Every day 30-40 dump trucks loaded with sand of various grades, gravel and road mixes are sent to the Belarusian capital city for the construction of the Minsk World residential complex. Each of them makes 5-6 trips per day. This makes a total of 250 trucks loaded with aggregates. All this huge amount of building materials is sent to the construction sites on orders of the developer, without taking into account shipments to contractors. Soon supplies of aggregates for Minsk's largest investment project will increase by at least a third as was agreed by Dana Astra and Nerudprom Company.
Nerudprom Company needs no introduction. Actually, the company is a monopolist in the market of Minsk Oblast in a good sense of the word. According to Nikolai Vilkot, the Nerudprom deputy general director, the company satisfies the needs of the construction sector of the city of Minsk and Minsk Oblast by 85%
"We are unmatched in Belarus. There is only one similar company in Ukraine, and two in Russia. And then there's Dana Astra, a powerful and solid construction organization. We have found each other: they build, we help,” Nikolai Vilkot smiled.
In fact, everything that was erected in Minsk in the post-war years was built using construction materials made by Nerudprom. Those were roads, streets, houses, intra-quarter grounds.
“The history of our company began in 1947, and we once calculated: if all the volume of products manufactured by us over those years were loaded into standard 60-tonne railway cars, this train would have circled the globe along the equator!” Nikolai Vilkot provided impressive statistics.
The company's cooperation with Dana Astra began in 2008. By 2012, Nerudprom was supplying only 0.08% of its total output to this developer. Shipments grew steadily, and today the figures are impressive.
“Last year we shipped 16.6% of the total output for the construction of the Minsk World complex. I would like to note that we produced a total of 2.9 million cubic meters of sand. These are just direct supplies, where the customer was the company itself. We estimate that at least another 15% was supplied through subcontractors - such enterprises as Minskzhelezobeton or construction trusts. Thus, the construction of the most ambitious mixed-use complex in Europe accounts for one third of our workload,” said Nikolai Vilkot.
Today Dana Astra is stepping up the pace and asks to be prepared for increased shipments.
“We agreed that all Dana Astra's plans will be implemented jointly with us. We need just a month to hire necessary specialists, set up equipment and produce as much aggregates as is needed. We can do everything. We have specialists who are ready to produce aggregates of any quality and feature. And Dana Astra provides us with such orders,” said Nikolai Vilkot.
Cooperation with the largest real estate developer means not only great orders, but also reliable partnership.
“If we had three or four such clients, we would thrive. We demand advance payments, but many construction companies ask to delay them, but not Dana Astra. We get payments from it regularly, once or even twice a week. There have been no such problems with Dana Astra,” Nikolai Vilkot said.
Nerudprom carries out an impressive amount of work for the construction of the Minsk World complex. In order to get a million cubic meters of nonmetallic construction materials ordered by Dana Astra and its contractors for 2021, the company has to mine out an area of 10 hectares 10 meters deep! Most importantly, this does not harm the environment. Nerudprom spends a lot on reclamation efforts so that in 5-7 years, the territory turns into farmland or forest and becomes even better thanks to newly planted young trees or fertilizers.
“We do not leave behind barren land. We even improve it and its next owners use the land to its original purpose,” Nikolai Vilkot noted.
Dana Astra is also satisfied with its cooperation with Nerudprom, because the developer values high quality of materials and regular supplies.
“Sand, broken stone, and gravel are the most important construction materials for foundation work, for making mortar and mixtures, and for beautifying the territory. The Minsk World complex is a huge area we intend to fully change. Over 3 million square meters of housing and public premises will be built here. New roads and new junctions are being built here. Courtyards are being built here as well as children's playgrounds and sports grounds. The volume of earthwork and concrete work is simply unique. This is why it is hard to exaggerate the significance of our cooperation with Nerudprom. We highly appreciate the quality of the construction materials we get and the smooth operation of this enterprise that keeps shipments on schedule. Our volumes today are over 500,000m3 of all kinds of sand,” said Director of Dana Astra Pavel Ovcharov.
This spring the real estate developer has been negotiating larger deliveries with all the largest suppliers – large-scale plans require large-scale coordination of operations.
“The next two to three years will be particularly intensive for builders of the Minsk World complex. We are increasing the volumes in order to finish most of the work in the complex by 2024. The high construction pace requires precise fulfillment of delivery schedules and uninterrupted supply of quality construction materials. Materials and equipment of Belarusian companies account for 98% of the materials and equipment we need in our work. Belarusian materials also help substantially decrease the cost of one square meter of housing, which our customers appreciate. The economy of hundreds of our subcontractors in all parts of the country also benefits from it. Such a large-scale project like the Minsk World complex helps keep manufacturing facilities busy, ensure steady sales, and create dozens of thousands of new jobs. Benefits from such cooperation are mutual!” Pavel Ovcharov is convinced.
So, when you see a heavy truck carrying tonnes of sand or crushed stone to Minsk, don't rush to berate it for slowness and sluggishness – the new image of the city needs a reliable foundation. Every third dump truck carries sand to the Minsk World complex.
