Innovations of the Leningrad Region at the stand of the regional Industry Development Centre
The Centre supported the participation of regional enterprises at the Interlakokraska 2024 international exhibition for paints and coatings. With the Centre’s support, several manufacturers from the Leningrad region presented their products at a group stand free of charge.
With the support of the Industry Development Centre of the Leningrad Region, the region's manufacturing companies participate in trade shows free of charge, which allows Russian manufacturers to display their products, make contacts with new customers and expand their business internationally. Also, thanks to the Centre’s assistance, companies in the Leningrad region are actively engaged in export activities: they participate in international business missions, use co-financing services for logistics costs, and strengthen human resources by cooperating with universities and attracting young specialists.
Novbythim: the idea for a new product line was suggested by the Interlakokraska visitors
The St. Petersburg company Novbytkhim was founded in 1994 by young chemical scientists, graduates of the State Technological Institute of St. Petersburg. They started their business with the production of adhesives and leather dye. Gradually the assortment changed. Now the company produces more than 80 items of products, including paints, enamels, varnishes, stains, primers, spackles, plasters, putties, sealants and other household chemicals.
The company currently has two production sites: one in St. Petersburg and one in the Leningrad region. The plant employs about 300 people. The production capacity is about 1,000 tonnes of products per year, and work is carried out throughout Russia and the nearest abroad - in Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Yuri Petrov, Head of Export Department, tells about participation in Interlakokraska, about the company and its achievements.
“We participate in the exhibition on a regular basis. For example, at the last Interlakokraska 2023 edition, we received many requests from visitors for decorative paints. These products – paints for furniture and decoration – were lacking on the market. Within a few months after the exhibition, we produced such a paint. It is very much in demand, we are selling it actively. We also brought a paint remover. It is a very popular product now.
“Our plant makes products for retailers and private customers, as well as for industrial enterprises. I would like to point out that all metal structures in EXPOCENTRE, where the Interlakokraska exhibition is held, are painted with primer enamel of our production.
“Why do we take part in Interlakokraska? Many people need to touch a product, to see it with their own eyes. It is also always interesting to talk to those who make the product. Trade shows will always remain relevant. With the support of the Industry Development Centre of the Leningrad Region, participation in the exhibition is quite possible for the company.
“Measures to support Russian producers are important as a whole. For example, we also went on business missions to Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. These were very productive trips. The Centre makes high-quality preparation of such meetings. And this year, with the Centre’s help, we are going on a trip to Mongolia.”
Gekkon TM waterproofing and other protective coatings from Glass System
Glass System has been operating on the market of Russia and CIS countries for 20 years. The company’s clients are mainly owners of large facilities or construction companies that carry out works using products from the company’s range.
Glass System produces polyurethane materials under the Gekkon trademark in the main directions:
- polyurethane resins for strengthening foundations, stabilising soils with the possibility of simultaneous thermal insulation;
- polyurethane coatings of high wear resistance for concrete and floor protection;
- polyurethane putty for waterproofing of roofs and underground structures;
- liquid polyurethane thermal insulation coatings;
- anti-corrosion, chemical and abrasion resistant coatings for metal and reinforced concrete;
- stone binders, adhesives, sealants, compounds for the manufacture of matrices and moulds, as well as other special materials.
“Over the years, the company has accumulated considerable experience. At the moment, materials developed according to our own formulas either have no analogues or are considerably cheaper,” says Inna Beketova, Sales Manager of Gekkon TM. “The production is located in the Leningrad region. The company offers effective schemes and supplies materials to significant objects all over Russia, adapts materials to customer requirements. Gekkon has performed waterproofing on 1,756 objects. This is one of the clearest examples of successful import substitution in our industry.
Glass System performed construction works and supplied its products to a number of historical sites in St. Petersburg: the Hermitage, the Naval Cathedral of Saint Nicholas in Kronstadt, Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theater, the Saint Petersburg Conservatory named after N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, the Convent of St. John of Rila and others.
Glass Systems is also involved in the design and production of works, developing materials and technologies for a number of major projects across Russia, among them the St. Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod metro systems, the Tulañhermet Steel casting and rolling complex, the Volga-Kama basin hydraulic facilities, the Moscow collectors, the Tuloma, Sayano-Shushenskaya and Irkutsk Hydroelectric Power Stations, Lakhta Centre in St. Petersburg, tunnels of the Baikal-Amur Mainline and the Western High-Speed Diameter of Saint Petersburg, the underground facilities of Almaz-Antey Corp., Sevmash Production Association, Onega SPA, and NOVATEK LNG Construction Centre.
The company has its own full-cycle production facility in the Leningrad region. Products are stored in warehouses in St. Petersburg and Moscow. There are all the necessary certificates, including hygiene certificates. The Gekkon TM products have passed many tests.
“We work all over Russia, as well as in Kazakhstan, and our products are in demand among the owners of production facilities,” Inna Beketova comments. “They need roof coatings for waterproofing, for protecting equipment from possible leaks, industrial floors, coatings for metal structures of industrial buildings. We are gradually increasing our capacity. We have recently purchased a new dissolver and equipment for application.”
Glass System actively works with clients on contract manufacturing as the production is full-cycle and quality control is carried out at all stages.
“We have a good reputation for our work in large projects, for example, with Gazprom, Sevmash and others," explains the company’s representative at the stand. “For example, we developed a protective coating for pipe waterproofing for Sevmash. The client set a task, and they were satisfied with our performance.”
The Industry Development Centre of the Leningrad Region gives an opportunity to participate in business missions and trade shows and receive subsidies free of charge. According to the employees, it is a very useful organisation for Russian producers. Trade shows in general are the best thing you can do to promote a brand. The more often you participate in trade shows, the more your trade mark and products will be recognised.
“We participate in Interlakokraska on a regular basis, and the exhibition remains relevant for us,” confirms Inna Beketova. “Here you can see and touch finished products, which is very important for consumers. Here we always schedule meetings with existing partners who come from other cities. And we also strive to get new contacts and new customers.”
Unique palette of polymer resins from ATTIKA
ATTIKA is a Russian manufacturer of polymer resins, founded in 2003. Having started its journey as a distributor of chemical raw materials, the company is now one of the leading manufacturers in the industry. In 2020, the company opened its first production site in the Leningrad region thanks to co-operation with partners.
The product range includes a wide range of resins (alkyd, acrylic, polyester) produced both in-house and by franchise. ATTIKA currently has four production sites, two of which are located in the Leningrad region and two in the Republic of Bashkortostan, in the city of Neftekamsk.
The expansion of production in Bashkortostan was a strategic move to optimise logistics and use local resources such as flax, which is one of the components for the production of alkyd resins.
The company’s plants are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, which makes it possible to automate production processes and increase efficiency. In the coming year, the company plans to launch production of epoxy resins, which will be an important step for the development of the Russian industry and import substitution.
“The company’s range of products finds application in such production areas as industrial coatings, car repair, vehicles, concrete and asphalt coatings, composite materials,” says the company’s Marketing Manager Ulyana Kittel. “The company also specialises in developing individual formulations to the customer’s order and according to their technical requirements.”
“We continue developing and introducing innovative products. Our company is proud of its achievements and strives to further improve the quality of products and service.”
With the support of Industry Development Centre of the Leningrad Region, ATTIKA participates in trade shows, which allows to demonstrate products, establish contacts with new customers and expand its business internationally. The company in collaboration with technical universities attracts young specialists, and participation in joint international delegations contributes to the development of the chemical industry in Russia.