Omsk Carbon to start production at Belarus plant next year

MOGILEV, Belarus—Russian carbon black manufacturer Omsk Carbon aims to start production at its Mogilev plant by the second quarter 2018—about 18 months behind the original schedule.

Omsk Carbon Group chairman Valeriy Kaplunat explained that the delay was in order to secure better technology for Omsk Carbon's third production site.

"We are doing our best to make our Mogilev plant the world's most advanced facility in terms of process equipment in our industry," Kapulant said. "Changing the launch date has enabled the company to ensure excellent performance indicators for the future facility and compliance with 100 percent of the environmental requirements."

According to the chairman, improving the production process and increasing efficiency of the plant's power-generation cycle were main points of focus.

The project goal to meet and exceed global quality standards "is a complicated and painstaking process, requiring the engineers to re-design and update process lines right at the construction stage," Kapulant said.

The $109.9 million Mogilev site is designed to produce both tread and carcass grades of carbon black with the capacity of 160,000 metric tons per year.

The company plans to comission the first of the plant's four production lines during the first quarter of 2018. Production is expected by second quarter of 2018 and should reach full capacity by 2020,.

The facility will supply materials to the European and CIS markets.