VSMPO-AVISMA has produced its one-millionth titanium ingot

On August 22, VSMPO-AVISMA Corporation's production site in Verkhnyaya Salda (Sverdlovsk Region) created its titanium ingot No. 1,000,000. The milestone ingot was cast at 16:05 in a vacuum-arc furnace at a temperature exceeding 3,000 degrees Celsius. It weighs 5,200 kilograms and measures 870 millimeters in diameter.

 

Titanium ingots smelting is one of the key stages in the company’s technological chain for producing goods for its clients. Charge materials – including sponge titanium manufactured at the AVISMA facility in the Perm Territory – are compressed in a vertical hydraulic press, the resulting electrodes are strengthened and then sent for smelting.

 

The production of the jubilee ingot was witnessed by Denis Pasler, Acting Governor of the Sverdlovsk Region, Mikhail Shelkov, the majority shareholder of VSMPO-AVISMA and founder of the Empathy Foundation, as well as Dmitry Trifonov, the company’s General Director.

 

"The casting of the one-millionth titanium ingot is an indicator of the enterprise’s high productivity and the strong demand for its products. As the world’s largest titanium producer, the corporation fulfils critical tasks set by the state and makes a significant contribution to the regional economy – employing nearly a third of the town’s population and carrying out major social programs. VSMPO-AVISMA is a vivid example of how an enterprise should care for the prosperity of its town and the quality of life of its employees and their families," said Acting Governor Pasler.

 

Titanium has been produced at Verkhnyaya Salda’s flagship enterprise since 1957. The very first ingot weighed only 4 kilograms, when the process was still experimental and complex. Today, smelting an ingot is just one stage for the melting and casting complex within the vast technological chain of production. After smelting, the ingot is sent to the forging shops or machining sections, before being delivered to the client.

 

The landmark achievement was marked with congratulations from Mikhail Shelkov, a VSMPO-AVISMA's shareholder:

 

"A factory means its people. Without you, none of this would be possible. That is why we will continue to invest in the enterprise, the town, and most importantly, in people – giving you opportunities to grow and acquire new knowledge. I believe that by the 250th anniversary of Verkhnyaya Salda, we will see a town with even more developed infrastructure and an even stronger enterprise. Congratulations to all of you!", he said.

 

Dmitry Trifonov, VSMPO-AVISMA's General Director, emphasised the crucial role of the smelting and casting complex: 

 

"The quality of the final product is directly affected by the process of remelting an electrode into an ingot. Hundreds and thousands of employees contribute to this result. The one-millionth ingot is a shared achievement of everyone who, throughout the corporation’s long history, has played a part in creating the strongest metal on Earth."

 

During his visit to Verkhnyaya Salda, Acting Governor Pasler also held a working meeting with district head Aleksandr Maslov, shareholder Mikhail Shelkov, and General Director Dmitry Trifonov to discuss trilateral cooperation between regional and municipal authorities and the town’s backbone enterprise.

 

In addition, the head of the Sverdlovsk Region attended the festival marking the fifth anniversary of Mikhail Shelkov’s Empathy Foundation and visited VSMPO-AVISMA’s Prospect Professional and Industrial Cluster. The project is a modern analog of the Soviet training and production complexes, offering young people a chance to gain teamwork experience, learn practical skills, and choose a future career at the titanium company.