OREANDA-NEWS. April 25, 2008. Uralmash Machine Building Corporation and Samara Metallurgical Plant (SMZ, a member of Alcoa group of companies and world's largest producer of alumina, primary aluminum and semi-fabricated products of aluminum and aluminum alloys) signed a letter of intent to execute a master agreement on long-term cooperation in the nearest future.

The agreement provides for establishment of joint task groups of SMZ and Uralmash specialists who will be working on generation of proposals on reciprocal cooperation in the sphere of rolling and forging equipment upgrade at Samara Metallurgical Plant.

The task groups will be headed by Mikhail Fedorov, SMZ General Director and Nazim Efendiev, General Director of Uralmash. Task groups will be convened once every quarter in Samara and Yekaterinburg alternately to follow up on performance under the master agreement on cooperation.

During the negotiations the parties agreed that SMZ will forward a number of proposals and design specifications to Uralmash for partial revamp of rolling, forging, electrical and other equipment. Very soon SMZ will also prepare a request to Uralmash for supply of rolls in the year 2009.

By the end of April Uralmash will issue a bid to SMZ on upgrade of 6000 ton-force press.