Key suppliers meet at the fourth conference at Tikhvin Freight Car Building Plant
Representatives of about 40 domestic and foreign enterprises, providing operation activities of the Tikhvin Freight Car Building Plant (TVSZ) took part in the annual conference. Evraz, United Metallurgical Company, Severstal, Uralskaya Kuznitsa, Ural Spring Plant, Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant, SKF and other manufacturing enterprises were among participants.
The main objective of the conference is to demonstrate the key directions of RPC United Wagon Company railway holding (TVSZ is part of RPC UWC), to form promising areas of cooperation and to take into account suppliers’ opinion on the further evolution of the relationship.
The traditional "top quality" suppliers’ list was displayed during the conference. Over the past year the quantity of poor delivery to TVSZ decreased by three times. Strict control of purchased production will be organized at the enterprise in connection with the growing quantity of production. There are plans of installing new equipment on the automatically controlled check station, as well as introducing penalty scheme for the conveyor inactive time due to suppliers’ fault. The conference participants got acquainted with the requirements that would improve the materials and components supply, develop a flexible system of delays, delivery and price formation, continue optimization of their own supply chains and improvement production technologies.
Summarizing the conference results, RPC UWC Deputy CEO for Business Development Maxim Kuzemchenko said: "The crisis of the last two years has become a kind of check for car building business. It is very important to communicate with suppliers in the current economic situation, because they determine our production costs and competitiveness. We are looking forward to closer integration with our partners as well as we reckon on effective components and material deliveries in terms of price, reliability and quality. We all share the same economic area, where it is necessary to take into consideration your business partners’ values, which often helps to bring about advancements."
Alexander Nikitin, SKF Deputy CEO, said: "Our Company has been supplying tapered bearings to Tikhvin Freight Car Building Plant since the enterprise’s start of work. Such exchange of views is necessary for building strong partnership. United Wagon Company pays great attention to work with suppliers in terms of purchased products development. In turn, we are also aspiring to develop our manufacture together with the customer and to make our contribution to the Russian machine-building development".
Fabio Zanardi, Zanardi Fonderie President, said: “Our Company specializes in the manufacture of high-strength cast iron components and annealed ductile iron (ADI) components. In 2014, we began series delivery of friction wedges and bearing adapters for bogies. Looking forward, we are planning to use a new design of a side bearing which is being tested now at our works, for bogies manufactured in Tikhvin. I am impressed with Tikhvin Freight Car Building Plant and especially with its foundry and its technologies in use that helped the company to establish itself as a leader in the Russian car building”.
