A new production year has commenced in the expanded clay concrete block workshop of OAO "Keramzitoviy Graviy Zavod g. Novolukoml" (Novolukoml Expanded Clay Gravel Plant) in Chashniki District, which manufactures innovative products.
The enterprise, which released its first batch of products in 1977, has been a leader in the industry of Vitebsk Region throughout its history.
The consequences of sanctions imposed by unfriendly countries towards Belarus are also being overcome with dignity here. Before the coronavirus pandemic and the imposition of sanctions, the plant had significant sales markets for its "TermoKomfort" expanded clay concrete blocks in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland. The export of these products, as cement-containing materials, to EU countries ceased with the introduction of sanctions. The enterprise's administration decided to strengthen its positions within its home country and paid closer attention to the construction market of the Russian Federation.
– We have made significant efforts to certify our products in compliance with Russian standards, – reported the enterprise's director, Mikhail Lazarashvili. – We plan to make a strong impression by participating for the first time in the largest international construction and interior design exhibition, MosBuild, which will be held in Moscow in April. This will contribute to increasing export volumes to the Russian market.
Currently, expanded clay is supplied to Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic. Such countries as Bulgaria and Serbia have been added to the geography of export supplies, and deliveries of expanded clay to Poland have significantly increased.
The main competitive advantage of the expanded clay gravel plant's products is their high quality. The presence of its own accredited laboratory significantly contributes to this. Its state-of-the-art equipment allows for most tests to be conducted on-site, as well as for services to be provided to third-party organizations.
The raw material for the production of expanded clay is dark brown clay. A quarry for its extraction has been developed near the plant. It is noteworthy that in the years when the enterprise was just starting its operations, it was believed that high-quality expanded clay could not be produced from such clays. However, the plant has not only managed to achieve high quality expanded clay but also to establish the production of fine-fraction expanded clay.
The initial design capacity of the enterprise was 500 thousand cubic meters of expanded clay per year. Currently, as a result of ongoing production modernization, the output volume will increase to 1 million cubic meters per year.
It was in Novolukoml that an electromagnetic filter for expanded clay production, developed in conjunction with the Moscow institute "Giproga-zochistka", was first installed in 2009 across the entire post-Soviet space. This allowed for a reduction in inorganic dust emissions from 1240 mg/m³ to 50 mg/m³.
A significant step in the enterprise's development was the launch of a new workshop for the production of expanded clay concrete products in 2012. From that moment on, the plant became a supplier not only of traditional expanded clay of various grades but also of a new, high-quality, market-demanded building material – "ThermoKomfort" expanded clay concrete blocks.
– This workshop is our pride, – said Mikhail Lazarashvili. – Last year, we implemented a significant investment project to replace wooden moulding pallets with plastic ones, which increased the productivity from 45 to 60 cubic metres of expanded clay concrete blocks per hour.
When constructing walls from "ThermoKomfort" slotted expanded clay concrete blocks with a tongue-and-groove system for wall thicknesses of 200–500 mm, there is no need for mortar application on horizontal joints, which helps to eliminate "cold bridges". As a result, the thermal resistance of a 400 mm thick wall, compared to the national standard of 3.2 m²∙°C/W, is 3.7 m²∙°C/W, and for a 500 mm wall, it is 4.55 m²∙°C/W. Buildings with increased thermal engineering requirements are constructed from such blocks. The heating costs for them are negligible.
Solid expanded clay concrete blocks with a tongue-and-groove system for wall thicknesses of 200–300 mm are ideal for ventilated facades. Blocks for internal partitions with thicknesses of 100 and 120 mm have a high airborne sound insulation index.
– In recent years, healthcare facilities in Belarus have mainly been built from our blocks, – the enterprise director proudly stated. – For example, the Republican Scientific and Practical Centre "Mother and Child", the hybrid surgery building at the Republican Scientific and Practical Centre "Cardiology", several polyclinics in Minsk, and a new polyclinic in Orsha were erected using them. We have won tenders for the supply of materials for the construction of three more similar facilities in 2024. Perinatal centres in Russia – Arkhangelsk, Bryansk, Gatchina, Pskov, Smolensk – were built using our products. This is because expanded clay concrete blocks are an environmentally friendly, lightweight, and very durable material.
The company's management sees new prospects for the use of expanded clay in the production of single-layer enclosing panels for industrial housing construction. The Belarusian National Technical University has developed a composition of expanded clay-foam concrete for the manufacture of enclosing panels with a density of 400–450 kg/m³ with high mechanical and thermal properties. Particularly lightweight expanded clay with an average density of 200–250 kg/m³ is used as a filler. This enhances the thermophysical properties of the panels, makes them lighter, and reduces the load on building foundations.
“If you don't develop, you die,” is the conviction of Mikhail Lazarashvili. “That's why we encourage initiative at the plant. Initiative is a trait of competent, thoughtful, and dedicated specialists.”
The head of the company noted that the enterprise, which employs just over 300 people, is currently undergoing a generational change. The company has to consider staffing for skilled worker positions. Nevertheless, working at the expanded clay gravel plant is prestigious due to high salaries and broad social guarantees. For example, the collective agreement provides for the possibility of purchasing housing in interest-free instalments for those who have worked for at least one year. The administration welcomes generational succession and sends employees' children to universities to return to the plant as young specialists. More than 30 dynasties work at the plant.
Source: vitebsk-region.gov.by
