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~ USSR indus~trial Devel2Z22,,

SOVIET CHEMICAL INTDUSTly

No. 72

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USSR Industrial Development

SOVIET CHEMICAL INDUSTRY

NO 72

This serial publ.ication contains transla~tionsof selected articles on the chemical industryin the Soviet Union, on the specific subjectusIndicated in the table of contents below.Complete bibliographic information accompanieseach article.

Table of Contents

Technical and Personnel Problems In Industry..........Ways to Increase Ltnbor Productivity in the

Green Lighvfor Glass Plastics.................0....oo 23LaZ6in6 Conr'truotion of Herbicide Shop at the

ZhdanovE'.iy By-Product Coke Plant........ ......06691 26Production of 143tatoluidine from 'lse........ 27Lack of Coor'divisticn at the Dnieprodzerzhinsk

Nitrogen Fertilizer Pln.............. 30Need for Laboratory Experiments at the Moscow

L&6gin6 Construction of the Kuybyshev SyntheticRubber ...... ...... . ...... .. 38

Increasin6 Polymer Output by the F'er~ana Hydrolytic

Specialization and Utilization of ReservesIn the Tire Industry .. 0......*s*. ..... 00...00600*60 44

TECHNICAL AND PERSONNEL PROBLEMS IN INDUSTRY

[Following is a translation of an article byI. Berezovskiy in the Russian-language publi-cation Partiynaya Zhizn' (Party Litfe), Moscow,No 3, Feb 62, pp 27--33.]

When one casts a thoughtful look over the history ofthe development of the combine, his pride in our Party andour Soviet man -- the creator -- rises. It is the middleof 1948. Surveyors came to the southern steppes of Bash-kiriya. After them came the first builders. In accordancewith the plan by "Lengiprogaz" and the Leningrad Gosstroy-proyekt, a new industrial center was being put up here. Butserious miscalculations found their way into the well-conceived plan. Capital investments into the constructionof a plant for the hydrogenation of sulfur-rich mazutturned out to be excessively large and the operating costshigh. In accordance with the plan, the cost of a ton ofgasoline was several times greater than at petroleum re-fineries. According to approximate calculations, bhe annuallosses would amount to about 100 million rubles (here andbelow -- using the new scale of prices). And still theystarted the construction.

The construction base was prepared in a short periodof time., By the end of 1951 the machine building plantstarted operations and a year and a half later saw thestartup of the heat and electric power station. The adja-cent areas received light and power. Stone houses, schools,children's playgrounds, nurseries, trade schools, achoolsof industrial training, and a technical school made theirappearance. The housing settlement was given the name ofSalavat -- ,-emn'rkable son of the Bashkir people, legendaryfellow champion of Yemel'yan Pugachev. The first youngengineers, technologists, mechanics, and economists arrived-- those whi were forever to bind their fate with the lifeof the future enterprise.

People began to think how to make the enterpriseprofitable and to correct the errors and miscalculationspermitted by the plan. And wherever one searches, therehe will find possibilities.

In 1954 the Ministry of the Petroleum Industry pre-pared proposals for the construction of a new petroleumrefinery in the area of Ishimbay. The planning organiza-tions determined its estimated cost at tens of millions ofrubles, Ishimbay is several kilometers from Salavat. Butthe construction here was to be conducted by another maincommittee of the ministry. It, naturally, proposed tostart with the development of its construction base, itsown heat and electric power station, the establishment ofits own economy, etc. Formally this is all legal: thereis a decision, the plant is called Novyy Ishimbayev, theestimate has been approved, and the capacity has been estab-lished. When the commission which was to select the sitetravelled in the area, it stopped at the village ofAllaguvat in a neutral zone, five kilometers from ourcombine.

Here is where the engineers -- party and Komeomolmembers -- spoke out: why not make use of the establish-ment which is already in existence at the Salavat construc-tion project, locate the new plant along side, and, byconnecting the petroleum refining with the processes ofhydrogenation, turn the technological system upside down?There is free electric power: steam, water, sewage dis-posal. There is no need to build anew barracks and auxil-iary construction enterprises. It will not be necessaryto establish a special directorship. The suggestion wassupported in the oblast and city Party committees andcompeting main administrations gave up. A year and a halflater, the first shops of the new plant which was builtwithin the shortest periods of time were being placed inoperation. Today, this shop is the basis for the proces-sing of the sulfur-rich petroleums of Tashkiriya. Thecapacity of the enterprise is almost two and a half timesgreater than was planned and the expenditures of fundsand materials turned out to be half as much.

And here is another example of initiative. The combinebuilt a catalyst shop. Its purpose is to prepare aluminasilicate catalysts for the catalytic cracking at the com-bine. The raw material consists of silicate lumps shippedin from Dagestan and Kaluga. A ton of these lumps cost 80rubles; shipment cost seven rubles. All this was charged

2

to the cost of the gasolines. And in the meantime, itturned out that it was possible to produce it locally:soda is alongside and there are gas and sands. Within ashort period of tinme, the initiators-enthusiasts are build-ing a unit for the production of silicate lumps, which wasnot projected by the plan.

"You should also make shoe polish for your workers,"were the laughing remarks at that time on the part of thespecialists from the Ministry of the Petroleum Industry.But life laughed a.t them. Our lumps do not cost 87 rubles,but 32 rubles per ton. The organizational expenditureswere amortized in two years. The so-called specializedplants produce four to five times more lumps but theiroperating personnel exceed ours almost ten times.

One small unit, but it is this that opened the way foran intensification of operations and made it possible toobtain new products. Silica gels being produced at theVoskresensk Chemical Combine did not satisfy even thelimited demands of the national economy, while their costis 900 to 2,400 rubles per ton. Our technologists havecarefully studied the technology employed by the Voskresenskchemists. Then they installed additional appsnratupes, in-tensified the cooking to a mesh, replaced the small-capacitypumps, and made use o.f the empty buildings of the secondstage of the factory. And within a short period of time,the combine assured its own supply of catalysts and becamethe basic supplier of silica gels. The new productionamounts to thhousands of tons and its cost has been reducedto 300 to 400 rubles. Sometimes situations are strange.Previously the country was producing 500 to 700 tons ofsilica gel a year. The consumers experienced a great needfor it. The development of industry was retarded. Thesupplier p:Lznt was honored: rare product! Pushers, tele-grams... Pleas. Regular premiums... Now the output ofbasic brands of silica gel is eight times greater and thedemands ar'. being sp"tisfied. A feeling of accomplishedcivic duty and conscience of the fact that the results ofone's labor are pouring like a stream into our life givesone a deep moral satisfaction and an irreplaceable reward.

But here it is discovered that the existing order ofplanning with respect to the end results of the work duringthe'precedling year, the systems of indices of 2clalistcompetition and the payments of premiums are such that themore an enterprise makes today, the worse will be thestatus of the personnel tomorrow. It is particularly bad

3

for enterprises when the new production leaves at once inlarge amounts. The planning and corresponding marketingorganizations frequently do not know the actual future de-mand and are not studying the fields of application.

After the first demand for silica gels was satisfied,difficulties were encountered in its marketing. TheGlavkhimsnabsbyt frequently answered: "There are no ad-dressees." They overstocked, and stopped fulfilling theplan -- the effects were not joyous. They themselves hadto turn to the sovnarkhozes and enterprises, propagandize,recommend, and search for new fields of application, sendpushers, and introduce. But there is punishment for send-ing pushers, without frequently even delving into the es-sence of the matter.

Finally, the demand increased several times. But howmuch time had to be recorded for the laggers and for thosewho were culpable!

The organization of the production of synthetic am-monia and nitrogen fertilizers in Bashkiriya was proposedonly in the distant future. It was scheduled beyond thelimits of the seven-year plan. But the Central Committeeof the Party turned to the Soviet people to help agricultureincrease to a maximum the yield from the fields and allenterprises started to search for reserves. The Salavatworkers did not stand aside.

The Party committee of the combine and the Partyorganization of interested enterprises began to channel thecreative thought of specialists and of the entire personnelin order to overturn the existing opinion about the impos-sibility of obtaining ammonia and carbamide (urea) withinthe limits of the seven-year plan. The engineers andworkers tried carefully to study their unit, estimate thecapacities of the apparatuses, machines, and pipe lines,and to compile material balances. They came to an under-standing: not to try to equalize the bottlenecks, but,on the opposite, the widest areas, on the basis of themaximum possibilities, attempt to replace the low-outputapparatuses and machines, take on a heavier burden, and totry.

The work was headed by the shop engineers L. M. Alek-seyevI G. G. Kabat, L. I. Rozentevet, M. F. Kirilov, A. S.Leont yev, I. A. Krasyuk, V. F. Fialkovskly, M. I. Smirnova,and others. The secretaries and many members of the shop

4

bureaus of the Party organizations took an active part.The resulting calculations were of interest. In the equal-ization of the bottlenecks, it was a matter of tens ofthousands of tons of ammonia per year, with the minimumexpenditures. And for the wide areas, it was about half amillion, with expenditures considerably less than in theconstruction of new enterprises and the periods requiredwere half as long.

There wore heated disputes. Many proposed to stop atthe minimum variant: this, they say, is more certain andplacid. But victory was on the side of those who were morebold. The Salavat city committee and the BashkirskayaOblast Party committee, enthusiastically supported the in-itiative. Upon instructions of the government, the planningorganizations joined the case. The combine received greathelp from the State Institute of the Nitrogen Industry andits Kemerovo and Chirohik affiliates. They developed thetechnical documents in accordance with the maximum variantduring short periods of time.

In one of the shops, the desired capacity was not ob-tained. The plants came with help. Tk.e Izhor workers forthe first time and in a short period of time producedwholly forged, high-pressure apparatuses of large diameter.Four such units give more production than seven of earlierdesign. The "Uralgidromash" made the original machines,small in size, but with a capacity twice as great as thoseused previously.

Both organizations and people showed different atti-tudes toward the orders from the combine. Let us mention,first of all, the planners. It requires so much labor tocome to an understanding with them! And the whole fact ofthe matter is that it is far more difficult to compile aplan of effective large reconstruction of an existingenterprise than to develop the technical documents for anew plant. Besides, in planning a new enterprise, theplanning institute can utilize previously started drawingsand the fulfillment of the plan moneywise is considerablygreater than in developing the plan of reconstruction.

And so we come to an agreement with the general plan-ner -- "Lengiprogaz." It objects against the entire idea,agreeing only as an exception to plan the construction ofa new plant. Only after repeated pleas and agitationalefforts on our side did the members of the "Lefngiprogaz"take up the matter and in truth during a short period of

5

time they accomplished much painstaking work of planning anddmbOdied our thoughts in draWings,

And take the builders. Friendly joint work of theoperators, builders, installersj and planners is extremelyimportant. But it is difficult and disadvantageous for thebuilders and installers to work under the conditions exist-ing at the enterprises. We had to turn to the leaders ofNo 1 Construction Administration, Comrade Gaynullin, andthe secretary of the Party organization, Comrade Masonov,with fervent pleas and it was necessary during the difficulttimes to discuss jointly with the Party members and allthe workers-builders what to do and how to do it and withgreater usefulness for the state. And much was accomplishedwith the warm enthusiasm, even to the detriment of the"indices" of the fulfillment of the plans of the buildingorganization. After all, the system of recording the out-put in construction and installation is such that themore critical and high-cost materials are consumed thebetter the indices are on paper. Sometimes the buildersare reproached: "Low output!" But a verification willshow that the consumption of building materials and metalwas simply less and that there were no "legalized" mis-appropriations.

Skilled and specialized organizations of the Ministryof Construction RSFSR are working in Salavat. Accordingto calculations, the installation required a work stoppageof two months. But they completed the installation in twoweeks without a break in the process. Of course, theleaders of the builders, V. S. Malygin and V. V. Sen'ko,the secretary of the Party organization, I. M. Lashchevskly,had to work a great deal together with the brigade leadersand the workers.

The results of the search by the personnel is as fol-lows: new capacities are being created for the productionof synthetic ammonia and carbamide. Three years havepassed since the submission of the suggestions. The firstammonia was produced in one and a half years and the firstsynthetic carbamide in two years.

The Party and the Government are paying great atten-tion to our enterprises. Funds, equipment, and materialsare being allocated. But what has been planned and built?What is the present result? By the end of the seven-yearplan the basic funds will double in comparison with thefirst plan and commodity production will increase 20 times.

6

The number of workers will, however, increase only one anda half times. They started with 10 simple products. Andnow we have production of about 50 most valuable, diverseproducts; by the end of the seven-year plan, there will beabout 80. Almost all of these were not originally en-visaged.. by any plans. Much has to be taken in battle andby storming, using as a base the initiative of theengineering-technical workers and the support of the Partyorganizatiwt. The green light for chemistry was given bythe May 1958 Plenum of the Party Central Committee. Witheach day petrochemistry is winning a greater place in thesystem of the national economy.

It is known that the success of any matter is decidedby people. The Party organization made a deep study of thecadres and made a daily selection, training, and advancementof people. Leading positions are given only to those whohave finished the schedule of subordinate work.

Our country has all the conditions for the training ofspecialists. The broad network of higher and secondarytechnical schools. The numerous networks of courses andschools for the working youth. Eccellent laboratories andmany talented teachers. And the large amount of scientificand technical literature, newspapers, and Journrls! Selectfor youreelf the specialty of vocation, study, work, andbroaden the horiz3ns of your own vision, and create.

Unfortunately, for a certain section of those whofinish the higher educational institutions and technicalschools a trip to the plant is a waste of time and of statefunds, a useless diversion of efforts and attention of thepersonnel from the matter at hand. This is known by manybut they are shamefully keeping quiet.

The distribution of young specialists without theknowledge of the plant and without selection leads to seriousoutlays. Sometimes this is forced on us. Where, so to say,is he to be placedl After the arrival at the enterprise,someone at once starts to prepare for a flight to warmerclimes. There is always a reason; you cannot stop such.We frequently had unpleasant situations -- reproaches fromthe cadres division of the sovnarkhoz for "distributing"the young specialists. And still those who wanted to leavewere not constrained, but we did not take them back.

We look upon a worker not only from the viewpoint ofwhat he represents today, but also from the viewpoint of

7

what can be obtained in the future, if experienced mentorsare assigned over him. The leaders of any unit, shop, andmanufacture are assigned Only after a discussion of thecandidacies in the Party organization, after we learn thepersonnel's opinion about the man.

And how do we proceed with violators of discipline?Without a decision of the comrades court or a generalmeeting of the shop, no one is discharged. For this reason,there are no cases of the leaders being called to court andof being compelled to rescind discharge orders. If, how-ever, the leadership feels that a worker must be discharged,but the comrades on the job feel that we should wait and bepatient with the man, then the deciding word is that ofthe personnel. The essence is not to insist on one's ownand defend the "authority" of the administration. It isgood when one can save a man, correct him. But when apostponement is in vain this serves as a lesson for theentire personnel. The important thing is that not a singleviolation is to be ignored without a discussion of somekind or other.

Of inestimable value is the organization in Salavatof an evening faculty of the Moscow Institute of the Petro-chemical and Gas Industry imeni Gubkin. This is a wholeevent which has left an imprint on the entire life of thecombine and the city. The technical progress and the risein general know-how at the enterprise owe much to this. Theevening faculty offers instruction to abut a thousandpeople, most of them workers from the combine. Four hundredworkers are combining labor with study in the evening tech-nical school. The training of engineers without a breakfrom production is expanding with every year.

The basis of educating the personnel is confidence inpeople. To raise everyone higher and higher and to inspirewith confidence. To take note of capabilities, believe inthe person, and help him grow. Daily contact of theleaders with the personnel creates a deep mutual understand-ing and a feeling of mutual responsibility for the successof the business.

Ideological and moral factors are acquiring greatersignificance. This was well, truthfully, and heartilystated by N. G. Zaglada in her letter. Special attention isbeing paid at the combine to the selection of propagandistsand agitators. This honor is reserved for the foremost andwell trained engineers, technicians, and workers.

8

Among these are the leaders of shops, units, sections,ans shiftL. This' makes it possible in practice to assureunity of orSanizational and ideological work.

The development of the chemical industry depends onthe status of metallurgy and machine building. But tech-nical progress in metallurgy itself, in all types ofmachine building and progress and transport, in instrumentbuilding, communication, electrical industry and in theproduction of products of wide consumption is wholly deter-mined by the progress of petrochemistry. In order tocreate a Communist abundance, it is necessary to have notonly large, but also reserve capacities for rubber, poly-ethylene, polypropylene, phenol, detergents, soda, fertil-izers, Insectofungicides, dyes, lacquers, solvents, plas-tics, vitamins and at least the basic types of syntheticfiber. Without plastics, linoleum, pretty and stronglacquers, thick and reinforced window glass, the furtherexpansion of the construction of housing and the productionof pretty furniture are impossible.

Within the next few years the national economy willrequire a large amount of polyethylene alone. Is it pog-sible within a short period of time to create the necessarycapacities? All this depends on what plants are to beplanned and built. Those who built and placed on streamchemical enterprises agree that, in order to create plantsof great capacities with large units, practically the samelength of time is required as for a plant of small capacitywith low-output apparatuses and machines. By doubling thecapacity of a unit, the capital expenditures for additionalproduction drop almost by 50 percent. The new technologyis persistently knocking at the door; it is the child ofthe great revolution in all branches of human knowledge.

The solution of great, complex problems facing us re-quires complex work on the part of the research institutes,planning organizations, builders, installers, machinebuilders., and operating personnel. For this purpose, theleaders of the enterprises should take the time to createand master the new technology and the rational organizationof production and not to sway from side to side and toworry less about how "to link, coordinate, settle."

We still have too many coordinating levels. They fre-quently detract people from an immediate, concrete matter.The leader of an enterprise must answer all telephone callsand letters. Rarely is one interested in the woi,% scope of

9

the director, but try not to telephone, not to inform! Fordecades two railroads -- Ufimskaya and Kuybyshevskaya --were operating side by side. How much paper they haveconsumedl Conferences and gatherings, but the productionwas not being shipped out. But finally only the Kuybyshev-skaya railroad remained. This is to the good of everyone.The work is proceeding much better! The misunderstandingshave been removed as if by hand.

It is difficult to give a correct technical idea. Andhow much rough work it is necessary to accomplish in orderto develop the thought in all details, introduce it, andcarry the matter to the desired end! How many unpleasantsituations await one on the path of masteryl And in themeantime, the neighboring plant which for years did nottrouble itself with searches and which kept strictly withinthe given indices kept on getting all the time easier tasks.It is never in debt. For any holiday it demonstrates threeto five planned "achievements" known to everyone. It isused as an example for years.

The plans of production and the systems of encourage-ment should compel the leaders of the enterprises and thepersonnel to think, labor, and search. It is necessary tocreate an atmosphere of interest in obtaining a maximumpossible volume of work and fulfilling it with the smallestexpenditures of labor. To design and produce technicallythe most perfect machines, apparatuses, and instruments,and consumer goods, and to see how to produce additionallyan extra score of shapes and products.

The November Plenum of the Central Committee of theParty decidea very properly to concentrate the leadershipof technical policy in the state committees of the Councilof Ministers USSR for the branches of industry. In connec-tion with this, we wish to express the desire that theindividual planning organizations and research institutesbe transferred to the jurisdiction of the leading enter-prises, that the practice of creating large design divisionsat large plants be expanded, and that the workers of theresearch laboratories and experimental shops have theirwages equalized with those of the coworkers of scientificresearch institutes and the leaders of production shops.Conditions should be created under which the most trainedengineers of the shops and capable of creative researchcould freely, without losing any of their wages, change overto research work or to a design division. So much has beenwritten and said about this, but nothing has been done.

10

Recently the central newspapers have been featuring adiscussion on problems of planning and raising the interestof enterprises in perfecting the production. A change inthe system of work indices of enterprises is an urgentproblem. In the chemical and petroleum refining industrythe use of the term "gross" as a main index interferes withthe combined, more full utilization of intermediates andwastes. It comes about that the less perfect and completethe process!ng and the greater the output of intermediates,the greater advantage for the personnel. Enterprises withproduction on a large scale, with a deep utilization of theraw materials, and with a wide assortment of end productsremain, so far, in the worst conditions.

We think that we should not allow universal indices,handed down from above for all branches of industry, withoutconsideration of the concrete conditions. Many misfortunesare the result of attempts to utilize a single standardkey for the solution of all problems. There is still onemore index for which we are fighting -- this is confidencein the initiative and creativity of the personnel of enter-prises and their leaders.

1306

CSO: 1830-N

11

WAYS TO INCREASE LABOR PRODUCTIVITY IN THE

CHEMICAL INDUSTRY

[Following is a translation of an article byN. Fedorenko, S. Pogostin, and Yu. Fialkovin the Russian-language publication VoprosvEkonomiki (Problems of Economics), Moscow,No. 1, Jan 63, pp 10--16.]

In order to solve the main economic task of the Partyand the Soviet people -- the creation in the course of twodecades of the mater4al-technical base cf Communism -- thestudy of the ways and rates of raising labor productivityin individual branches of industry, including one of themost rapidly growing -- the chemical industry -- is assuminggreat significance. The decisions of the 22nd Party Con-gress assign to this branch of industry an important role inthe building of the material-technical base of Communism inour country. In the report at the November (1962) Plenumof the Central Committee of the Party, Comrade N. S.Khrushchev said, "We have taken the right direction for thedevelopment of the chemical industry and increasing theproduction of plastics, synthetic fibers and resins, mineralfertilizers, herbicides, and other chemical agents to combatpests and diseases of agricultural plants." In the courseof 20 years the production by this branch of industry willincrease approximately 17 times.

The progress of the national economy, technical pro-gress, and, consequently, the growth of productivity ofpublic labor depend to a great extent on the rates andlevel of development of the chemical industry.

Soviet chemical industry has a number of seriousachievements. With respect to volume of production, itoccupies first place in EUrope and second place in theworld. However, as a result of the increasing economic

12

role of the chemization of the national economy, the re-quirement of many branches for the production by the chemi-cal industry is beikg still insufficiently satisfied. Forthis reason, theproblem of raising the labor productivityin this given branch of industry is assuming great sig-nificance.

The increase in the output of chemical production by1980, projected by the 22nd Party Congress through theintroduction of new types of raw materials, advanced tech-nology, overall automation and mechanization of production,presupposes the need of high rates of growth of labor pro-ductivity in the chemical Industry. Among the ways forraising labor productivity in this branch of the nationaleconomy, the most important ones are the perfection of theraw-material base, automation of production processes,mechanization of labor-consuming operations and eliminationof manual labor, and perfection of the organization of therepair establishment. In this paper we shall dwell ontheir analysis.

The greatest increase in labor productivity will beachieved as a result of the utilization of the petroleumand gas raw materials, on the basis of which the new branchof the chemical industry -- petrochemical -- is rapidly de-veloping. It is becoming the main supplier of intermediatesfor the production of nitrogen fertilizers and syntheticmaterials. The utilization of petroleum and gas rawmaterials will make it possible to accomplish continuoustechnological processes at high speeds that will permitachievement of high output by the equipment.

The resources and scale of production of petroleum andconcurrent petroleum and natural gases in the USSR aresufficient to supply the necessary production capacitiesof the industrial enterprises. The fraction of petroleumand gas raw materials in the production of plastics willincrease from 15 percent in 1958 to 75 percent in 1965, thatof chemical fibers, respectively, from seven to 25 to 28percent, that of synthetic rubber from 0.6 to 55 percent.The total consumption of petroleum and gas raw materialsin the chemical industry will increase during this period5.6 times. The labor consumption required for the outputof chemical production from such raw-materials is much lessthan from other types of raw materials. For example, ac-cording to the calculations of the State Institute of theNitrogen Industry, the labor consumption required for theproduction of one ton of ammonia at the Novo-Moskovsk

13

Nitrogen Fertilizer Combine employing gasification of coke(prior to the changeover of the enterprise to natural gas)amounted to 22.4 man-hours in 1958 and with catalytic con-version of methane (natural gas) it is equal to 6ý5 to10.5 man-hours (calculated on the basis of the respectivecapacities). Also, there is a considerable improvement inthe working conditions,

The maximum utilization of hydrocarbons of petroleumorigin and of natural gas constitutes an important reserveof the growth of labor productivity in the chemical indus-try. Preliminary calculations show that, as a result ofthe use of petroleum and gas raw materials alone, at themodern level of development of technology, labor produc-tivity at enterprises for the production of synthetic am-monia, plastics, synthetic resins, synthetic rubber, andchemical fibers will increase two to three times.

The growth in consumption of petroleum and gas rawmaterials in the chemical industry will result in a largeeconomy of ptublc labor in different branches of thenational economy. Labor expenditures for the production ofchemical fibers are much less than for natural ones: laborexpenditures for the production of one ton of cotton fiber,calculated for all stages of production, amount to 1,660man-hours, that for wool (washed) -- 7,000, and that fornatural silk -- 35,000 man-hours, whereas the production ofone ton of viscose silk requires 800 man-hours, lavsanfiber -- 340, and viscose staple fiber -- 150 man-hours.The production of one ton of ethyl alcohol from food-graderaw materials, with consideration of labor expenditures forgrowing the grain and potatoes, as well as power expendi-tures requires 1,300 man-hours, while from petrochemicalraw materials, including labor expenditures for producingand processing the petroleum and the power -- 78.4 man-hours, i.e., almost 17 times less. As a result of the pro-duction in 1965 of 700,000 tons of synthetic ethyl alcohcl,the national economy will save approximately 860 millionman-hours.

In the United States the production of most productsof organic synthesis Is almost complgely based on hydro-carbons of petroleum and gas origin. Thus, according todata for 1960, the output of ethylene, propylene, butylene,polyethylene, polypropylene, Isopropyl alcohol, and acrylo-nitrile was based entirely on petroleum and gas raw materi-als, while that of acetic acid, acetic anhydride, and meth-anol -- 98 percent, ammonia and formaldehyde -- 96 percent,

14

synthetic rubber -- 80 peroentt etc. In 1960 the productionof petrochemical pi'oducts in the United States amounted to25.5 million tons or 30 percent by weight of the totalchemical production. During 1941--1960 it increased 25times.

The development of the petrochemical industry was oneof the important factors which determined the high level oflabor productivity in the chemical industry in the UnitedStates. The greatest disparity in the levels of laborproductivity in the chemical industry of the USSR and theUnited States resulted precisely in those branches which inthe United States are based essentially on the utilizationof petroleum-gas raw materials -- in the production ofplastics, chemical fibers, and synthetic rubber. This isindicated also by the labor consumption required for theproduction of the indicated types of products. The laborconsumption required for the production of one ton of plas-tics and synthetic resins is approximately 6.4 timesgreater in the USSR than in the United States, chemicalfibers -- five times, and synthetic rubber -- seven times.

Another important direction in raising the labor pro-ductivity in the chemical industry is the automation of theproduction processes. With the development of direct in-organic and organic synthesis from petroleum and gas rawmaterials, overall automation of the production processesbecomes not only economically advantageous, but in manycases unavoidable.

At the present time the chemical industry is conductingwork on the overall automation of the basic shops of theplants that produce synthetic rubber and alcohol as well asat the nitrogen, soda, sulfuric acid, and tire enterprises.It is planned to automate during the seven-year plan over150 shops and manufactures of different branches of thechemical industry. The production of synthetic rubber andalcohol is being automated completely; the production ofplastics should be 95 percent automated by the end of theseven-year plan and that of chemical fibers -- 90 percent.

In order to introduce overall automation on a widebasis, it is necessary to have clear coordination in thework of scientific research organizations, the developmentof automation in accordance with a single plan, the sub-stantiated selection of the most important standard vari-ants of chemical manufactures which should be automated inthe first place, and the concentration in this direction of

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the basic forces in the corresponding fiqlds of science inorder to fMrther 8eneralize and widely introduce into prac-tice the results. At the present, plans are under develop-ment for the estndard overall automation of four nitrogenfertilizer plants, a tire plant, plants which produce con-tact sulfuric acid, benzidine, double superphosphate, poly-ethylene, etQ.

In order to accomplish thorough preparation and massintroduction of overall automation and mechanization of theproduction processes, the chemical industry is establishingfour experimental exemplary enterprises with a model levelof automation and mechanization: the Novo-Moskovsk andLisichansk Combines, the Voronezh Synthetic Rubber Plant,and the Barnaul Synthetic Fiber Plant. These enterprisesshould introduce the latest technology and overall mechan-ization and automation of production, including the trans-port, loading-unloading, and warehouse operations, as wellas operations for packaging the finished production, whichwould assure a growth in labor productivity of 1.5 to 2times even by 1965.

Overall automation and mechanization of the chemicalproduction will make it possible to obtain a greater econ-omy in material expenditures. As a result of the overallautomation of the shop for acetic acid regeneration at theVladimir Chemical Plant, the output of production increased3.5 times atid there was a considerable drop in the consump-tion norms of ethylacetate (by 40 percent), electric power(by 37 percent), steam (by 35 percent), and water (by 56percent). Labor productivity of the shop workers in_-creased more thian four times, while the cost of productiondropped by 27 percent. At the Groznyy Chemical Plant,thanks to automation of the production of phenol andacetone, the output of production increased 1.5 times, theconsumption of benzene per ton of production dropped by20 percent, etc.

In the automation of chemical manufacture, more fre-quent use Is being made of centralized and local systems ofautomatic control and control by means of calculating in-formation and control machines. These machines can notonly fulfill technical-economic calculations with respectto optimization of the control of the technological proces-ses, operative planning, and cost accounting of the activityof the enterprise and its individual manufactures, but alsoassure the automatic control of the work at the enterpriseas a whole at an optimum technical-economic level. At the

16

present timeb it the plants that make technical rubbershapes and plastics, the "Mars-200" machine is being intro-duced more widely; it can control up to 200 objects, measurethe temperature, pressure, vacuum, etc.

A considerable economic effect and a decrease in ex-penditures of public labor per unit production at the enter-prises of the chemical industry is assured by the utiliza-tion of radioactive isotopes and nuclear radiations. Thus,at the Voronezh Tire Plant, radioactive weight gauges withan output of 90 meters per minute have been installed onthe high-speed calenders and have facilitated an increasein labor productivity. The annual economy from a decreasein tolerance during the utilization of the mix aloneamounted to 300,000 rubles.

One of the criteria for the evaluation of the level ofautomation of the production processes can be the ratio ofthe expenditures for automation to the total sum of capitalinvestments. In the United States, at existing plants ofthe chemical industry these expenditures amount to 10 to 15percent, at those under construction -- 20 to 25 percent,while in the USSR, on the average -- six to seven percent.

According to the data of an analysis of 12 cases ofautomation in the United States, which was performed bythe Czech economist Yan Auerkhan (Yan Auerkhan. Automationand Society. Sotsekgiz, 1960, p. 52.), labor productivity inAmerican industry increased, on the average, 320 percent,through automation of enterprises alone. At the automatedammonia plant of the "Spencer Chemical Company" inVicksburg, which produced every 24 hours 210 tons of liquidammonia, 110 tons of nitric acid, 140 tons of ammoniumnitrate, and 350 tons of ammoniated solutions of ammoniumnitrate, a shift employs a servicing staff of only 10people (Including the foreman and his assistant). The entireprocess of producing sulfuric acid from natural sulfur bythe "Stauffer Chemical Company" in Richmond is serviced byone person per shift.

The large scale of automation in the United States isdetermined by the existence of a powerful instrument build-ing industry. The output of instruments to control andregulate the technological processes has increased 10 timesduring recent years. Analyzers and density gauges ofliquids and gases are being produced by more than 30 firms.Naturally the high level of automation and mechanizationof the production processes makes it possible to increase

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production with a smaller number of people.

Automation of the production processes in the chemicalindustry of the USSR will, in the general perspective, bebased, in the first place, on the advancing development ofchemical machine building, instrument building, and theproduction of means of automation and of raising theiroperational reliability, the intensification of acientificwork in the field of overall automation of mastered andnewly mastered chemical processes as well as the raising ofthe level of economic modeling of technological processesof. production and the introduction of their results intopractice, and the perfection of the raw-material base ofthe most important branches of the chemical industry, ac-companied by an expansion of the list of production,particularly production from petrochemical synthesis.

The mechanization of labor-consuming processes and theelimination of manual labor in production and auxiliaryshops, including the warehousing, intra-plant transport,and others are of great significance for the growth of laborproductivity in the chemical industry of the USSR. Overallautomation is unthinkable without the overall mechanizationof labor-consuming processes. The latter is a mandatorypreparatory stage of the first.

At the present time the level of mechanization oflabor-consuming operations in the chemical industry of theUSSR is very low. The fraction of manual labor amounts to40 percent. Over 15 percent of the workers are engaged inloading-unloading and warehousing operations. Problems ofsupplying chemical production with containers, improving thetechnique of loading-unloading operations, introducingefficient transport means, as well as reducing excessivetrans-shipments, improving the storage of freight in transitand by the consumer should be solved even during the nextfew years. The shipment and storage of mass chemicalproducts and, chiefly, mineral fertilizers, the losses ofwhich during shipment amount, on the average, to about 17percent, assume special significance. This is ecuivalentto the loss of the manpower of 5,000 people in the productionof these fertilizers, not taking into account the lossesof last year.

The most important means of the overall mechanizationof loading and unloading of container-unit and bulk freightis the use of special containers and skids. Data publishedin a number of countries shows that the use of skids in

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shipments makes it possible to raise labor productivity inloading-unloading operations, on the average, 10 times,reduce threefold the demurrage of freight care and motorvehicles during these operations, increase to the same ex-tent the utilization of warehouse space, and reduce trans-port expenditures by 25 to 30 percent and the losses fromdamage to freight during loading and unloading -- 30 to40 times. The capital investments of the chemical enter-prises for the acquisition of skids, means of mechaniza-tion, and the reconstruction of warehousing are amortized,as a rule, in the course of several months.

The transport of mass flowing freight, such as apatite,phosphorite meal, mineral fertilizers, calcined soda, dif-ferent resins, carbon black, and others in containers andspecialized freight cars facilitates the solution of theproblem of the overall mechanization of loading-unloadingoperations and makes it possible to avoid intermediatestorage of production in warehouses. The planning organsand the sovnarkhozes should take special measures to createthe necessary fleet of containers, freight cars, and othermeans of transport.

Large reserves for the growth of labor productivityin the chemical industry are imbedded in the organizationand perfection of the repair establishment of the enter-prises. Technical advances in this branch of industry inthe USSR predetermine the qualitative changes in theorganization of the repair servicing of the basic manufac-tures on the scale of an enterprise as well as of aneconomic region. At the present time, the enterprises ofthe chemical industry use over 30 percent of the workersof the branch of industry in the repair of equipment. Thefraction of the repair workers of those fulfilling auxil-iary functions amounts to 52 percent. Their excessivenumber leads to a drop in the level of labor productivityat individual enterprises as well as in the branch as awhole.

In order to determine ways for perfecting the repairservice, its organization at chemical enterprises in theUnited States is of interest. According to data of thesurvey conducted by the editor of "Factory Management andMaintenance," at the enterprises of the chemical, rubber,and petroleum producing industry in the United States, therepair men amount to 15.1 percent of the workers. Also,almost all of them are concentrated in the repair shops.The repair service at American chemical enterprises is

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centralized on the scale of the enterprise. It is necessaryto point out that non-plant specialization of repair workin the United States is not predominant. Two types ofoperations are characterized by the greatest degree of non-plant .specijiization: repair and adjustment of control-measurement, control, and regulating instruments (56 per-cent) and repair-construction operations (44 percent). Inthe first case, such a level of non-plant specializationis determined by the technical complexity of the work, theneed to utilize special stands and control instruments,which compels the owners of the enterprises to use theservices of specialized firms. Non-plant specializationof repair-construction operations is determined by theirmass extent and the independence of the nature of the tech-nological process. This makes it possible for the properfirms to conduct work simultaneously at different-typeenterprises with fuller engagement of the personnel.

In the chemical industry of the USSR the fraction ofnon-plant specialization of repair work is much less thanin the United States, while the level of specialization ofrepair-construction operations is approximately three timesless. Non-plant specialization of the oepair and adjust-ment of ccntrol-measurement instruments in the USSR is notyet organized.

The much higher level of non-plant specialization ofindividual types of repair operations in the United States,although it affects the drop in the number of people at theenterprises, still does not explain the reasons for theconsiderably smaller number of repair people in the chemi-cal industry of the United States in comparison with theUSSR. Our lag in this field, along with the insufficientlyhigh level of specialization of the repair operations, hasbeen caused by the dispersion of the repair personnel andthe large decentralization of repair at the enterprises,low level of specialization of repair in the repair serviceof the enterprise, weakly developed technical base of therepair establishment, lack of the necessary reserve ofequipment, assemblies, and components, insufficient use ofnew, effective types of materials for the production ofequipment, fittings, and pipe lines intended for operationin aggressive media.

What are the ways for perfecting the repair establish-ment and assuring, by means of this factor, an increase inlabor productivity? In the first place, it is necessary tosolve problems of centralization and specialization of the

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repair service withih as weli as oUtside the enterprise.The effectiveness of oentril atior and specialization ofthe repair establishment on tgo enterprise scale hardlycauses a doubt on the part of the workers of the enter-prises and sovnarkhozes. However, during recent years oneof the factors retarding the development of this importanttrend in improving the organization of production was theuse of the system of length-of-service awards by the repairworkers of the production shops. Even after the adjustmentof the wage scale in the chemical industry, the leaders ofmany enterprises preferred to maintain a decentralized re-pair service in order to make awards for length of service.Intra-plant centralization of the repair service and special-ization of the repair operations should become a mandatoryelement of the system of planned-preventive repair atchemical enterprises.

Our industry has great advantages over the industryof any capitalist country in the creation of specializedrepair enterprises and enterprises which make single-typereplaceable assemblies, components, reinforcing materials,etc. That is why non-plant centralization and specializa-tion of the repair service on the scale of one or severaleconomic regions assure an increase in labor productivity.

In connection with this, the experience of the Volgo-gradskiy Sovnarkhoz in organizing centralized servicing ofa basic industry deserves special attention. The sovnar-khoz has organized the centralized production at one plantof all metal shapes used at enterprises of the givenregion, centralized repair of the power equipment at oneenterprise, a laboratory has been organized for the repairof all control-measurement instruments, and a mechanicalrepair plant is being organized to service the enterprisesof the chemical industry. According to the calculationsby Volgograd specialists, in accomplishing all the pro-jected measures for the specialization of auxiliary opera-tions within the enterprises and the sovnarkhoz as a whole,with consideration of the growth during the seven-year planof the volume of production to the extent of 3.9 times, thenumber of auxiliary workers required for servicing the in-dustrial enterprises will be 12,000 less than now. Thisindicates large reserves for raising the labor productivitythrough better organization and perfection of auxiliaryservices at the enterprises of the chemical industry.

It has become urgent to organize large, technicallyimproved specialized plants for the production of spare

21

parts, components, fittings, reinforcements, and others forthe needs of the chemical and petrochemical industry, whichwould serve the enterprises of several economic regions.The accomplishment of the enumerated measures for improvingthe repair service of enterprises in the chemical industrywill assure an increase in labor productivity of 2.1 times,including the nitrogen industry -- 3.9 times, and in theproduction of synthetic rubber and alcohol -- 2.9 times.

Thus, in the struggle for a sharp increase in laborproductivity, a large and ever growing role is, along withthe basic factors of technical progress, being played bythe perfection of the organization of production and, inthe first place, the organization of auxiliary services --repair of equipment, intra-shop and intra-plant transportand analytical and technical control.

The solution of the historic tasks outlined by theParty Program, which provide for an advancing growth of theoutput of the chemical industry during the period of thebuilding of a material-technical base of Communism, willeven in the not too distant future make it possible toovercome the lag in this field and by .he end of the nexttwenty-year period exceed the United States not only in thevolume of production but also in the level of labor produc-tivity in this branch of industry.

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GREEN LIGHT FOR GLASS PLASTICS

[Following is a translation of an article byB. L'vov and M. Slotintsev in Pravda, Moscow,14 Feb 63.-

The November Plenum of the Central Committee of theParty projected a wide future for the use of plastics inthe different branches of the national economy. Glasplas-tics occupy one of the leading places among these. Theseare plautics in which the filler consists of materials ob-tained from glass fiber.

The importance of glass plastics has increased par-ticularly with the appearance in industry of syntheticresins which harden at ordinary temperatures. This made itpossible to develop high-strength, light constructions ofpractically unlimited sizes and most complex configuration.In many cases, series shapes from glass plastics can bemade on con!.inuous, automated or mechanized lines.

It has been estimated that the use of glass fiber andglass plastics as electrical insulating materials forelectrical machinery, planned for production in 1965, cangive a saving to the extent of over 150 million rublesthrough a decrease in expenditures for the production ofthe machinery alone. Thus, glass plastic insulation ofelectric motors in cutting machines increases their servicelife fourfold. The power of electrical machinery for thesame weight increases one third. As a result of the wideintroduction of glass plastics into the electrical engineer-Ing industry, there is a drop in the consumption of ferrousand non-ferrous metals, many millions of meters of textileproducts made of natural fibers -- cotton and silk -- aredispensed with.

It is possible to successfully make pipes from glassplastics. The replacement of only half of the steel pipes

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used for the hydraulic mining of coal will save the stateabout 10,000 tons of metal. The replacement of only 3,000kilometers of metal pipes for city gas pipe lines will savealmost four million rubles. The production of pipes fromglass plastics will make it possible to collect the valuableraw material -- concurrent gases, billions of cubic metersof which are annually burned in torches. The production ofpipes from glass plastics for main pipe lines can save thecountry hundreds of thousands of tons of metal.

Glass plastics have great advantages when used in ship-building. Vessels of such materials are light, fast, andof increased cruising radius. A diesel ship has, forexample, already been built of glass plastics for 65 pas-sengers and cutters, life boats, and sports boats have beenbuilt.

In construction engineering, light, semitransparentsheet roofing and facing materials made of glass plasticsfor industrial buildings as well as for structures of lightand portable types deserve special attention. The commer-cial output of such materials is planned at a number ofenterprises.

It would seem that a wide path would be opened for themass production and application of these remarkable materi-als. However, the development of the commercial output ofglass plastics is at the present proceeding at slow rates.The Gosplan USSR has repeatedly "corrected" the plans ofdevelopment of the production of glass plastics, with theaim of a reduction. The output of glass fiber for glassplastics, with respect to quantity and assortment, was notcoordinated with the growth of the production of glassplastics.

In the development of new, highly effective methodsfor the production of the starting materials and the veryshapes made of glass plastics and in the investigation oftheir properties and fields of application, the leadingrole belongs to the design and scientific research organ-izations. Scores of industry organizations joined thiswork. Practice shows that only well organized and capablepersonnel of researchers and technologists who have beengiven design support and a machine building and testingbase are capable successfully and within short periods oftime of solving complex problems of production of shapesmade of glass plastics.

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Nevertheless, a majority of the leading institutcsengaged in problems of the application of glass plastics donot have the necessary production areas, mechanical base,and design support. As a result, important problems of theintroduction of glass plastics are being solved extremelyslowly. The cadres are dispersed among many institates.The system of the State Committee for Chemistry has, forexample, an institute of glass fiber and institutes ofplastics, which are developing new starting materials forthe production of glass plastics. Not one of these insti-tutes has the possibilities for creating standard processesfor the production of shapes, develop new compositions,and investigate the properties of glass plastics.

The report by Comrade N. S. Khrushchev at the NovemberPlenum of the Central Committee of the Party posed urgentlythe task for the accelerated development of the chemicalindustry and universal increase in the production of plas-tics, including glass plastics. The duty of the workersof industry, scientific research, planning, and designorganizations, industry committees, and economic organs isto solve this task more rapidly. It is necessary to developwithout delay the mass production of glass plastics.

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LAGGING CONSTRUCTION OF HERBICIDE SHOP AT THE

ZHDANOVSKIY BY-PRODUCT COKE PLANT

[Following is a translation of an article byA. Krulevetskiy in the Russian-language nr.ws-paper Rabochaya Gazeta (Workers' Gazette),Kiev, r Feb 1963.]

The shop for the production of herbicide is a start-ing object of this year. The farm workers are waiting withimpatience for its production.

The shop is being constructed by the efforts of the"Uglekoksokhimremont" Trust and the division of capitalconstruction at the plant.

It must be said frankly that the construction admin-istration o' the "Uglekoksokhimremont" is not able to con-duct the work at the required rate. And if one is tospeak seriously about the high-speed construction of theshop, then t.t is necessary, first of all, to assign astronger contractor, for example, one of the administrationsof the "Azovstallstroy." It is necessary also to intensifythe delivery of equipment. And it is also time to finallysolve the problem of financing the construction.

It is understood that we are not relinquishing re-sponsibility for the fate of the object. From now on wewill pay more attention to the organization of labor onthe construction project and supply it better with materialsand machines. However, without the perceptible assistanceof the sovnarkhoz, the required rate will not be attained.

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26

PRODUCTION OF METATOLUIDINE FROM WASTES

(Following is a translation of an article byAi Belokon' In the Russian-language newspaperRaboohaya Gazers (Workers' Gazette), Kie7,8 Feb 63. J

You look at the color movie and you are delighted bythe tints of colors, you read the captions which list thenames of the creators of the film. Of cour30, you will notfind there the name of Ivan Alekseyevich Roldu'in, Anapparatus operator at Lhe Rubezhnoye Chemical Combine isnot engaged in producing movies and does not have thebright lights of Jupiters. And still the work appeared onthe screen with his participation. Why? Soon it will allbecome clear to you.

One of the mandatory components for movie film colorsis metatoluidine - a brownish, viscous liquid. Previouslyit was being produced from a high-cost raw material, bymeans of a complex and long synthesis. All this was ratherinconvenient, but what are you going to do -- if it isnecessary, it means that it is necessary.

One of the corners of the combine, situated afar fromthe basic shops, has been nicknamed the "dead field," "tankcemetery." Now it is difficult to remember who was thefirst to give it such a name and, of course, it is not soimportant. Actually, the tanks were standing and gettingdusty with useless freight -- the wastes of a large manu-facture. There was no sense in shipping these anywhere, itis a pity to destroy and harmful to pour out. These alsocontained the so-called "cold mother liquor" -- one of theinvoluntary "culprits" of the origin of this reporting.

In the central plant laboratory they were looking forways to reduce the cost of metatoluidine. It wvs therethat they decided to "empty" the forgotten tanks and to

27

check the value of their contents, They made analyses andperformed experimentsl And in 'Ehe final end, the motherliquor which previously interfered with everyone turned outto be the "progenitor" (by means of synthesis and otherreactions) of an important intermediate for dyes which isextremely needed by the movie factories. And the mostimportant thins: the metatoluidine now costs a third ofwhat it did before.

Two years ago the commercial production of the newproduct was started at the combine. The best apparatusoperators were sent here. And among these was Roldugin.They knew whom to send in case of a "hitch," to be thefirst to blaze an unexplored path. The shock worker ofCommunist Labor, capable, skilled specialist, leader of theschool of advanced know-how. The man has a taste for thenew and he loves to search. And the comrades trust him:Ivan Alekseyevich is a member of the Party bureau and Is inthe commission to control the activity of the administration.

The apparatus operator inherited quite an establishment-- 23 units of equipment, using the language of the sup-pliers. Seven mandatory instructions have to be learnedby points first before one starts to work. And this is farfrom the idea of an ovorcautious man-- all the apparatusesmust be known to the finest and to sense at once their

"soro spot".

And still the devil is not as terrible as he is painted.Here this saying was very much to the point. Ivan Alek-seyevich mastered thoroughly the stages of the technologicalprocess. If something became foggy, he did not consider ita chore to consult with the researchers in the laboratory.Thus, two clear prerequisites for success gradually becameapparent: to achieve good stirring of the mass and not tolower the temperature of the reaction. On paper, theserequirements are, of course, very elementary. In practice,all turns out to be somewhat more complex.

There is such a term as "upper limit" which is used indifferent branches of technology. This means a rathersimple thing: "utilize all possibilities in the construc-tion or process In order for the efficiency to be as highas possible." In the case of Roldugin, such an "assistant"was the temperature. If it is raised (within the allowablelimits, of course), it Is possible to shorten by much thelength of the process which lasts several days. In thegiven case, almost 12 hours were gained; true, only

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theoretically.

Not everything works as desired. Unforeseen circum-stances interfere. The thermometer column begins to run up-wards and all at once there is a sharp increase in thesludge sediment and this means that the reaction• is againslowed down. What is to be done, how is one to proceed? Away out was found also together: a second pressure linewas installed in the apparatus -- sort of a "Janitor-cleaner." The additional operations reduced somewhat thetotal time saving, but as a whole, the process was reducedby two hours.

Only Ivan Alekseyevich was able to solve one thing --a new "nut" was to be cracked. How many of these therewere -- it is difficult to remember: it was necessary toreduce the consumption of steam and utilize all wastes.And still the annual program was completed three monthsahead of time. The apparatus operators A. S. Belovanenko,V. A. Masak, and others followed In the paths of Roldugin.The brigade produced tens of thousands of rubles of above-plan production.

This year more cares were assigned to Roldugin. it isnot enough for him alone to work well -- it is necessaryalso to teach others. After all, Ivan Alekseyevich is oneof those 15 notable, foremost workers of the republic whoappealed to all the workers in the Ukraine to discover andput to use of the seven-year plan the internal reserves andachieve a level where the records of individuals wouldbecome the achievement of all. Even now he has many follow-ers in the city -- the bureau of the city committee of theParty supported the initiative of Roldugin and recommendedthat this experience be studied everywhere.

When you enjoy the tints of colors on the screen, youshould remember the apparatus operator from Rubezhnoye.Plain and heavy is his daily working attire -- clothworking clothes, rubber boots, gloves, apron. Bit thelabor of one of the modest servants of witch-chemistry isneeded by the country.

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LACK OF COORDINATION AT THE DNEPRODZERZHINSK

NITROGEN FERTILIZER PLANT

[Following is a translation of an article byA. YaLovoj in the Russian-language .newspaperRaboohaza Gazeta (Workers' Gazette), Kiev,'10Feb--63-T.J

The Dneprodzerzhinsk Nitrogen Fertilizer Plant is alarge supplier of mineral fertilizers. During the years ofthe seven-year plan alone, the personnel of the enterpriseincreased the output of fertilizers by almost 80 percentand expanded their assortment.

The Personnel of the advanced plant which earned thetitle of 'Communist" are doing much even now to increase theproduction capacities and the perfection of the technology.

Unfortunately, the Dneprodzerzhinsk chemists are notalways getting the proper support in the solution of thisgreat and important problem.

Alongside the plant the affiliate of the State PlanningInstitute of the Nitrogen Industry has been functioning forseveral years. Such a neighborliness is mutually convenientand advantageous. And still the planning and estimatedocuments are arriving at the plant with great delays.

What 13 the matter? First of all, the State Committeefor Chemistry is guilty of these delays. In its planningtasks, it Coes not coordinate the target dates for thestartup of new capacities with the schedule for the issueof the documents. For example, in the second quarter ofthis year it was planned to expand one of the basic shops.But strange as it seems, the planning documents for theconstruction of the electric furnace -- in essence thedecisive unit -- have to this day not been received and the

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equipment has not been ordered. And this is not the onlycase. It is sufficient to say that for this year everyfourth starting object has not been supplied with theplanning and estimate documents. As a result, the taskfor increasing the capacities is not being fulfilled andthe construction of important objects is being postponedor is reassigned for a later time.

It is necessary to expect that the leaders of thePridneprovskiy Sovnarkhoz, Gosplan of the Ukraine, and theState Committee for Chemistry are paying heed to the de-mands of the Dneprodzerzhinsk chemists and will shorten thevexatious break that is Interfering with the matter. Forthis purpose, it is expedient, in the opinion of theleaders of nitrogen fertilizer plant, to enlarge theexisting affiliate of the institute and to give it greaterindependence. This is required by the interests of pro-duction.

The chemists are paying a dear price for the negligentplanning. At one time the Gosplan USSR determined thetarget date for the startup of the liquid-fertilizer shopand the catalyst shop -- the fourth quarter of 1963. Inaccordance with this target date, the plant ordered theequipment and concluded agreements with the builders. Butafter a certain time, the date for the startup was locallymoved to the second quarter without any kind of agreement.The accelerated development of enterprises of the large-scale chemical industry is, of course, a necessary matter.But in the given case they acted very rashly. After all,no one even thought of speeding up the production anddelivery of the equipment.

The constant battle with the suppliers of the tech-nological equipment takes away much effort and energy. Itis necessary to send hundreds of telegrams, outfit pushersand, what is important, not always with useful results.Even in 1960 the enterprise received an order for powerfulcompressors from the Penza Plant. Then it was mechanicallyshifted and moved to the rear. And after all, a plan wasalready made for the technological line in which the com-pressor was to operate. Then the personnel mobilized thecreative efforts of the able and measures were rapdilyintroduced to intensify the processes. The buildershelped; within a record period they installed the complexequipment. The situation was, of course, corrected. Butagain at a very dear price.

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The chemists have serious complaints also against thebuilders. A definite number of construction and instal-lation administrations has been assigned to the objects ofthe plant. But the leaders of the Ministry of Installationand Special Construction Operations of the republic and of"Metallurgkhimmonta~h" are constantly interfering withtheir work. At their instruction, the builders are fre-quently detached for other enterprises. Even now 200people who should work at the plant are on travel. Allthis brings harm. Last year alone, the construction or-6anizations did not utilize hundreds of thousands of rublesbecause of the lack of workers.

Shortcomings in planning and in the receipt ofplanning-estimate documents and equipment as well as ashortage of builders make it impossible for the personnelto develop in time and completely the enterprise and toincrease its capacity. Dnepropetrovskaya Oblast industrialcommittee of the Party, the leaders of the PridneprovskiySovnarkhoz with the help of the Gosplan of the Ukraine andthe republic sovnarkhoz should finally solve the urgentproblems and afford real help to the enterprise.

The Dneprodzerzhinsk chemists are doing much in orderto make fuller utilization of the internal reserves. Atthe end of 2ast year they introduced many valuable measuresin accord with the new technology and for the intensifica-tion of the production processes which were not projectedby the planning tasks. Because of this, the annual outputof the equipment increased by several thousand tons ofammonia. However, this reserve was not taken into accountby the planning organs in the preparation and approval ofthe plan for the current year.

Recently the personnel turned to the Gosplan of theUkSSR with a plea to increase the annual plan and toinclude in it and independently, without any instructions,the capacities that were placed in operation. The patrioticplea of the chemists deserves approval. The add.,ition tothe program, proposed by them, will be a good present tothe farmers on the Socialist fields.

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NEED FOR LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS AT THE MOSCOW TIRE PLANT

[Following is a translation of an article byG. Korbe in the Russian-language newspaper MoskovskayaPravda, Moscow, 26 Jan 63,1

At the enterprises of the sovnarkhoz there are alreadyfunctioning or under development 60 laboratories of eco-nomics and production organization and 135 sectors oftechnical-economic analysis. Work has been started by 116public bureaus of economic analysis and 40 public standard-ization bureaus. Many of these organizations have alreadyaccumulated considerable know-how.

Today its leader tells about the activity of thelaboratory and production organization at the tire plant.

We have become accustomed a long time ago to the factthat experiment is an indivisible part of scientific re-search. We know that it is impossible to dispense with it,if one works on a fundamentally new design of a machine orhe is creating an unknown polymer, or is raising a newtype of wheat.

Scientific experiment is something which everyoneunderstands and is accustomed to, but economic experiment,ýnot so much in a research organization, but at an enter-prise -- this already raises doubt on the part of many.Nevertheless, economic experiment is necessary and, ifnowhere else, precisely at a plant.

Now so-called "limited piecework" has been introducedat particularly important sections. The concept is new;such a systom of payment for work was previously not usedby us and its experimental verification was, at first,met with distrust.

At the enterprises of the tire industry the cost of

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materials amounts to ab uý 90 percent of the cost of theoutput. Under these cohdittions, a violation of the tech-nology is particularly dangerous. If there are rejectsat the plant, the materials, which amount to nine tenthsof the cost of the tire, are wasted and lie as a heavyburden on the cost of productloh4 But suppose there areno rejects? This can result in an accident and surely ina decrease in the life of the tire. The customer -- theautomotive establishment -- and not our plant will suffera loss, The difference is not great -- in all cases thestate suffers.

Thus, in the case of our plant, the important thing isan improvement in the quality of production. That is whywe have decided that it is necessary to introduce a numberof additional operations and limit the norm of output.

We started to experiment, we produced a thousand tiresin accordance with the new technology, we took those thatwere just produced previously and we tested them in opera-tion. In the case of the tires produced with a limitationof the output norm, the mileage was 10 percent higher.Thus, we demonstrated the feasibility of the proposednovelty. And half a year later we boldly introduced limitedpiecework in all the basic shops.

Limited piecework was introduced in the following man-ner. The technologists and standardization people studiedthe methods of the foremost workers. A time and motionstudy was made. After we obtained a clear picture of whatwe have, it was easier to project what it should be. Afterstudying the resulting data of the technology, we intro-duced the new operations which were needed in order toimprove the quality of the tires. We selected the optimumtime for each of the operations. We compiled a new tech-nological flowline which included all the operations -- thenew and the old.

It happens also at our enterprises that, in strivingto fulfill the task to reduce the cost of production, theleaders of the shops and the technologists aim for un-justified simplification of the technology and begin to cutout materials where it is not permissible. In a word, theyact "in favor" of themselves and to the harm of the con-sumers, Impairing the quality of the production. Wedecided to create a system of material interest which wouldexclude such an approach.

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There are sections and shops at any plant where theindices wLi.ch are used to reward the engineers and foremenarouse not doubt, *Thqe pow&r shop, for example, bejopgs tothese. And how is one tO .deal with the workers in.the basicproduction?

It is necessary once more to recall the high cost ofthe materials used by the plant. The most simple way ofreducing the cost is to save rubber. It is sufficient tochange to the slightest degree the tolerances in order tocredit to the account of the enterprise an above-plansaving. And what saving is to be handed to the customers?

For this reason, we evaluate the activity of the shopforemen and technologists on the basis of their concreteparticipation in the final results of an increase in thequality and drop in coat of the production. Morrover, eachsection has its definite indices on the basis of which theeffectiveness of the work of its leaders is determined.

We are limiting the output norms. And at the sametime we are increasing the volume of production, using thesame areas, and fulfilling the annual -ilans ahead of time.How is this done? Of course, this does not take placewithout the introduction of the new technology, withoutimproving the technology, and without a reexamination ofthe outmoded norms. But the main increase in the output wasobtained by us through an increase in the coefficient ofshift operation.

Number three is considered the maximum of this coef-ficient. BEi.t three is not the maximum figure. Shiftoperation at our plant is three and a quarter. lie use thethree-brigade method of work: three shifts of eight hourseach and a 16-hour break on Sunday. These 16 hours areused for the weekly repair of the equipment. The off daysare given to the workers on a sliding schedule after threedays.

Calculations of the saving resulting from the intro-duction of the new schedule are rather simple. How manywork hours in a week with ordinary three-shift operation?123. But in our case? 152. The effectiveness of theutilization of the basic reserves increased by 25 percent.Here you have simple calculations!

All these novelties have been introduced as a resultof economic experiments. However, no matter 'how paradoxical,

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we have no right to such experithents and for some of thesewe even incur penalties from tMle povnarkhoz. There cannotbe two opinions 4s to whether thui Is correct or not.Experiments have, in accordance with general admission,given, in the final analysis, good results. And we feelthat the plants should have the rig)t for economic ex-periment. Only in this manner is it possible to discoverreserves, increase the output, and improve its quality.It is also important that all the personnel help theeconomists.

In our laboratory there are four persons. Moreover,we have four specialists of different trades: work expert,technologist, financial expert, and planner. It is per-tinent to note in passing that it is not necessary to havelarge staffs in such laboratories. It is necessary toselect from the mass of problems the most important andthe most necessary. It is important to recruit peoplefrom related fields in their solution.

In the fulfillment of the experiments and the intro-duction of their results into practice we are being assistedby the public bureaus of economic analysis, the economicsection of the technical council of the plant, and therecently created university of technical progress andeconomy. The students of the university -- there are 235of these -- not only attend lectures on the improvement ofthe planning and control of production, but are also de-velopine concrete economic recommendations. It is neces-sary to say that all this is being done under the leader-ship of the Party organization of the plant. And theleaders of the enterprise are paying considerable attentionto our work.

In the new year we will continue with experimentation.The plan envisages a "stretching" of one more "bottle-neck"at the plant -- to eliminate the lag of the preparatoryshop. We are seeking the solution not through an increasein the equipment and manpower but through better utiliza-tion of the existing capacities in the shop, in a moreexpedient system of production lines, and in a decrease oftrans- shipments.

Our interest is not decreasing, either, with respectto improvement in quality. The laboratory finds the causesfor the rejects and is engaged in finding ways for reducingproduction wastes and the possibility of the utilization ofdirect wastes.

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In 1963 the plant is going to start the production oftires of t'he new type "R" for the Moskvich motor vehiclesand "RS" fmor the "ZIL"130t trucks. This preparation isbeing conducted by the laboratory together with the entirepersonnel. We traveled to the Yaroslavl' Tire Plant wherewe studied the production directly at the work places.This will help us to avoid many errors.

And so, experiment is necessary. But in order toconduct it, it is necessary to select correctly the direc-tion. Experiment requires serious preparation. Moreover,all the active people of the plant should participate inits preliminary discussion: the workers, foremen, andengineers. For the successful accomplishment of theexperiment, help is needed from the scientific researchinstitutes. At the present, we do not have such help.

Only in this manner can the basic task of .ny economicexperiment be fulfilled: an increase in the volume ofproduction and an improvement in the quality of the pro-duction by the enterprise.

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LAGGING CONSTRUCTION OF THE KUYBYSHEV

SYNTHETIC RUBBER PLANT

[Following is a translation of an article byP. Levchenko in the Russian-language news-paper Komsomol'skaya Pravda (Komsomol Truth),Moscow, 23 Jan 1963.]

All our life we have been building locks, dams, andelectric power stations on the Volga: in Uglich, Rybinsk,Kuybyshev, and we have learned our trade well. And thenwe had to build chemical shops, install complex apparatusesin which miraculous transformations will take place. Forus this was the virgin land. But we understood: the Partyand Government have assigned-to the personnel of No 1Administration of "Kuybyshevgidrostroy" a responsible taskof state iinportance: it is necessary, within a shortperiod of uime, to build the Kuybyshev Synthetic RubberPlant -- the country's largest.

A little over t~hree years passed and on the outskirtsof the city of Stavropol -on-the-Volga a giant plant grewup. It was not easy at first. All around was the un-inhabited steppe -- without voads, without communications,without housing. But hundreds of young boys and girls whoarrived on Komsomol travel assignments to the All-Unioncrash construction projects did not shirk before the dif-ficulties.

Much has been done during the three years. But allthis is only the beginning of the "large-scale Volga rubberindustry." In 1963 our personnel are still faced morecomplex tasks: it is necessary to place in operation thesecond stage of the chemical giant.

Only 10 months remain before the startup of the secondstage of the enterprise. But it Is necessary to build a

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complex of shops, in essence, another large plant. Nowevery day counts dearly at the crash construction project.

However, there are circumstances which retard thegrowth of the giant of chemistry. We are being let down bythe "Neftekhimmontazh" Trust of the Ministry of Construc-tion RSFSR. The builders have made ready for the instal-lers the necessary conditions for productive operations.They gave them the plans, but the administrations of thetrust cannot in any way make the schedule. The "Montazh-khimzashchita" and the "Lifmontazh" organizations of theministry have generally not started the work. The in-stallation organizations of the ministry have a constantshortage of people, equipment, and housing. Many of thesehave not even established the bases of a building industry.We have more than once appealed to the leaders of theministry and proposed that we jointly develop actualmeasures in order to make up the lost time. Our appealsare not being answered in the ministry.

The construction project is in a feverish state becauseof the shortage of concrete and mortar, particularly ofspecial brands, and metal and reinforced concrete shapes.All these materials are being supplied to us by the ad-ministration of secondary enterprises, which is situatedin the same Stavropol'-on-the-Volga. The materials areavailable but they are frequently sent to other addressees.Our administration and the "secondary" suppliers are sub-ject to two main committees of the same Ministry of Powerand Electrification USSR. And so the two main committeescannot agree while an important construction project ison a starvation diet.

The State Committee for Chemistry of the Council ofMinisters USSR has to this day not issued all the technicaldocuments for the second stage of the enterprise, althoughall target dates have already passed. The planners aremaking large changes in the already finished drawings andthis leads to innumerable alterations.

In order to finish the second stage of the plant intime we should receive all the equipment during the firstmonths of this year. However, they are planning to deliverthe equipment in the course of the entire year. Actually,the construction project will receive many apparatusesonly in October-November and these will be installed bythe end of the year only. But there will be no time leftfor testing and mastering the equipment. Besides, the

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plan for the delivery of the eqaipment is continually notbeing fulfilled..

Our youthful piersonnel are appealing to the engineersand workers of the supplier plants: "Take the orders fromthe crash Komsomol construction project under strict con-troll Do not prolong the production of equipment for themanufacture of the valuable material -- isoprene rubberl"

During recent years Stavropol'-on-the-Volga hassharply changed its image. It is becoming a city of the"large-scale chemical industry6 " Thousands of people areworking on the construction and in the enterprises. How-ever, the plans with respect to housing and cultural-service organizations are sharply lagging behind the growthof the population. Even now the supply of water to thecity is becoming an urgent problem.

In appearing at the November Plenum of the CentralCommittee of the Party, N. S. Khrushchev said that it istime to put an end to the superficial and shortsightedapproach to the development of the chemical industry andthat it is necessary to evaluate with 3conomic know-howthe great advantage which the national economy will getfrom the large-scale chemical industry. The severalthousand builders and operators of the Kuybyshev SyntheticRubber Plant understand the full importance of the matterassigned to them. Our youthful personnel will not spareefforts and energy so that the one more Volga giant willstand up beside the power giant.

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/

INCREASING POLYMER OUTPUT BY THE FERGANA HYDROLYTIC PLANT

[Following is a translation of an article byN. Semanov in the RUssian-language newspaperPravda Vostoka (Truth of the East), Tashkent,293 Jan 63.]

The personnel of the Fergan Hydrolytic Plant startedwith confidence the fifth year of the seven-year plan.The country received above the plan thousands of decalitersof ethylalcohol, 138 tons of furfurol, 214 tons of xylitane,357 tons of the "FA" monomer, 20 tons of catalyst, and132,400 tons of oxygen.

The Soviet Union's first shop for the production ofcollactivite has been placed on stream. This is the startof the chemical processing of the waste from the hydro-lytic industry -- lignin.

In the hydrolysis, 30 percent of the raw material islignin. Central Asia produces about 50,000 tons of ligninwhich is utilized only partly in the form of fuel briquets.Its transport is a labor-consuming and costly operation.

Industrial processing of lignin converts it into avaluable chemical raw material and the country can dispensewith activated charcoal which is shipped in from Permiya.

The cost of collactivite, in comparison with activatedcharcoal, is one and a half times less, which will give theplant a sa&-ring of about 100,000 rubles per year.

The organization of collactivite production is theresult of 6.reat intensive work by the staff of technolo-gists and mechanics. With Its own efforts, the plant de-signed and installed a unit for drying lignin, a sybtem wasdevised for trapping sulfur gases, and much was done forthe corrosion protection of the equipment. Now the

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personnel have assumed a new task -- find ways to retainthe activity of the collactivite in order to supply it notonly for its own manufacture but also for the ChimkentHydrolytic Plant.

Last year we organized the technology of commercialproduction of a new type of furane compounds -- tetra-hydrofuryl alcohol, good solvent and plasticizer of highpolymers. This year the output of this production willincrease ten times.

The intensive introduction of plast-c6nc'rete -- a newtype of polymer material based on the . moxnomer -- iscontinuing. This polymer is widely used instead of metalfor the protection of water dams.

The plant is producing furyl resins of new brandswhich, unfortunately, have not yet found application inthe republic. Scientific research institutes, enterprises,building organizations, kolkhozes and sovkhozes shouldclosely and in a business-like manner take up the intro-duction of the new polymer materials. Their field ofapplication is most diverse. Furyl alcohol, also producedby the plant, can be used to impart water-gas-gasolineimpermeability to concrete and reinforced concrete con-structions and to protect sewage systems and chemicalequipment.

During the last three years scores of measures havebeen accomplished for the perfection of the technologicalprocess decreasing the costs of production, increasing theoutput and raising labor productivity.

A great contribution has been made toward the develop-ment of the hydrolytic industry by the following innovatorsof the plant: chief mechanic V. Suvorikov, shop chief A.Pavlov, shop mechanic A. Demekhin, shift chief A. Torchants,the workers I. Tiralev, G. Knyazev, G. Plishkin, G.Mordukhayev, N. Komarov, and others. During the year theysubmitted 108 innovator suggestions.

The construction of new shops for the production ofmaleic anhydride and endothal -- the world's best desiccantfor cotton as well as a good defoliant -- is in fullawing. The shop will be placed in operation during thecurrent year. It is planned to build other shops whichwill produce over 10 new items. The construction of ayeast shop with a capacity of 4,000 tons a year is starting.

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When it is placed in operation, Fereanskaya Oblavt. will becompletely supplied with highly concentrated feed foranimals.

In the fifth year of the seven-year plan productionwill increase by 17 percent. The wide use of furfurol andits derivatives will give the chemical industry availableand low-cost materials for the production of plastics andnumerous intermediates of basic organic synthesis.

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SPECIALIZATION AND UTILIZATION OF RESERVES IN THE

TIRE INDUSTRY

[Following is a translation of an article byK. Gorlin, I. Manvelov, P. Al'man, and A.Shakh in the Russian-language newspaperEkonomicheskaya Gazeta (Economic Gazette),Moscow, No 7, 16 Feb 63, p 15.1

Once a week, evenings, the economic leaders of theMoscow plants of the rubber industry gather for courses toimprove their qualifications. The studies take place inthe Institute of Fine Chemical Technology imeni M. V.Lomonosov and sometimes we travel as a group to some plantand there we take up a definite subject on the economics ofproduction.

And so it was that at one of the studies we took upthe problems of specialization and utilization of the re-serves of this branch of the chemical industry. There wasa heated exchange of opinions as to what has beýn solved andwhat has not yet been done in this respect. This articleis the result of this discussion.

It is known that at the present time the requirementby the national economy for tires as well as technicalrubber products (conveyor belts, sleeves, rubber glands,and others ) is not being completely satisfied. In orderto eliminate the shortage, it is necessary to soiv3 in anoverall manner several problems: increase the volume ofproduction and sharply raise the quality of the production;expand the assortment of products and enlarge the tire-repair business, etc. However, the decisive role in thisshould be played by the correct specialization of the tireplants and enterprises of technical rubber products.

Here it is necessary to take into account the existingdifference in the nature of both types of manufactures.

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Tire plants essentially produce uniform shapes but differentin dimensions and design. The technical rubber productsplants give, as a rule, production which is divided into avery large number of groups. Each of these has its ownspecificity.

For this reason, problems of the further specializationof the tire industry reduce themselves essentially to themost efficient distribution among the plants of the entirevolume of production in the assortment projected by theplan. From this same point of view, the assignment of theproduction of some or other groups of products to individualenterprises is important for the enterprises which maketechnical rubber products.

The advantages of specialization in both cases are in-disputable. These mean an increase in labor productivity,an increase in the volume of production per square meter ofproduction area, a decrease in the cost of the shapes, andothers. But here not everything has been worked out.Specialization is proceeding far from satisfactorily.

The Moscow Tire Plant is now producing tires of 47designations. The assortment of production developed overa number of years. As is known, the capital has two motorvehicle plants -- "ZIL" and compact-car plants. The Moscowtire workers are obligated to produce, first of all, forthese consumers.

It is precisely with consideration of their demandsthat the reconstruction and expansion of the tire plant isbeing accomplished. As a basis for this, we took the pro-jected data on the output of motor vehicles, in particularfor 1965. it is planned to reduce twofold the assortmentof production by the Moscow tire workers and to stressspecialization of production. However, here we encounterlack of coordination. In the selection of the tire assort-ment, consideration was given to the target dates for theorganization of the production of new brands of motor-vehicle tires.

Unfortunately, the start for the production of certaintypes of trucks at the Plant imeni Likhachev is being post-poned, as we know, to later target dates and their quantity,which it was planned first to produce by 1965, is beingchanged. This is threatening to cause large complicationsnot only at the Moscow but also at tire plants presentlyunder construction; their specialization can be Impeded and

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the technical-economic lIadices of production impa:red.

In order to obtain the proper effect from specializa-tion, it is necessary to have a clearer coordination of thetarget dates for the changeover of the motor vehic'le plantsto the output of vehicles of new models and the t-arget datesfor the reconstruction and expansion of the tire plant inthe capital. And now we underscore that there is observeda lack of coordination.

The problems of specialization of production for sucha technical rubber products plant as "Kauchuk" are burningand important. First of all, we speak here about a de-crease of the assortment of production at the expense ofconveyor belts and flat drive belts. Such a step would beextremely necessary from an economic point of view. Inthe first place, at present a portion of such products isshipped from Moscow for thousands of kilometers to the cast,to Siberia, and oven further. In the second place, at the"Kauchuk" Plant this production is distributed in old,unsuited buildings.

If the production of conveyor belts and flat drivebelts is handed over to other plants, then the assortmentof production at the "Kauchuk" Plant will decrease sub-stantially. By means of greater specialization at thisplant, it will be possible to increase the output of suchextremely necessary production as molded and non-moldedshapes. We wish to point-out their marketing in the futurewill be completely concentrated in the economic regionsclose to Moscow,

In the interests of specialization, it i1 neces3ary tostart in a business-like manner with the unificatLon ofthe production of rubber products. Now the same 'Kauchuk"Plant is producing rubber sleeves of the most diverse con-structions, types, and dimensions. We know well that suchsleeves, and moreover of such a wide assortment, are beingmade by other related enterprises. We feel that each ofthese should be assigned the output of sleeves of only adefinite construction, form, and type.

The problems of the specialization of technical rubberproducts plants are quite complex and, in addition, con-fusing. But they must be solved. This will bring aperceptible economin effect.

Here, wuch Is connected with the acceleration of the

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construction of new enterprises for the production of tech-nical rubber products. The creation in the eastern regionsof sufficient capacities, for example, for the productionof conveyor belts and flat drive belts, will eliminate theneed of shipping these Into here from afar and will assurecorrect specialization of the "Kauohuk" Plant and otherexisting plants.

However, it is not necessary to hope that the acceler-ation of the startup of new capacities alone will solve allthe problems. It Is necessary to find also other ways forimproving specialization. Once more we underscore the ad-vanta§e of reducing the assortment of production at thesame Kauchuk" Plant. Just as last year, this year too Itis planned to produce rubberized fabrics. This is entirelynot in accord with the profile of the plant where produc-tion is geared for shapes of complex construction. Theincorrect planning hinders to a large degree the fulfillmentof a more clear specialization of the "Kauchuk" Plant.

We also feel that it is necessary to create specializedenterprises for servicing the technical rubber productsplants. WTe are speaking about the following. At thepresent time, these plants have a cumbersome molding estab-lishment. The production of many shapes requires vulcaniza-tion molds of complex construction, made with great accuracy.At the present time, these molds are supplied by thecustomers. And among these are enterprises of the mostdiverse industries and departments. Under these conditions,the number of mold suppliers Is In the hundreds. Vulcan-ization molds cost much and their quality is frequentlypoor. And how much time is spent for the coordination ofproblems connected with the production of the moldsa Theprocedure is very lengthy.

The way out, in our opinion, is to equip specializedmachine building enterprises in the areas where there areconcentrations of the technical rubber industry to producemolds and other accessories. In particular, one of theseshould service the plants of this industry, which are InMoscow and in the Moscow area. It is necessary also to havespecialized bases for the centralized repair of plant equip-ment and control-measurement instruments.

Te cannot keep silent about the apparent unsatisfactorysituation with respect to the production of equipment forthe enterprises of our industry. A number of new plants isunder construction and the reconstruction and expansion of

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many existing plants are proceeding on a wide scale. Ordersfor equipment are growing. But, in essence, there are nospecialized machine building plants to produce it.

Modern enterprises -- tire and technical rubber prod-ucts plants -- cannot be visualized without a multitude ofconveyor systems. It is sufficient to say that at theDnepropetrovsk Tire Plant the length of the conveyors ismeasured in scores of kilometers, in the shops of the MoscowTire Plant their total length is equal to 19 kilometers.Closed pipe lines are used for the pneumatic feed of rawmaterials and pr~oducts, pushing conveyors with addressingof the freiht, and others.

And who is making such equipment? It is not beingproduced by the machine builders. We do not even have aspecialized organization which would design the conveyorequipment for' plants of the rubber industry. That which isbeing done in this respect in the All-Union Scientific Re-search Institute of Hoist-Transport Machine 3uilding cannotbe taken seriously: the volume of work is obviously in-sufficient and its quality does not satisfy the roquire-ments of today.

That is why problems of economically more advantageousspecialization of the enterprises of our industry areclosely intertwined with the tasks of creating specializedmachine building plants for the production of vulcanizationmolds and the output of new equipment.

In the previous union Gosplan all these problems didnot find a correct solution. In accordance with a decisionby the November (1962) Plenum of the Central Committee ofthe Party, the State Economic Council has been reorganizedinto the Gosplan USSR, and a council of National EconomyUSSR has baen established. We calculate that these organswill determine the true line in specialization of ourbranch of the chemical industry and will put into practice.On this tht increase in the output of tires and technicalrubber prodicts depends to a great extent.

END

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