The innovative plant, built by Yekaterinburg businessman Alexei Goncharov together with the state corporation Rosnano, was raised to the banner of nanotechnology even under President Medvedev. In 2011, Dmitry Anatolyevich personally, and Rusnano at the Ural enterprise, sharpened to produce packaging according to international standards.
It was reported, in particular, that Uralplastic N produces nanocomposite-reinforced polymers suitable for packaging everything in the world: from milk to explosives. Their production was set up at the industrial site in Aramil, where, in the name of innovation, the Uralplastic plant (then still without the prefix "H"). Investments in the project amounted to more than 2 billion rubles. About half was contributed by Rosnano.
In 2012, the company started working at full capacity. And that's it. Silence. Journalists were not allowed into the plant. And the senior shareholder of Uralplastic N, Mr. Goncharov, refused detailed interviews and, in general, protected the technology in every possible way. And only now he let us into the workshops, agreed to answer all the questions.
You built and launched Uralplastic in strict secrecy: you refused interviews and did not disclose details. What for? To prevent the technology from being stolen?
- Certainly. There are a lot of people around who don’t want to invent anything, but just pull up with a neighbor. In order to prevent this, we seriously hid the developments. And even today I will not show you everything. I won't let them into the main workshop - where all the innovations and nanotechnologies are. Because competitors do not sleep. But, it should be noted, in the end we realized only ten percent of what was planned.
- Why?
- I'll explain now. When, for example, in a Western country, the state plans to support a new high-tech project, it is ready to wait 9-10 years for payback. Minimum. In general, it is ready to wait 20-30 years. In Russia, it's not like that. Returns are expected immediately. Did you build a factory? Well done! Come on profit. And the money that our state pumps into venture funds is very expensive: they are given at 15% per annum. That is, the plant should work like a supermarket. For innovation, for development - zero time, zero money.
And an innovative enterprise is not a supermarket. You understand, know-how in the laboratory and know-how in industry are two different things. You cannot immediately replicate what you created in a test tube in production. Therefore, as a rule, of all their developments, scientific institutions put into practice, God forbid, 1-2%. And everything else remains on the tables, in laboratories, in test tubes.
- What is your know-how?
- The know-how is that our film gives the packaging high-barrier properties. This is a complete protection of the product from the penetration of oxygen. Like foil. But packaging with foil is, firstly, expensive. And secondly, you can't dispose of it later. Have you seen an ordinary juice box, for example? There, after all, several layers of different materials are glued together: paper, foil, and film. How can I send it for recycling? No way. And this is already ecological littering of the territory.
- And you made films that allow you to do without foil?
- Yes. Now there is such a global trend: to preserve butter, meat, sausages, fish, ready-made semi-finished products, foil is no longer used. Film is preferred.
- Who are your clients? Hit us with some global brands.
- Easily! We work with Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, Henkel… yes, we work with everyone! We have 300 clients. You can't list everyone.
- And what is "nano"?
- I'll try to explain roughly, for the layman. The polymer is a kind of perforated structure through which, in fact, fats, oxygen, carbon dioxide and so on penetrate. And in order for this polymer to become like a foil, not to let anything through, these spaces need to be filled with something. We take the so-called nanofillers - such a very fine powder. And we “hammer” it into the polymer using special equipment. As a result, we obtain a film with the lowest possible gas permeability and maximum resistance to fats.
- That is, the main innovation is this same filler, filler?
- Yes. Quite right.
- Did you invent it?
We didn't invent it. It was invented before us. It so happened that innovations in petrochemistry originate mainly in America. The "trendsetters" of the industry are there. I don't know why it happened. Apparently, they managed to create conditions in which a person thinks better.
In addition, there each inventor has a lot of potential consumers, great amount medium and small companies, which, unlike giant monsters, are ready to quickly introduce new products. It's like a cat and an elephant. You kick a cat in the ass - he will immediately run quickly, quickly. And try the stump of an elephant. You still have to reach there.
Because inventors need such small cats. And in America there are many of them: an artisan sits around every corner and makes something. Unfortunately, we are not.
In general, we took a foreign development. But they planned to develop it further. According to the project, there were supposed to be large mills here, in which we would bring the raw materials to a certain dispersion, in the same mills they would grind them into polymers, and then further on there would be extrusion and so on and so forth.
We couldn't finance it. There was no more money for this. It's a pity. This is science of a higher class. But, I repeat, the state is not ready to invest in "long projects".
- You launched the project together with Rosnano...
- Yes. They gave us very expensive money. Their approach is this: entered the business - immediately jump out. But this is not how a startup should work, designed to create new industries and markets. No one thinks that the market needs to be developed, it needs to be formed, the company needs to be shaken up, the staff needs to be trained, after all.
- Do they work like a regular bank?
- As an investment fund. The only difference is that they specialize in the development of nanotechnology projects. They gave us 500 million. In return, they took 48% in the company. And I became the majority shareholder.
- And you built the plant with this money?
- Of course not. I have invested a lot of my own money. Huge amount of money.
- How will you give the state its money? They are waiting for something from you.
- Their interest is in the sale of their block of shares. In going out of business.
Did you count on the fact that there will be additional funding? Did you think that you would continue together, develop production further?
- I was counting on more investments in science and on a more fundamental development of this area, on support from the point of view of taxation, some additional protective sanctions against our Western competitors.
- Well, since your shareholder is the state, it should be interested in this.
- Well, of course! And all Rosnano's partners expect such lobbying from the state.
- You had a plan to build several more factories of the same kind in Russia. So?
- Not everywhere. And not right away. The task was to develop the enterprise here and use it as a scientific base. Create materials that can be replicated. And then certain types of production will be singled out and put in other geographical points - closer to the consumer. Including start expansion abroad.
- And now what? Did the plan fail?
- Well, let's put it this way, this whole plan costs more than three kopecks. We need absolutely different money, absolutely different support from the state. And a completely different approach of our partner. The case, as always, is very good, very well conceived. But initially, apparently, we were not fully aware of where we are and where our country is in relation to the world. Technologically, infrastructurally, from the point of view of consumers - and so on. Because apart from the country - just by taking nanotechnology and creating a product, you will not achieve anything. Who will buy something? Who needs it? Who is interested in this?
It turned out that today there are very few local companies interested in buying our products. Just a tiny amount. And our main market is held by multinational, transnational companies.
- That is, you curtailed the expansion, because there is no sales ...
- Not only. Curtailed because the country should have long cheap money and tax breaks for Russian enterprises ready to develop. I'm not talking about myself anymore. After all, my customers also need to grow technically. After all, they are in the same conditions: they bought some kind of machine and sit and wait until it works out or does not work out the invested funds. Many businessmen get tired of this: from constant stress, risk, from the pressure of bank interest, tax audits, etc.
But you work with multinational companies. Why are you so in dire need of orders from a Russian manufacturer if you are already supplying your products to global giants? Are there not enough volumes?
- It's not about volumes, but about guarantees of stability. Any international company has a historical homeland. And she will always help her local manufacturer - our competitor. It is they who squeeze us out: they lower prices to the maximum. And they are ready to give orders to their own counterparty and pay 30–40% more for them than we do. Why? Because he is his. Because it is an investment in the economy of the native country. And it is right. Money is for the family.
You had every chance to become a flagship entrepreneur who, with the help of Rosnano, made a high-tech product in a revealing way. Why weren't you raised to the banners?
- Why did Timur Goryaev sell Kalina and leave? Maybe because no one came to him from above and said: “Timur, let's build your Kalina on a national scale. What do you need for this?"
- Dmitry Medvedev opened your plant, and the project grew under the auspices of Anatoly Chubais ...
- So Anatoly Borisovich has a lot of people like me. He is a global person. Global strategic. He thinks not by a specific enterprise, but by the industry as a whole. I can't answer for him. He sees better.
But he needs to be held accountable! “We have built 25 enterprises this year. Those are so cool. Look: Uralplastic, for example.
- And then what to do with this "Uralplastic"? You see, the fact is that if Uralplastic is to be brought to perfection, we must move on. We need to look for some reserves, resources, so that the enterprise has the opportunity to accumulate fat, develop, and invest in science as it should be. These are all fundamental enough things. It does not happen from scratch - once and as desired.
- So, soon to London?
- What am I going to do in this London of yours?
- And here what?
- We are now developing a different direction. We recently built a foamed materials plant in Kaluga. This is noise, heat insulation, packaging is different. We pack LG, Samsung, Hewlett-Packard, our material goes to the conveyor.
- Did you build it with your own money?
- No, together with a venture fund. They are understandable partners. They invested money, got a controlling stake in the company.
- But VTB is certainly an ordinary bank.
- Not a bank, but a direct investment fund. He does not lobby at the state level. And I don't expect that from him.
- And what do you not like?
- Is there something that doesn't suit me? Everything suits me.
How to make the thinnest film even thinner, but at the same time stronger and cheaper? How to make money on this and how it works, says Alexey Goncharov, head of the Uralplastic enterprise.
HOST: What is the secret to success in an innovative business? Our program is about people who know the exact answer to this question. Together with them, we will try to develop the ideal business formula. Today we will meet a person who knows how to make an already thin film even thinner. At the same time, it becomes stronger, cheaper, and most importantly, the products in it are stored much longer even without the addition of preservatives. How it works and how to make money on it - we learn from Alexey Goncharov - the head of the Uralplastic enterprise.
CORR.: The brand "Uralplastic" thundered throughout the country back in the Soviet years. The enterprise in Yekaterinburg first produced plastics for the defense industry, and then polyethylene and polyamide films. But by the beginning of the second millennium, the company was unable to reorganize itself on the rails of market relations - it got into debt and found itself on the verge of bankruptcy. A successful deal saved Uralplastic. In 2000, the company was bought by Alexei Goncharov.
HOST: Uralplastic is an enterprise with a rather long history, back during the Great Patriotic War was it open?
Alexey GONCHAROV, CEO CJSC "Uralplastic-N": Yes, our enterprise was opened in the 41st year, or rather not opened, but transported from St. Petersburg.
HOST: That is, the experience was great, but you actually got it half-dead, because there were gigantic debts.
Alexey GONCHAROV: Yes, this experience, in fact, was not particularly useful to us, which the enterprise had, because, firstly, yes, there were huge debts, the technical and technological personnel were already outdated, already outdated.
CORR.: But Goncharov was not embarrassed. He helped the company overcome the crisis and launched the production of packaging, which is now used by dozens of Russian food manufacturers. And recently the company offered the market a completely new material - films with nano-additives.
HOST: How did the idea come about? Why did you decide to engage in such high-tech packaging?
Alexey GONCHAROV: A long time ago, people were puzzled - how to bring the product to the end consumer without changing its properties, it deteriorated, something else happened to the products. So everyone thinks how to do it. But at the same time, there are price restrictions, when you can, of course, come up with overpacking. But if it costs like a piece of gold, then no one is interested. Therefore, of course, the modification of existing polymers is the very idea, the great idea, which is being pursued by all European countries today.
CORR.: The idea to improve the properties of packaging materials using nanoparticles did not appear by chance. Goncharov began to engage in nanotechnology 15 years ago, while working at a research institute. In the Uralplastic company, the businessman created his own Arena di or simply a research center in which a new type of film was developed.
Konstantin DEMETRIOU, Managing Director of RUSNANO: Alexey Goncharov is such a generator of ideas. When you communicate with him, you constantly understand that he has different business ideas, he was engaged in different businesses. And in the package he found himself. He found that niche in the market, he found the enterprise. And he created a very efficient company.
CORR.: Together with RUSNANO, Alexey Goncharov is building a plant near Yekaterinburg, where this year he will start producing a new type of packaging. About 2.5 billion rubles will be invested in the project, of which about a billion rubles will be invested by RUSNANO. The creators of the production hope that their products will take up to a quarter of the Russian market of high-barrier films.
HOST: How do you feel about difficulties at work?
Alexey GONCHAROV: The system that is built in the state, it does not support the development of any - neither small nor medium-sized businesses - nothing. Customs today, I think, is probably the main enemy of development in our country, because importing raw materials is a complete problem. All this raw material is subject to additional duties, although we do not produce this raw material in Russia at all. And, of course, we undermine all competitiveness therefore. Foreigners are simply already shooting themselves when you tell them that equipment is being bought in Russia. For them, this is just shooting, because for two months they will sit and draw papers. The spare part simply cannot be imported into the country.
HOST: The logical question then is why in Russia?
Alexey GONCHAROV: Because I live in Russia, because I believe that this is my homeland. And, as it were, there are gigantic opportunities here. And why should we, because there are some officials of poor quality, why should we leave our homeland and run away to America or somewhere else?
CORR.: Alexey Goncharov is one of those people who are fascinated by everything new. In addition to business, he has many other hobbies. One of the main ones is motorcycles. On a two-wheeled iron horse, the entrepreneur not only traveled around the Urals, but also traveled around Europe, America and Africa.
Alexey GONCHAROV: A motorcycle, of course, for me is such a life, as it were, different. I need it constantly. I love to play golf. I love skiing very much. So I lead a very active lifestyle.
HOST: You are really interested in everything.
Alexey GONCHAROV: Everything is absolute.
HOST: If you think now about the future, here, for example, how do you imagine how our life will change what you are now producing, what you may be producing. How will our lives change in 20 years?
Alexey GONCHAROV: What I will start producing today is one of the small steps that should lead to the modernization of the whole country as a whole. That is, because starting to produce high-quality materials, I have to produce it in conditions that are close to European ones. Naturally, based on this, 300-400 people who will work for me are already people with a changed mentality. Their children will already think differently. The product itself, which we will be able to pack and what we can offer our customers, of course, will also lead to the modernization of food enterprises. That is, they have new opportunities to produce such a product, such a product. There is a material they can pack it in.
HOST: The last traditional question: your business formula.
Alexey GONCHAROV: My business formula is probably such an ambitious internal spring that constantly pushes me and says that I need to do something better, something more ambitious, something more interesting. I mean, well, just what pushes me forward. I would say so.
HOST: This is the business formula of Alexey Goncharov. Now you know too. See you!
We are accustomed to the fact that new technologies are created either by order of large companies, or on the basis of old, still Soviet research institutes. But we are not accustomed to the fact that an individual owner of an average company builds his business on the inventions of new technologies - this is not customary in Russia. Aleksey Goncharov, the owner of Uralplastic-N, on the contrary, has been hiring technologists throughout his commercial career in order to then produce something that did not exist on the market before.
A man builds his own factory. A large plant - several workshops with brand new equipment are being mounted with might and main in the suburbs of Yekaterinburg. Polymer film will be made here. The plot is not romantic, because the packaging is not Gagarin's flight to Mars and not the search for the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider. Nevertheless, the person in question is building a plant with his team, trying to apply all modern knowledge in technology and modern logistics.
Prior to that, he also enthusiastically made hot-melt adhesive powders, processed metallurgical waste, sewed clothes, and traded. He forms his picture of the world in the course of a clash of interests between his work and the surrounding reality. Very masculine, I must say.
And, by the way, about romance: he already has one plant, and there he just converted the Japanese line, which previously produced film for the space industry, to the production of packaging film. Because the country does not need much space film, and products are packed every day.
The name of the man Alexey Goncharov, he is the owner of both factories and an extremely rare worldview in our country - entrepreneurial. We talked with Alexey almost the whole day - in the office, at the old enterprise, on a trip around Yekaterinburg, at a plant under construction. And all the time there was a feeling that it was not me who was interviewing him, but he himself wanted to show me his picture of the world: he instantly moved from private things to generalizations, and I had only to write down.
About money out of thin air
“I started completely from scratch. Textile first. They sewed everything: clothes, curtains. He hired people at home, then ateliers, then even large garment factories. Sold in the markets, from cars, through shops. This is the year 90-91.
In those years, there were people who produced something, but did not know how to sell it. On the other hand, there was a shortage. And I saw where to sell. Then the minimum return was 150%, no matter what you do. And it was 1000%.
Well, how does it happen ... You sit at a cup of tea with a man, he says to you: “There is an interesting direction. The problem is to buy and bring such and such a fabric. If we succeed, we can earn 500%”. There is a queue for the material a year ahead, besides, the fabric manufacturer is a monopolist, and very corrupt. And I selected such options according to which we took this material even without money.
An entrepreneur can make money out of thin air, the main thing is to be able to calculate a million options and risks ... I went on my own and developed without anyone's help.
About education
- For Russia, the institute is not a ticket to life. I graduated from the institute with a degree in economics-management, but it doesn’t matter, this education is not applicable to real life, only systemic thinking, which is brought up at the institute, is applicable. My parents gave me more: I was brought up among engineers, scientists, leaders, and my family set boundaries that I do not cross.
It’s probably something else that’s bad: in my life I worked as an employee for only a few months, but it’s better to work in the system first so as not to reinvent the wheel later. I was already making good money at the very beginning, but I also lost a lot, because the market is not a barrel of honey. There are profits, but there are also losses. If at that time there was experience or senior comrades, then I would have gone even faster and managed money more profitably.
About the personal chauffeur
- I drive myself. Not because I love it, but because I don't see the need for a personal driver. I have a Swiss acquaintance, a billionaire, he also thinks so. I don't know if he even has a company car.
About motivation
— I don't feel like a rich person, and money is not my main interest. I am an inquisitive and sociable person, and there is a sea of information around. An employee worked for us, whose nephew was engaged in science. The main theme was to create microorganisms that process human waste. And I suggested to him: "Will you pick up a band?"
Well, they began to work. Then I saw that the scientists were not fully loaded, and I started throwing more mundane topics at them. Then we developed a polyamide hot-melt adhesive powder for the clothing industry, which was imported from Europe, and a number of structural polyamides for mechanical engineering. This project was completed within a year. This is how I got started chemical industry. God lends a hand, you need to grab it.
It was high chemistry - workshops, equipment, an institute was found in the Baltic states that designed cryogenic mills - to make fine polyamide powder. Then I exhausted everyone here so that they would bring the car to mind - at Uralmash, at the Novator Design Bureau, at the optical-mechanical plant ... The equipment was very complicated. And then I drove everyone away, since they apparently can only make rockets, and I was horrified at how they make them. We have improved the technology ourselves, and as long as there was a textile industry in Russia, I, one might say, was the king. And then our country decided that things needed to be imported from China and Turkey.
About risks
— Probably, I was one of the first who began to import high-tech raw materials for new products. And we began to do what the market needs - packaging. "Uralplastic" is an old plant, there are buildings here from the 41st year. Y-yes, you need to repair all the time ... In the mid-90s, there were good technologists here. But they did not have the approaches that the market required. The plant worked by inertia, making raw materials and the so-called consumer goods - basins, toys, film for greenhouses. Wage debts and theft - everything was dragged to the market.
The plant belonged to workers, two and a half thousand people. I bought shares from them. If I hadn’t bought it, I don’t know what would have happened: the bandits, together with the policemen, began to tear them apart.
Buying was difficult, literally at the risk of life. Either I took the enterprise and stopped the persecution of it, or I would not be there by now. But I had professional assistants: lawyers, PR people, securities specialists. When you get involved in this, your people must be smarter than those who oppose them.
About loans
- I became the owner, and we revived the Japanese line, which the plant acquired back in perestroika and used to produce materials for space suits. And they bought equipment - with their own money and venture capital money of acquaintances. Because it was unrealistic to build a manufacturing business on bank loan rates in those distant 90s and early 2000s, and even today I consider rates from 10 to 18% unbearable for production. After all, business in Russia is mainly based on monopoly companies, and not on small and medium-sized businesses, which are the consumers of everything new.
In total, tens of millions of dollars had to be spent on equipment. In addition, there was a housing stock, in which at that time not a single employee of the enterprise lived, and in order to get rid of it, we also had to give a lot of money to the state. Instead of investing in production, in addition to taxes, I financed the repairs of heating mains and other nonsense not related to the plant.
About philosophy
- When I came to Uralplastic, I had to deal with massive theft and incompetence. I already knew then who was capable of what, because everything was built on units of people. Now, on average, our employee earns a thousand bucks a month. And sometimes two or three, it all depends on them.
The basic philosophy of production should be this: there are no people in production. People should only be in the service: to teach, to make repairs, to work in shops, in restaurants, to engage in applied science, to trade, to build and, in general, to do what the main population in the world does. If we want to have a lot of quality and cheap goods, everything must be automated and work without people. Then there will be a gigantic offer in the service and services market.
We have the opposite. I’m building a plant right now, you can’t buy anything here, I bring everything from abroad, and there are no high-quality contractors, everything is redone several times.
Look, in Scotland, the state budget for 60% consists of services and services, despite the fact that they extract oil from the sea. Oil, apparently, is harmful to the country, because the muscles are overgrown with fat.
Let's look at the entire value chain from oil to the final product: if a barrel of oil costs, say, $110, then at the end of the chain I buy polymer raw materials for one and a half thousand euros per kilogram, and paint for 6-9 thousand euros. This chain is worth billions. And the brains, and the absence of corruption. If there is corruption, it destroys this chain.
About the Asian mentality
- Sometimes you forget that we have an Asian country - you put new technology and the market isn't ready yet. People are very conservative, and this, of course, reflects on them, as manufacturers are afraid to bring new and better products to the market. Well, we, of course, sometimes manage to introduce all the most modern things only ten years after the West, since the consumer is not ready. It seems to me that the educational role of the state is very important here.
In competition, we have such a "Chinese" mentality. No one invents, but only sees what others are doing well. As soon as we launched, such enterprises began to open one after another, only six such enterprises opened not far from us. A person opens an enterprise, thinks: “I will trade in 100% dumping, I will wait until all competitors die”. This is business in Russian.
About polymers
- The packaging itself is not interesting to me, it just fell into my hands. My interest is to create a company that does not just make new products, but forms the market, bringing Russia closer in technology to the developed world states.
Now the task is to make new Russian raw materials for petrochemistry. All modern technological raw materials are produced abroad, and we want to make our own. What is needed for this? Add some substances to the composition of polymers - titanium dioxide, nanoclays, and a lot of things, up to 50 components. The additive must be properly selected to give exactly the properties that the consumer needs, reducing the thickness, or adding barrier properties, or something else that the customer wants, which is impossible to achieve with conventional raw materials - this is nanotechnology. We can make the film 20-30% thinner than what is on the market. There is less waste to the environment and less raw materials. Plus new areas of application.
It just seems that all films are the same - they have different permeability for gases, for fats, heat resistance, strength ... Take the well-known polyethylene: it is a sieve, it is permeable to acids, gases, fats, chemistry. There is a theme when all of our favorite products are packaged in a material that is permeable to fats. And now the fats penetrate into it and pull the paint and glue into the product. Why do we have such products? Because they try to stuff them with chemicals in order to keep them longer - chemicals are cheaper than good packaging. In general, if you understand the packaging, you can determine whether you are buying chemicals or a healthy live product.
About new projects
— We also produce high-quality noise and thermal insulation materials. Now they are becoming more and more popular, they are environmentally friendly and really make life more comfortable. They are produced on the basis of foamed polyethylene and polypropylene approved for contact with food and are also modified with our additives. And in this direction we have the most advanced team in Russia.
Since the beginning of the year, we have already been producing nanomaterials, but at the new enterprise we will turn around to the fullest! We have a scientific group of six people. We also give something to outsourcing, but when you need to develop a technology, outsourcing it is like going to the square and shouting how I do it. Moreover, all the Ural factories that produce packaging are 100% staffed by my staff. Well, let them use it.
There is no serial equipment in our business. Everything is unique. This is the work of our scientists, Finnish, Canadian, German. We give the terms of reference, and then the manufacturers make it according to our order. There is, of course, an option to buy the same extruder, for example, as from Uralplastic. They will sell you, but without technology you will get a pile of iron.
At the new plant, I put the technology that should be. In the old place, I have to demolish everything for this, but I cannot stop production.
About Rosnano
- I believe that the birth of Rosnano is just a cry from the heart: "Let's do something!". The idea is very good - to pull out the science and technologies that still exist in the country. Yes, their money is difficult and hard to get, but this is one of the few real opportunities for small and medium businesses to find financing for a high-tech project. But Rosnano is not only money, it is resources for lobbying at the state level, product promotion, assistance in standardization, and much more necessary for development. Our project is 2.3 billion rubles in total investment. Without Rosnano, I probably would not have been able to attract such investments. And it is important that this is money for small and medium-sized businesses. After all, the average business in the world is up to a billion dollars. There is an example in the USA when a company with a turnover of 30 billion dollars was recognized as a medium-sized business, since it did not have a monopoly and did not determine prices in the market.
About customs
— The laws by which our customs works are now the main brake on the development Russian business. Here they introduced a zero duty for the import of equipment, but at the same time they imposed such rules that foreigners draw pieces of paper for two months in order to bring me equipment here. And I'm scratching my head. The spare part costs $50, and the person there has to write papers on it for two weeks. What are these laws?
We buy paint for 10 euros per kilogram, it is in alcohol, and it occurred to someone that I could drive vodka out of it and sell it. And now they supply us with special paint, obviously more expensive!
The lion's share of raw materials used in industry is imported from abroad. But at the same time, this raw material is subject to huge duties. And in many cases finished products much cheaper to import.
We have to change our minds now. Here we are recruiting young people, many have already spoiled the views of bureaucratic earnings.
I heard that Medvedev wants to cut officials by a certain percentage, but in my understanding, they need to be cut ten times. Then they will come to us the best people, entrepreneurs. Now there are no physical people.
About traffic jams
- In Yekaterinburg, even if three cars remain, they will stand in traffic jams: logistics and Russia are incompatible things. I solved the issue of logistical decoupling around my enterprise, invited a specialist from Turkey, who dealt with these issues in many cities around the world. He sat with video cameras for four days, and wrote in his resume: incorrectly adjusted traffic lights, turns in the wrong place, the wrong number of lanes, the number of parking lots.
So you say that in Moscow they were obliged to equip each house under construction with a parking lot, but everything remained on paper. Well, let's look at this poor man who decided to build a building. He came, they say to him: not a question, there is a design institute. And they overestimate the price tag three times. Then you will pay everyone for a piece of land, for communications, and then about parking ... Yes, he thinks: “Come on, I’d rather give the “cabbage” on my hand - and no parking”. Because you still need to make money.
About the security forces
Have you seen so many police abroad anywhere? No. But we have young guys there, with arms and legs. And they stand on the streets, degrading. Although the former police lawlessness is already in the past. Previously, for example, a person from the UNP came to me, the largest taxpayer in the region, directly for negotiations and demanded some documents.
Now there is no such thing. As long as it doesn't come back, of course. But they continue to believe that "these steal": “What is he doing there? Is the company developing? Bastard! And from whom “they steal”, they don’t think - am I stealing from myself?
About newspapers
I have almost completely stopped reading newspapers. After all, what do they write? "Entrepreneur raped a schoolgirl". Not a criminal, but an entrepreneur! Then you look at what kind of businessman he is, and he has one kiosk. Well, what is your opinion about business? In the West, people's faces are different, but ours are tense, because they are fed with this cheap farce, a stream of negativity is rushing from the screens.
About Russia from the outside
- I am a man of peace and labor, I have no attachment, I live where I work. And I spend my holidays on a motorcycle, on a golf course, on skis. I have a Honda and a Harley, both road builders. I traveled almost all over the world, sometimes with a company, sometimes alone.
From abroad, Russia is visible at a glance. In Africa, I discovered, for example, that Russians and Africans are very close in mentality: a Russian person would get everything by himself without working.
And I'm still trying to understand what Russia's mission is. And I came to the conclusion: to always be in a spare convoy. As soon as development begins, someone appears who pulls us aside. And now there is a chance to send all advisers and catch up with the development of the state. A lot of work, but realistic, because our market is empty - there is so much to rebuild. (Points to the dilapidated unpainted fences near the same unpainted log houses in the suburbs of Yekaterinburg.) Actually, that's it! What other country has such a buzz in the development and application of knowledge and ambitions?
Alexey Torgashev
The joint development project will be the first in Yekaterinburg, the construction of which will be started by the largest federal developer.
Businessman Alexei Goncharov is on the verge of a huge development project in Yekaterinburg - it is planned to pass the final approvals and obtain the first building permits this summer. Goncharov himself, using his own money, attracted foreign and metropolitan architectural bureaus to develop the project, he himself was looking for a construction partner who would be close to him in terms of approaches to organizing production and business.
As a result, he managed to bring to Yekaterinburg, where for many years there was a historically established pool of local developers, the federal group of companies PIK. Experts expect that when this development giant takes two or three more sites in the city, the market will seriously tremble. It is known that partnership negotiations are already underway, in particular, with the UMMC company, whose development project "Northern Crown" in the north of Yekaterinburg is also ready to start at any moment - the first building permits have already been issued.
"Zavokzalny" is located in the first belt - almost in the center of Yekaterinburg. There is no other such large area with a similar location in the city. For comparison: the area of the central part of the city is about 1200 hectares, the territory of Zavokzalny is 300 hectares. Only two territories are developing in the city, comparable in scale, but they are located on the periphery. We are talking about the Solnechny residential areas of the Forum Group company (360 hectares) and the Akademichesky district of the Kortros Group of Companies (1200 hectares - officially the largest territory of integrated development in the Russian Federation).
Now 300 hectares of the future "Zavokzalny" are a depressive, mostly warehouse territory, not provided with either a high-quality street and road network or other infrastructure. The redevelopment begins with the site of the Uralplastic plant, owned by Alexey Goncharov. In order for the project to become possible, he had to move production from here, and at the same time he managed not only to save the enterprise, but actually give it a new life.
Goncharov purchased the plant in 1999. “The enterprise worked on very old technologies, and it had no future,” says Aleksey Goncharov. - A huge social infrastructure hung on it - a housing stock that was used for the needs of employees only for a hundredth share, streets, etc. All this washed out all the money from the plant - such a policy killed thousands of enterprises across the country. And I also had to shell out a lot of money for the state to take on its balance sheet everything that I don’t use and that doesn’t bring income to my business.”
The plant began re-equipment, staff optimization, new management standards appeared. But in 2004, the idea came to move the plant to a new site. “I once again looked at this territory and realized that it should not be industrial,” recalls Aleksey Goncharov. “It has everything to become a full-fledged urban area - with its own points of attraction and a well-thought-out structure.”
The partners appeared none other than the global Auchan network. At the site of Uralplastica, a model of the future microdistrict appeared in the sketches, which was supposed to become a driver for the redevelopment of the entire vast territory of Zavokzalny.
Auchan was ready to fully act as an investor in this project, but it was based on a large shopping and entertainment center - very interesting, unusual, - says Alexey Goncharov. “Turkish and Belgian architects worked on this project, and the result was a large, high-quality quarter with several public areas where something was constantly happening.” But after a couple of years, Auchan's strategy in Russia changed - the company stopped acting as a co-investor, and began to invest exclusively in its own projects on its own sites.
However, it was already obvious that the plant had to be rebuilt in a new location. And Goncharov attracted another partner to this project, no less large-scale - Rosnano. These investments made it possible to build an extra-class plant for the production of packaging in the suburbs of Yekaterinburg. Having brought the plant to the international level of quality, the enterprise was sold to the transnational corporation Mondi - both Rosnano and Alexey Goncharov left it with a profit. The latter, however, remained in a consulting position at the plant.
“I believe that this should be the main principle of business: if you have made some good product and there is a buyer for it at a good price, sell it,” explains Alexey Goncharov. “This is what happened with the plant in Aramil.”
Alexey, how did you get into business and did the education you received help your professional growth? Did it help successful steps in business?
I came into business in the same way as the entire post-perestroika generation of our country.
All entrepreneurs were engaged in everything in a row - everything that could be profitable in order to feed themselves and their families.
The main, fundamental, education was the market itself, since the education that at that moment I received at the institute was basic and did not contribute to business success in any way. Everything was learned through practice. This is just what Russian system education differs from the Western one, where a ready-made specialist comes out of the university to work in a certain area, while we have a basic level of knowledge about everything in the world.
- The work of a hired top manager did not attract you at all?
I am an entrepreneur by nature, so I have never been attracted to the work of a hired top manager. I have never worked not only as a hired top manager, but also as a hired worker. I have always created businesses, always created areas in which I could successfully develop and in which I saw great potential.
- Where do you see the opportunities and shortcomings of the domestic market in terms of business development?
On the one hand, the Russian market shows huge opportunities for the growth of small and medium-sized businesses. There are a large number of business ideas that can be implemented with great success.
On the other hand, the infrastructure for the rapid creation and launch of innovative enterprises is almost completely absent. Monopoly is obvious In general, the system works by itself, and business and its development go by themselves. This is the biggest discrepancy.
There is a task and desire of the state for business to develop, but at the same time, the infrastructure itself is not able to ensure development today.
- And what - absolutely all state "institutions", in your opinion, do not function well?
The only thing that is functioning well today is arbitration courts. If earlier they worked only in favor of the state, now they very clearly assess both sides. And the entrepreneur has adequate chances to defend his legitimate interests.
In recent years, I have become even more convinced that the first persons of the state need to think about reforming the entire system, which is obliged to develop the country, develop small and medium-sized businesses. It is necessary to take as a model the successful examples of those countries that are close to us and, most likely, that these are not European states, since they have a different mentality and a different culture.
We need to train more talented young civil servants in countries with a similar mentality who can bring the best to our economy. Those specialists who now work in public authorities often do not meet the required professional level.
With a share of risk and adventure
What did you do before Uralplastic and why did you need to buy this company in 2000, because it was almost bankrupt? Did you already clearly see the prospects for its development?
Before Uralplastic, I was in the sewing business. I had my own garment factories, and I was faced with a large shortage of hot-melt powders that were applied to the interlining fabric for suits.
At that time, almost the only manufacturer of this product was the French chemical concern, which supplied it all over the world.
Then the idea of creating our own production of hot-melt adhesive powders for the domestic clothing industry arose.
In this direction, I worked with various research institutes.
We have created the chemistry of the product - finely dispersed polyamide powders, this is the prototype of current nanotechnologies. Developed equipment. I rented several large workshops at Uralplastic and created my own small research institute on the basis of the plant. About 15 scientists worked in it, who developed hot-melt adhesive powder and put it into operation.
At the moment when we already received real result from this development, they sold a new product to garment factories, ousted Western suppliers for Russian market, various movements began to capture Uralplastic. Therefore, I had no choice but to buy out the enterprise, bear full responsibility for it, revive it and start its new history.
Unfortunately, life cycle polyamide powders was not long, since light industry began to wither under the influence of cheap imports from Turkey and China. The business was successful and in demand while the country sewed for itself. A large number of people were employed in the clothing industry, but over time this direction had to be closed.
Production experience of "Uralplastic" was not useful at all? And the staff? Did you also have to change many people, or were most of them, with the change of ownership, still able to reorganize to work in market conditions?
The production experience of Uralplastic was not useful at all, since the company produced what the market did not need. An excessive number of personnel worked at the plant, the technological level weakened, the heads of workshops and divisions were of retirement age, so they were unable to develop in step with the times and do something new. We have almost completely changed the team.
Based on your experience, you probably have some ideas of your own about how manufacturing enterprises should work?
The more I work with manufacturing enterprises, the more I understand that there should be a minimum of people at the plant. At the same time, production personnel must be highly qualified. If we want to receive a high-tech product with good cost and quality, human participation should be minimal. The main number of people should work in the field of promotion, services, service of this product, in research institutes that create technologies for us, but not in production.
The factories should have a minimum of people, then the factories will be sustainable, will be profitable and will develop everything around them, as they need additional outsourcing services.
Therefore, a policy that pays attention to the number of jobs created in enterprises - a lot or a little - is fundamentally wrong.
It is necessary to look at the revenue per person in the enterprise and monitor its effectiveness by this indicator.
Diagnosis - innovation
The conditions for the development of innovations in Russia are far from ideal. But it didn’t bother you, and even more so, it didn’t stop you. And how long ago did you start doing innovations at Uralplastic and, in particular, modifying polymers? Who is your backbone of innovators?
Yes, indeed, Russia is not ideal for the development of innovations. Our consumer market is absolutely not developed. The conservatism that exists in the Russian market does not allow for the rapid development of new innovative products in orientation to the local Russian market. All over the world, this is regulated by the state, developing small and medium-sized businesses. Large companies, as a rule, are already picking up new technologies tested by small and medium-sized businesses.
Since the equipment that big companies put in is more expensive and more productive, they need to see that the market is ready for this technology, it has already changed and adjusted to the new product.
In Russia, there is no comprehensive support for small and medium innovative businesses. Therefore, when we develop nanotechnologies or genetic engineering, for example, in our country there is no consumer for these technologies. And when such technologies are created in Russia, first of all, they look not at who will buy it from us, but who will buy it abroad. But in such conditions it is quite difficult to develop.
- Then it turns out that the goals and directions of "Uralplastic" should somehow "blow up" the market?
Yes something like that. However, there are "buts" ...
One of our main goals today is the restructuring of the market. We show the advantages of new materials for our potential customers step by step. And gradually we are making such a restructuring. But changing the market in Russia takes 5-6 years, in contrast to Europe and the USA, where it takes 1-2 years from the moment of product development to its full-scale launch on the market.
The main programs aimed at the development of innovative businesses, as a rule, provide for a three-year period during which it is necessary to create a product, enter the market with it and ensure a return on investment.
At the same time, innovative teams are subject to the same requirements for loan rates and return on investment, as well as for already promoted and sustainable businesses.
In my opinion, the attitude towards such companies as RUSNANO should be revised. The same requirements cannot be applied to their portfolio companies as to a trading network, for example.
And companies that are called upon to form a new technological order, new technologies, a new market, are in the same conditions as other businesses.
This approach needs to be reconsidered. Otherwise, the very idea of creating innovative enterprises will be ineffective.
The idea of modifying polymers has been puzzling in Europe for many years. Is your idea for the production of high-tech packaging based on nanoparticles exclusively your own know-how or was it a little spied somewhere?
We have been dealing with this topic since 2000. Even then, the company was innovative and introduced new products to the market. We worked on product development as a small research institute.
We launched the very first twist* and stretch films.
With our films, Chevron Phillips exhibited at international exhibitions. We have worked a lot with various research centers abroad to create polymeric materials. And our company has been a pioneer in bringing new types of packaging polymeric materials to the Russian market for more than 10 years.
Our product portfolio contains materials that no other company on the Russian market produces: packaging for explosives and polymer ampoules, retort packaging, film that can replace foil, polymer paper, polymer materials with an easy opening effect and with an antifog effect. , which serves to prevent the formation of condensation on the surface of the film at high humidity, and much more. Therefore, we have always been and are quite large consumers of masterbatches**, including those for special purposes.
According to your observations, what problems in the consumption of masterbatches took place in the 2000s and what are they now? Perhaps they pushed you to work out the idea?
Both in 2000 and now, there are several problems with masterbatch consumption.
The most important thing is the lack of stable quality. From delivery to delivery, the characteristics of masterbatches, their properties of processing into production line may differ significantly. Accordingly, we face the problem of producing polymeric materials with stable characteristics.
Also, suppliers are not always able to provide us with masterbatches with exactly the properties that we need for the production of new generation polymeric materials.
And another problem with purchased masterbatches is the delivery time, since we only consume imported composites.
Therefore, we have long begun to develop this idea. In addition, we already had some developments in this direction in the 90s, when we produced polyamide fine powders. Polyamide, whose melting point is more than 200 degrees Celsius, due to a certain technology that we used, began to melt at 60 degrees.
We understood the possibilities for changing the chemistry of the material and its properties, and we began to work on changing polymers.
But it's a huge investment!
Certainly. Direct changes in the properties of a polymer require huge investments, while changing its properties through a masterbatch does not require such a global investment.
We came to RUSNANO with our idea, as we saw it as an opportunity to build a new plant. There was simply no other way to implement our technology. An innovative enterprise cannot be built on the banking conditions that exist now.
- ... so the new project was limited to one know-how?
We applied as many as three know-hows in this project: the design of equipment for the production of masterbatches, the technology for their production and the technology for introducing the masterbatch into a polymer film.
- Probably, you had to collect information bit by bit for your developments? Where did you take it?
All necessary information for our developments, we were able to get only abroad, in Russia there is nothing to create such technologies. We had an attempt to cooperate with the Novosibirsk Research Institute on this topic, but they failed this work.
Therefore, the entire technology was developed in-house in our own R&D center. Our research engineers have participated in a large number of exhibitions, conferences in Germany, America, Finland. Consulted at various research institutes around the world. And on the basis of the information received, our technology was developed.
As far as we know, it was not the first time that your project managed to get the support of RUSNANO. What did not suit your future partner in the project? How long did it take to complete the project?
This is a normal effect. Since RUSNANO is, first of all, a financial institution that must be confident in the effectiveness of projects. The Supervisory Board put forward a number of comments on the documentation for our project. We corrected the comments, once again defended our project, and it was approved by the Supervisory Board of RUSNANO.
All work lasted one year from the moment of the first application to RUSNANO until the final approval of the project.
Photo 1. Construction of an extrusion shop at the site in Aramil
The material is thinner, more environmentally friendly - it means better. But it's also more expensive. On the one hand, you convinced RUSNANO of the need for such material to appear on market. But still, apparently, it will be necessary to convince the market of the advantages of nanofilms over their analogues?
There is a need in the market for a thinner film if such packaging does not spoil the aesthetics of the final product and is safe for the end consumer, including children. There is also a need to make the film look like paper, remove the foil from the structure of the barrier films to make it 100% recyclable so that we do not pollute the environment.
There is a need to understand, due to a certain film, whether the product is fresh inside. That is, there are a huge number of properties that consumers of packaging need today.
A standard polymer cannot give this to the customer, therefore, by determining the need for specific properties of the packaging material, we begin to model our product for a specific client and create this new product together with him.
Photo 2. Teleconference Aramil-Moscow. Official opening of the plant
- How long does it take?
This process is quite long. After obtaining the necessary properties of the film, the development of the masterbatch and polymer material begins, which takes from 6 to 9 months. Further testing is carried out at the customer's site. Then - a cycle of testing the packaged product in retail chains. For some projects, the client needs to purchase new filling equipment. Therefore, some projects, from the beginning of development to a full-scale launch of a product on the market, last 3-4 years. But it's worth it. Since our client receives a new product with added value for the end user.
Fighting "monsters"
- How did the launch of the project - the construction of the plant - unfold? What "monsters" did you have to fight?
- "Monsters" was really not enough!
First, we had great difficulties with design organizations. Since we were within a very tight budget, we could not attract foreign designers, so we held a tender among Russian design teams. We chose a design company from St. Petersburg. It was our first "docking" with poor quality work. They redid all the drawings 20 times, while breaking all the deadlines for almost a year. No service, no support. At the same time, the company has all licenses.
Many organizations are in this position. Therefore, the question of how licensing takes place, how the SRO (self-regulatory organization) functions, should be strictly monitored by the state.
The second "monster" is construction crews: we have changed 26 crews. The deadlines were missed, the level of quality did not suit us, and, most importantly, not a single team had the necessary experience.
Then we were faced with the fact that it is not so easy to buy even power cables on the market.
Further, we were “surprised” by energy supply companies, which, on the one hand, are ready to provide us with energy, and, on the other hand, greatly delay the process. All internal regulations that exist are stretched to such an extent that they extend all terms by a year. What can be done in 1-2 weeks is done in a year due to the internal bureaucracy of energy suppliers.
Who formed the backbone of the project and how problematic was the issue of selecting specialists for production?
The main backbone of the project was the Uralplastic team - specialists who have good experience in our industry. But we also attracted additional specialists and new production workers.
In our country there are no educational institutions who train specialists for our industry with the required qualifications. People are absolutely not ready to get up to the machine and work. The training of one employee lasts approximately 3-5 years. We are not talking about technologists, whose training takes 5-7 years.
We have our own personnel training system, but as you can see, this is a rather lengthy process.
Photo 3. Alexey Goncharov's speech at the official opening of the plant. October 26, 2011
Products using nanotechnologies are usually unique, and, accordingly, unique equipment is required for their production. How did you deal with the problem here?
Yes, indeed, the equipment for nanotechnology required a unique one. Therefore, for its production, we have chosen several engineering companies from Finland, Canada and Germany.
When selecting suppliers, it was important for us that the company had a good reference list and extensive experience in the development of non-standard equipment, as well as being able to offer a solution within the approved budget.
One of the main characteristics of the equipment was to be its flexibility: the ability to switch from one product to another and the ability to produce new products.
The task was very difficult and non-trivial, since no one produced such equipment. Therefore, we are faced with a number of problems. This is both a violation of the deadlines and a discrepancy between the characteristics declared.
The adjustment of equipment is still ongoing in order to achieve all the characteristics we need.
Photo 4. Fragment of a ten-layer extrusion line
Photo 5. Automatic system for distribution and dosing of raw materials. 10 km pneumatic transport
And what can you say about working with foreign suppliers? What recommendations could you give to colleagues who, like you, will have to interact with foreigners in the development and supply of unique equipment?
Dealing with foreign suppliers must be very tough. At the initial stage, in the process of forming the contract, all the nuances should be provided. All necessary characteristics and conditions under which the equipment is considered to be put into service should be very clearly indicated.
My advice is to "torment" suppliers until everything suits them, and all commissioning as such must be carried out already on industrial batches. Only on large batches you can track all the shortcomings and shortcomings!
We went through the investment phase quite successfully, despite the fact that we had to design equipment down to the bolts together with suppliers.
The enterprise, which was eventually established in Aramil, is a high-tech enterprise at the level of Europe, the USA, and Japan. That is, it will be relevant for the next 30-40 years.
As I understand it, the stage of launching the system was not easy, as well as preparing it for full operation ...
The launch phase was very difficult. Until now, suppliers hand over equipment, add programs, change parts inside, which, as it turned out during industrial operation, were not suitable for the production of the product.
Equipment finishing, according to our practice, after commissioning is 1.5-2 years.
Elimination of comments is a complex and painstaking process of constant negotiations between the customer and the supplier. The supplier is interested in working on new projects, so the desired result is achieved by a fairly strict policy in relation to equipment suppliers. And there can be no compromises in this process, especially when it comes to complex and non-standard technological equipment.
Photo 6. Extrusion of white polyethylene film
Photo 7. Gravure printing shop
Is the goal of 5 billion rubles a year in terms of sales of nanoproducts already close? How does RUSNANO help in achieving it?
Considering all the above problems that the company could not influence during the design, commissioning and launch process, we cannot say that the intended goal is close.
Although, by the standards of our industry, we nevertheless launched quite quickly, thanks, among other things, to support from the regional government.
We will reach the planned sales volume in 4-5 years. Our market is not as flexible and lively as we would like. Everything is very conservative, the ground for business support has not been created, credit resources are high. That is why to develop innovative enterprises in a short time is difficult.
But we are moving forward, increasing revenue by 25-30% annually, launching new projects and starting cooperation with new clients.
RUSNANO provides us with significant support in product promotion, in the implementation of educational programs for our employees and consumers.
One project, two projects, three...
To what extent is the Aramil nanoproject more complex and larger than your projects in Kaluga and Yekaterinburg? With the opening of the production of foamed materials were there less problems?
The projects are similar in complexity, but different in scale. The Aramil project is about 6 times larger.
The complexity of the redistribution is a little more, but the approach to organizing the enterprise is the same. This is a compliance with all world standards.
Just like the site in Aramil is highly rated by global FMCG manufacturers such as Nestle, P&G, the Penotherma site in Kaluga is highly rated by Volkswagen, Samsung, Magma, LG
And this gives us an optimistic view of the future. Although from the point of view of the economy, the enterprise in Kaluga is a more difficult project. For example, electricity consumed by Penotherm is 50% more expensive than electricity in Aramil, despite the active development of investment projects in the Kaluga region.
This approach to costs is not very conducive to the development of innovative business.
What new management technologies have you launched along with new production facilities? How were the logistics processes organized?
The internal logistics at the plant was developed by the German project company and is the best. In general, all enterprises represent a closed circuit with minimal distances from redistribution to redistribution; entrance is through a special disinfection room, which ensures the cleanliness of the factory.
This year we have launched "cost-management"***, which allows us to optimize all material and non-material flows in the enterprise.
Complete automation of production in the ERP system is almost completed.
We also use the technologies of our Western partners and customers in the field of quality and production. We actively use Western technology consulting for continuous improvement.
We need Russian consulting for staff training, team building, advanced training.
Reference
* Films with twist effect designed specifically for the confectionery industry. The twist effect is achieved due to the fact that the material of the main film layer is oriented in one direction and has a high residual deformation, i.e. the ability to keep the twist when packing sweets. It should be noted that the manufacture of this type of packaging is quite complicated. technological process requiring the use of expensive equipment and films of good quality - with stable sliding, high rigidity and folding.
Films with a "twist effect", as a rule, consist of 3 or more co-extruded layers of polymeric materials - polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, the inner of which performs the function of preserving and maintaining the attached shape.
**Masterbatches - this is the common name for concentrates of pigments, dyes and modifying additives. The name comes from the English termmasterbatch, i.e. a concentrate that provides coloring and modification of polymer products.
***Cost Management (CM) - method effective management costs. The main goal of the KM is to create special mechanisms at the enterprise that ensure a constant reduction in the cost of production in order to maintain its competitiveness. The action of such mechanisms begins at the time of product development, continues during production and sales, and ends only when the product is discontinued for one reason or another.
Prepared by Olga Lazareva
