Page 31 - Журнал Sozvezdye Review - «СОЗВЕЗДИЕ» #42

vice the more complex systems. This involves modern-
izing our current facilities and purchasing new equip-
ment – 80% of our profits go to these purposes. Our
customers see these positive changes, many note the
increase in service quality and shorter repair timelines.
All this adds to our good reputation, landing us new
partners in many different regions. As more and more
ship owners re-orient from the European shipyards to-
wards North, we are upgrading our facilities to meet
their demands.
– Who are your customers and partners?
– We are servicing the ships of Kharasaway Logis-
tics, Severneftegazflot, Northern Shipping Company,
Northern River Shipping Company, Bunker Compa-
ny, Trans-Flot, Valkur, Pomor-Service, Khatanga Com-
mercial Sea Port, MRTS, Rosmorport, Marine Rescue
Service. We are the main provider of repairs also to
the Arctic-going coastal fleet. Our cooperation with
the Laya Shipyard enables us to provide repairs also
to fishing boats, and our mobile teams can provide
maintenance at customer’s site. We are an internation-
ally certified maintenance provider and from this year
onwards are licensed to service and repair also naval tor grows in Russia. The Russian fleet is aging: most of
ships. We welcome more cooperation with the defense the ships operating in the White, Barents and Kara Seas Теплоход «М. В. Ломоносов»
procurement sector. For us as a contractor, it is a way are 30 to 40 years old. They need to be replaced or mod- проходит комплексный
to achieve stable profit, higher performance, and bet- ernized for more efficient operation and convenience for ремонт
ter quality to offer to our customers. This is also why crews. The current fleet for operation in the Arctic zone The motor vessel
we are investing a hefty portion of our earnings into should be safer, more energy efficient and multi-func- “M. V. Lomonosov” is under
modernization. tional. One of our recent projects involved engine re- comprehensive repair
placement and class upgrade of a ship that subsequent-
– Can you tell more about your upgrade plans? ly allowed its owner to break into new markets. When
What needs to be done first? it comes to building new Arctic-going ships, we have a
– The first to be upgraded is the machine pool, for number of advantages to offer, one being our geographi-
most of our machine tooling units were made in the So- cal proximity to the Arctic basin.
viet times. With us, modernization is a step-wise pro-
cess to progressively replace the obsolete equipment. – Shipbuilding sector can’t progress without quali-
We are doing it solely with our own funds, so tearing fied professionals. How acute is the staffing problem in
down one workshop and building a new one overnight this industry and how do you handle it?
is certainly not our case. To achieve better streamlined – By maintaining close cooperation with the local
procedures and performance, we have joined the na- schools and the Arkhangelsk Oblast Ministry of Edu-
tional project “Labor Productivity”, where we are pilot- cation. Every year we have student interns and there’s
ing the area of electric motor repair. The plan for now the in-house group of mentors to guide them. We are
is to refurbish our electrical shop. proud to be the place where beginner specialists can get
the skills and knowledge needed for their future jobs.
– AFRMB specializes not only in ship repair, but Work is underway this year to start the in-house train-
also in shipbuilding. Do you have many orders for new ing facility with capacity for training as many as 300
ships? specialists annually in diverse fields. A large joint proj-
– Most of the shipbuilding orders we receive are ect of AFRMB, the government of Arkhangelsk Oblast,
highly localized and include floating bridges, floating and Arkhangelsk Vocational School of Waterways, this
berths, and barges for the domestic customers. In ear- training facility will have ten work stations equipped
lier years, AFRMB had built more than three dozen with latest technologies in the industry including elec-
vessels for customers in the Netherlands, Germany and tric gas welding. Once in place, it will benefit also our
Norway. Those were fishing trawlers, marine pontoons, current employees – they will be able to learn a related
and chemical tanker hulls. We believe our shipbuilding trade and improve their skills. Moreover, it will serious-
expertise will benefit us again as the shipbuilding sec- ly increase the level and the quality of the shipbuilding
and repair training in the area, providing us with a pool
of candidates to propel us to becoming the center of the
«Мы модернизируем цеха, Arctic shipbuilding.
закупаем новую технику, 80%
– Back in the Soviet times AFRMB was one of the
дохода вкладываем в развитие largest local employers. How has your CSR agenda
производственной базы. Наши changed to date?
заказчики видят изменения, – To begin with, the increase in orders has led to the
отмечают улучшение качества increase in the blue collar wages, to a monthly average
of RUB 80,000 to RUB 200,000. High grade specialists
обслуживания» get more than that. We continue to allocate funds to
“This involves modernizing our social needs and we stay in contact with industry vet- SOZVEZDYE #42
current facilities and purchasing erans and residents. Last year we funded major repairs
on the gym in School No. 82 and this year the school
new equipment – 80% of our was able to replace its roofing using our funds. Other судостроение
profits go to these purposes. beneficiaries include a kindergarten, landscaping proj- shipbuilding
Our customers see these positive ects, and sporting facilities – our employees are regular
changes, many note the increase in participants in regional and national volleyball tourna-
ments. Being number one in the industry can no longer
service quality and shorter repair guarantee being a market leader. There has to be this
timelines” special environment that makes a company attractive
to both customers and employees, and we are working 29
to achieve it.