Posted on 11/19/2006 1:19:53 PM PST by A. Pole
VERKHNYAYA SALDA, Russia -- The orange glow of molten titanium ingots illuminates the cavernous factory, one of several Soviet-era facilities that sprawl across 5,000 acres in this small city east of the Ural Mountains. The hot metal will soon be fashioned into dozens of parts destined for Boeing's new aircraft, the 787 Dreamliner.
[...]
Now it is the headquarters of VSMPO-Avisma, the world's largest manufacturer of titanium, the strong, lightweight metal that is a basic element in the aviation industry.
[...]
"The state has decided it's time to gather all the stones that were cast away; it's all according to the Bible," said Vladislav Tetyukhin, 73, an entrepreneur who, along with his partner, Vyacheslav Bresht, was behind the titanium company's ascent. He bowed, reluctantly, to the takeover. "They told me that for the state it will make sense to have everything in one fist."
[...]
Last year, Tetyukhin was invited to tea at the Moscow headquarters of Rosoboronexport, and the conversation, he said, quickly took an unpleasant but not unexpected turn. Executives from Rosoboronexport told him that they wanted to buy a controlling stake in the titanium concern. The tea, he said, suddenly did not taste so sweet.
At first, Tetyukhin and Bresht publicly protested any sale of their shares, but their company quickly found itself under investigation by the tax police, and the prosecutor's office launched an inquiry into VSMPO-Avisma's share structure. Before it was acquired by VSMPO, Avisma, a raw materials supplier, was owned by Khodorkovsky, a potentially dangerous connection.
[...]
In August, Boeing and VSMPO signed a contract for supplies of titanium and semi-finished products worth $18 billion over 30 years.
[...]
The Boeing deal, [...] is not affected by U.S. sanctions, which apply only to purchases by the U.S. government, not private companies.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Titanium bump
As always, the Russian penchant for the strong man destroys them. Oh well, by the time Putin is done, Russia will be an empty land run by Muslims and Chinese with the smart Slavs living in the US.
communists give capitalism a bad name.
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