“Happy Metallurgist Day! Let Your Work be Your Calling and Give You Results!”: SUSU Graduate Sergey Vertsyukh

 

 One of the most important holidays for the Chelyabinsk Region, Metallurgist Day, is celebrated this year on July 16th. On the days leading up to this meaningful date, South Ural State University graduate, main metallurgist of SKB Turbina AO, Sergey Vertsyukh, told us about his career after graduating from South Ural State University.

– Why did you choose to be a metallurgist and study at SUSU?

– My uncle set an example for me, working for a long time already in Magnitogorsk in the Metallurgical Combine. When I was a school student, he took me on an excursion to the steel smelting shop at MMC. We were just in time for the steel discharge from the furnace into the ladle. It was an amazing sight! At that time, I thought it was something like a sparkling cascade of fireworks. I decided then that I would become a metallurgist. Since I live in Chelyabinsk, I decided to enroll at SUSU, which is known for its quality education for students in this profession. At that time, I didn’t fully understand what I would be doing when choosing one specialty or another, so I enrolled in the specialty Foundry Production of Ferrous and Non-ferrous Metals because of the nice-sounding name. Now this is the Department of Metallurgical Technologies of the SUSU Polytechnic Institute.

– Was it difficult for you to study in university?

– It was absolutely difficult in the beginning, but only in the first few years, until I got used to it. Then, when they started to teach us the more specialized courses, it became simpler and much more interesting. Semester after semester I mastered my future profession with joy.

– What do you remember most from your years of education?

– The most memorable moment, of course, was defending my thesis on June 4th, 2010. There were 8 of us and I was next to last. We entered the auditorium and laid out our drafts. I remember well that moment, when you turn to face the commission and panic sets in, but at the end of the day I successfully defended my work with the highest marks.

– How did the knowledge you gained in university help you in your work?

– When I came to the factory in September 2011, I first had to figure out all of the nuances, since there are some unique factors in manufacturing. However, the strong theoretical base I received in university really helped me in practice. The knowledge I gained in such courses as Theory of Foundry Processes, Technologies of Foundry Production, and Special Methods of Pouring I apply widely in my work. In addition, under guidance from professor Leonid Gennadevich Znamenskiy, doctor of technical sciences, I defended my candidate dissertation on the topic “Resource-saving technologies of precise shaping using alumina-boron-phosphate concentrates.” One of the techniques I developed while writing my dissertation is still used to this day in the manufacturing processes of SKB Turbina

– Tell us about your career.

– I came to SKB Turbina as 2nd rank industrial engineer, but in 2014, after defending my candidate dissertation, I was promoted to Deputy Chief Metallurgist. My boss was Vasiliy Viktorovich Cherkasov. The practical knowledge and many years of experience that I received at the factory were passed on to me by him. Beginning in May 2016 I was the acting Chief Metallurgist, and in January 2017 I officially began working in this position. Today, SKB Turbina AO is specialized and is the only developer and manufacturer of small gas-turbine engines and multifunctional gas-turbine power plants with up to 45 kW of power in Russia and former Soviet republics.

– What are your plans for the future?

– I have many plans. For example, I would like to complete a two-year English course at SUSU, since I often have to go abroad for business trips. In addition, we now need to master new equipment, since technical upgrades are occurring at the factory. The interface on the majority of modern equipment, for the most part, is in English.

– What do applicants who want to become metallurgists need to know?

– Like with any profession, you need to put your heart to it. If you are doing something that isn’t “yours”, then it won’t make you happy, and you won’t understand it. And, despite the fact that we took physics exams for our entrance exams, I think you must know chemistry well. We are waiting for future metallurgists, since right now foundry manufacturing is experiencing a personnel shortage.

– What do you want to wish metallurgists on their professional holiday?

Breath easily, and let your work be your calling and bring results to each of you! Good health, and confidence in tomorrow, colleagues!

 

Olga Romanovskaya, photo by Oleg Igoshin
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