MMK: COUNTERING THE PANDEMIC
Efforts to supply MMK and provide charitable support programmes to Magnitogorsk residents are proceeding as planned.
In the new conditions, the range of tasks and the level of responsibility of the Commercial Directorate has increased manifold. In addition to its responsibility to ensure the continuity of the Company's technological processes, MMK's commercial service oversaw COVID-19 disease prevention programmes for Company employees, as well as charitable assistance programmes implemented upon the decision of Chairman of the MMK Board of Directors Viktor Rashnikov. The Company allocated RUB 500 million for charitable purposes. These support measures include the purchase of ventilators, bedside monitors, infusion systems and other medical equipment for medical institutions in Magnitogorsk. Tablets and laptops were purchased for students from low-income families who were forced to switch to distance learning, as well as for young teachers in Magnitogorsk schools. Contactless thermometers are being purchased for orphanages and disinfecting UV lamps have been purchased for local kindergartens. Certain categories of pensioners who live alone and low-income residents of the city will also receive food and personal protective equipment kits.
The effort to purchase and deliver this wide range of products was overseen by the Commercial Directorate. And while some of the personal protective equipment (PPE) – including respirators and dressing gowns – were delivered to the plant on a planned basis and their purchase followed a certain standardised procedure, the Directorate now faces unprecedented tasks that often required non-linear solutions. The situation was made more difficult by the high demand for many items during the pandemic, the downside of which was the presence of price speculation. Restrictive measures around the world also made it more difficult to deliver the necessary products on time.
However, noted Commercial Director Sergey Nenashev, thanks to the coordinated efforts of MMK’s Commercial Directorate employees and other related services of MMK Group of companies, all these issues were resolved. One illustrative example is the purchase of computer equipment for schoolchildren in Magnitogorsk. "When the whole of Russia and the world shifted to remote work, it was very difficult to find more than 7.5 thousand computers of the same type, so we had to quickly pick up, assemble and bring them all to one place," Mr Nenashev said. "We had to make quick decisions, but we were able to deliver the tablets and laptops in just a week because we understood that our students need to be able to learn here and now."
It was not easy to resolve issues with the purchase of scarce medical masks, other personal protective equipment and disinfectants. "If earlier our usual need for respirators was about 200 thousand units per month, that number has now doubled," Mr Nenashev continued. "We had to purchase hundreds of thousands of medical masks, a large number of special products for indoor air disinfection, as well as products for disinfecting passageways and streets, napkins and hand sanitizers. In April alone, we spent over RUB 350 million on a special COVID programme spanning various issues. At the first stage, to cover these needs, we had to buy from the available stock and deliver the products in the fastest way possible. But still, the market does its job, and demand creates supply. The sharp deficit of these goods is subsiding, and we are switching to our standard operating mode. Now, many manufacturers of PPE have restructured their work and have increased their supply significantly. And we always have a choice on our electronic trading platform because many people would like to work with MMK as a reliable partner. Today we are working on acquiring these goods in a systematic and planned manner, and we do not see any problems in providing them to our employees, as well as within the framework of our ongoing charity programmes. And if new tasks are set, I hope we will also be able to deliver everything we need in a timely manner, " Mr Nenashev concluded.
