At the end of September employees of Petersburg Plant of Precision Alloys took part in a significant industry event — the congress “Course for productivity: personnel, management, growth, strategy.” The event united leading specialists of Russian enterprises for exchanging experience and discussing advanced practices of production optimization. The main goal of the forum was spreading a culture of continuous improvements and raising effectiveness of work processes.
The congress covered a wide range of key questions linked to production activity and personnel management. During the events participants discussed such important topics as:
In addition, within the business program reports by leading lean production experts were delivered. Speakers shared their practical recommendations and told about introduced solutions for improving production processes.
A special place in the congress program was occupied by tours of large production facilities where participants got the opportunity to see real examples of introducing lean production. This made it possible in practice to assess effectiveness of modern approaches to labor organization at Russian enterprises.
The first point of the program was a tour of the Meteor Lift plant, which previously was part of the international corporation Otis Worldwide Corporation. Today this enterprise continues to successfully supply elevators, escalators, and moving walkways to the Russian market. Congress participants became familiar with the company’s production processes and discussed experience of optimizing resources and increasing labor productivity.
The next tour was organized at the Northwestern Directorate of High-Speed Communication of JSC Russian Railways. Here guests became familiar with results of implementing the lean production concept in railway transport. Application of these tools made it possible to substantially reduce operation execution time, raise service quality, and lower costs. The average economic effect from implementing lean projects was 8–9 million rubles annually.
Participants also became familiar with the company’s history and got the opportunity to assess comfort and technological quality of modern railway transportation, having ridden as first-class passengers of the Sapsan high-speed train.
The Thermex plant — the largest Russian manufacturer of water heating equipment — became the third site for visiting. During the tour guests saw the process of turning metal sheets into modern devices that make our life more comfortable. Participants not only observed technological operations but also learned how lean production helps the company reduce product cost and raise its quality.
For our plant introducing lean production has long become an important development direction. Continuous improvements of work processes and reduction of losses help PZPS raise competitiveness on the market while retaining high quality standards. Employees who took part in the congress noted that the knowledge and experience obtained will allow them to adapt best practices to the plant’s needs and more effectively implement new ideas at their own production.
Maria Vladimirovna Kazimirova, HR director: “The Course congress became a unique platform for discussing current questions concerning improvement of production systems. Participation in such a rich event allowed us to broaden our horizons and find new approaches to enterprise development. It was especially pleasant to meet like-minded people, exchange experience, and discuss common tasks in a professional language understandable to all. Such meetings inspire further work and give a powerful charge for future growth.”
Alexander Nikolaevich Vlasenko, production director: “From September 18 to 20, 2024, together with the HR department I took part in the Course congress. We visited five enterprises where lean production principles are actively introduced. Personally I was impressed that the state has begun to pay more attention to development of working professions. For many years it was considered that prestigious specialties are lawyers, economists, and office managers, while production professions remained in the shadow. One thought voiced by a shop manager at one of the plants I remembered especially: “We can live without bloggers, but without welders — no.” Today many enterprises, including PZPS, actively introduce lean production elements including resource accounting, workplace organization, raising productivity, and employee engagement. We saw real examples of how these systems already bring results, which was especially useful for our further development.”
Petersburg Plant of Precision Alloys is open to new partnerships and cooperation. Order products or learn more about production services by contacting us in a way convenient for you. Our specialists will be glad to answer your questions and offer optimal solutions for your business.
