Report: ExpoStone Moscow 2015
By Yuri Sychov
At the outset, it must be said that the current year was not the best time to hold an international exhibition in Russia: whilst most European countries have come out of recession, the Russian economy remains in a depressed, crisis state with massive outflows of foreign capital, rising inflation and a decline in industrial production.
Click photo to enlargeAmong the reasons for negative factors in the Russian economy is the fall in the price of oil, a worsening of the investment climate, and a series of politico-economic factors including the events in the Ukraine, conflict with Europe and imposition of sanctions by various countries.
The negative trend in the Russian economy could not have failed to have an effect on the domestic stone branch, including the scale and quality of this year’s ExpoStone Exhibition, held on June 16-19 at a new pavillion on the territory of the Exhibition of Economic Achievements in Moscow. There were 215 exhibitors, 19% less than last year.
The number of countries represented was 19 (compared with 21 in 2014). Exhibitors from Georgia and Venezuela took part for the first time. This year there were 93 Russian companies exhibiting (102 last year), 40 Chinese companies (64 last year) and 25 Italian companies (29 last year).
Among the major Russian exhibitors was ZAO Koyelgamramor (Koyelga Marble Co.) which has a gigantic white marble quarry and a processing factory in Chelyabinsk Region. Several years ago, the company developed a new type of product – microcalcite, which is widely used in different branches of industry.
Another major Russian exhibitor was TD Vozrozhdeniye from St. Petersburg, a big producer of granite blocks and architectural products. Unfortunately the big “Stone Centre” association from the Urals, which had previously taken part in the ExpoStone exhibition, was not present at the latest edition.
MORE IMPORTS
Although the volume of domestic stone production has decreased, the use of stone has decreased only slightly in the Russian Federation – thanks to imports. Imported stone has been used in particular for various “megaprojects,” financed partially by budgetary means and partially by private investors. These include:
- preparations for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ championship, including the building of stadiums, hotel complexes and transport means in Moscow, St Petersburg, Yekaterinburg,
- Saransk, Krasnodar, Rostov, Sochi and Kazan;
- construction of the motorway between Moscow and Kazan;
- construction of new metro stations – eight in Moscow and two in St Petersburg;
- construction of the Parliament Centre in Moscow (Mnevniki);
- construction of buildings in New Moscow;
- construction of the elite complex “Leontevskii Mys” in St Petersburg;
- construction of the Supreme Court complex in St Petersburg;
- construction of a new terminal at Pulkovo Airport in St Petersburg;
- construction of an Exhibition Centre in St Petersburg,
- construction of a new Cathedral in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
Despite all the above observations, I would like to conclude this short article on a positive note. According to forecasts issued by the Finance Ministry of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, the recession will end at the end of this year, after which growth will resume again.
— translated by Paul Daniel
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