History

1943

1943 year

There are a lot of reasons why the Volgograd Gypsum Factory is a truly unique venture. For example, the nearest similar factory is 800 kilometres away. The products we have been manufacturing for almost 70 years have always been modern, and the demand is tending to grow. Most significantly, the Volgograd factory is one of the few Russian manufacturers of gypsum-based building materials that has managed to remain unaffected by cross-border capital and successfully develop, retaking markets from West European rivals. Almost all the similar enterprises, including the ones located nearest to Volgograd (in Krasnodar krai and Tula region), are owned by Germans.

The building of the factory began in 1943, right after one of the bloodiest battles of the Great Patriotic War. The liberated Stalingrad required complete rebuilding. It was Construction & Erection Department (SMU) 5 of Donbaspromstroy that took to building the gypsum factory. The 77 people passed on to the nascent enterprise by SMU 5 on January 1, 1949 became the core team of the factory staff. They completed the building in-house; at the same time, they were trained to become gypsum makers, crusher operators, and boiler firemen. On June 30 the Stalingrad Gypsum Factory was commissioned as one of the country’s operating enterprises. The parts of the enterprise already in operation included a gypsum shop, a transforming substation, and railway siding. The output was steadily growing, although the factory was still under construction: from 6000 tonnes in 1949 to 29000 tonnes in 1950 and 42000 tonnes in 1951. In 1952 the factory began to manufacture gypsum slabs. In the very same year the plant was given the third-place award by the joint decision of the All-Union Central Soviet of Trade Unions and the USSR Ministry of Construction Materials, following the results of intra-industry socialist competition.

1953

1953 year

In 1953 the factory begins to manufacture dry gypsum plaster currently known as gypsum plasterboards.

1960

1960 year

A landmark year for the factory: the enterprise begins to use gaseous fuel instead of coal to service gypsum boiler furnaces and launches the manufacture of big-size panels.

1986

1986 year

A new building gypsum shop is commissioned. It still remains one of the highest-capacity and modern shops in Russia’s gypsum sector. It allows manufacturing top-quality building gypsum very much valued by builders and building material manufacturers all over the country.

1991

1991 year

The factory load has been steadily growing until 1991. This year has seen the highest turnout of gypsum and gypsum board sheets in the factory history. Then the enterprise follows the same scenario as the national economy. A gradual decline in the factory load begins.

1999

1999 year

On June 30, 1999 a team of young managers headed by director Yury Alexeevich Goncharov takes up the reins and undertakes to change the current state of affairs for the better. Now this date is celebrated as the first day of the factory revival. The inaugural date of the new management team coincides with the 50^th anniversary of the manufacture of the first tonnes of gypsum. Nowadays, these two events are celebrated together by all the employees as the Factory Day.

The revival of the factory has required huge efforts, but the result is now clear: the enterprise does not produce to stock, all the output is delivered ex-conveyor to the consumers.

Since 1999 the factory has been working on quality improvements and product-line expansion. The results are impressive: the output products are as good as the best European examples produced by similar manufacturers, and the factory manufactures only modern building materials.

Main phases of development:

On June 30 a team for reviving the Volgograd Gypsum Factory is created;
The interagency commission decides to refer the factory bankruptcy declaration case to arbitration;
The new team manages to secure withdrawal of the bankruptcy case from the arbitration;
First dealership contracts are concluded.

2000

2000 year

The tape is replaced on the first forming conveyor in the plasterboard shop

2001

2001 year

Plasterboard shop renovated;
Tenfold growth of output and sales as compared to 1998;
Production of VOLMA dry building mixes (Sloy, Shov, Montazh) and moisture-proof plasterboards begins

2003

2003 year

First plasterboard production line is launched in Volgograd; production of dry building mixes (DBM) is launched in Vselug
Production of the first ever Russian standard-size hollow partition blocks launched

2004

2004 year

On December 27 the enterprise is given the license to develop the Troitskoe gypsum deposit in the Samara region;
Volgograd Gypsum Factory TM is replaced with Gypsoton TM;
42 % and fourfold growth of gypsum boards and partition blocks sales, respectively, as compared to 2003

2005

2005 year

Partition blocks production line 2 is launched in Volgograd;
DBM production line 2 is launched, including the crushing complex in VLG;
The enterprise buys CJSC Yuzhuralgyps that develops the gypsum deposit in the Orenburg region;
Production of new primers and gypsum DBMs is launched (VOLMA-Finish, etc.);
Twofold increase of DBM and partition blocks sales as compared to 2004

2006

2006 year

A DBM (m-tec) and gypsum (Monterde) factory is launched in Volgograd;
Purchase of a production site in Voskresensk;
All products are rebranded under VOLMA TM;
Production of cement adhesives is launched;
Sales department is opened in Moscow;
2.2-fold DBM sales growth compared to 2005;
VOLMA becomes the 8th top Russian DBM TM;

2007

2007 year

First production line for partition blocks is launched in Voskresensk;
Stripping works begin on the gypsum deposit in the Samara region;
Expansion of production line of cement adhesives;
Sales centre opened in Voskresensk;
2.5-fold DBM sales growth compared to 2006;
VOLMA becomes the 5th top Russian DBM TM

2008

2008 year

The Company becomes the first ever Russian producer of DBMs to launch a perlite shop (in Volgograd), in addition, a sand drying shop is opened;
Gypsum boiling plants and three partition blocks production lines are launched in Voskresensk;
Purchase of the Bioplast DBM and gypsum factory in Chelyabinsk to arrange local production of VOLMA DBMs;
Construction of the DBM and gypsum factory in Volgograd begins and gets suspended due to the economic crisis;
Crisis-induced mothballing of the Chelyabinsk factory;
On April 30 the enterprise is given the license to explore and extract gypsum in Karachay-Cherkessia;
Construction of a crushing and grading plant (CGP) begins on the deposit in the Orenburg region and gets suspended due to crisis;
Sales center is opened in Chelyabinsk;
VOLMA shares the 4th position with Vetonit in terms of DBM sales

2009

2009 year

A plasterboard production line is launched in Voskresensk;
First steps in tolling manufacture (Novospasskoye, Blagodarny);
Construction of VOLMA-VTR factory is resumed;
Market launch of palsters VOLMA-Nivelir Express poured-in-place floors and VOLMA-Plast;
Sales center is established in Yekaterinburg;
VOLMA shares the 3rd position in the DBM market together with Starateli and leaves behind Saint-Gobain Vetonit;
VOLMA becomes the top seller of partition blocks in Russia

2010

2010 year

Gypsum and DBM production is resumed in the renovated Chelyabinsk factory;
On October 22 the VOLMA-VTR gypsum and DBM factory is launched in Volgograd;
On July 28 the reserves of the Ispravnensky deposit in Karachay-Cherkessia are confirmed;
Market launch of VOLMA-Aquasloy MN, VOLMA-Styazhka, and VOLMA-Standard;
Sales center is established in Krasnodar; Moscow and Network Sales centers are detached;
Marketing department is established in the managing company.

2011

2011 year

Sand drying is launched at VOLMA-VTR;
Two Alstom gypsum boiling plants are launched at VOLMA-Voskresensk;
Gypsum rock breaking and dispatch from the Troitskoe deposit in the Orenburg region are organized;
The railway siding commissioning act and the Agreement on the Socioeconomic Deposit Development are signed by the head of Orenburg region administration;
Market launch of VOLMA-Aquasloy, VOLMA-Aquaplast, VOLMA-Tsokol, VOLMA-Baza, and 100 mm thick partition blocks;
Machine-applied plasters production is detached as a separate line of business.

2012

2012 year

In February the 2nd gypsum boiling plant is launched at VOLMA-Voskresensk;
On March 1 the gypsum section of the Absalyamovo Building Structures and Materials Plant (BSMP) is purchased to create on its basis the VOLMA-Absalyamovo factory (Tatarstan);
Fifth partition blocks moulding line is launched at VOLMA-Voskresensk;
The Chelyabinsk factory of partition blocks is launched in July;
Two DBM lines are launched at VOLMA-Voskresensk;
Agreement on the purchase of land in the area of the gypsum deposit in the Ryazan region is concluded; licensing procedure gets underway;
In October the rights to the Maxiutovskoye gypsum rock deposit (Bashkortostan) are registered and the extraction begins;
Production of VOLMA-Dacha mounting cement mix begins;
Production of VOLMA-Sloy Universal gypsum plaster begins;
Sales centers in Yekaterinburg and Chelyabinsk are reorganized in the Ural-Siberia sales center; Povolzhye sales center is organized in Kazan

2013

2013 year

volma.ru becomes the top Russian website on DBMs;
In May VOLMA-Voskresensk and VOLMA-Volgograd win the national contest “The Best Compulsory Pension Insurer in 2012”;
Sales center Saint-Petersburg and sales center Belarus are opened on July 1;
The agreement of investment intent is concluded on September 27 with the head of the Republic of Adygea; according to this document, the building of the 7^th corporate factory shall be launched (VOLMA-Maykop plant for production of structural materials based on gypsum binder);

2014

2014 year

VOLMA Corporation purchases the government’s stake of JSC Belgyps. The respective Decree no. 34 “On Certain Issues Pertinent to Open Joint-Stock Company Belgyps” was signed by the President of Belarus on January 16, 2014.

In April VOLMA is awarded the ISO 9001:2008 conformance certificate.

May witnesses the launch of new products in the product line of VOLMA TM building mixes: VOLMA-Kholst lightweight gypsum plaster for manual application, VOLMA-Unishov special gypsum putty for patching seams in partition blocks without reinforcing tape, and VOLMA-Termofacade plaster-adhesive mix for attachment thermal insulation slabs of mineral wool and foam polystyrene and application of the primary plaster layer.

In June the Volgograd Gypsum Factory (now known as VOLMA-Volgograd) celebrates its 65^th anniversary;

In August VOLMA Chelyabinsk yields record-breaking output of gypsum binder and dry building mixes for the entire history of the enterprise;

In October VOLMA-Chelyabinsk celebrates its 60^th anniversary;

In December the Company changes corporate visual identity: VOLMA alters brand positioning, including corporate colour, logo, pack, and new corporate motto “From words to action!”

2015

2015 year

January

VOLMA TM rebranding is launched;
production of dry building mixes in improved pack is launched; VOLMA receives the BUSINESS LEADER award (Volgograd);
upgrade of gypsum board sheet production begins at BELGYPS

February

At the end of 2014 VOLMA-Volgograd wins the regional contest “The Best Manager and Company of the Year” in the category of Building and Building Industry;
VOLMA takes part in the 25th International exhibition of building and finish materials, engineering equipment, construction machinery and architectural design YugBuild.

March

A calc spar production shop is launched at VOLMA-VTR in Volgograd

April

VOLMA confirms the ISO 9001 conformance certificate;
VOLMA is a business partner of the Investment and Building Forum in the Crimean Federal District

May

VOLMA-Volgograd wins the regional award of the National Contest “The Best Insurer in 2014”

June

First shipment of products to Crimea by water

August

VOLMA and Soundproof European Technology (SoundGuard) Company begin to jointly promote the solution for partitions using plasterboards with an increased sound absorption index (the air noise absorption index for a 160 mm thick partition is 60 dB)

September

On September 4 the VOLMA gypsum factory is launched in the Orenburg region. The first batch of 10000 sq. m of gypsum partition blocks has been delivered to the customers of the Povolzhye and Siberia sales centres;
VOLMA and BELGYPS take part in the Budpragres-2015 international specialized exhibition for production of building materials, labour mechanization in construction;
the line is expanded with new products such as VOLMA-Luxe ultralight thin-layered gypsum plaster and VOLMA-Aqualuxe highly durable thin-layered cement plaster

October

On October 7 the foundation capsule ceremony takes place in the settlement of Gatovo (Belarus) to commence the building of a new VOLMA gypsum factory;
production of the new special putty VOLMA-Unishov in 5 kg packaging is launched; the service temperature of VOLMA-BLOCK MOROZOSTOYKIY adhesive for cellular concrete erection, packaged in 25 kg bags, is extended to -15°C;
phase two of the plasterboard production line upgrade is completed at BELGYPS

November

The production potential of the VOLMA-Orenburg new factory is promoted at the 5^th Eurasian Economic Forum “Orenburzhye-2015” held in Orenburg

December

BELGYPS TM gypsum board is recognized the People’s Choice Brand for 2016 in Belarus. The VOLMA product line is expanded with VOLMA-Neman insulation materials;
Integration with MascoGlass federal producer of double-pane units