Experts named conditions for increasing industry productivity

Participants of the conference "Industry of New Times" held in Moscow agreed that companies' focus on internal resources and personnel is important for increasing productivity.

The plenary discussion of the forum, which took place on Tuesday, November 26, was attended by representatives of manufacturing and development companies, energy holding company En+, experts and analysts, as well as the head of the employment service of Moscow and the center "Professions of the Future".

The participants discussed current trends and challenges faced by the Russian economy and industry in the conditions of economic transformation and ways of further development. In addition, the experts talked about trends in the training of specialists, automation and digitalization of enterprises.

The main topic of the discussion "Evolution of the genetic code: a course for productivity growth" was the strategy and tools of business to increase efficiency. According to Ivan Mikhin, Rusal's executive director, the Russian aluminum industry relies on advanced technologies and the development of its own engineers, which enables it to remain one of the leading producers in the global industry.

"Rusal's global goal has remained unchanged for many years. It is to maintain leadership in the industry through continuous improvement of efficiency and development of employees' potential. In the conditions of changing conjuncture and regularly occurring "black swans", the company is helped in this by its reliance on long-term goals and values on the one hand, and flexibility and speed in decision-making, including, for example, reorientation to new markets," Mikhin noted.

According to him, Rusal's technological leadership is ensured by the company's scientific and technical centers and specialists who create, for example, electrolyzers that surpass the efficiency of solutions of other industry players. "Rusal is also introducing digital and artificial intelligence-based technologies to manage production and control environmental impact." This year, the manufacturer has started creating a unified decision support and operational efficiency management center, which will cover all divisions of the company and will contribute to improving business efficiency and competitiveness of its products.

Experts noted that the Russian economy remains largely export-oriented, so it is important for companies not only to remain competitive, but also to have the capacity to deliver their products to end consumers. In this context, Mikhin drew attention to the need to expand transportation infrastructure, including the North-South corridor, the Eastern Range and port infrastructure for exports. Against the background of limited access to financing in the country, the ability to meet external demand for domestic products will provide resources for internal development, the Rusal executive director emphasized.