Intensive work and training month for Russian mining group comes to an end

Mining technology and open pit mining recultivation are the focal points for import contracts in the double-digit million range.

Eighty individual business contacts, 14 enterprise attendance, seven all-day trainings and planned contracts for 11 million euros - those are the impressive numbers, with which a group of Russian managers from the Kuzbass mining industry ended their successful stay with GICON InTraBiD GmbH. The group was in Dresden from 10 June to 5 July 2019 for training.

Among other events, the agenda for the four-week program included:

• full-day training, e.g. intercultural communication and negotiation, professional presentation, financing of international business relations
• Group and individual visits to regional and supra-regional companies

For the specialists from the coal and steel industry, topics such as mining and recultivation of former mining landscapes were the main focus during the one-month stay. In addition to a tour of the Welzow South open-cast mine and a recultivation area of the former Klettwitz open-cast mine near Lauchhammer in Brandenburg, important business contacts were made during a tour of the federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse and Lower Saxony.

VDMA and contact exchange with German machine manufacturers in Frankfurt am Main

A joint forum at the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) combined with a contact exchange for the exchange of ideas and know-how was an important building block and served as a presentation stage for mutual services. With more than 3,200 members, the VDMA, based in Frankfurt am Main, is the largest networking organisation and the most important mouthpiece of the mechanical engineering profession in Germany and Europe.

Mikhail Skudarnov, head of the procurement department at SUEK Kuzbass, the largest Russian coal mining company, knows the problems that many German companies have when they want to enter the Russian market. “In particular, we offer German manufacturers targeted support during registration and participation in award procedures in order to facilitate their entry into the market.”

Konstantin Rezinkin has already successfully mastered this challenge. The director of the freight transport company "Avtotrans 2" has been working with German and European manufacturers for many years and would like to further expand his position in this market. In his presentation to VDMA representatives, he offered transport services to German manufacturers.

Evgeniy Kiselev can also imagine a cooperation with German companies. As development director of the mechanical engineering company OMT in Kisilevsk, he is in a position to take over component production for German companies in Russia.

Within the framework of the joint meeting, a contact exchange took place in addition to constructive discussions between the Russian managers and VDMA representatives. Potential business relationships were discussed and substantiated with industry leaders such as Tüschen & Zimmermann, Envirochemie, Thyssen Krupp and Bartec.

Direct exchange between managers and companies pays off

As a result of the 4-week stay, cooperation projects were developed and presented at the final workshop. Three best practice candidates were selected:

Evgeny Levchukov, an employee in the management of SUEK Kuzbass, was looking for a mobile pneumatic manipulator for his company and also wanted to clarify the technical conditions of assembly and underground operation. He found a suitable plant at JD Neuhaus, where not only the technology itself, but also the highest safety standards, quality control and organization of the production process convinced him. A return visit to SUEK Kuzbass was arranged in order to coordinate as precisely as possible the technical details of the installation and the possible applications on site.

Konstantin Rezinkin used each individual group visit to personally offer his transport services to the representatives of the companies. As a result, he has established ten new contacts, which should lead to new forwarding orders from Germany to Siberia in the future.

Konstantin Ovchinnikov is Deputy Director of "Stroyservis", a Russian coal company and plant manufacturer. He came to Germany with the aim of finding suitable conveyor technology for automated coal storage locations. He has found a suitable partner in the Magdeburg company FAM GmbH. Furthermore, during the group visit and an additional individual visit to LEAG, Stroyservis employees are to be invited to Germany for an internship lasting several weeks in order to gain practical experience in process design and personnel management. Coordination in this respect are already underway.