The meeting place is Astana

From July 4 to July 6, Astana, the capital of our state, hosted the III Astana Mining &Metallurgy Congress (AMM-2012) and for the first time at the same time, a new industry event of national significance was held - the Days of the Mining and Metallurgical Industry of Kazakhstan.

The mining and metallurgical complex is one of the key components of the Kazakh economy and, in addition, it is one of the priorities in the FIIR state program, the implementation of which was given considerable attention in the reports and speeches of the speakers of the congress.

The concept of holding the Days of the Mining and Metallurgical Complex of Kazakhstan was focused on the main tasks being worked out in the industrial and innovation policy, which includes issues of increasing export competitiveness, creating high-grade products, introducing innovative developments and training qualified personnel.

Opening the Days of the mining and Metallurgical complex, which will now include the AMM Congress, the congress of MMC employees and the awarding of the winners of the Golden Hephaestus National Industry Competition, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Serik Akhmetov noted: "... Until recently, the industry was focused mainly on the export of raw materials and primary metals. Today, new processing plants of the metallurgical industry are being gradually created, producing products with high added value, providing both growth in the production of high-tech products, expansion of exports to foreign markets, and satisfaction of the needs of the domestic market. The basic indicators are: an increase in gross value added (GVA) by 107% by 2015, and a 2-fold increase in the volume of industry exports. Based on this, the development of the MMC has become one of the priorities of the FIIR state program. Its main tasks are the effective use of the existing mineral resource potential, the introduction of innovative technologies into production, the transfer of modern advanced technologies...".

The main organizer of the event was the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies of the Republic of Kazakhstan; the organizers of the III Congress of Mining and Metallurgical Industry Workers were the Republican Association of Mining and Metallurgical Enterprises (AGMP) in partnership with the Trade Union of Mining and Metallurgical Industry Workers; the AMM-2012 Congress was organized by the Iteca exhibition company with the international partner ITE GroupPIc (Great Britain). Official support was provided by: Akimat of Astana, National Welfare Fund "Samruk-Kazyna", JSC "Tau-Ken Samruk", National Center for Integrated Processing of Mineral Raw Materials of the Republic of Kazakhstan (RSE NC KPMS RK).

The Astana Mining&Metallurgy Congress was attended by more than 1,200 delegates and participants representing specialized and investment organizations from 24 countries. The dialogue platform, which has been transformed into the Palace of Independence these days, featured speeches, reports and opinions from 23 speakers from Kazakhstan, Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Great Britain, Canada, China, Russia and Turkey.

The most discussed issue at the forum was the development of technologies covering the full cycle of production processes: from geological exploration, extraction, enrichment and primary processing of mineral raw materials to the manufacture and production of finished products.

First Vice Minister of Industry and New Technologies of the Republic of Kazakhstan A.P. Pay, speaking to media representatives, noted:

- In order for the site to be in demand and interesting, the organizers form both the format and the agenda, so every time something new appears and something changes. This year we decided to give a whole section to geology, then mining and metallurgy...

The foundation for the development of the mining industry is laid by the work of geologists, and Asset Issekeshev, Minister of Industry and New Technologies of the Republic of Kazakhstan, speaking to specialists of the mining community at the plenary session of the Congress, noted:

- We are now on the verge of adopting a new concept of geological exploration. It will be based on the most modern technologies. I think that the programs that the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies envisions today, using advanced methods and experience of geological exploration, will be the basis for this concept in the mineral resource base.

The first half of the second day was devoted to working out and choosing the main strategy for strengthening and improving social partnership at MMC enterprises. The plenary session of the III Congress of Mining and Metallurgical Industry Workers was attended by forum delegates and newly arrived representatives of labor collectives. The most topical topics discussed at the meeting were: an increase in the industry's increasing coefficient to 1.8; issues of export substitution and others. At the end of the meeting, N.V. is presented to the public in order to exchange opinions. Radostovets presented the "Anthem to miners and Metallurgists".

In the afternoon, thematic round tables were held: "Innovations: the path from creation to implementation" and "Personnel for the mining and metallurgical complex: towards the harmonization of the National Qualification System". The participants and delegates noted that the thematic sessions were characterized by a constructive dialogue between representatives of government agencies, business and science. Many important and relevant issues were raised: government support, trilateral partnership, and the use of private investment in the development of innovation. As a result, recommendations were developed in the draft resolution of the meeting, as well as a protocol of signing two memorandums of cooperation between Arcelor Mittal Temirtau JSC and RSE NC KPMS RK on the projects "Boron in metallurgy of steel, pig iron and ferroalloys" and "Technology of iron recycling in steelmaking".

The round table "Personnel for MMC" was held in the format of the third expanded meeting of the MMC Sectoral Council on Personnel (SSC MMC), established at the last AMM Congress. The results of the discussion were reflected in the resolution with recommendations on a unified approach and regular coordination of approaches to the structure of the National Qualification System and the methodology for the development of professional standards developed by the SSC MMC, which will be sent to the line Ministries.

87 participants (full-time and part-time) from Great Britain, Germany, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine took part in the two-day AMM-2012 exhibition. The total exhibition area was 787 m². The exhibition was visited by more than 2,000 specialists working in the field of subsoil use.

The material was prepared by S.A. Karyagina, photo by the author

Mining Journal of Kazakhstan, No. 8, 2012