Such rails differ from the usual P65 in such technical parameters as: rail height, spigot shaft height and thickness, cap piece width. According to the representatives of ARBP LLP, now the factory capacities are fully ready for the commercial production of the new product line, and the official receipt of a certificate for the commercial production of 60E1 rails opens up new frontiers for the export potential development.
"We are currently negotiating with the authorities responsible for the development of railways in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. In some circumstances, tentative agreements on the supply of rails have already been reached, and memorandums of cooperation with contractors from European countries have been signed",- said Valeriy Obilets, Director General of ARBP LLP.
Aktobe rail and beam plant is the only manufacturer of certified heat-strengthened rail tracks up to 120 meters long in the territory of the Eurasian Economic Union. The implementation of such a large-scale project in the territory of Kazakhstan as a transit hub is not accidental, the enterprise meets all the strategic objectives of the state, where the railway and the quality of the railway bed play a crucial role in the development of the economy. The specific geographical setting of the country, characterized by the lack of direct access to the sea and the presence of a vast territory for the deployment of production forces, increase the role of the railway transport complex to the maximum limits.
Implementation of the investment project of Kazakhstani rail production began in 2013. Support for the construction of such a large-scale industrial facility was provided by Development Bank of Kazakhstan JSC (DBK, the subsidiary of Baiterek Holding), which funded the project under the State Program of Forced Industrial and Innovative Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2010-2014 for a period of 10 to 20 years and accompanied the project at all stages of construction implementation: from design to start-up. The Development Bank provided a tied loan of EUR 47.7 million to purchase European equipment from Siemens S.p.A. SB Sberbank of Russia JSC, which financed an advance on a contract with Siemens, was also involved in bank lending as a co-financing bank.
Aktobe rail and beam plant was put into operation in the summer of 2016, the design capacity of the enterprise is 430 thousand tons of rolled metal: 200 thousand tons of rails and 230 thousand tons of shape steel rolled stock.
"The government pays close attention to the development of railway transport and infrastructure in Kazakhstan, fully providing state support to the relevant enterprises. The program for modernization of railways was adopted, and within its framework, the quality improvement of domestic-made rails to international standards is a priority. We are glad that thanks to the financial support of the Development Bank, the construction of Aktobe rail and beam plant has been implemented in our country",- said Duman Aubakirov, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of DBK.
The plant's product family will include 27 types of profiles. Today, the main share of production consists of R65 type differentiated heat-strengthened rails of DT350 and DT350SS categories, corresponding to quality standards ST RK 2432-2013 and GOST R 51685-2013. The products of Aktobe plant are successfully used on the most critical sections of railways: the high-speed networks, lines with high load and in harsh climatic conditions. By increasing the length of the rail and reducing the number of joints, the financial costs of laying the railway track are reduced, the wear resistance of both trains and the rails themselves is increased. Moreover, production optimization allows passenger trains to benefit in smoothness of movement, and freight trains win in speed.
The plant also produces a wide range of shape steel rolled stock: equal angles, I-beams, channels. Products fully comply with international standards and requirements, because the products are manufactured on a rolling mill of international fame - Siemens-VAI (Primetals Technologies Italy S.r.l.). Control over the technology of milling bar is carried out with the participation of the Italian company specialists, which allows you to guarantee the quality of the result.
The main consumer of the products of ARBP LLP in Kazakhstan is National Company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy JSC, the operator of the main railway network of the republic. The rails manufactured in Aktobe were widely used during the implementation of Nurly Zhol State Program, during the construction of the Almaty-Chu railway, Kuryk seaport and the new railway station in Nur-Sultan. In total, since 2016, over 400 thousand tons of rails have been used in the construction and repair of Kazakhstan railways, which is similar to about three thousand kilometers. Moreover, the products manufactured by the plant are widely known outside Kazakhstan. Currently, the rails of ARBP LLP are successfully used for the construction and modernization of railways in Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Georgia, as well as in the Republic of Belarus, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan.
"The main competitive advantage of ARBP LLP products, which determines the high demand for it both within Kazakhstan and abroad, is high and stable quality, fully meeting the requirements of international standards. According to many indicators, the production of the plant is comparable to the products of Japanese and European manufacturers", - said Deputy Director of the scientific center of Research Institute of Railway Transport JSC Alexey Borts. This statement is also confirmed by Andrey Robertovich Kneipe, expert in rail products certification of Kazakhstan Certification Center for Railway Transport LLP.
It’s worth mentioning that the company is actively working on the selection and training of personnel from Kazakhstani graduates. Great attention is paid to the technological process refinement, the unification of spare parts and materials, the development and implementation of own innovation proposals in almost all technological areas.
However that may be, the company is not going to stop at the achieved indicators. The plans for the near-term future include diversification and expansion of production volumes of medium shape steel rolled stock, as well as reaching capacity production. Now the enterprise is carrying out the scheduled work on the development and expansion of the range of medium shape steel rolled stock, which is most widely used in industrial construction, and therefore will be in greatest demand among the customers of the plant. For instance, one of the main tasks for 2020 is the planned development of popular typical sizes of I-beam and the establishment of their production.
