– Let’s start with the Institute’s rich history?

– VNIPI Promtechnology was mainly designing radioactive ore extraction enterprises, since initially it had been created for uranium mining industry, to provide material for nuclear projects. Our defense capacity directly depended on raw materials supplies base, while, when they started building nuclear power plants, nuclear safety came as an issue as well. Thus, our Institute designed the PIMCU, which is based at the Streltsovskoye deposit, discovered in 1968 – the combine still being the most important one in Russian uranium mining. Our projects were also used while constructing enterprises in Ukraine (Zheltyie Vodi), in Kazakhstan (Stepnogorsky combine), Uzbekistan (Navoysky combine). Besides designing mines and processing complexes the Institute was also doing one very special thing. I mean PNE (peaceful nuclear explosions) program. Our unique technologies were used in engineering support. We still monitor this field, but now it’s a different direction: nuclear tests objects’ rehabilitation. Our Institute possesses unique technologies of industrial and radioactive waste burial.

– What projects are you implementing today?

– We work with Russian uranium enterprises. Thus, we are general designers of the Hiagda mine in Buryatia. The enterprise is already working, reaching the design capacity. VNIPI Promtechnology is also a general designer of Dalur in Kurgan region. We are doing new projects for PIMCU as well, such as mine 8, which is built completely with our project. We continue production optimization at other mines. Unfortunately, the price of uranium today is not very high and main deposits at the PIMCU are already worked off. Those that are left are more complicated, while the mining cost is higher. That’s why optimization is very important.

– Are those projects easy to get?

– I wouldn’t say so. There is strong competition between designers even within the industry; even if not to speak about foreign markets, where we have very strong rivals. We have our authority as design organization, but still, each time we have to prove that we have enough resources for completing the projects on a turnkey basis. One can’t always win, indeed.

– How up-to-date is your approach?

– We are trying to keep up. We are developing our geological service, doing geological modeling. We invite colleagues from other institutions to take part. Though we have a great experience, we still are interested in new technological solutions. Before we used to work with very out-of-date drawing boards, while now each engineer has modern equipment for line graph, schemes and 3D models. There already are pilot projects designed in multi-D, so we at once know how many people we’ll need, what kind of materials are lacking and what deadlines we have. Today we are forming our single information project space. We’ve recently visited Boeing construction center in Moscow, it’s a good example for us. By March we’ll start a new server program. In out IT-projects we cooperate with Greenatom.

– Not a very long time ago you set up your development program. Could you tell us a few words about it?

– It suggest the realization of several measures: developing new organizational structure of management, designing key business-processes, remuneration system improvement, developing key competences and developing inner enterprise managing system according to international standards. Besides we make a stress on pricing improvement and developing standards in quality management and client-centeredness. We plan to establish our offices in the regions where our key clients are and to develop partnership with leading engineering companies.

– Looks like a long-term program.

– It sure is. We started it as early as last year. The year 2014 will be dedicated to the new direction, being developed in parallel. In 2016 the program has to be completed. After doing diagnostics we and our colleagues have to confirm that VNIPI Promtechnology is not a “soviet project shop”, but a modern engineering center.

– In order to implement such a program one needs good financial resources. Do you now make more than you spend?

– Well, we still are the center for income, not for expenses. Financial results of the recent years are good. There are more than 400 people working for us, so, in order to sustain ourselves, we need to make about RUB 970 million annually. Our stock of orders, in fact, allows us to have a little more.

– Speaking about personnel, how are you doing with yours?

– People are the most valuable thing for any company. The average age of our employees is 48. In leading engineering companies this figure is 38. We need to attract more young specialists. We also have older people. So what shall we do? Make them retire? This way you’ll lose your competence. We try to keep our veterans, for this we developed our mentoring program. We establish good work conditions, try to involve them in the projects with young specialists. Only this way one can provide knowledge and experience sharing.

– What the Institute will look like in fifteen-twenty years’ time?

– We have to become the most modern engineering company, able to fully control and provide effective development of all mineral resources, critically important for our industry, such as uranium, molybdenum, zirconium, rare-earth metals. We also have to take a serious position in RAW-management segment. We’d like to find our niche in ecological engineering, connected with rehabilitation of territories, working not only with radioactive materials but also with industrial waste. Those are competences we are developing now. And the so-called regional engineering, of course. Our country’s regions are developing fast, but they still don’t have whole engineering programs. It would be nice to take part in such programs. Today we have all competences, licenses to build pipelines, roads, do netware. This is our main ambitious goal.