A YEAR UNDER THE SIGN OF QUALITY

Recall that in October 2018, the workshop on the ceramic flux production left the company structure of ChTPZ (Chelyabinskiy Truboprokatnyi Zavod PAO).A new independent enterprise called Keramax became part of Arkley group and, together with the management company, began planning the further development of the production site. In 2020, the enterprise, which produces 90% of the entire range of bonded welding fluxes in the world, was tasked with expanding the sales market. Taking into account the current economic conditions and analyzing the market requirements and demand, the management of Keramacs decided to focus on the quality of products without leaving the previous price segment. - For our company, the quality formula is simple and based on the following principles: good raw materials can improve the characteristics of the product, and the correctly chosen both type of flux and welding mode guarantee the strength of the joint. Today we decided to focus as much as possible on the selection of materials for production, because the choice of suitable raw materials and its suppliers determines the quality of the finished product, which should be constantly high, - emphasizes the CEO of Keramax, Maxim Budaev. Keramax has significantly expanded the list of melting stock suppliers in order to optimize the raw material base.In the current competition between contractors, the company chooses the best raw materials for the flux manufacture. The quality of finished production is checked apart from the receiving inspection of raw material and auxiliary materials, which enter the production. Each batch of flux is sent for the laboratory for determining the qualitative characteristics. Shipment dispatch to the customer is performed only after the chemical analysis of flux and conducting of the mechanical tests of weld metal. Important competitive advantage of the enterprise is customer support at all stages: from the selection of "ceramics” type and setting the equipment up, since the quality of welding works depends from these stages, to the correction of the flux composition after analyzing the results of testing the trial batch. Thus, for instance, in May the company technologist visited Mechano-repair complex CJSC in Magnitogorsk in order to adapt flux to the customer needs. The company adjusted the equipment settings, as well as changed the UF-N flux formula within the existing technical specification. Once refined, the material with the modified chemical composition will be delivered to this customer on a permanent basis. This comprehensive approach also ensures the quality and efficiency of the KERAMAX flux. The company expands the list of customers, including through interaction with companies in new market segments due to the continuous improvement of product performance and the coordinated work of the development team. In 2019, Keramax began negotiations with shipbuilding and machine-building plants. After getting the TÜV certificate of compliance in the same year, which allows the sale of products in the European Union, the shipment of flux to the distributor in Poland is performed. The future plan is to develop a flux for the needs of the nuclear industry. For this purpose, by the end of the year Keramax plans to pass certification in industry certification centers to obtain permission to use flux in shipbuilding, petrochemical engineering and thermal energy.