ASHK has launched a production modernization program
On April 2, the Altai Rubber Plant (ARP) began implementing a technical re-equipment program scheduled until 2027, and the first stage was the commissioning of automated lines for dosing chemical components, which allows refusing manual labor and eliminating the possibility of errors related to the human factor, increasing the stability of the properties of rubber compounds.
"A tire is a very complex technological product. In each tire, there are about 40-50 different ingredients and components," said Vladimir Balabanov, General Director of ARP. "This line is designed to solve the problem of accurately dosing these small components without harm to humans, because until now it was done manually. And, of course, this seriously improves the quality of the products. We are very grateful to the Government of the Altai Territory for the fact that the first start was given precisely thanks to a loan from the Development Fund".
ARP's Chief Designer, Roman Radchenko, added that the company has extensive experience in modernizing production, but "there are always its own complexities and nuances".
"It took us 2.5 months from the installation of equipment on the third production floor to commissioning," he noted. "The software of the new lines has about 70 recipes embedded - this is enough for the entire nomenclature of the enterprise, from 'small cars' to 600-kilogram giants. The operator does not need to manually weigh dozens of components: the system itself doses the ingredients according to the program".
The Minister of Industry and Energy of the Altai Territory, Vyacheslav Khimochka, took part in the equipment launch, who stated that ARP has systemic significance for the regional economy.
"The enterprise has implemented this investment project under the program of the Development Fund of the Altai Territory's industry. The Fund's work continues, enterprises take out loans, and thanks to this, we get such projects. ARP is a flagship enterprise, the largest in terms of production volumes in Barnaul," he said.
The company emphasizes that automation did not lead to a reduction in personnel, and if earlier 16 people worked on weighing, now the line is serviced by eight operators, and the remaining employees, after training, will be transferred to other areas.
ARP will continue to modernize, and it is planned to automate the supply of technical carbon in a closed type, increasing the eco-friendliness of production, and by the end of the year, new rubber mixers should also be installed.