A EUROPEAN LEVEL ENTERPRISE HAS SET UP IN YARTSEV THE PRODUCTION OF TEMPERED GLASS FOR RUSSIA AND THE EUROPEAN UNION COUNTRIES

The coronavirus pandemic has dealt a powerful blow to both the global economy in general and the Russian economy in particular. The pace of industrial production is falling rapidly, business is bursting at the seams. And, it would seem, there can be no question of opening a new enterprise in such a difficult time. But there are exceptions to any rule, and one of them happened in Yartsevo.

Seven months ago, a new enterprise called Vitrosfera appeared on the industrial map of Yartsev. It is located in the Eastern industrial zone, a hundred meters from the Yartsevsky customs post, in the production building of the former Yartsevsky technological company, which for a long time specialized in the production of automobile piston rings. The address of the new enterprise: 2nd Mashinostroitelnaya street, building 9.

Recently the correspondents of Vesti Privopya met with the commercial director of Vitrosfera LLC Vladimir Dunaev and he agreed to give an exclusive interview.

- Vladimir Sergeevich, why was the choice in favor of Yartsev when choosing a production site?

- Of course, the question of where to locate our company was strategic, and we spent a long time choosing a suitable place. Investors considered several options in different Russian cities. After all, finding something that would satisfy all the requirements is very difficult. When choosing a site for production, it is necessary to take into account the availability of infrastructure that will be needed to support the technological process, that is, is water, electricity, and a system of treatment facilities supplied. In addition, an important point is the availability of access roads, and this should be not only a highway, but also a railway station.

It was in Yartsevo that we found all the necessary components, including the production building, ready to receive equipment.

- Who owns the Vitrosfera enterprise?

- Investors are citizens of Russia, Belarus and Poland. They have almost a quarter of a century of experience in the glass industry and during this period have opened more than one enterprise that successfully operates and specializes in the production of glass for the interior. In Yartsevo, we began to develop another area of the glass industry.

- When did the Vitrosphere division in Yartsev start production?

- We registered on November 7, 2019 as an industrial glass processing and tempering enterprise. Within a few months, the necessary equipment was delivered, installed, mounted and launched. These are automatic lines for glass cutting, edge processing, washing, hole drilling. We have installed a unique hardening furnace that has no analogues in the territory of the Russian Federation. It has a high productivity and allows you to temper up to 4 thousand square meters of glass with a thickness of 4 millimeters per day. For a more accurate perception, these are two heavy-duty trucks of 20 tons each. In addition to high productivity, our furnace allows you to work with glass 3 mm thick, this is its uniqueness. It is known that the thinner the glass, the more difficult it is to temper it. Other manufacturers can only temper glass with a thickness of 5 millimeters (some - 4 mm), but we can even temper the "three".

We released the first batch of products in April this year.

- What does it mean to temper glass, and where is it used?

- Glass tempering is a technology that makes it safe during use. In addition, tempered glass acquires special physical properties. It becomes seven times stronger than ordinary glass. But even if the tempered glass breaks, then according to GOST, the fragments should not exceed 8 millimeters in size. Such small particles will not harm human health.

Tempered glass withstands not only mechanical shock, but also significant temperature changes. Therefore, it is actively used in the construction of residential and industrial buildings, in the glazing of facades of houses, balconies, in the creation of an interior, it is included in the design of stopping pavilions, and is a component product for the furniture industry. There is another important area where tempered glass is used on a large scale. These are the roofs of industrial greenhouses. It is this direction that has now become a priority for us.

Industrial greenhouses began to grow like mushrooms in Europe. The Dutch company "Venlo" became the trendsetter in this area. The area of land plots covered by greenhouses starts from 1 hectare. And to make a roof over such an engineering structure, more than 12 thousand square meters of tempered glass will be required. This is a lot.

- What operations are performed with glass before sending it to the oven?

- Tempered glass cannot be processed. Therefore, we carry out all operations on "raw" glass, which is our raw material. We purchase sheet glass from a Russian manufacturer. We have established good partnerships with the factories of OJSC Saratovstroysteklo (Saratov region), LLC AGC (Moscow region), there are supplies from the Gomel glass plant (Republic of Belarus). First, we cut sheet glass according to the customer's dimensions, process the edges, drill holes if necessary, and only then send the blanks to the furnace.

The hardening technology is simple and complex at the same time. In the oven, the glass must quickly heat up to a certain temperature, and then it must be cooled just as quickly. As a "refrigerator" we use powerful fans of special design. Then the finished product goes to packaging and shipment.

- Are there any problems with implementation?

- There are many orders. Tempered glass for industrial greenhouses with a thickness of both 4 and 3 millimeters is especially in demand. We supply them to Holland, Sweden, Denmark, England and other countries of the European Union. Accordingly, for working with Europe, we have certificates that meet EU requirements.

The Russian market is also within the scope of our interests. We supply glass for industrial greenhouses to Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Smolensk, Moscow and Leningrad regions. We send glass of other types and sizes to our customers in Moscow and St. Petersburg. At present, negotiations are underway with the Yartsevo furniture factory on the supply of glass furniture shelves.

Also, our investors began to develop a new direction, which is associated with the production of triplex. Triplex is a laminated glass in which two or more glasses are glued together with a special polymer film that is capable of holding fragments upon impact. Triplex has a wide range of applications. Windshields of cars, trains, airplanes, glass stairs and floors, shop windows of shopping centers are made of it.

- What are the current production volumes?

- The enterprise produces about two hundred thousand square meters of tempered glass for various purposes and triplex.

- How many residents of Yartsev work at the enterprise?

- Currently we employ about 60 people. But soon the enterprise will expand, and we will need additional workers.

Vitrosphere has a future, which means there will be additional jobs.

Source: http://smi67.ru/