Amid the international instability and the global economic crisis, our country needs stable production capacities, particularly in the industries involved in national projects. The construction business develops at a rapid pace, creating high demand for scaffolding while maintaining high quality standards and imposing up-to-date regulatory compliance requirements.

SOYUZ Scaffolding Manufacturing Plant, Russia’s first world-class scaffolding manufacturer, has been put into operation to respond to the needs of our time. SOYUZ produces scaffolding and renders scaffolding sales and rental services.

What does it feel like to be the pioneers? Let’s discuss this with Oleg Vladimirovich Smirnov, General Director of SOYUZ Scaffolding Manufacturing Plant.

— Mr. Smirnov, how did you come up with the idea to establish SOYUZ Scaffolding Manufacturing Plant? What was the starting point?

— Since 2004, we have been manufacturing quick-assembly spectator stands based on ringlock scaffolding. In 2013, we opened our own steel plant to manufacture parts made of steel and high-duty cast iron. This plant produces die cast blocks for our scaffolding. In 2018, we had an idea to use our equipment for the industrial market. We formed a strong team of professionals and launched the development of a new highly efficient ringlock scaffolding system.

At the initial stage of our project, we had a structural steel production plant with 14 years of experience in major construction projects in Russia, a steel plant and the largest scaffolding installation service company in Russia at the time. We conducted an in-depth review of ringlock scaffolding systems made by five global manufacturers and leveraged the experience accumulated by the scaffolding installation service company. Hence, we succeeded in obtaining an insight into state-of-the-art ringlock scaffolding systems.

We were the first in Russia to produce professional scaffolding that could adequately compete with their foreign equivalents. We managed to integrate production and service competencies.

This marked the beginning of SOYUZ plant’s history.

— You graduated from Izhevsk State Technical University and have an MBA from the Open University Business School. Do you view the establishment of a scaffolding manufacturing plant as the next step in your organic professional growth or as a new challenge?

— This was an organic and logical transition in my professional development.  

— What are the distinguishing features of your manufacturing facility? What do you need to focus on to manufacture world-class scaffolding?

— The experts at SOYUZ Scaffolding Manufacturing Plant fully monitor all production stages. Such thorough monitoring is possible because the entire production cycle takes place at the same site. We use only special steel grades for pipes and die cast blocks, which enables us to manufacture equipment with a service life of 20 years. 

Thanks to modular scaffolding structures, we are able to install 26 various types of scaffolding.  Notably, every element is interchangeable. 

The engineering department and the laboratory conduct tests and monitor the product quality while enhancing the individual scaffolding designs.

The ringlocks used in SOYUZ scaffolding help to significantly reduce the assembly time, thus accelerating on-site construction or repairs.            

— In your opinion, which values shall a company commit to in order to succeed in scaffolding manufacturing?

— The company shall be genuinely dedicated to creating the world’s best scaffolding and address every detail and feature. Meanwhile, the product itself shall provide for quick assembly and strong safety standards for works at height. 

— What makes SOYUZ scaffolding the best in Russia? What are their unique features as compared to other manufacturers?

• Multiple and interchangeable metric dimensions along element axes.

• High bearing capacity of the scaffolding assembly. Higher by an average of 30% than any foreign equivalents.

• Automatic and arbitrary element installation angles.

• One-size-fits-all pipe cross-section of ∅48 mm.

• Color navigation for every element size.

• No wooden elements.

• Compatibility with global equivalents.

• Service life exceeding 20 years and lots of other small details that we focus on every day to continuously improve our scaffolding system.

— Do you plan to open new branches and expand your sales geography in Russia and other CIS countries?

— Four scaffolder training centers are currently equipped with SOYUZ products. The centers are located in Mytishchi, Yekaterinburg, Blagoveshchensk and Saint Petersburg. Our scaffolding is supplied all over Russia, from Murmansk to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. We have already supplied the first batches to CIS and Europe. We intend to evolve into an international company with industry-leading products, which will bring us close to dominating the market.

— How would you assess your past performance? What have you succeeded in and what still remains to be achieved?

— Over the recent years, we have cooperated with major refineries and shipyards, petrochemical facilities and pulp and paper plants in Russia. We have implemented exciting large-scale projects in construction and mass cultural events. We have created a series of training videos featuring assembly instructions for various types of SOYUZ scaffolding. We have achieved a lot, but we keep moving forward and intend to further cooperate with plants, involve contractors and service companies and open new training centers. We are planning to further improve the scaffolding system.

— Like many other countries, Russia currently faces staff shortages. How do you solve this issue at SOYUZ? What is your staffing philosophy?

— Izhevsk is a major research and industrial hub that produces a wide range of various equipment, so it is not hard to recruit qualified staff. Our city offers vocational and higher technical education opportunities. Our employees were previously employed at the city’s major industrial facilities. We put an emphasis on developing our in-house experts based on our own training and advanced training programs.

— More than 200 people are employed at SOYUZ. Please share TOP-5 efficient personnel management practices.

• Adequate corporate structure

• Strong time management

• Clear and realistic goals

• Transparent personnel motivation

• Financial stability

— What challenges do you face? How do you overcome them?

— We have a lot of challenges to deal with, for example the pandemic, which caused the metal prices to go up every week in late 2020. It is currently hard to predict when the prices will reach an equilibrium.

However, we have a close-knit team of experienced professionals who are fond of solving challenging tasks, so we are optimistic about our future.

— SOYUZ has successfully completed a lot of projects. Which was the most memorable? Why?

— Cooperation with a refinery. That project was unique: we had to design, manufacture and supply a rectification column support structure made of scaffolding, which would be able to withstand tremendous loads. The international customer also added some positive aspects into the project. We eventually succeeded, and the customer appreciated the high quality of our scaffolding and our team’s ability to work against tight deadlines.

— There are crucial moments in every business. What were yours?

— A crucial moment occurred in 2020 during the pandemic, when we were unable to visit our customers, because the airport was closed and everyone was on a lockdown. We had to push through those challenging times.

— Does SOYUZ have a corporate motto? What is its mission?

— Our mission is to demonstrate that Russian companies with their own manufacturing facilities are able to manufacture high-quality products and adequately compete with foreign equivalents. To make works at height safe by ensuring that our products comply with every requirement. To save the time and budget of our customers. To create the world’s best scaffolding system.

— What are the future prospects for SOYUZ?

— To expand our sales markets and to master the manufacture of new products. We already have a road map in place and gradually put it into life.

— What is the key to success for SOYUZ Scaffolding Manufacturing Plant?

— The key to our success is a team of result-oriented professionals.