Address by Director General

Dear colleagues!

I am delighted to welcome you at the website of the Shchekinoazot chemical company!

In 2020, our enterprise turned 65, and the chemists of Shchekino are proud of the plant's glorious history!

Each step we take in developing our facilities is a new page in the story of Shchekinoazot's success.

Even when the circumstances were against us and we had to fight hardships and adversity, we kept progressing towards the ambitious goal to become Russia's leader in industrial chemistry. Today, amazingly, we are on the brink of meeting this goal.

With their priceless experience, our predecessors blazed the path we are following to this day and set the ever-so-high benchmark for us.

Many things done here in Shchekino were the country's firsts. In the 1960s, the new economic approach was inaugurated here, aiming to reduce the number of the enterprise's employees (by encouraging them to master several professions, providing high remunerations and introducing new technologies) while increasing its output. It was a truly revolutionary event for the planned economy of the Soviet Union.

Here, at the entrance to the settlement of Pervomayskiy, the first Eternal Flame in the country was started on 9 May 1957, as local chemists, many of them World War II veterans, honoured the memory of their fallen brothers-in-arms. This memory is no less sacred for us, children and grandchildren of the plant's original builders and workers. In 2020, we renovated the memorial as part of the regional Good Deeds programme.

...In the early 2000s, we launched a wide-scale Development Strategy for our plant. Not many years have gone since without commissioning at least one new facility. We have been supplying the market with in-demand products, improving the company's financial stability, widening the environment protection programmes, taking care of the blue-collar man, and helping our district and the Tula Region.

We are working in a troubled but, importantly, very interesting era.

The world around us is developing at an ever-increasing pace. New technology, all-encompassing digitalisation, new forms of professional and personal self-fulfilment and industrial progress — all of these is our current reality, bright, fast-changing and rational.

One needs to follow these trends to take one's rightful place, be successful and stay competitive.

And boy, have we managed to do a lot. These days, Shchekinoazot is a modern, dynamically growing company, and an active participant in the implementation of industrial development programmes in the Tula Region and all of Russia.

Over the last 15 years, we introduced 16 projects with a total investment value of over 1 billion dollars as part of the Development Strategy. Today, our company is at Stage 3 of the Strategy, constructing the Methanol-500, Nitric Acid/Ammonia Nitrate, and Ammonia/Urea facilities.

By 2024, a further investment of over 1 billion dollars will be made in the development of the enterprise and about 700 jobs will be created.

With the launch of the Methanol-500 facility, we plan to be producing over 1.5 million tonnes of methanol yearly, becoming one of the leaders in its output both in Russia and Europe.

Within four years, we are aiming to triple the resin output; by 2030, it should increase sevenfold. This will allow our company to become a steady supplier of resins to domestic industrial partners...

We have equally big plans for the development of the fertiliser market.

Every facility we build employs advanced technology, demanding higher competency from the employees who operate and maintain the equipment.

At the same time, the increase in production capacity and the overarching idea of global well-being have suggested us to invest more and more every year in environment protection programmes, as well as projects to save nature, ensure production safety and mitigate climate risks. All our projects are evaluated for environmental impact.

In this regard, we have also set clear, comprehensive short- and medium-term environmental, social and governance goals, including the participation in a Green Energy programme that involves a fundamental rethinking of energy options and minimising our carbon footprint.

We all need answers to pressing issues such as climate change and resource scarcity. As an innovative company, we take on a special responsibility, as new developments in chemistry will most likely be the key to the right solutions in environmental science and industry.

In addition to concrete practical steps in this direction, we are striving to change the mindset of our staff, and the environment-friendly approach to all areas of life is being introduced. The ability to think environmentally and build biomimicry-based processes is becoming a sought-after skill for engineers and managers in all economic sectors.

At Shchekinoazot, environmental thinking is one of the main requirements for the personnel's skillset.

Our company is proud of its work to implement a wide range of measures to the benefit of the Shchekino District as part of the Yasnaya Polyana Agreement. Speaking of which, the Yasnaya Polyana Museum is turning 100 this year. We have been fruitfully cooperating to implement humanitarian and conservation programmes over a quarter of this period.

...2020 brought about a new challenge: the Covid-19 pandemic. In response to it, unprecedented measures have been introduced across the globe to ensure people's well-being. Russia has been as involved as any country. Many areas of the economy are currently going through difficult times. Shchekinoazot has had its share of trouble Covid-19 entails. We have outlined caring for our personnel and the people's health, as well as helping the region to combat the pandemic, as our primary goals. I dare say that we stood up tall to these challenges. Adverse circumstances did not interrupt the functioning of our facilities or prevent us from fulfilling the social commitments we made.

As always, our people were the driving force behind everything!

As part of our region's industrial development trend, we know full well that the team is the biggest treasure of any enterprise, its sinews, muscle and the most precious resource. The man with his knowledge, competency, skills, outlook, social and business activities and willingness to oversee complicated processes, decisions and mechanisms is the backbone of all creation, including the industrial production — whatever the newest progressive trends or most ambitious goals are.

The high corporate culture we built, as well as our well-advised human resources policy aiming to leverage everyone's creative and industrial potential to the fullest, helped us assemble a team that never shies away from a challenge, however complicated and audacious it may be.

Production is not the only area we have excelled in. No less important are the knowledge and experience we amassed over the years of dedicated work, as well as the confidence we instil in our partners and colleagues!

Everyone who is our customer, supplier, contractor, provides us with scientific and technological insight, helps us implement big projects and apply for state and regional-level support programmes commands our deepest respect and appreciation.

We are grateful to our friends and partners for walking the path of progress side-by-side with us!

...There is still a lot to be done in developing our company and the social sphere.

We welcome those who consider starting their career with us! We will be delighted to have you as part of our team of leaders and professionals dedicated to doing the right thing for the world and the people.

President of Shchekinoazot                     Boris A. Sokol