Verkh-Isetsk Plant VIZ

one of the oldest metallurgical plants in the Urals, in Sverdlovsk. It produces hot-rolled electrical dynamo and transformer sheet steel. The plant was founded in 1726. It was originally called Verkhniaia platina, then Zavod tsesarevny Anny. The first batch of ball iron was produced in November 1726. In 1736 the first blast furnace was started up. Sheet-rolling and refinery shops were built in the first quarter of the 19th century; in the mid-19th century VIZ also manufactured mechanical equipment (locomobiles, steam engines, and dredgers) for factories and mines in the Urals. In 1894 open-hearth production was organized. Glazed roofing iron manufactured at VIZ in the 1860’s was exported to the USA. In prerevolutionary years, VIZ specialized in the production of roofing iron.

The workers at VIZ participated actively in the revolutionary movement: in 1905 a Bolshevik cell was formed; strikes occurred in 1905 and 1912. During this period, la. M. Sverd-lov spoke at meetings of Verkh-Isetsk workers. In 1917 detachments of plant workers participated in the suppression of the rebellion of the White Guard ataman A. I. Dutov. The plant has been reconstructed since the establishment of Soviet power. In 1928 regular production of transformer steel was organized at VIZ; mass production of electrical transformer and dynamo steel was begun in 1930. During the Great Patriotic War (1941-45), the plant began production of many grades of steel to meet the requirements of the front. In the post war years, open-hearth and electric steel-making furnaces were built and processes of slag refining and vacuum treatment of liquid steel have been put into use. A large shop for the production of cold-rolled transformer steel is under construction (1970).

The plant was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor in 1942. A group of workers at the plant were awarded the State Prize in 1947 for developing and introducing into the production process a method of hot-rolling thin sheet electrical steel.