Factory History

Chopin's factory acts as a contractor for significant state orders: lighting fixtures and decorative elements for the Moscow Kremlin, Winter, Marble, Tsarskoye Selo, and Gatchina Palaces, ceremonial doors of St. Isaac's Cathedral and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Close cooperation with the Imperial Porcelain Factory is established. Chopin actively participates in various domestic and international exhibitions. Thus, in 1862, at the World Exhibition in London, the statue of Catherine II cast by him received a medal for the highest manufacturing technique. Eleven years later, it served as a model for the creation of the monument to the empress, installed in front of the Alexandrinsky Theater in St. Petersburg.

In 1904, the factory became part of the Donetsk-Yuryev Metallurgical Society ("DYUMO"), one of the largest industrial associations of the Russian Empire. By 1909, the technical equipment of the factory reached its pre-revolutionary peak: more than 200 metalworking and nail-making machines, over 70 presses, and 20 rope machines. The factory employed 1,600 people - almost seven times more compared to 1883 (235 people). In 1914, the capitalization of the factory (the value of land, buildings, and equipment) was estimated at 5.5 million rubles.

Despite the visible achievements, the enterprise was not spared from pre-revolutionary unrest. In 1916, workers of the "Wire-Nail" and "Horseshoe-Nail" factories gathered at the Vasileostrovsky Theater and declared an indefinite strike. Through joint efforts, they managed to achieve the fulfillment of a number of demands: the introduction of an eight-hour working day and insurance for disability and old age, the abolition of fines, and an increase in wages.

Two years later, on June 28, 1918, by decree of the Council of People's Commissars, the "St. Petersburg Wire and Nail Factory of L. Bergert" was nationalized and renamed "Krasny Gvozdilshchik" (Red Nail Maker).

Since this factory is one of the factories of the Donetsk-Yuryev Society, which are currently in private leasehold, and there is no possibility of their actual nationalization, the presidium of the collegium of production organization proposes to the Metal Department of the Supreme Council of National Economy to resolve the issue of nationalizing this society on an all-Russian scale.

In the 1920s-30s, a large-scale reconstruction of the factory took place. In a short time, three new shops equipped with modern technology were built: rope, steel wire, and hot rolling shops. The expansion of the product range, the renewal of production capacities, and the development of advanced technologies significantly reduced the need for foreign purchases (or, as it would be expressed today, contributed to import substitution) and were highly appreciated by the country's leadership. On May 22, 1940, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the "Krasny Gvozdilshchik" factory was renamed the "Steel Rolling Wire-Rope Factory named after V.M. Molotov."

Responding to the challenge of the time, the factory promptly began producing products for the needs of the military industry and defense. Being under siege, the enterprise produced parts for communication equipment, submachine guns, grenades, mortars, and tanks. 904 tons of armored cable wire were manufactured for the underwater cable across Lake Ladoga ("Road of Life"). In just eight months of 1942, production volume increased almost 20 times: from 35 tons in May to 649 tons in December.

By the beginning of 1943, 1,115 people worked at the enterprise, with the team consisting of ¾ women.

In the central factory laboratory, vitamin C was produced from needles for the needs of workers and employees (with a total volume of 35,000 liters). A subsidiary farm of 20 hectares was organized in the Toksovo district. In 1943, the factory was awarded an honorary certificate for a high harvest in private and public gardens.

In addition to performing their direct duties in the workshops and production, factory employees actively participated in clearing the city of rubble and destruction, restoring infrastructure and housing.

In 1948, a new stage of factory modernization began. Work was carried out in two directions: updating the capacities of the main and auxiliary workshops and improving working conditions. As a result, by 1958, there was a ninefold increase in production and a sixfold increase in labor productivity. The enterprise began producing a wide range of new products. From raw materials and small parts for clock mechanisms, musical instruments, and razor blades - to cables for the Bratsk and Kuibyshev hydroelectric power stations and profile tapes for metro escalators.

To improve the interaction between the team and the management of the enterprise, annual production and technical conferences were organized.

In 1957, the factory celebrated its centennial anniversary. On July 19 of that year, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, it was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.

According to the decree of the Supreme Council of the National Economy of the RSFSR, a completely new full-cycle metallurgical workshop and a specialized laboratory were built. Their task: the development and production of precision alloys. A trial batch was released in 1965. Over the next few years, streamlined production of about 50 types of products from precision metals was established.

Parallel to this, the factory was gasified, the level of manual labor was significantly reduced, a central laboratory for measuring equipment and a chemical water treatment workshop were opened. In five years, by 1970, the total volume of manufactured products increased from 2 to 429 tons.

After the planned reconstruction and modernization of the precision alloys workshop, its productivity increased by 300%. The factory took a leading position among suppliers to instrument-making enterprises throughout the Soviet Union (40 types of unique products). Its products were purchased by eight countries: Cuba, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Vietnam, Bulgaria, Libya, and Turkey.

The production capacities of the factory made it possible to produce 11 types of metal products from 87 grades of steel according to 82 GOSTs and 200 technical specifications. In absolute figures, this is 116,000 tons, including 46,000 tons of hot-rolled products and 70,000 tons of hardware.

Perestroika, the transition to market relations, global economic and political changes became a serious test for the factory. First of all, this was expressed in a catastrophic drop in demand for the products being produced. But even in the most difficult moments, the enterprise did not stop its activities; production was re-profiled to produce goods in demand at that moment and technically simpler types of products. Work was carried out to optimize, find sales markets, restore old and establish new connections.

OAO "Steel Rolling Factory" celebrates its 150th anniversary and marks the start of a new stage in its history. During the large-scale optimization of production, the enterprise LLC "St. Petersburg Precision Alloys Plant" was formed, which, thanks to a well-built strategy, relying on many years of experience and production traditions, quickly took leading positions in the metallurgical industry and remains to this day the leading enterprise in the country for the production of precision alloys.