Fight against COVID-19 continues
The epidemic which had burst out so suddenly in 2020 did not leave the world in 2021 either. But steelworkers did not give up their fight against the disease, the more so because this year we had every opportunity to protect ourselves by getting vaccinated.
As part of the National Immunization Programme, centres of voluntary vaccination for the employees from COVID-19 were created at the plant.
In addition, special quarantine measures were developed which have been in effect for the second year in a row, namely: mask requirement, specific cleaning and disinfection requirement for corporate transport, offices and amenity rooms, multilevel temperature screening.
One of the major accomplishments of “Zaporizhstal” in the fight against COVID-19 was obtainment of registration certificate from the Ministry of Healthcare of Ukraine for production of liquid oxygen for medical use. Every day the plant dispatched free-of-charge medical oxygen to hospitals of Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Khmelnitsky, Zhitomyr and other regions of the country to save lives of thousands of Ukrainian people.
During the period from April, 2 till the end of 2021, “Zaporizhstal” delivered 4, 440 tons of free-of-charge oxygen to medical institutions all over Ukraine.
In 2021, “Zaporizhstal” also carried out a major overhaul of the department of Zaporizhzhia Regional Infectious Disease Hospital which had suffered from fire before.
Electricity networks, windows and door units were completely replaced in the department, sanitary rooms were repaired and finishing work was performed. The renovated patient rooms are designed for 12 patients. One of the four patient rooms was specially adapted for treatment and care for patients with reduced mobility. New oxygen lines connected to the hospital’s general oxygen network were installed in each patient room. The patients of the hospital are provided with the oxygen supplied from an oxygen station which construction has been financed by “Zaporizhstal” and Metinvest Group supported by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation.
Moreover, Regional Infectious Diseases Clinical Hospital, Zaporizhzhia hospitals No. 1, 2, 7, 9 and emergency care hospital received 11 modern artificial lung ventilation machines from the plant and the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation in October.
Start of national project for revival of the island of Khortytsia
2021 was marked by the start of systemic transformation of Khortytsia as part of the “Big Construction” state program. Metinvest company has become a strategic partner of public-private partnership national project for renovation of the island of Khortytsia . What a lot of things we have been able to do this year, just look!
• Metinvest fully supported the island renovation concept in compliance with which the works are carried out on Khortytsia.
• For the first time the island got its own voice and image. Branding was developed for Khortytsia which unfolds it in various recognizable images: Cossack, nature reserve area, spiritual, cultural ones. Khortytsia identity developed by Bickerstaff creative agency won the Bronze in the “Brand Identity” category at the international advertisement competition, “Epica Awards 2021”.
• Zaporizhzhia Cossacks History Museum reconstruction was started. It had been closed for visiting for seven long years because of breakdown susceptibility of the building where the exposition was located.
• The Hill of Unity was reconstructed. The renovated site was opened on August, 23, 2021 on the Day of the State Flag of Ukraine. Owing to a specially equipped ascent, the new reconstructed viewing platform became available for all visitors including the disabled ones.
• An art object, “The Circle of Unity”, made of weathering steel was installed on the top of the hill.
• The public space of “Cossack Circle” was created. This renovated location became the place of a large-scale music festival, Zound Festival, and a small thematic area with St. Nicholas’s palace situated here was popular with citizens and guests of Zaporizhzhya during the period of New Year holidays.
• The first in Ukraine interactive laser show “Transformation through History” was developed on natural landscapes with an option of individual interaction with visitors.
• Immersive presentation, “The Way”, was created by producer Vlad Troitsky. It is an audioplay based on the book of historian Yaroslav Hrytsak and philosopher Volodymyr Komarov “The Way of Ukrainian Identity Formation”.
• “Khortytsia – making dreams come true”, a contest for students of Zaporizhzhia National University was financed by “Zaporizhstal”. The best students’ ideas for the island improvement were selected as part of the contest, the two of which, a feeder with a camera to watch animals and the island navigation system for walks and cycle rides, have already been put into reality. One more young people’s initiative, a path for barefoot walking, will be implemented in spring of 2022.
The first results of the island renovation were marked at the Ukraine-wide level: The National Nature Reserve “Khortytsia” was recognized as the best inclusive cultural facility in Tourism Award 2021 national premium.
Continuous upgrade of the production
Environmental upgrading activities have been taking place at the plant for the tenth year already, and 2021 was not an exclusion for improvements aimed at making steel production greener.
In particular, “Zaporizhstal” completed two large-scale projects specified in memorandums with Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration as well as with Zaporizhzhia City Council.
The first project consisted in sinter machine tail part dedusting system revamping. This project made it possible to increase volume of air to be cleaned from sinter machine tail parts in 1.5 times.
The second project involved start of emission online monitoring data transmission to public access. The plant was the first one among Zaporizhzhia production enterprises to start transmitting such data to public domain. In that way, any person can review the average daily performance of cleaning systems at revamped and new production facilities intended for capturing dust which is the most significant pollutant in metallurgy. The monitoring system displays the operation of process gas cleaning systems as well as of all six sinter machine tail part dedusting systems, treatment facilities of cast houses and BF No. 3 and 4 burden conveying areas.
In addition, in 2021 PJSC “Zaporizhstal” performed BF No. 4 major overhaul as part of which over 5,600 filter sleeves were installed on the furnace casting house dedusting plants.
We finished the year of environmental renovations by participating in “Ecotransformation-2021”, all-Ukrainian business forum of enterprises and companies implementing projects to mitigate adverse impact on the environment. The participants from the plant not only had an opportunity to acquaint representatives of Ukrainian business with successful projects of the plant environmental upgrade programmes, but also to get the highest award for the said projects in “The Leader of Environmental Investments – 2021” category.
Knowledge is light, ignorance is darkness
A year is wasted if you have not gained any useful knowledge over that time. To learn new things is useful even if you are a professional of your trade – this is what every metallurgist knows.
In 2021 we witnessed and were involved in modern and integrated educational programmes for young people who are just about to open a door to the metallurgist’s professional world.
One of such programmes is World Skills Ukraine, a major competition for trade jobs held for pupils, students and young employees. Metinvest is traditionally the general partner of the competition who supports development of vocational education in Ukraine.
Metinvest company also supported such educational programme as Stem is Fem. The aim of this programme is to motivate girls to choose a STEM profession, i.e. related to science, technology, engineering or mathematics. The programme participants got together in Zaporizhzhia to spend two days attending interesting lectures, take part in intensive courses and workshops with successful representatives of STEM professions. In particular, one of the leading top-managers of Metinvest – financial director of the company, Julia Dankova, and financial director of “Zaporizhstal”, Natalia Mikhaiskaya, shared their experiences with the participants.
The most exciting moment of the programme was probably the participants’ excursion to the plant where they got acquainted to steel making process.
Not only young ones, but adults, too, can and need to study. This year Metinvest supported the TEAM Camp leadership programme held for teachers of STEAM subjects in Zaporizhzhia, Kryvyi Rih and Mariupol. The programme was conducted by the initiative of public organizations “Zaporizhzhia. Joint Action Platform”, “Kryvyi Rih Future Foundation” and Mariupol Development Foundation”.
500 teachers of schools, specialized colleges and higher educational institutions, 90 of them being from Zaporizhzhia took part in the programme.
In the framework of STEAM Camp, the educators studied new digital tools of training, visited modern Ukrainian enterprises ready to employ graduates of technical specialities, particularly, “Zaporizhstal”.
Besides, as part of STEAM Camp programme, regional exhibitions of “Science is She” STEM is FEM art-project supported by “UN-Women” in Ukraine and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNISEF) started. The project is aimed at popularizing of technical professions among schoolgirls.
«Green» traditions of metallurgists
The metallurgists of Zaporizhzhia have a tradition known as “Let’s save the Dnieper together!”. This is an environmental campaign launched 10 years ago. Every year, initiative employees of Zaporizhzhia Metinvest enterprises got together for territory clean-ups, stocking with fish and planting young tress in the city. This traditional activity took place in 2021 as well. Anniversary initiative was marked by a large-scale clean-up of the Dnieper shore line and tree planting.
Around 1,800 trees were planted, more than 180 tons of garbage were picked up, approximately 190,000 specimens of fish were let out into the Dnieper, 8,600 breeding bottoms, 30 drifting nests and 30 feeders were placed for birds during the activities in 10 years. Around 9,700 citizens of Zaporizhzhia have participated in the activities over that period.
In spring 2021, Metinvest enterprises of Zaporizhzhia took part in the all-Ukrainian campaign, “Greening of the world”. For instance, Metinvest volunteers planted 400 nursery willows and lime trees in Zavodskiy district of Zaporizhzhia in April. The participants usually come to such activities together with their families which is an excellent opportunity to set a good example for one’s children.
“Zaporizhstal” is always near
One of the main accomplishments of the plant we strive for from year to year is our care about our employees. As a team, we have had a year full of events. Apart from production gains, we also had sporting wins.
Every year, the plant employees participate in corporate sports competitions Metinvest Steel Games. In 2021 “steel games” were held in Zaporizhzhia and this fact certainly invigorated our sportsmen. The “Zaporizhstal” employees won the highest number of awards: three gold medals for kettle-bell sport, ping pong and volleyball, the bronze medals for track-and-field, basketball and chess.
The “Zaporizhstal” employees were able to win the top award in overall ranking in all disciplines. “Zaporizhstal” ranked first for the highest scoring and became the Champions Cup winner in Metinvest Steel Games – 2021.
Not only were we engaged in sports activities ourselves, but also supported the best sportsmen of Zaporizhzhia region. In 2021, PJSC “Zaporizhstal” allocated funding to pay grants for 9 Zaporizhzhia athletes. The two of them, track athletes Ekaterina Klimuk and Anastasia Bryzgina took part in the Summer Olympic Games 2020-2021 in Tokyo. Three more track athletes also became grant-holders of PJSC “Zaporizhstal” in 2021 – masters of sports Aleksey Kasianov, Anna Gatsko-Fedusova, Viktoria Ratnikova as well as the Junior Champion of Europe in gymnastics Radomir Stelmakh, a titled draught player Bogdan Panchenkov, masters of yachting sports Kirill Dolgov and Alena Popova.
The sports is not our only talent. The “Zaporizhstal” employees opened up from a new side to all Zaporizhzhia thanks to the Steel Talents show which was launched in 2021. The show was organized on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of Metinvest and became a real gala event. More than 250 employees of Metinvest enterprises of Zaporizhzhia and talented students of high educational institutions of the city participated in the competition.
During the year, Zaporizhzhia residents acted not only as audience but also as public judges. They decided who was the best participant, the Audience Choice Award winner, in two semifinals. Celebration concerts with summing up of semifinal results took place as part of the 15th anniversary of Metinvest Company, and there was also a festive concert aired on Zaporizhzhia main TV5 channel commemorating the 88th anniversary of “Zaporizhstal”. The competition final was associated with New Year and aired on TV5 channel.
However, positive events of 2021 do not end here. There is one more day important to us – Independence Day of Ukraine. To commemorate the 30th anniversary of independence of Ukraine and the Day of the State Flag of Ukraine, PJSC “Zaporizhstal” of Metinvest Group placed a national flag on Zaporizhzhia cable bridge constructed this year as part of “Big Construction” Program.
The huge banner was placed on the bridge pillar in the highest point above the river Dnieper, at 95 m. distance from the water surface.
Every year is full of challenges and rejoicing. Looking back at everything that was done, we can consider this year to be finished successfully. What is the secret of our success? We get focused only on the good things, and this article is quintessence of positive events of 2021. We are celebrating the New Year of 2022 with new goals and new energy. 2022, give it all you’ve got!