Kosogorsk Metallurgical Plant (Tula) is a large iron foundry in the Tula region. Created in the 19th century, it is one of the oldest in Central Russia. Here, high-purity iron is smelted, ferromanganese is obtained, and art and industrial casting are carried out.
Prerequisites for the creation
In 1861, serfdom was abolished in the Russian Empire. It seemed that the country was just waiting for this event. Explosive industry growth has occurred. However, for further development, more and more metal was required. In order to provide iron products to the southwestern region of Central Russia, it was decided in Tula to create a new iron foundry with the participation of foreign capital.
By that time, sufficient reserves of iron ore had been explored in the Tula province, and the abundance of forests made it possible to use it as fuel. At the same time, the widespread construction of railways began. Tula with Moscow and neighboring cities connected Ryazhsko-Vyazemskaya and Kusko-Moscow branches. This facilitated the transportation of heavy metal and allowed the transport of large volumes of products.
Birth
In 1886, in the village of Sudakovo (now the Kosaya Gora microdistrict, Tula), the construction of a pig-iron making plant began. The place was not chosen by chance. The Kursk-Moscow railway branch and the Voronka river converged here, which made it possible to use all possible modes of transport: rail, land and water, for wood melting, transportation of raw materials and products.
Belgian industrialists were involved in the project, and the Tula Blast Furnaces Partnership was created. By the spring of 1897 a dam was built, the first blast furnace was built, the Engineering settlement and barracks for workers appeared. The first smelting at the Kosogorsky metallurgical plant (at that time - Sudakovsky) was carried out on May 8, 1897. By the end of the year, casters smelted over one and a half million pounds of high-quality cast iron.
Pre-revolutionary years
The growing industry of the Russian Empire demanded more and more metal, and the shareholders decided to build a second blast furnace. A year later, the enterprise reached the peak of its capacity. The plant met the 20th century with record-breaking productivity: in 1900, over 90,000 tons of cast iron in modern equivalent were smelted.
However, 3 years later, a severe economic crisis erupted in the country, which led to the 1905 revolution. In 1903, the price for a pound of pig iron fell by half, its production became unprofitable. Ultimately, the Kosogorsk Metallurgical Plant was stopped and mothballed.
The agrarian reform and rearmament of the army, which began in 1910, warmed up the market; metal again rose in price. In 1912-13, the reconstruction of the main facilities was carried out, and a year later the plant started operating. New industries appeared: slag-cement and shell workshops.
In the name of revolution
Needless to say, the 1917 revolution changed the usual order of things. 06/28/1918 the plant in the renamed village of Kosaya Gora (Tula) was nationalized, production was stopped. The revival of the enterprise began in the 20s.
The cement workshop was transformed into a full-fledged plant. Also launched a power plant built on a dam. From it, electricity was supplied not only to the iron foundry, but also to the Tula arms enterprises. Iron smelting was resumed on 10/17/1926 at the facilities of the 1st blast furnace, its productivity was about 9,000 pounds daily. And on October 28 Sudakovsky was renamed the Kosogorsky Metallurgical Plant named after F.E. Dzerzhinsky.
Thanks to talented managers, the company has developed rapidly. The housing stock was updated, a hospital was built, production facilities were reconstructed. In 1928, blast furnace No. 2 was launched, and construction of the third began. In terms of equipment and quality of products, KMZ was not inferior to the best iron foundries in Europe and the USA. After the start of operation of the blast furnace No. 3 (the tenth most powerful in the USSR), the productivity reached 159,000 tons.
War
From the first days of the Second World War, the Kosogorsk Metallurgical Plant went into wartime. Workers worked seven days a week, the work plan was increased. Many workers joined the ranks of the Tula working regiment or were mobilized. When the Germans approached Tula, the main equipment was evacuated to Lysva (Perm region). The machine shop became the base for the production of ammunition (shells and high explosive bombs), and protective helmets were made on foundry equipment for soldiers of the Red Army. When the front retreated, the restoration of the KMZ began. In 1942, the first blast furnace was launched, and by the end of 1945, cast iron was produced 2.5 times more than before the war.
Peaceful time
Subsequent years, the plant developed continuously. Where heavy manual labor was previously used, mechanisms appeared, which greatly facilitated the work of casters. In 1954, with the commissioning of the gas shop, the blast furnace gas was used in production, which helped to reduce harmful emissions into the atmosphere. In 1956, a fitting workshop was launched here - the first in the Soviet Union.
In the 60-70s, all workshops were gradually reconstructed. In 1978, water treatment plants and a sludge collector were built. By the 80s, KMZ was one of the industry leaders. However, local stocks of raw materials were depleted, and imported was expensive. The company has become "unprofitable." His work was due to the importance of the products: the country needed high-purity cast iron, ferromanganese, and especially fittings (the enterprise was a monopolist in their manufacture).
Our days
Today, KMZ PJSC continues to remain the iron foundry flagship of the western region of Russia. And not only: the company also mastered steel casting on high-tech equipment. In 2010, a large-scale modernization of blast furnace No. 1 was carried out, a dry gas purification complex was launched. The administration managed to find its market niche in a highly competitive environment. However, a pressing problem is to reduce the burden on the ecology of the region.
PJSC "KMZ" specializes in the production of:
- Cast iron, foundry, nodular, semi-unular, foundry.
- High Carbon Ferromanganese.
- Steel castings, cold plates.
- Decorative, landscape gardening, ritual cast products.
- Manholes, pipes, cast iron tiles, storm drain systems, storm water inlets.
- Spare parts for drilling equipment.
- Blast furnace slag, granular, slag crushed stone.
- Building materials.
The Kosogorsk Metallurgical Plant is looking to the future with confidence. In 2014, factory workers were awarded the Tula Brand honorary quality mark.