In accordance with the Order of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the Council of Ministers of USSR №461 the construction of the Poltava plant “Khimmash” as the largest enterprise in USSR on the production of the large-size enameled equipment for the chemical industry was started in February of 1964 in the city of Poltava.
Officially the history and chronology of the enterprise begin from April 21, 1964 when the builders laid the first cubic meter of concrete into foundation of the plant “Khimmash”, the first director of which was Vsevolod Philippovich Nechiporenko. From March 1, 1967 Poltava chemical machine building plant was included among the existing enterprises of the Head department of chemical machine building in accordance with the Order of Minister of Chemical and Petroleum Machine Building of USSR №52 dated 25.02.1967.
To that moment the plant “Poltavkhimmash” had possessed the main production building for the output of the enameled storage vessels. The new enamel grade for coating the storage vessels for the chemical and food manufacturing industry having no analogues in the world was developed by the employees of the research and technological institute founded in Poltava in 1964, before the plant commissioning date. The first two enameled storage vessels were produced by the plant in November 1967. By March 1974 the plant had the complete manufacturing cycle including the shop on preparation of enamel.
From 1974 Lukyanov Boris Mikhailovich was the head of the Enterprise, and his motto was his own phrase: “To accomplish, to finish all that my predecessor has not managed to do.” Thus, the second director not only carried on the work on modernization but took a special care to create the social infrastructure of the enterprise.
In 1983 Gadzhala Petr Antonovich became the General Director thanks to whom the production building of the plant second stage (1984-1986) was constructed and hydraulic press with force of 2500 ton was installed in it predetermining the future of “Poltavkhimmash”.
By the 20th anniversary of “Poltavkhimmash” it had produced 11350 units of the large-size enamel equipment with volume from 25 to 50 cub.m used for chemical, food, microbiological and petroleum industries. In nineties years the crisis in the economics manifested itself in breaches of the long-term business relationships, rise of prices, absence of the market for sales of the industrial products affected “Poltavkhimmash” as well. The privatization of the enterprise in 1994 did not bring the economical dividends and by 2001 OJSC “Poltavkhimmash” had been practically driven into bankruptcy.
The renewal of the enterprise began in 2006 when “Poltavkhimmash” began to produce sin lots the tanks for oil and petroleum tank cars for the perspective Customer – Mariupol enterprise “Azovmash”.
The new page of OJSC “Poltavkhimmash” history is connected with the conversion of the enterprise for the production of railway tank cars. Thus, beginning from the end of 2006 the owners of the plant took the decision to establish the closed car building production cycle at the working areas of OJSC “Poltavkhimmash”. The realization of that program was aimed at the creation of the completely new production sectors - platforms welding-assembly section, section of in-line tank cars assembly, section for painting the tank cars, alongside with the modernization of the existing capacities of the tanks production. In January 2007 the General Director - Khizhak Vitaly Antonovich headed this work. He had 25-years experience of work at the machine building giant “Azovmash” and in February 2007 the first 10 tank cars for the liquefied hydrocarbon gases of model 15-1519-02 were produced by OJSC “Poltavkhimmash”.
During the first year of its history as a car building enterprise OJSC “Poltavkhimmash” produced 520 gas tank cars. During 2007-2011 the model series of manufactured products was increased up to 7 models of freight cars each of which was certified and had the conformity certificate of the Certification Register of Federal Railway Transport (RSFZhT).
In that time the management of the enterprise managed to save the producer’s traditions on manufacturing the enameled storage vessels: thus, in 2009 for the first time in recent years the OJSC “Poltavkhimmash” manufactured the enameled collectors with volume capacity of 33,6 cub.m for Nizhnekamsk petroleum chemical plant and confirmed its capability to produce these unique products.
Besides, recently the shops of the enterprise have manufactured the products which are individual engineering developments of OJSC “Poltavkhimmash”, such as: autoclaves with unique specifications (3 180 mm - diameter, 33 300 mm - length) for heat-wet treatment of products (made from autoclaved hardening aerated concrete) in saturated steam medium, vessels of 77,5 m3 volume for the above-ground storage of liquefied gases.
Working for the future prospective in 2010 OJSC “Poltavkhimmash” developed design-engineering documentation and prepared capacities for the serial production of vessels of 200 m3 volume for above-ground and underground storage of liquefied hydrocarbon gases. This development is unique and has no equals on the post-Soviet territory and in Europe, and no one machine building enterprise has produced such product.
Nowadays “Poltavkhimmash” has to its credit the modern production facilities, over 6,5 thousands manufactured railway cars (for the period from 2007 till 2012), broad sales geography (Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Belarus, Baltic countries) and impeccable reputation as the manufacturer of high quality products.
