Armenal successfully introduces Rusal’s production systems

YEREVAN, September 19. /ARKA/. ArmenAl Armenian-Russian foil-rolling plant said today in the first six months of his year its employees proposed 20 kaizens or proposals to make small improvements to keep their business at the top of its field. Kaizen, Japanese workplace philosophy, was introduced at Armenal by its parent company Russian Rusal, the world largest aluminum producer.

Kaizen focuses upon continuous improvement of processes in manufacturing, engineering, and business management. It has been applied in healthcare, psychotherapy, life-coaching, government, banking, and other industries. When used in the business sense and applied to the workplace, kaizen refers to activities that continually improve all functions, and involves all employees from the CEO to the assembly line workers. 

In 2011, Armenal employees offered a total of 360 kaizens. Also as part of kaizen philosophy, Armenal has designed 22 projects in the first half of the current year with an expected overall economic efficiency of about $80,000. 

The labor activity of Armenal’s technicians and workers was praised by Rusal deputy CEO Dmitry Bondarenko: "It is clear that the plant is developing, and most importantly – its staff is developing. They are becoming more interested in their work, in what they do and how they do it. We have a lot of reserves, but if the people themselves were not interested in finding them, we would not have achieved such results by training only, «he was quoted as saying in a press release.

The Armenal foil rolling mill was founded in May 2000 on the basis of Kanaker aluminum smelter in Yerevan. It is one of the biggest production facilities in Armenia and is the only producer of aluminum foil in the Caucasus and Central Asian regions. In 2000 the mill was integrated into United Company Rusal. Together with two other foil mills, Sayanal in the Russian republic of Khakasia and Urals Foil, Armenal forms the company’s Packaging Division. -0-