SIBUR’s new logistics hub was commissioned in Freight Village Vorsino, Kaluga Region.

As the launch of ZapSibNeftekhim approaches, SIBUR seeks to expand its logistics capacities. Container trains will be used to deliver products fr om Tobolsk to the rail terminal in Freight Village Vorsino located along the M3 Federal Highway from Moscow to Kiev, 95 km and 20 km away from Kaluga and New Moscow, respectively. Vorsino is the largest of the twelve active industrial parks in the Kaluga Region offering even better transport accessibility for all SIBUR clients in the Central Federal District. The Company is also considering the development of the rail transit corridor to Eastern Europe.

SIBUR’s new logistics hub in the Kaluga Region.

The petrochemical giant will procure logistics services from the Russian arm of Germany’s Karl Schmidt Spedition (KSS). It has been agreed that KSS will store, package, and ship polymers for SIBUR’s Russian and foreign clients. Karl Schmidt Spedition has invested over RUB 2 bn in this project.

Ivan Molikh, CEO of Karl Schmidt Spedition’s Vorsino branch, explains: “We have chosen the Kaluga Region due to a number of factors, including its proximity to Moscow and easy access for all our clients from Central Russia, as well as the Kaluga Region's favourable investment climate.”

Oleg Makarov, member of SIBUR’s Management Board and Executive Director, commented: “SIBUR and Karl Schmidt have a long history of joint investment projects. Karl Schmidt has contributed to several large chemical projects in Russia, in particular in Siberia. We treat each other as two fellow travellers on a long road.”

Oleg Makarov, member of SIBUR’s Management Board and Executive Director (at the centre), cuts the ribbon at the polymer hub opening ceremony.

Originally designed to occupy an area of 972 ha, the hub was subsequently expanded to 35,000 sq m. It boasts a capacity of 670 ktpa, with the potential for expansion and is set to annually process up to 500 kt of SIBUR's polymer products. As the new hub is about 12 m high, it has a storage capacity of some 35–40 kt. Appropriate temperature is always maintained in the warehouse, with 16 degrees centigrade being the minimum level during winter period.

It will also house the packaging shop, which used to be in Tobolsk. The new facility will have a throughput of 290 ktpa or 1,150 t/day.

Due to the new hub, SIBUR's products will be delivered in dry bulk containers, a transportation method unique in Russia. This method increases the weight of polymers carried in a container, thus significantly reducing transportation costs. If a 40-feet container is loaded with pallets as previously, it can hold 24.75 t of products vs 28 t in a bulk container. This will also reduce packaging costs. Railway delivery from Siberia to the Central Federal District will be performed by TransContainer, which will procure extra railcars specifically for SIBUR’s products.

The new packaging shop will have a capacity of 290 ktpa.

The container terminal in Vorsino has a storage capacity of up to 300 containers a month. Articulated shuttle trucks will carry polymers from the terminal to the hub wh ere pressurised air will unload them into a silo which can hold up to six containers. A section consists of six 400 cu m silos, each featuring a cleaning system, which allows for any product grades.

The hub offers various methods of delivery to clients: in conventional 25 kg bags by road or using the new method of polymer delivery in 60 cu m tank trucks (i.e. about 25 t). This method reduces losses of materials during transportation and handling. Storing polymers in bulk ensures the optimal use of clients’ storage capacities and reduces packaging costs. The product can be immediately loaded into processing tanks.

Besides conventional packaging, the product can be delivered in a tank truck.

Automotive, medical device, biochemical, and pharmaceutical industries – direct consumers of polymers – sprout across the Kaluga Region and New Moscow. The central district of European Russia is well-located. Oleg Makarov said: “This project is a part of a large industrial chain, and we expect it to encourage investments and promote the further development of Russian industry.”

“The launch of this logistics hub is a major milestone for the region’s economy,” said Dmitry Denisov, First Deputy Governor of the Kaluga Region. “The country's immense territory forces businesses to invest heavily in logistics, the circulatory system of the national economy. Hubs of this kind give rise to new production facilities, create jobs, and spur economic activity. The trust of SIBUR and Karl Schmidt Spedition is a seal of excellence for the Kaluga Region.”

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