Golden Hephaestus nominees – modern leaders of Kazakhstan mining and metallurgy industry

On June 12, 2019, in the capital of Kazakhstan, Nur-Sultan city, there was the ceremony of awarding the winners of the Anniversary Republican industrial Golden Hephaestus competition. The winning nominees were recognized for their professional achievements among MMC industry specialists and, of course, were awarded financially, and the winning student with the Best Diploma Work will be employed by one of the leading companies in the field of production and processing of mineral resources.

The Golden Hephaestus Award is one of the most prestigious awards in the MMC of Kazakhstan and is especially important for the MMC professionals and young specialists. Ten years ago the first Golden Hephaestus statuette was presented to Nursultan Nazarbayev, the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, whereby setting a high level of professional and innovative requirements for the projects of the future competition participants.

Today, there are over 350 mining and 270 metallurgical companies, employing over 200 thousand people, are engaged in the industry.

In 2019 184 specialists in the field of geology, mining and metallurgy, specialists of engineering, scientific, educational establishments and enterprises, as well as journalists, writing about mining and metallurgical industry in the Republic of Kazakhstan, competed for the right to obtain the Golden Hephaestus Award.

The Golden Hephaestus 2019 included 13 nominations to award specialists and experts, as well as whole companies, applying new approaches in business-processes: the Professional of the Year (the Geologist of the Year, the Miner of the Year, the Metallurgist of the Year), the Project of the Year, the Innovations Leader of the Year, Leader in Kazakhstan Content, Scientist-teacher of the Year, the Diploma Work of the Year, the Media Project of the Year (the Best Journalist Work about MMC in printed-media and Internet-resources, the Best Journalist Work on MMC on TV, the Best Journalist Material about the Person of Labor in MMC (special award)), the Best Digital Solution in MMC (Special award from the Eurasian Group (ERG)) and the Best Foreign Partner.

During the official ceremony, the names of the winners became known.

Over 20 leading representatives of the profession competed for the Geologist of the Year award. Dzhafarov Nizami Nadzhafogly, the General Director of the Asbestos Geological Survey Enterprise, was recognized as the best professional. He has developed the geological and genetical model of formation and preservation of the chrysotile asbestos deposit, mapped minerogenic districts of Kazakhstan and defined the mineral and raw materials potential of chrysotile asbestos in the Republic. Today, he heads geological exploration works on many deposits in the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The winner in the Miner of the Year nomination is Chernobrovkin Igor Yuryevich, Technical Director and Chief Engineer in Copper Technology LLP. During his working activity, he optimized parameters of drilling-and-blasting works, which resulted in an increase of beat of one linear meter. Besides, he developed technologies on mining of cross-layers on the pit limiting contour, as well as reconstructed ore warehouses for more qualitative ore reclaiming.

The Metallurgist of the Year is Kassymbekov Beksultan Zhumadildinovich, the Chief Engineer of Kazakhmys Smelting Balkhash copper smeltery. Beksultan Zhumadildinovich actively participated in the works of reconstruction and improvements of equipment and technology in the copper smelting production of the company. He actively participated in the ore-thermal furnace at the Zhezkazgan Copper Smelter. At present, this smelting technology is the only technology for complete processing of Zhezkazgan raw materials.

The winner of the Project of the Year award is the “Digital pit” project developed by the employees of AK Altynalmas JSC. The Project is performed within the framework of the implementation of Industry 4.0 technology and elements. The project provides for automation of underground and open pit mining works, automation of gold producing plants of the company, several levels of integration with the opportunity to get online information on production process and performance of complexed analytics to make decisions.

The Leader on Kazakhstan content is the biggest international company on production and processing of natural resources – Kaz Minerals Group Vostoktsvetmet LLP.

The Innovations Leader is the National Center on Complex Processing of Mineral Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan with its project on Integration of Scientific Developments into Regional and International Innovative Environment.

The most expected was a new nomination the Best digital solution in MMC (special nomination from the Golden Partner of Award – ERG). The winner is Kazzinc Company and their project “New business analytics”. This project was launched based on Altyntau Kokshetau Gold Producing Company, which is a subsidiary of Kazzinc Company. The New business analytics allows completely automate the preparation of shift-day reports, including all processes, starting from the geological survey and finishing with ready-made products at the enriching factory.

Those, who prepare highly qualified specialists for the industry, were also celebrated within the frame of the award. The Scientist-teacher of the Year became Professor of “Nano-technologies and metallurgy” department of the Karaganda State Technical University – the academician, Doctor of Engineering, Issagulov Aristotel Zeinullinovich.

Attention was also paid to young, talented employees – the future of MMC, the award in the Diploma work of the Year was given to Madenov Yerkezhan Kenzhebekkyzy with his work on the subject: Integrated, automated web-tool for block engineering. Yerkezhan, this year, graduated with honors the Nazarbayev University, the School of Mining and Geosciences.

Journalism in our days has great importance in all fields of our lives and MMC is not an exclusion. Some most expected nominations were dedicated to journalists.

The winner of the Media Project of the Year – the Best Journalist work about MMC in printed media and Internet resources is the work of Karyagina Svetlana Alexandrovna and her publication “Still everything works only in theory”.

The award the Media Project of the Year – the Best Journalist Work on MMC on TV was given to Azganbayev Zhalgas Bazarbayevich and his documentary film “The 26th element”, where he demonstrated the life of people, working on the iron-ore giant of Kazakhstan – Sokolovsko-Sarbaiskoe Mining and Concentration Production Association.

The Best Journalist Material on the Person of Labor in MMC awarded a special prize – the Metallurgy by right of succession, authored by Victoriya Lyakhova, and her material “the Metallurgy by right of succession”, published in the “Mining and Metallurgy Industry” journal.

The nomination the Best Foreign Partner was won by FLSmidth Company, which work in the market of Kazakhstan in cooperation with KazMinerals and its partners. The constant presence of FLSmidth engineers on Aktogai and Bozshakol deposits allows local personnel to have access to advanced knowledge on equipment and technologies of the world leader on supply and maintenance of technological equipment.

It is important to notice, that the importance of this award is growing annually. During ten years this prize was awarded 120 specialists and organizations of the industry. And because of the World Mining Congress, which was held in 2018 in Kazakhstan, the Golden Hephaestus Award was recognized internationally. It became possible because of the support of the Ministry of Investments and Development, and the Main Partner of the Event – Eurasian Group (ERG).

The Golden Hephaestus Competition is being held within the frame of the Mining and Metallurgical AMM Congress. The event organizer is the Kazakhstan Exhibition Company Iteca.