Digest (news catalogue of Khimia 2023 exhibition for the period from 02-05.11.2023)

Russian production can cover the missing import volumes

This year, special attention was paid to the stands of Russian producers. And this is understandable. The opportunities created by the departure of some foreign manufacturers have opened up new prospects for production and scientific teams. Business is quickly reorganising and looking for new ways of development. Our participants, Pigment (KRATA®), EMIS and Alvis Scientific and Technical Society, speak about it.

The oldest enterprise of the chemical industry is actively preparing for its anniversary

Pigment is a Russian manufacturer of chemical products known in the market under the KRATA® trademark. The up-to-date assortment combined with an individual approach to each consumer makes the Tambov-based company one of the key players in the Russian chemical industry. Anna Murugova, a specialist at Marketing Department, told about the plans of the enterprise and the novelties brought to the exhibition.

I would like to start by saying that next year our company will have an anniversary – 75 years! Various celebrations will be held to mark the occasion. Conferences are being organised for all trade areas based on Pigment (Tambov). We will invite our partners and customers, talk about our products, and show the city and our enterprise. This programme will be scheduled for the whole year.

KRATA® is a regular exhibitor, what did you bring this year?

We present our main product range and new products at the Khimia exhibition. This year, we launched an alkyd-styrene semi-finished varnish for the production of organic-based paints and varnishes. We also launched a whole series of acrylic binders for printing inks, which are now difficult to import into the country due to sanctions. That is why we decided to launch our products to help the printing industry. We see that our products have already been highly appreciated by specialists from different parts of our country, who came to our stand these days. Among the visitors there were also many representatives of foreign companies: India, China. I can say that the meetings are scheduled for all four days.

How do you assess the new opportunities that have recently emerged?

In terms of import substitution we are growing very actively. KRATA® is the only one in Russia that produces organic pigments. We are also developing redispersible powders based on vinyl acetate, which used to be imported. They are used for the production of construction mixtures. Acrylic binders used to be imported from abroad as well, and imports used to be over 30,000 tonnes, but now it has subsided a lot. We have launched a new line of acrylic dispersions and are planning an expansion so that domestic production can cover the shortfall in imports.

Responding to market challenges, EMIS has increased production volumes

In 2023, EMIS celebrated its 20th anniversary. Today it is a leading Russian instrument-making company with a diverse range of control and measuring instruments and automatics in demand in all industries.

Scientific and technical potential, modern production base and strong engineering centre allowed the company to bring its devices to the world level, successfully competing with leading foreign manufacturers of instrumentation and control systems. Responding to market challenges, the company is increasing the production of its products, fulfilling the import substitution tasks set for the Russian industry.

Svetlana Kostareva, Head of Marketing Department, told about how important participation in trade shows is for a modern enterprise.

Our company specialises in the production of flow meters, pressure sensors, complex metering systems for gas, steam, liquid. At the Khimia exhibition, we present measuring instruments for aggressive media, which measure volumetric and mass flow rates. In general, our products are designed for those enterprises where it is necessary to measure the amount of substance flowing in the pipeline. Our instruments are in demand in the oil and gas, power, food, chemical and petrochemical industries.

It is not your first time at the exhibition, is it? Why did you decide to participate again?

This is not the first time we have taken part in the Khimia exhibition. It is a very effective platform for sharing experience. Our experience of participation in 2019 showed a high interest in our products on the part of chemical industry professionals. Therefore, we decided to remind ourselves again and show new products. Here we met old partners and found new ones.

Representatives of almost all regions of Russia and CIS countries visited our stand during the exhibition.

The exhibition is very important because here you can have a live dialogue, see everything with your own eyes, and test the devices. It is important for us to see the reaction of our partners to our products and get feedback. People come here for a specific solution, and we are happy to offer it. And we are also ready to learn everything that the modern market offers.

New technologies in the synthesis of polymeric materials

Аlvis Scientific and Technical Society (Tula), a specialised producer of caprolon, a wear-resistant construction material, is taking part in the exhibition with the support of the Tula Export Support Centre.

The progressive method of manufacturing caprolon parts developed by Alvis allows to produce high quality products for structural and antifriction purposes.

“Caprolon production belongs to the category of small-scale production,” said Maria Starkova, a researcher of the enterprise, “but it seemed interesting and promising to us. We have been engaged in synthesis of this polymer, its study and development of new grades, as well as search for new technologies for more than 25 years. Caprolon is widely used in machine building, shipbuilding as bearings, gears, bushings, shafts, rollers, etc.

“From what we are offering at this year’s exhibition is an interesting material with magnetic properties. A new syntactic material has been created - a syntactic foam based on caprolon. There is an electrically conductive material that provides stable flow of static charge, it is used in microelectronics, in explosion-proof production. Our sample filled with super-heavy filler aroused great interest among the visitors.

“We can comply with any request, develop polymer compositions with complex properties according to customers’ wishes. The company has also created unique technologies for synthesis of caprolon with improved physical and mechanical properties, with increased impact toughness, with low coefficient of friction (“slippery”), “flexible”, “soft” caprolon, with variable modulus of elasticity along the radius, with antistatic properties.

“Among our regular partners are both large enterprises and private companies. Over the last four years, the volume of gross product has increased 1.3 times. Our customers work all over the country: the Far East, Sakhalin, the Far North and the South. The Khimia exhibition gives us the opportunity to present our products to the widest range of professionals, which is why we are here.”

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