‘On the verge of tears’: TAIF-NK veterans on excursion to the enterprise
Former employees of the oil refinery looked the factory over, local treatment facilities and the Heavy Residue High Conversion Facility
“Thank you for your experience that you passed to the youth, your wisdom and kindness, patience and modesty, loyalty to moral principles. You are pioneers of many undertakings, founders of good traditions that put down roots in the enterprise,” workers of TAIF-NK JSC welcomed their veterans with such warm words. About 30 ex-workers came to their enterprise to see modern plants first-hand and talk with their colleagues. The veterans shared memories interrupting each other after an insight into the present. Read in Realnoe Vremya’s report what the meeting was like.
“Today these people are patrimony”
This year started with pleasant surprises for veterans of TAIF-NK JSC. Workers who took a well-deserved rest in retirement were invited to the enterprise they dedicated the best years of their lives to on an excursion. Many worked here for decades. And today they could dive into the atmosphere of the past, remember their track record and professional accomplishments.
Before the excursion, the honourable guests did a safety briefing and received personal protective equipment. After that, they boarded a bus and went on an excursion to the enterprise’s amenities. The oil refinery plant became the first point. Even if this year it is the 44th anniversary of the launch of ELOU-AVT-7 unit, the veterans remember every detail of this event.
“We launched it in 1979. I remember it as if it was yesterday it was freezing cold in December with a temperature of up to 53 degrees. We received the first oil and had to stop. The launch was postponed until April because of the cold. Next year we will celebrate the jubilee of the launch of the ELOU-AVT-7. I still keep a five-litre bottle of first oil at home,” Minaskhat Khasanshin who worked in the oil refinery since its foundation shares his memories.
Minaskhat Khasanshin retired relatively recently — in 2018. But he admits that he already misses his work. The excursion to the oil refinery plant became a breath of fresh air.
“It is a bright spot for me. I know every screw here, but it is anyway very interesting for me. Today I have met my colleagues, friends. The plant doesn’t stay idle, it develops, it is very pleasant. I have always tried to prepare the youth, pass my experience, said it was our common work,” adds Minaskhat Khasanshin.
“Brave folks work at TAIF-NK”
Director of the Oil Refinery Plant Vladimir Lakhomov received the veterans. According to him, the history of the plant is closely intertwined with their personal lives. As a young specialist he repeatedly asked them for a wise piece of advice.
“I am very glad that our dear veterans are visiting us today. Today these people are patrimony. One cannot forget one’s roots. They built this unit, worked here all their lives. We came here as 20-year-old guys, they were old hands. They taught us how to work, passed their precious experience,” Vladimir Lakhomov stressed.
The veterans of TAIF-NK JSC couldn’t stop smiling throughout the excursion. In Oil Refinery Plant, the guests looked over the furnaces that were modernised, saw modern production control processes first-hand.
“It is pleasant to see our veterans in good health, lively and cheerful. Looking at them I remember myself in my youth when I just came to work. They passed their experience, I pass it further. They educated us. Thanks to them for this,” said Pavel Gavrilov, head of Shop No. 1 of Oil Refinery Plant.
Vice Chair of the Board of Veterans of TAIF-NK JSC Olga Novikova came to work here immediately after graduating from Kuybyshev Polytechnic Institute. She dedicated 35 years to the enterprise.
“I worked as power engineer in the main power engineer’s department. I love the ELOU like my brainchild, with sinking heart. I dreamt about going on an excursion for a long time. Many thanks to our management for the invitation. We came with great pleasure. I am happy our work continues. Brave folks work at TAIF-NK, I am proud of them,” notes Olga Novikova.
“Today it is a completely different plant”
Local treatment facilities of TAIF-NK JSC became the next stop in the route. A multi-level water treatment system head of the shop Ruslan Valeyev talked about in detail was a discovery for the veterans.
According to him, thanks to a unique technology, industrial sewage turns into clean water. And if earlier industrial sewage used to go from all TAIF-NK plants biological treatment facilities of Nizhnekamskneftekhim PJSC after preliminary treatment and fresh water was taken from the Kama River for current plants, now there is no need in this.
A closed water consumption cycle was created in the enterprise, that’s to say, all dirty water is treated and returned to production.
“The capacity of the new treatment facilities is 500 cubic metres an hour. To reach such indicators, the state-of-the-art treatment methods existing in the world practice were ised when developing the technological chart of sewage treatment,” stressed Ruslan Valeyev.
The veterans highly appreciated the efforts of the staff and the management of the enterprise regarding the modernisation, construction of new units as well as the reconstruction of local treatment facilities.
“When I came to this shop for inventory, there were old buildings. Today it is a completely different plant, new, modern. We were told that water is treated and reused, it is a true engineering miracle. It is pleasant the enterprise doesn’t stay idle, develops. I would like it to have a lot of accomplishments and successes ahead. We miss our work very much. We are happy to have a chance of being in our workplaces again. I am on the verge of tears,” Ramziya Yapparova said with a trembling voice.
Caring about every veteran
The Heavy Residue High Conversion Facility — a plant that doesn’t have analogues in the world — caused no less amazement among the honourable guests. The facility is able to process up to 3,6 million tonnes of tar and vacuum gas oil into high-quality light oil products. A hydrocracking unit designed on the basis of Veba Combi Cracking is the main unit here.
Director General of TAIF-NK JSC Maxim Novikov told the veterans more about the facility but in the head office of the company. Delivering a speech in front of the audience, he noted that nowadays the company is first in a Russian rating of recovery of light oil products. And it is a merit of each of them.
Director General of TAIF-NK JSC Maxim Novikov also noted the significance of mentorship in the plant that plays an important role in the development of workforce productivity.
“Today honourable gusts — TAIF-NK workers who are retired — are visiting our enterprise. We are always happy to have guests, we are even more pleased when people who worked in the enterprise for many years visit us. They were pleased to respond to the initiative of visiting TAIF-NK, see how the company dynamically develops, what new technologies have been introduced recently... In a word, I think they will be pleased to see their workplaces and talk with young workers who are now working instead,” said Maxim Novikov.
He also highlighted that the enterprise maintains very warm, friendly relations with former workers who retired.
“We don’t forget them, try to visit them on all holidays. They, in turn, always stay tuned for our company’s production and social life and when possible actively participate in our events. I want to express my huge gratitude for the contribution they made and party for what we have now — a modern, high-tech enterprise — it is their direct merit because they were one of the founders and set the pace of the production life,” noted Maxim Novikov.
The event ended with a tea party. The veterans could share the latest news and impressions of the excursion at a big table in a relaxed atmosphere. At the end of the meeting, the guests were given memorable gifts on behalf of TAIF-NK JSC. The veterans didn’t leave the favour unanswered, handed over the workers of the company pies they made themselves. Because TAIF-NK JSC is one big and united family.