliary objects (a boiler house, compressor station and others) were built. By the end of 1963 an important object (a motorway to Nikopol’ with the overpass bridge above railway) was built. And from next year mills (smelting of flux, electrode mass and a building of van-dumpers) were begun to build.
From the very outset leaders and first organizers of NZF understood that skilled personnel are basis of bases. Therefore at once they began their preparation. Flux-smelters were taught in the city of Zaporozh’ye and the town of Novomoskovsk (at a glass factory), machinists of gas purifiers acquired skill at the Zaporozh’ye Ferroalloy Works. Many specialists arrived from Novokuznetsk, Sverdlovsk, Serov. NZF got many letters from army, navy: youth wrote that term of service would be finishing and tried to recognize about building plant...
Day after day skilled potential was growing on. A factory was to declare high-powered work building, here Komsomol staff active functioned and life was in full swing.
From March, 1964 a foundation pit began to dig under a flux melting mill. This mill had an enormous value for national economy of our country. Before it, output of fluxes realized by handicraft method at shallow glass factories. Fluxes were produced in small portions and low quality. Nikopol's fluxes would be changed radically technology of metal constructions preparation: instead of rivet method of connection quickly and reliably any metal construction was «sewed» together with electric welding.
The first Mill Superintendent was E.Karmanov. He was graduating student of the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys (now - The National University of Science and Technology MISiS, Russia). He was remembered like a competent, serious specialist and a wonderful leader. His assistants (N.Styeblyanko and V.Minov) selected skilled personnel for future production subdivision very assiduously.
The building plant gathered young people, as the way it should be. Certainly experience was not enough so they went to study and prepared for firing of the flux melting mill.
Director of the Plant A.Sukhorukov suggested building of a small stove so to say for training work. S.Kononykhin (Main Mechanic) was charged with this business. And mechanics constructed such stove. It was 20 times less than an ordinary stove. All in it corresponded with reality: a bath gave a tilt and electro-holders moved. But however it did not operate properly. N.Styeblyanko with assistants began to "conjure" with it. In the total the stove came back to life and began to give fluxes by small portions. Twenty-four-hour work was organized at the stove, where smelters mastered process of flux smelting.
The 6th of March, 1966 became the day of a real stove firing. E.Karmanov (Mill Superintendent), I.Sinepol'skiy (Shift Foreman), V.Sivash (Production Foreman), E.Shyshlov (Fore-master of Crew №4), A.Pipa (Senior Smelter), G.Nikiforov and V.Dyemin (Sub-workers), with participation of all staff which laboured at the mill building, gathered at stove № 1. The notch was broke through and the first fiery streams of ANF-6 flux marked of the most powerful European enterprise birth…
Building of Flux Melting Mill was completed by the end of June, 1967. The task of providing of machine-building and pipe plants the welding fluxes of electro-slag remelting decided with the input of complete powers. And already in a year, on the 27th of August, 1968, in the line-up of operating Mill №2 for the production of manganese alloys entered in the line-up of operating units.
The 8th and 9th years of five-year plan were the stormiest, the most productive and eventful in the fate of NZF.
1972 year was rich in labour records. Collective work of stove № 16 in Melting Mill №2 was an especially model. Shift tasks were exceeded 20-25% up on here. And main, here the important terms of labour competition were executed, such as to provide real economy and high quality of products. Crews of Senior Smelters: N.Sidorenko, I.Bas, I.Osokin, A.Tarasov worked at increase of the stove power.
Experience of Nikopol' ferroalloy-smelters became heritage of the country. So, the youth collective of stove №13 was organized in 1972. From 14 members of this collective two had higher education; the rest had middle technical education and studied at the institutes of higher education. Within 1973 year this collective won six times in a labour competition.
Young people succeeded in the competitions of rationalizers. 55 young specialists and workers were implemented 76 rationalization proposals which got a considerable economic effect. There were V.Golyenyev from the Control-measuring Devices and Automation Mill and V.Marchenko from the Repair-building Mill among the leaders of this movement. The young Furnace-man of mill S.Veremeyenko was chose the best in the profession.1974 year. L.Valov and V.Dolgolenko (Senior Smelters), S.Bushtarenko, V.Vertemberg and V.Khomenko (Smelters), Yu.Lisitsa, N.Mosiychuk and I.Sarana (Senior Furnace-men), N.Lobyntsev and Yu.Litvinets (Furnace-men) put out 400 tons of metal over a plan within a year.
1975 year was filled bright events and labour of the formed plant collective. It happened on the eve of Metallurgist Day on July, 18. This day became sign, historical day of production year so the 2th million tons of silicomanganese were smelted. Certainly, the mass meeting was gathered and veterans of Mill № 2, the press were invited. Yu.Scherbak (Mill Superintendent), V.Kanayev (Shift Foreman) and A.Burganov (Senior Smelter) proudly talked about achievements at the mass meeting. The right to let out the 2th million tons of metal was given the best plant collective of stove № 15. V.Emel'yanov (Senior Furnace-man) burned a notch through. Here it is, metal was got by labour of many thousands ferroalloy smelters!..
For Metallurgist Day 12 workers of the plant were decorated with the order of Labour Glory.
In August, 1975 the collective of Mill № 9 fulfilled the five-year plan. Five grades of fluxes were gave the Quality Mark. Project power of workshop was recovered 25% up on and a prime cost of output was cut considerably. Electric power and raw materials were economized by E.Kozhushko, V.Golovanov, V.Lischenko, I.Lyuborets, N.Khitaylov, O.Khusainova, V.Dorokhov, A.Polyevoy, V.Dyemin and others. Producible electro-fluxes AN-45 and AN-47 by this mill allowed to apply more progressive methods of welding in industry of our country and to improve its quality 10-15% up on. The E.Paton Electric Welding Institute which has old and reliable connections with our ferroalloy plan appreciated this achievement highly.
Due to such rapid development of production, growth of economy the income of our plant grew 57 times as much in 1975 as compared with 1970! Mill № 2 was enlarged by the sixteenth stove, sintering mill of two sinter-machines, stove № 1 in Mill № 1 and other important objects were put into operation. These five years at the plant legally were called five-year plan of new technologies, automation and mechanization of labour intensive processes, cutting of production costs. For example, automation of production processes in basic mills allowed to being available about 500 persons.
By the end of 1975 according to results of work our plant was awarded the Rank of Enterprise of High Culture of Production.
The 25th of March, 1976 the plant marked the first anniversary. On that day, 10 years ago, the first queue of Flux Melting Mill of 3 stoves by output of 20 thousand tons of electro-fluxes a year.
Middle of 1970th was time of the production getting up of Flux Melting Mill. 25 grades of fluxes was mastered against 15 according to project, five grades got the Quality Mark. The products of this Mill were supplied to 58 cities of our country and to countries of socialistic concord and row of capitalist countries from 1971.
Time gave records. For 13 quarters of the ninth five-year plan our enterprise was considered a leader in ferro-alloy industry of Soviet Union. Time nominated the new heroes of labour and confirmed professionalism of the recognized technicians. Authority of such leaders grew, as B.Velichko, I.Lyuborets, V.Mangatov, G.Dunayev, V.Skorik.
The veterans of factory such as: A.Pipa, A.Malyava, A.Orlov, V.Rusnakov, L.Khar'kovschenko, were exempl for young people. In those years E.Kozhushko, I.Lyuberets, V.Sirota, N.Zhigamovskiy, V.Kvasnevskiy, S.Rogoza, B.Ftorushyn, I.Osokin and many others became the holders of orders.
On the eve of 1976 stove № 1 was started and stove № 4 began to work already in December. Production potential of the plant grew appreciably, and it was appropriately instrumental in socio-economic growth.
Our enterprise again became millionaire in some years and then the fourth and the fifth million were smelted on the 27th of August, 1978, it was the day of tenth anniversary of workshop № 2. In a 1983 the eleventh million was smelted...
…Very difficult 90th year for our plant would throw production back, would deprive possibilities of receipt of enough raw materials, electric power, would freeze sale of products. Only with advent of new leader, the Director General Vladimir Kutsin, ferroalloy smelters could recover glory of millionaires: in 2004, after 12 years, on the eve of New-Year Holiday, our enterprise would smelt its millionth ton at stove № 14 during a year. People would be glad, congratulate each other and plan new victories the same as in those unforgettable years.
Throughout all years of becoming of ferroalloys plant closely was friends with fundamental science. That is why NZF has the deserved glory of the scientific laboratory of industry. Besides scientists, leaders, technicians-and-engineers and simple workers take active participation in perfection of production. Among workers the every third has the higher or middle special education. There is not such aggregate, knot or mechanism which was not touched by the hand of rationalizer at the plant.
Works of plant scientific and technical elite are known and applied in a production at many enterprises. Here, for example, using of sifting, appearing when crushing of ferroalloys. Before they did not find application, but today even a vent dust goes to the production.
The Director General JSC NZF V.Kutsin is the Candidate of Engineering Sciences, the laureate of Z.Nekrasov Prize. Mr.Kutsin is a person which takes a great interest in technical creation, in every way supports a vital ideas and creation of plant workers. He considers that such not indifferent approach to business both bring in real benefit to economy of the enterprise and is an important educate mean in forming of a labour man.
43-years-old history of JSC NZF is indissolubly related to activity of his Directors: A.Sukhorukov, V.Matyushenko, V.Zubanov, B.Velichko, A.Koval’, the Director General V.Kutsin. These different people which worked at NZF at different time had general character traits: high responsibility for the fulfillment of production plans, concern for the technical re-equipment of our plant and social security of the enterprise employees, development of objects of social and culture mode of life, active participation in life of Nikopol’ and Dnepropetrovsk region.
Main riches of the ferroalloy plant are his people. Here the unique staff is collected from point of professionalism and ability to decide the setting tasks. For more than four decades of historical biography of our enterprise almost three hundred NZF workers were conferred of state awards. There were 13 Candidates of Sciences, 13 Laureates of State Prize, 20 laureates of other prizes worked at the plant.
The plant staff confidently looks forward. Nikopol' ferroalloys smelters are sincerely proud of their enterprise.