ABOUT 10 MILLION KILOMETRES OF OPTICAL FIBER WILL BE PRODUCED IN SARANSK PER YEAR
Three million kilometres of optical fiber has been produced in Saransk for three years since the first in Russia plant for its production started its operation in Saransk. In the future, the company plans to manufacture ten million kilometres of optical fiber per year.
The issue was discussed within the event dedicated to the third anniversary since the launch of the production, which is unique for the country. The Head of the Republic of Moldova Vladimir Volkov was presented the anniversary reel with the three million kilometer's fiber as a souvenir. The leader of the region reminded the audience the history of the enterprise Optic Fiber Systems, JSC. It took a year and a half to produce the first million kilometres of fiber, a year to produce the second million and six months to obtain the third one. Today the plant is being modernized. By the end of 2019 it will have enough capacity to produce a million kilometres of fiber quarterly as well as to draw fiber from preforms of larger diameter and length to reduce the cost.
The company has 130 employees with higher education in technical fields.
Vladimir Volkov: "It is very important for the republic to establish new high-tech enterprises with high wages. We will continue to support the development of the plant in the future so that it could reach the production capacity of ten million kilometres of optical fiber per year."
The Director General of the Russian Scientific and Research Institute of the Cable Industry (VNIIKP) Gennady Meshchanov noted that the demand for these products is constantly growing.
"Speaking about the nearest plans, it is important to put into operation the second stage of the plant and start its own production of preforms. During the first eight months of this year, the growth of fiber consumption in Russia amounted to more than 30 percent. We hope that the demand of the domestic market for fiber will reach 15 million kilometres per year. It will contribute to the development of infrastructure for the digital economy."
The representative of the Japanese partner company Sumitomo Electric Industries Masashi Onishi noted the high quality of Optic Fiber Systems products, which is at the level of world-class manufacturers.
At the moment the plant uses imported preforms. By the end of this year, it is necessary to complete the modernization of the enterprise. The start of the second complex design is planned for the first quarter of 2019. The preforms production will be launched in 2021 in Saransk.
FOR REFERENCE
Saransk fiber is exported to 11 countries: China, Pakistan, India, Belarus, Poland, Austria, Czech Republic, Netherlands, England, the USA and Ukraine.
The design capacity of Optic Fiber Systems today is 2.4 million kilometres of fiber per year. It is about 50 percent of the Russian market.