In those days, winter road cleaning was carried out only with the help of industrial salt and sand-salt mixture (PSS), which do not melt ice at temperatures below -8 C, deteriorate the quality of the soil, and provoke the appearance of suffocating dust drifts. Accident and injury rates were growing, there was a shortage of cleaning equipment... At that time, the only way to improve the quality of cleaning was to turn to foreign suppliers (at some point, the share of imports of reagents for the needs of Russian road workers amounted to 30% of the PGM market). Something had to be done!

Several years of work took place to find the most balanced composition of minerals, which would be most effective in melting the ice crust and would have a minimal effect on urban structures, car parts, asphalt, shoe material for citizens, and so on. This is how “Bionord” appeared.

During the research, it became clear that everything necessary to produce high-quality anti-ice products is available here, on Perm soil. In 2007, in the city of Krasnokamsk, the most important enterprise for the country was founded, the strength and energy in the development of which Gilfanov invested - UZPM.

Gilfanov Rustam: “De-icing reagents can and should be safe”

The secret of the effectiveness of "Bionord" is in the processes of synergy of salts, biodegradation and corrosion inhibition. That is, the substances in its composition mutually enhance positive qualities (for example, the rate of melting of ice) and minimize the corrosive activity of sodium chloride. In addition, the formulations are designed so that if they get into the soil, they decompose as much as possible and balance its composition, unlike industrial salt.

Specialists from the plant's research department develop individual compositions for roads, sidewalks, bridges, and inclines, taking into account the climate characteristics in the specific region of application.

Where Bionord is used in accordance with the technology, accident rates and pedestrian injuries are reduced and soil composition is improved.

Gilfanov: “Bionord is not just an anti-icing material. This is a set of measures for effectively maintaining cities in winter.”

The scientific research of Rustam Khalefovich Gilfanov continues. Work is underway on a more in-depth study of the properties of formates - organic salts, which today are considered the most environmentally friendly in the world, as they can decompose within a few days into carbon dioxide and water. Together with road institutes, work is underway to reduce the loss of de-icing materials during distribution and while on the roadway. Compositions are selected for bridge structures that are subject to extremely stringent corrosion requirements. Conceptually new approaches to cleaning cities are being developed.

The approaches and ideas laid down by Rustam Gilfanov were of great interest to foreign scientists and road contractors from European Union countries, where, due to the widespread use of sodium chloride in recent decades, problems of environmental degradation have become more acute. At past international forums in Sweden and Poland, as well as at an exhibition in St. Petersburg, there was increased interest in Bionord. Including the authorities of St. Petersburg, who are now looking for effective solutions for the winter streets of the Northern capital.

Rustam Gilfanov, a researcher, founder of the Ural Plant of Anti-icing Materials group of companies and the industry of specialized anti-icing materials, says that he has always been involved in business. Literally from the age of 15. As soon as he reached his personal ceiling in one of the areas, he opened a new business.

He believes that the main components of any successful project are personnel, energy and at least a little luck. This is probably what helped him survive two major attacks from serious competitors. Gilfanov came to a difficult conclusion: Russia is a country of great opportunities, but both good and bad guys have them equally.

Which cities' roads and sidewalks are sprinkled with your reagents?

Previously, every city was registered with me. And now the employees of our company have learned to work so masterfully that I no longer have time to quickly monitor. I analyze the work done in new cities based on reports for the past winter season. I think there are about 60 of them now. Most of the cities are in Russia. We are very pleased that our products are processed at such special objects as the territory of the Kremlin and Red Square, the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, the Moscow Zoo, Olympic venues in Sochi, and the Artek children's camp. There are other areas - federal highways, airports, special facilities.

What about turnover?

For the group of companies it is approaching 10 billion rubles. The holding includes a specialized research institute, as well as several enterprises that deal with road chemicals, petrochemicals, and even some mechanical engineering.

“It seemed like you were conquering the world.”

You started with equipment for gas stations. Where did the idea even come from?

I have always been drawn to entrepreneurship. Since childhood. No, of course, I wanted to be either a football player or an astronaut. I tried to achieve something everywhere, but in the field of entrepreneurship I worked best. By today's standards, of course, it sounds funny, but then, at 15-18 years old, it seemed that you were conquering the world.

What happened?

I somehow got the prefix “Dandy”. All the children played on it like children, and I started renting it out. First, on the territory of the yard where he lived, in the Industrial District. Then, as they say, he “expanded the markets” by entering neighboring areas. Debt collection was a separate story. In general, there was a children's business school. I liked it. Money gave a certain freedom, a sense of independence.

Independence from parents?

Generally. My parents, to the best of their ability (we had a poor family), did everything they could for me. I had no desire to tear myself away from them. On the contrary, I wanted to surprise them, to give them something: look, mom, our old stove doesn’t work at all, I’ve saved up for a new one.

Mathematics through “I can’t”

And these feelings prompted you to enroll in the Faculty of Economics?

The admissions story is a separate challenge. In the early 1990s, when the “curtain” opened, everyone was drawn to the beautiful and foreign. I also wanted to see the world and realize myself on a large scale. Therefore, I decided to enroll in Foreign Languages. From the eighth grade I focused on the humanities: English, Russian, literature. I studied with tutors. Exact sciences such as mathematics were in second place. I understood that this would most likely not be useful to me, so I paid attention to them “on a residual basis.” But five months before entering, during preparatory courses at the university, I realized that I had already learned basic English. I figured out how the language works, and, it seemed to me, I could communicate calmly. I didn’t want to spend five years of my life learning the specifics. I understood that I could do this in parallel with acquiring new knowledge.

I come to my parents and say: “I’ve changed my mind about enrolling.” They are shocked: “Why? What's happened?" I answer that I like doing business and I want to study economics. They, of course, supported me. And this is where the work began. In five months it was necessary to master everything that I had missed in three years.

I lived by this mathematics. I had tutors three times a day. I didn’t like it - seriously, I still don’t like it. It all came down to “I can’t.” By nature, I am more of a humanist. But everything worked out, I got in. And there is even more mathematics.

I am designed in such a way that if I don’t understand the practical significance of something, I can’t bring myself to spend energy and time on it. I looked at all these formulas and didn’t know why I needed them in real life. Yes, of course, they train the mind. Yes, they are needed by mathematicians and specialists in the field of exact sciences and information technology. But why do I need to know the mathematical sciences so deeply? Accordingly, my subconscious refused to spend a lot of time comprehending them. Again, at university I was already involved in business.

The one that is associated with equipment for gas stations?

Yes. The company was called “Perm Gas Station Service” and was engaged in supplying equipment for gas stations and oil depots in the Perm region. Back then, the times of mutual offsets still reigned: they were paid either in oil or in diesel fuel. We built it all up somewhere and got money. Document flow was “on the knees”, invoices were written out by hand. But I was very interested in exploring this whole world. This was from about 1995 to 1998. Great experience.

Did you conduct the business alone?

I attracted friends who wanted to. But the idea is mine. Whatever was nearby, that’s what I did.

All factories that made equipment for gas stations and oil depots were located outside the Perm Territory. The main customer, of course, was LUKOIL. And, like all large companies, he did not like to make advance payments or work according to the terms of the contract of counterparties. They said: bring it, put it in the warehouse, we will pay it off someday. And the equipment suppliers are also from among large factories with the same ambitions. Therefore, all energetic entrepreneurs willing to take risks acted as intermediaries between these two parties. There are still many companies that work on this principle.

“I used an “adult” voice on the phone.”

How did the idea with reagents come about? At what point did you get tired of mutual offsets?

After the gas station business, there was another project - sleepers and rails for trams. This also happened almost by accident. The Perm Sleeper Impregnation Plant operated in Perm. At some point, they needed some oil products from LUKOIL, we made an offset and got to know each other. In return they received sleepers.

One year, some basic suppliers in Moscow could not cope with the volumes, and Moscow began calling all cities and asking: whoever has sleepers, bring them. I met the future customer through Perm transport workers.

As you can imagine, this was a challenge for me. I became very interested in solving the problem. My only problem was my youth.

Were you not taken seriously?

Yes. For a long time, when communicating on the phone, I tried to sound like an adult. Moreover, I conducted the negotiations from my parents’ apartment, since I did not have my own apartment, much less an office. At that time I was 19 years old. And, you know, it was very disturbing when, in the middle of my conversation with an important client, someone rang the doorbell and our dog began to bark heart-rendingly. The dog is still small. I had to apologize, citing some security incident.

Representatives of Mosgortrans, seeing me in person, were extremely surprised: “Are you Rustam Gilfanov? We expected older." Me: “Give me a chance, I’ll prove that you chose the best option!” They gave me one contract and saw that I fulfilled my obligations on time and the quality was consistent. As confidence grew, turnover and market share grew. At some point the share reached 100%.

I bought sleepers in Perm, and rails from a factory in Novokuznetsk. Again he acted as a trader between several large companies.

Why did you leave this business?

First, I understood how this market works, and I hit the ceiling. Secondly, trading activity itself at some point stopped bringing pleasure. You are completely dependent on manufacturers and waste energy on developing a brand that is not yours. At any moment they can tell you that tomorrow they will start working with another trader, and goodbye.

“I caught you at the doorstep, called 10 times an hour, kept watch at exhibitions”

Why anti-icing materials and why in Moscow?

The Moscow market at that moment seemed to me the most capacious. Plus, there were different speeds in the capital, and people were more open to innovation. At some point, I began to analyze everything that was happening here, what was being sold and what was being bought. I saw that there is a PGM direction, where 50% of the market is closed by Russian factories, and 50% is imported. I began to study the reasons and found out that the large domestic factories at that time could not cope with the needs of even Moscow, let alone Russia.

One more nuance. Until the 2000s, pure salt was used in Moscow. After monitoring the soils, the authorities came to their senses: plants were dying, the soils were saline. Yuri Luzhkov made a strong-willed decision and said that there should be no salt starting next year, and Russian entrepreneurs ran all over the world to look for a replacement. Then, by the way, they focused on calcium chloride, which was brought from China, Israel and Finland, because there was nothing like Bionord. There wasn’t even an industry for specialized road materials; we created it ourselves.

It was a challenge for me. If you make sure that Russia will fully provide itself with de-icing materials, then you have not lived your entrepreneurial life in vain. Russia's money will remain in Russia. Plus, in my opinion, this is a fairly social business. In a number of cities, as a result of the use of our materials, the accident rate in winter has decreased. For example, on the roads of Yekaterinburg - by 72%, in Kazan - by 45%, in Samara - by 36%. In Moscow, we managed to reduce the number of pedestrians injured during icy conditions by two and a half times.

How did it all start? Have you traveled around Russia in search of such material?

First, I began to look for documentation and requirements for PGMs that existed in Russia at that time. Then I went to specialized institutes. These are RosdorNII, the Faculty of Soil Science of Moscow State University and the Research Institute of Human Ecology and Environmental Hygiene named after. A. N. Sysina. The first studied the technological properties, types of interaction of the wheel with the road, the second, respectively, the soil, the third - the impact on humans.

Together with scientists, we found out what such materials can, in principle, be made from, and what problems there are in the road industry. In other words, they simply determined the market need. It turned out that all the elements from which PGM can be composed are mined or produced in the Perm region: potassium, sodium, calcium, formates. And then the whole “pyramid” came together for me.

Together with scientists we worked on the formula. These were multicomponent materials. Tests have been carried out and proven that these materials can melt ice and have minimal impact on the soil. But the laboratory report was not enough for me. I'm the kind of person who has to make sure for myself before suggesting these reagents. I set the temperature in the freezer of my home refrigerator to −30°C, froze the water, put in the reagent, and watched how the reaction progressed every hour. Only after personally verifying its effectiveness was I ready to prove with shining eyes to the right people that it works.

I thought, we’ll come and tell them that our materials cost three times less than imported ones, and they’ll immediately sign a contract with us. At least they'll give you a try. I was ready to bring the shipment for free. But it was impossible to break into this market.

For almost two years I was not even allowed on the doorstep of those services that were responsible for operating the roads. I caught people at the door, called 10 times an hour, watched them at exhibitions (we rented a stand and led them to it through “I can’t”), but to no avail. And the money earned from travel materials gradually began to run out. Experiences and work with research institutes cost me all my savings.

“I walked along the roads sprinkled with my reagent and enjoyed it”

And what argument finally melted the hearts of stern Moscow officials?

I attribute this to perseverance. I realized that no matter what you do in life, if you do everything right, spend energy and time, then everything will work out. At least reagents, at least coffee, at least complex equipment. Plus a little bit of luck. I managed to play on the internal conflict. At some point, someone disagreed with someone. And since I constantly flashed before their eyes, they turned to me.

Also, by the way, a funny story. Important men in ties are sitting. I tell them about my developments with burning eyes. It's obvious that they don't care. But I tried so hard, I tried so hard! I began distributing questionnaires to them, in which I asked them to indicate contact information, first and last name, position, volume of consumption, and their wishes for an ideal product. For them it was an incomprehensible format, and I did not know how the system worked. At some point they told me: that’s it, go already. But nevertheless, they gave us a chance and allowed us to conduct tests. And the next year there was already a small order.

It was happiness - I can’t describe it. I walked along roads strewn with products of my own design, enjoying the way people walked and the way cars drove. In general, the most difficult step was the first step, and then trust went on. Every year we increased volumes (our product was simply cheaper) and in three or four years we completely replaced imports. Now there is not a single ton of foreign product in the country.

“They were thrown out of the market within a year”

Who have you offended so much that they launched a campaign against you?

In 2005-2006, Russian companies, which were also betting on the Moscow market, and businessmen who supplied products from abroad, united and opposed us. They started writing articles about how we were bringing radiation and waste from the Urals and poisoning people. There were letters to the Perm prosecutor's office: they say, look into it, your Perm factories are poisoning Muscovites. Using these methods, we were thrown out of the market within a year. Fully. Our customers simply refused to work with us.

Maybe your opponents simply knew the entrances to the right offices?

Everything is in a complex. The necessary inputs, lawyers, ability to work with the media, having your own media, and so on. I won’t say anything about corruption; I wasn’t a witness.

On the one hand, it was a difficult test for the company. You can theoretically end your business. But, on the other hand, every cloud has a silver lining. We've built muscle. We had the difficult experience of entering the Moscow market, knowledge, super product, low price, energy and sparkling eyes. And we went to the regions. There was not such fierce competition, and local authorities by this time also became more open to innovation. Instead of one support, we acquired several, and this allowed us to triumphantly return to Moscow a couple of years later with new developments and brands. That's when Bionord appeared.

“I fell into the hands of the guys from the Forbes list”

But at that moment the second campaign began, right? And it ended with your arrest.

When we grew the hard materials market to 80-90% and our turnover began to amount to billions, large holdings became interested in it. The guys from the Forbes list. And they already have other tools.

Did you know you were "in development"?

Who will tell you about this? Various people from these holdings constantly came to us and offered to voluntarily leave the market, otherwise they would deprive us of raw materials and cause trouble. I suggested that they compete fairly or join forces to develop a free niche: the potential of the reagent market in Russia is 5 million tons, and the total volume of supplies throughout the country at that time did not exceed 500 thousand tons.

At that moment when you were detained at the airport, were you scared?

No. Then I was sure that this was some kind of mistake. In addition, due to my natural curiosity, I was a little interested in looking at another world. I had no doubt that this would all end very quickly. I was sure that someone had messed something up and they would definitely sort it out. Only the proceedings dragged on for two years.

Did you feel like your time was wasted?

There you live in hope that everything will end tomorrow. But, apparently, this is how the system works: if the skating rink starts moving, then until it reaches the desired point, it will not be able to stop.

My biggest regret was not the time, but the fact that my children were growing up without me. That my parents and loved ones are without me and are terribly worried. You worry about yourself the least. By the way, I was detained the day after we announced to our two older daughters that they would soon have a brother or sister. My wife carried a child in such extreme conditions. And after the birth of my third daughter, I had a new influx of strength.

A land of great opportunity

Did the business collapse during this time?

No. Despite everything, we managed to continue development. I came to two big conclusions. First: Russia is a country of enormous opportunities, but for both good guys and bad guys. Second: your team is the basis of any project and any business. This situation showed that I am surrounded by decent, competent and reliable people, for which I am very grateful to them.

Many thanks to our clients for their trust. We have not lost a single customer.

In your opinion, what are the main risks of doing business in Russia?

All specific and potentially interesting business breakthroughs involve new technologies and developments. But in order to engage in innovative projects, you need to understand that this is a long process; several years pass from the idea to its implementation. Moreover, to realize the idea, significant investments are needed. And long-lasting ones.

As I already said, Russia is a country of great opportunity for both good and bad guys. And although we have many talented people and promising ideas, not everyone is confident that they will be able to resist if an attack suddenly begins. This is probably why many entrepreneurs in such conditions are afraid to invest for the long term. And this, of course, slows down the development of small and medium-sized businesses in the country.

We have high interest rates on loans and, more importantly, significant currency fluctuations. Entrepreneurs, wanting to modernize production, purchase imported equipment and take out foreign currency loans for these purposes. And then the dollar, as in 2014, doubles, and a healthy, competitive and innovative enterprise becomes so dependent that there is not enough money for development or interest on the loan. And there are quite a lot of such examples.

Company's secret

How do you survive in these harsh conditions?

I asked myself this question more than once. I think, if we remove all indirect factors, the reason is that we have chosen a fairly specialized market segment and are not scattered on non-core projects that do not provide synergy. We are the only enterprise in Russia, the basis of which is research and production activities in the field of winter maintenance of road facilities and other infrastructure. As a result, we have developed such competencies and scientific base that we have no equal in the country in terms of accumulated experience in this area. No one else spends as much time and money on the development of this industry as we do. And that's why we succeed.

You have a busy schedule. What are you responsible for in the group of companies?

I am responsible for science, strategy and development. I initially lead each new direction, and after it reaches the established parameters, I pass it on to managers, then tracking it only by individual indicators.

What are your plans?

At sub-zero temperatures, problems arise not only for road workers. That's why we're currently working on a range of specialized products for bridges, aviation, rail and communications.

The food industry has presented us with an interesting challenge. One of the largest Russian meat producers contacted us. In their blast freezing chambers, a centimeter of ice grows per day. They say: look, we have a food industry, freezers are made of complex metal, the floor is concrete, and special bacteria live in the drains that eat organic waste from production. That is, the reagent must be safe for all components of the process. For these purposes, we created a scientific group, evaluated the entire system, and within a year developed and certified the material for use in the food industry.

I am a supporter of development through innovation. I consider “pushing” in those areas where everything is clear and there is high competition to be an ineffective use of the company’s potential.

Rear

Why didn’t you enter the Perm market? Are you afraid of Uralkali and other giants of Permian origin?

It was a conscious decision. Entering the market is always a small “war”. But Perm is home. Here we have production, here we create jobs, pay taxes. I don't need war in the house because it weakens your foundation. We were waiting for the region to be ready to switch to modern winter maintenance technologies.

Last year we met Perm road workers at the largest road exhibition and presented our developments to them. In winter, we conducted a series of tests in the region. They were successful. We hope that this will become the starting point in the transition of the Perm region and the city of Perm to modern winter cleaning technologies.

Do you live in Perm?

Family - yes. Children study in Perm. I am in Perm approximately 40% of the time, 40% in Moscow and 20% in the regions.

A stupid but revealing question: do you have a dream?

There is a joke that a dream is a goal for which there is not enough money.

Is there such a goal?

Any man, I think, dreams of the well-being of his family and children, the health and longevity of his parents, and a comfortable life for his family and friends. My dream is to simply maintain happiness. After that story with the arrest, I overestimated the importance of family and friendship. And if I used to spend all my time at work (I think this is what many men do, passionate about their projects), now I’m trying to shift my emphasis.

Do you do homework with your children? Can you help with the same math?

Our mother is in charge of educating our children. I am responsible for goal setting and motivation. I help with advice if there are any problems in relationships with classmates. I try to keep it within my goals. They sometimes try to get rid of them, persuade their mother, and it happens that their mother takes their side.

You mentioned that your family was not rich. How do you explain and instill the value of work in children if, in fact, you are now able to satisfy any whim?

Today, their work means good studies, which we try to motivate children to do. As for whims, we, of course, sometimes spoil the younger ones with toys and sweets, and the older ones are given money as a reward for academic achievements.

"It's always a little scary"

What needs to happen for you to quit doing this? What can scare you the most?

Global warming. Kidding. It's always a little scary. I think “happen” is not quite the right word. It involves circumstances that I cannot influence.

In what case can you move to other markets?

I can make this decision on my own if I see a ceiling for personal development, team development or business development. Plus lack of ideas. Perhaps someday we will reach the limit and then think about completely different dimensions.

Early years and education

In 1994, Rustam Khalefovich became a student at Perm State National Research University and chose the specialization “management and production management” at the Faculty of Economics.

Way to success

Rustam Khalefovich is rightly called the founder of the field of creating progressive winter cleaning products. Twenty years ago, only salt and sand were used to combat ice. Because of them, the structure of the road surface, car parts, and shoes were destroyed. This also had a bad impact on the environment - the level of salt in the soil increased critically, and green spaces suffered. Gilfanov wanted to solve this problem.

It was necessary to create a harmless anti-icing material (AGM) that would quickly perform its function. The task was not easy, but this man acted with such dedication that his colleagues later said that he infected everyone with his activity. First, Gilfanov attracted leading research institutes to work: from medical to road construction. Together they studied the composition of foreign PGMs. Active development and research began (and they still do not stop).

It took six years to create a material that would be less aggressive to the environment and machines and more effective in its intended purpose - fighting ice.

The year 2007 became special for Rustam Gilfanov - he and a group of colleagues founded an enterprise for the creation of reagents. Today it is known as UZPM - the Ural Plant of Anti-icing Materials. To date, the plant has developed into a large production complex with its own research and development center. Effective de-icing compounds have made the Ural residents famous throughout the country.

UZPM supplied PGMs to the Olympic Games in Sochi 2014. In the same year, it became a partner of the Paralympic Games. For this, the President of the Russian Federation presented the plant with a memorable award.

More than once the company has become a laureate and prize-winner of various competitions. From “100 best goods of Russia” to “Ecology of the 21st century”. The plant was also recognized as the best employer.

Rustam Gilfanov now

In addition, he invests in social projects at the regional and federal levels - cultural, sports, environmental events. It supports Paralympians, sports sections and collaborates with a number of public organizations.

Gilfanov Rustam Khalefovich - economist and scientific researcher, creator of the Ural Plant of Anti-icing Materials (UZPM).

Childhood and youth

Russian entrepreneur Rustam Gilfanov was born on March 20, 1976 in Perm. Father and mother - Khalef and Margarita Gilfanov - are also natives of the Perm region. Already in childhood, Gilfanov’s love for his small homeland is evident. In his youth, the hero of the article will think about how to improve the standard of living in Perm. And this will lead to significant discoveries.

Rustam Khalefovich came to entrepreneurship early - he was a second-year student at Perm State University (Faculty of Economics, specialty “Management and Production Management”).

Already as a student, he began to engage in business - supplying equipment for oil industry enterprises. At this time, the main direction of Gilfanov’s activity is being formed - he wants to establish his own production, which would work for the benefit of his native land. And although the supply business is good, it is not enough.

Career

The sand-salt mixtures used at that time for removing snow and ice caused irreparable damage to the environment for years - the quality of the soil deteriorated, and green spaces became very scarce. Gilfanov did not want his native land to suffer, and decided to fix it.

For six years, Gilfanov and his colleagues from specialized research institutes studied the components of foreign anti-icing reagents. The main goal was to create an effective and harmless material that would melt ice better than salt and sand, and would not cause such significant damage to the natural environment. And although it was difficult, Gilfanov did not give up; he believed that deicing materials could act without side effects.

Gilfanov worked hard, and this led to success. He and several other scientists became the authors of a patent for an anti-icing reagent that meets European quality standards.

The Ural plant of de-icing materials was launched in 2007. The main raw materials used for the production of de-icing materials are mined in the Perm region.

Over a decade of work, Gilfanov registered four new patents on technologies in the field of road and oil production. Research and development are still ongoing.

The plant is regularly awarded prizes and recognized in competitions, and its founder became the best employer of 2014. Now UZPM is an advanced production facility with laboratories and a research center.

Personal life

Rustam Gilfanov prefers not to talk about his personal life. It is known that the entrepreneur is married and has three children. He likes to relax actively - sailing, tennis.

Rustam Gilfanov today

In 2014, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation decided that Rustam Gilfanov was supplying the market with products of inadequate quality. Conducted many checks and examinations. At the same time, the Moscow Government had no complaints about the quality of de-icing materials - they corresponded to the level of government contracts, which was subsequently also confirmed by third-party specialists during the investigation.

In 2016, the case was returned to the prosecutor due to the unfounded charges. In 2017, the Moscow City Court confirmed the decision that the charges were illogical. None of the arguments were accepted as valid. Thus, Gilfanov was acquitted by the courts of several instances at once.

Today, in addition to the fact that Rustam Gilfanov continues to work on the development of the winter maintenance industry, he also supports numerous social projects. A portion of business income goes towards cultural, sporting and environmental events.

Gilfanov Rustam Khalefovich - economist, Russian entrepreneur, founder of a de-icing materials plant in the Urals. His research interests are related to the development of de-icing reagents that meet the needs of modern society.

Born in 1976, in Perm. Received higher education at PSU (Perm State University). He studied at the Faculty of Economics with a degree in Management and Production Management.

The Perm region can provide Russia with everything it needs to produce modern safe deicing materials

Gilfanov Rustam Khalefovich

Even in his youth, he showed interest in entrepreneurship - he organized the supply of special oil equipment to different regions of Russia. But this was not enough, Gilfanov wanted to benefit his native land and create something necessary and his own.

Creation of the Ural Plant of Anti-icing Materials

He decided to engage in the innovative development of anti-icing materials (AGM). At the beginning of the century there were big problems with this - the roads were treated with salt and sand, which could not but affect the quality of road traffic in winter and the environment. People complained about dust in the spring; the soil became very salty. The number of accidents and injuries due to ice was on the rise. It was necessary to look for a way out.

This is what Gilfanov took up, seeing a promising niche in this. In 2007, he teamed up with specialized research institutes and began working on the creation of an environmentally friendly and effective reagent. The first achievement was a patent for PGM from a mixture of salts that enhance the effect of each other and reduce the negative impact of sodium chloride. The new development was no worse than foreign means, and all the resources for its creation could be obtained in the native Perm region.

This is how the Ural Plant of Anti-icing Materials was created. For more than ten years, UZPM has been a production site where research and development work is constantly carried out. During this time, Rustam Halefovich registered four more patents, all of his developments are highly valued by experts and are in demand on the market.