TAIF-NK Gasoline Plant: career opportunities for everyone

Joint exercises as a team building tool

The journalist of Realnoe Vremya got to the territory of the Gasoline Plant of TAIF-NK JSC on Friday. As it turned out, on this very day, traditionally weekly, the company holds exercises on working out actions in case of all kinds of emergency situations by the joint efforts of the emergency rescue formation (NASF) of the plant, specialists of the fire and rescue unit and the gas rescue battalion.

In a matter of minutes, the site of the “breakthrough” was determined, the NASF detachment moved to the place on alarm. Soon the crews of the fire department and gas rescuers arrived at the scene. Less than a quarter of an hour had passed, and the participants of the exercises were already summing up the results. It is worth noting that there are 383 employees in the NASF throughout TAIF-NK JSC. This is a voluntary matter, but there are plenty of willing people. The exercises take place at least three times a week. Once — with the involvement of professional emergency services. The management considers such events not only from the point of view of constantly improving the level of industrial safety, but also as a powerful training and team-building tool.

“Any enterprise, especially such a complex one as TAIF-NK JSC, is not only technologies, not only catalysts, pumps, controllers and other equipment, but it is primarily a team: those people, those highly qualified specialists who work here. We appreciate the team, we try to maintain its high qualification. Such exercises to ensure safety at production facilities also serve to increase the level of this knowledge, as well as cohesion, readiness to jointly solve the most complex and responsible tasks," Aleksey Khramov, the chief engineer at TAIF-NK JSC, said in an interview with Realnoe Vremya.

Students appeared almost immediately

Another important tool for team building and staff development is the mentoring system. At the Gasoline Plant, this practice was introduced almost when the company was founded. If at the first stages of the formation of production, the specialists selected for the construction of the plant, commissioning of equipment already had serious experience and actively studied from each other, then the old-timers of the production themselves have brought up more than one generation of young specialists, many of whom have taken leadership positions today or are themselves teaching a new generation of oil and gas processors.

“I came to this production in June 2005. One of the first, one might say. I came as an operator of the 5th category. He worked at the reactor unit — at the main unit — until 2009. Then he became the operator of the 6th category to the unit of gas separation — a neighbouring node. When he switched to gas separation, students appeared there almost immediately — operators of the 4th-5th category. They came after the institute or after school — I taught them everything they needed," says the operator of the 6th category, Dmitry Dedushkin, one of the veterans of production.

As the specialist himself admits, 17 years ago, curiosity prompted him to move to the Gasoline Plant from the Nizhnekamsk oil plant. And it turned out that he fell in love with his work:

“I decided to come here because the first catalytic cracking plant in Tatarstan was being built at that time. Everything is new, modern equipment was high-tech, it was interesting. I decided to try myself in a new direction. I won't say it was easy. With the previous job — completely different directions. Besides, high pressure, high temperatures — the rules of labour protection and fire safety must be strictly observed. And now I've been working here for 17 years. I like this job. I think it's mine. I come to work with joy and pleasure. Work allows me to look confidently into the future, gives stability, income, good social guarantees," Dmitry Dedushkin frankly confessed to the journalist of Realnoe Vremya.

Ravil Khamidullin decided to change petrochemistry to oil and gas processing just a year later than his colleague

“My work experience has been since 1987. I worked at Nizhnekamskneftekhim. He came to the Gasoline Plant in 2006 as an operator of the 5th category of the raw material heating unit. In 2007, he moved from the 6th category operator to the desulphurisation unit. It was just opened. People with experience were needed. At Nizhnekamskneftekhim, of course, I had mentors. While here I am already taking part in the training of young people myself. I won't say how many students there were already. A lot: someone works here, someone moved to other enterprises with a promotion," said the veteran of production.

One of Ravil Khamidullin's students is operator of processing units of the 5th category Artur Shvetsov. He has worked at the Gasoline Plant for the third year. He came here right after finishing his studies at the Kazan National Research Technological University, having received the profession of a process engineer. As the young specialist himself admitted, he chose his profession consciously and forever:

“I like everything related to oil refining and technology. I chose the Gasoline Plant because it is here that deep oil refining takes place. We make good gasoline. My mentor was Ravil Khamidullin, a 6th-grade operator at the desulphurisation unit. He acquainted with the unit, talked about working on it, and also taught the basics of behaviour in emergency situations. In general, the team accepted amicably. What else I like: there are many opportunities for further career growth here. It all depends on me: how I prove myself, so the management will note. It is clear that there is a lot to learn.

Salavat Safin is an operator of the 5th category of the hydrotreating unit, he has worked at TAIF-NK for 6 years. Before serving in the army, he managed to graduate from the Nizhnekamsk Petrochemical College, worked a little at Nizhnekamskneftekhim. After demobilisation, he brought the documents here. At the same time, he entered the Kazan National Research Technological University. He started working as a pipeline walker — he serviced the inter-dock overpasses, then moved to the reactor unit as a 4th-level operator. For the last 3 years, he has been an operator of the 5th category at the hydrotreating unit of the Gasoline Plant. According to the young specialist, he am satisfied with the choice of profession and place of work. There are plenty of reasons for this.

“Social guarantees, payments, extended leave for harmfulness, full social package, stability. And the team here is very friendly. You can always approach senior and more experienced employees for advice, with a question. They explain everything, show. We have a large team — we work 30 people in each shift. And even if a person does not work on your node, they still respond and help. And, if necessary, you also join yourself, help. During my work here, I had several mentors — all old-timers. They taught me a lot. Now the senior operator trusts me. I can monitor the process myself and conduct it competently. This work is very responsible. And I like it. And the team is good. And the relationship with the higher management is also good. Then I want to grow in my career. Health permits, age permits.

And also, as Salavat Safin admitted, having started working at the Gasoline Plant, he now cannot indifferently drive past filling stations:

“It's nice to realise that many cars that you meet on the roads are filled with gasoline, the production of which you yourself are involved in. There is pride in realising this. You drive along the road — you see a TAIF-NK filling station — there is pride from this.

The laboratory of the Gasoline Plant is another pride of production. The work is difficult, but interesting — almost all 100 employees and female employees agree. In 2020, according to the results of the republican contest “Best Goods and Services of the Republic of Tatarstan”, the Laboratory was recognised as one of the best in Tatarstan. Since about that time, Gulshat Zamurayeva has been working here as a sampler.

“I have been working for 2 years at this company. I waited another year for the opportunity to get a job at the TAIF-NK Gasoline Plant. First, she studied at the Nizhnekamsk Institute of Chemical Engineering as a technology technician and then passed advanced training as a chemical analysis laboratory assistant at the N.V. Lemaev College. And I waited for a vacant position for a whole year to get a job here. The company is just very good. There is a very good team here, a good salary, a good social package. In the future, I want to become a chemical analysis laboratory assistant," the girl shared with the journalist of Realnoe Vremya.

Another student is already a specialist

TAIF-NK JSC has strong ties with specialised universities and colleges in general. Promising specialists are selected to work at TAIF-NK even before graduation from the educational institution. Meetings with senior students and graduates are organised annually, where students have the opportunity to get acquainted with the future place of work, and employers — to assess the level and quality of training of applicants for a vacancy.

From 2021, the oil and gas processing complex not only provides future young specialists with compulsory internship but also implements a dual training system programme, when final-year students, continuing to comprehend the theoretical programme of colleges or universities, gain practical skills in real production, including at the Gasoline Plant.

“They are already full members of the company, are fixed in positions and upon completion of training either go to the army or continue to work. A graduate does not waste time on professional adaptation. At the same time, for the work performed during the training period, students receive a decent salary, and the company receives an employee," Anton Tukhvatullin, the head of the technical training group of TAIF-NK JSC, told Realnoe Vremya in an interview.

Everyone can prove themselves

Participation in professional skills competitions is one of the indicators that can play a significant role in your future career. Therefore, there are many people who want to show off theoretical knowledge and show practical experience. There are a lot of contests themselves. For example, in May of this year, “The best in the profession” was chosen among the young specialists of the entire TAIF-NK JSC.

The senior students of the N.V. Lemaev College of Petrochemistry and Oil Refining also competed with the existing specialists. Egor Fedyanin, an instrument repairman at the Gasoline Plant, was one of the first to cope with the theoretical part, and then with the practical part. As a result, he won! His experience at the company is 2,5 years. The first place in the competence of “Electric Gas Welder” also went to an employee of the gasoline plant — Dmitry Zhuravlev.

A little earlier — in February, more than 600 young specialists from all over Tatarstan gathered the contest “Alabuga Skills”. The professional honour of TAIF-NK was defended by seven employees, including Gulnur Kurbangalieva, a chemical analysis laboratory assistant at the Gasoline Plant. In her competence, she became a silver medalist.

Artur Shvetsov is also an active participant in professional skills competitions. The operator of the 5th category has success:

“I became the third among the operators of processing units. I will continue to try my hand at professional skills competitions. And I plan to continue my career right here — at the Gasoline Plant," the young specialist announced his plans for the near future.

Both mentors and direct management, up to the CEO of the company, feel legitimate pride in the winners and prize-winners of professional competitions. He is always aware of the achievements of subordinates:

“The successes of our young specialists are not a surprise to us. I aim to conduct such a policy at the enterprise in order to give our young specialists an opportunity to prove themselves. I am proud to say that it is specialists. Every person who wants to show himself, such an opportunity is provided. At TAIF-NK it has always been so. By the way, I also participated in such contests before. And the leadership stimulated us to do this. Up to career growth. For example, the position of the head of the shop came to me after I successfully took 100 points out of 100 at the competition of professional skills of operators that took place on the basis of Tatneft," Maksim Novikov shared his memories.

There are many such role models for young employees. Ilsur Samigullin, who was appointed director of the Gasoline Plant in March 2020, started his career as an apparatchik of the 5th category at the Plastics Plant. He went through all the steps of the career ladder, tried out various productions and everywhere showed an inquisitive mind, a willingness to learn new things, and a desire for teamwork for a common result.

“There are opportunities for career growth. Knowledge is the most important thing. We always give young people the way and the opportunity to prove themselves," Ilsur Samigullin stressed in an interview with Realnoe Vremya.

Damir Sibgatov, the head of Shop No. 4, started his career as a 4th-class operator at the Gasoline Plant.

“I came to the company as a 4th year student. In 2010, I got a job. In 2014, I transferred from operators to shift managers, in 2015 I was appointed head of the hydrotreating unit installation, worked in this position until 2020, and then was appointed head of the shop," he briefly told the Realnoe Vremya journalist the story of his professional success.

“People gain experience, increase their rank, become senior operators and continue to grow up the career ladder," Shamil Zainagutdinov, the head of the catalytic cracking workshop, supported his colleague.

He himself began his career at the Gasoline Plant in 2001 — at the very beginning of the construction of production.

“I came as an operator of the 4th category. Gradually I rose to shift supervisor, then I was the head of the unit, then the deputy head of the workshop, and now he is the head of the workshop. At our company, everyone has opportunities for career growth," Shamil Zaynagutdinov is sure.

Everything you need for success: a willingness to learn, act in a team, take the initiative and work responsibly, efficiently and with full dedication. This is in production. Outside of it, there is always an opportunity to have an active and fun rest, do sports. According to the director of the Gasoline Plant, Ilsur Samigullin, the choice is for every taste:

“We organise leisure activities all year round — both in winter and in summer. Cycling, football, tennis, running, skiing are very popular here. All kinds of competitions and contests are constantly held with the awarding of prizes to the winners. And it's just that all our employees have both the time and the opportunity to attend sports classes.