Belarusian Keramin inaugurates new production site

A new site for making sanitary stoneware using chamotte mixtures has been inaugurated by the Belarusian company Keramin, BelTA has learned.

Belarusian Architecture and Construction Minister Ruslan Parkhamovich, Chairman of the Minsk City Executive Committee Vladimir Kukharev, the head of the administration of Minsk’s Oktyabrsky District Gennady Lyubotynsky, and Keramin Director General Dmitry Petrusha took part in the opening ceremony.

Vladimir Kukharev said: “It is a significant event not only for Keramin but also for our city. Keramin is one of the country’s leading manufacturers. It makes the products that people truly need. You don’t rest on your accomplishments. You come up with new ideas that will influence the development of the civil engineering industry by a lot.”

Ruslan Parkhamovich pointed out that the new manufacturing site had been commissioned ahead of Labor Day (1 May). This event marks a new milestone in the history of the enterprise that is one of the industrial giants of Belarus. “The products are in demand. People far outside the country talk about them. You cannot rest on your accomplishments. I hope that in the near future we will continue the realization of ambitious modernization projects in order to confirm our seal of quality and secure a new level of competitive products,” he said.

Keramin Director General Dmitry Petrusha pointed out that the work had not been limited purely to the new manufacturing site. Many technological processes had been changed. “One can say the entire factory has been reconstructed. While the standard construction time was set at six months, we’ve built the facility within 3.5 months,” he noted. The Keramin CEO thanked construction workers for a job well done and thanked the Minsk City Executive Committee and the Architecture and Construction Ministry for support.

The project was implemented within two years – from the idea to the inauguration. It will allow making products that meet modern design trends and preferences of customers. New wash basins will differ significantly from those made out of porcelain mixture. The new ones will have clear-cut geometric forms, sharper angles, and larger sizes.

The output is expected to increase by more than 100,000 wash basins per year. The project will also improve working conditions thanks to the automation of individual manufacturing operations and the creation of high-performance jobs.

The project is part of the government program on innovation-driven development in 2021-2025. Money for the project has been allocated by the innovation fund of the Minsk City Executive Committee and the republican centralized innovation fund. Construction and installation work was funded by Keramin.

Dmitry Petrusha told reporters: “Two years ago we decided that we need to move forward as far as the production of sanitary ceramic goods is concerned. A business plan was prepared. Designing began. The project’s implementation will have a positive impact on the economy of the enterprise, of the city, and of the country as a whole. We focused on automation. The designers were tasked with increasing the level of automation of the existing manufacturing process and they have facilitated the work of about 36 workers so far. We don’t intend to stop at that. We are starting the next investment cycle, which will include the production of ceramic tiles.”

Products made by the new manufacturing site are expected to reach retailers within 2-3 months. Chamotte mixtures are a ceramic material that contains chamotte powder and finely ground fireclay and porcelain clay. Products made out of these materials boast improved physical parameters and sustain less plastic deformation. “Respectively everyone wins. The manufacturer loses less as part of the manufacturing process. The consumer gets smoother products with clear-cut geometric forms. New recipes have been worked out. Only the porcelain mass remains the basic component but it has been adjusted,” Dmitry Petrusha added.

A division of the civil engineering company Minskpromstroy acted as the general contractor. All the engineering services of Keramin were employed in the course of construction, startup, and commissioning.

The technologies the manufacturing site employs will allow using more raw materials and resources of Belarusian make. Output figures will rise gradually. This year the company intends to make 83,000 goods of various configurations and sizes.

“We have already made new goods using the existing equipment. We’ve sold them via the proprietary retail chain on the markets of Russia and Uzbekistan. We’ve received positive feedback. The quality is good. The new products are in demand. People took interest,” Keramin’s Deputy Director General for Economy and Finance Yelena Natalevich said.

The public joint-stock company (OAO) Keramin is one of the largest manufacturers of ceramic tiles, ceramic granite, sanitary stoneware and ceramic bricks in Eastern Europe. The modern and dynamically developing enterprise was founded in 1950 and has been improving its market positions ever since. Keramin went all the way from a simple brick factory to a modern enterprise that utilizes cutting-edge technology and state-of-the-art equipment. OAO Keramin comprises three branches: a ceramic tiles factory, a porcelain factory, and Minsk Ceramic Factory.

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