B 1981 second film saga by George Lucas — “Star Wars” — “The Empire Strikes Back” won the “Oscar” for special effects. Then graduate “Baumanki”, a native of Kyrgyzstan, Alexei Zinoviev went on the distribution of CB “South” to them. MK Yangel. At the time, engaged in Dnepropetrovsk design nightmare of the capitalist West — intercontinental ballistic missiles. Over time, Zinoviev was one of the heroes of the Soviet version of Star Wars — painted drawings of blocks of the first stage booster system for “Energy” — “Buran”, which was a serious answer to the American program of the USSR Space Shuttle.

Initially, the 1990 missile comic industry in the USSR was able to predrazvalennom and resembled a planet orbiting the victim of attacks. But in the hands of Zinoviev was no sword or blaster dzheydaysky and glass cutter and spatula. About the prestigious paper “on space” Zinoviev had temporarily forgotten, the young prefer to knock off konstruktur tilers, and later — a career predprinimatelya.Seychas turnover GROUPS Zinoviev called “Dpeprotehservis” is more than 1 billion hryvnia.

Physical labor was a young designer is no stranger. “Then there was a preference — young professionals to get an apartment, having participated with him in construction”, — says the Deputy Director of Advertising “Dneprtehservisa” Nikolai Radchenko. Then in the ’80s with Zinoviev, he participated in the construction of residential area “Red Stone” in Dnepropetrovsk.

When perestroika began, and then followed and the policy of disarmament, building skills are not wasted. Raketostroiteli began to build a variety of units, up to machines for cutting soap. Even then, Zinoviev had three children.

In 1990, he realized that the salary engineer can not feed his family, Zinoviev departed from the design bureau for free bread. “I was the best kafelschikom Dnepropetrovsk and proud of it! — Tells 52-year-old businessman, adjusting his silk tie by Pal Zileri. — If the normal time to put kafelschik 3.4 square tiles, I had offered 20. If we assume that for 10 rubles per square meter, you get 200 rubles a day (when the average employee receives 150 rubles per month).

In parallel, seeking a permanent business, Zinoviev was a cultivator of potatoes on his plot. There have been attempts to produce and tin soldiers, and even furniture to collect. In 1992, completely tied up with tiles and do business. The first transaction was the sale of pipes Dnipropetrovsk Pipe Plant.

Profit seemed impressive. “I remember the first money bought a few bottles of Coke and forfeits, a jar of caviar, a couple of sticks of dry sausage, chocolate and cognac” Napoleon “- says Zinoviev. While brandy was, as said Zinoviev, “Polish tangle-legs”, a delicious brandy he never drank.

Former researcher quickly oriented himself in the market. In December 1992 he registered the company “Dnepretehservis”, which was engaged in barter transactions. The scheme was this: the current “Dneprotyazhmash”, and then the Dnepropetrovsk Metallurgical Equipment Plant, Zinoviev acquired products, which is then shipped to metallurgists. Instead, the money he took from them the steel strip for pipes. Then tape exchanged for pipes, which are then sold to other contractors and gasmen.
* If the wrong

pour tubing, I feel it’s the spinal cord.
The new business later became close friends Zinoviev from CB “South.” In the meantime, began a period of total privatization, in which “Dnepretehservis” took an active part.

Zinoviev began buying shares willingly engineering companies. The plants were in the “supine” position, so the shares were sold at a reduced cost. For example, the “Factory of rolls”, a majority of which “Dnepretehservis” bought in 2000, was already at the stage of bankruptcy. With annual revenues of 17 million hryvnia accounts payable exceed accounts for 19 million salary for workers was just miserable, and even that was not paid for months, it is surprising that employees can easily part with their shares, they went to the privatization of factories, in exchange for cash.

Alexei Zinoviev at the «Dneprotyazhmash»

The era of wild capitalism virtually no impact on machine-building enterprises “Dnepretehservis.” According to Zinoviev, serious attacks on businesses were not. This is understandable, because the minority shareholders of the acquired plant “Dneprotyazhmash” were ex-governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region and Victor Zabara vitsegubernator Vladimir Meleschik, in the past – the director and deputy director of the plant. Melschik became deputy mayor of Dnipropetrovsk, still owns a 9% stake in “Dneprotyazhmash.” Meleschika patronage has helped “Dnepretehservis”, recognizes the Zinoviev.

“Zinoviev active businessman, strong and purposeful. If he thought of something, then he knocks out the need “- that speaks of a former partner and now publisher businessman Andrei Yalovoy. At the end of 1990, Zinoviev found that the metallurgical and mining complex, with whom he had always not enough cooperation of freight cars. Once on the privatization auction Zinoviev bought a blocking stake “Dnenrovagonmasha”, which is the largest manufacturer of industrial platforms and wagons.

Yalovoy with two other partners in the plant had a 40% stake. Entrepreneurs quickly found common ground and began to jointly develop the business. From 2001 to 2004, revenues increased companions “Dnenrovagonmasha” at 0.5 billion hryvnia, almost 10 times. In 2004, Zinoviev and Yalovoy sold their group packages Tigipko, who is about to began to create a car-building holding.

After selling his share in the “Dnenrovagonmashe” Zinoviev first time in my life felt like a millionaire. “Before that, all my money somewhere revolved. And when he sold the shares and received cash for the first time I saw a stack of one million. Realized that he’s the real million “, – says the businessman. The money almost immediately put to use, namely plant metal Engels, who in the Saratov region. The plant involved in the release of freight wagons, which were also share Yalovoy and Tigipko. Tigipko there belonged a controlling stake, and Zinoviev and Yalovoy got two blocking package. But a year later Tigipko have plans to increase the capitalization of the holding rail, and again he bought shares Yalovoy and Zinoviev.

I tried to do Zinoviev and agribusiness. “I reasoned this way: what are the benefits in Ukraine? There is steel, where I have presence in the engineering industry, and there is black soil. Just try yourself as agrarian, “- he says. Leased 4500 acres of land in the Dnipropetrovsk region, sowed barley, sunflowers and wheat. But two years later, I realized that on May Day celebrations will be heavy rains. Unfortunately, without leave of agribusiness.

Of what constitutes «Dneprotehservis»

Intuition rescued him more than once. In 2007, the year, he followed the fashion, and decided to participate in the construction of office and residential complex in Dnepropetrovsk. But time changed his mind and realized that real estate development was not for him and walked out of the project is still at the stage of the allocation of land for construction. “If properly poured tubing (cast iron components for lining tunnels and underground max), I feel it’s the spinal cord. – The businessman said. – What if something wrong happens in the building, I do not feel, so stop doing it. ”

Zinoviev loves to talk about the importance of intuition entrepreneur, or as he puts it, a sense of “spinal cord”. But odnazhny sense of “spinal cord” he summed up. In 2007, together with Pavel Lebedev, Zinoviev purchased from the State Property Fund 36% stake in the plant “Pressmash” in Ivano-Frankivsk, which manufactures presses for agriculture and metal processing. In the investigation ran into trouble.

It all started quite well and quietly. According to Zinoviev, together with Lebedev, they signed a joint management agreement with the general director of the plant Pukishem Bogdan, who had a 43% stake. “We agreed that everyone will have 33% of the shares. – Says Zinoviev. – But then he changed his mind Pukish. He said he wants to stay say a senior partner with 40%, and we have enough for 30%. Certainly, Zinoviev and Lebedev did not agree. They have improved their share to control, but still control this plant does not have – Pukish does not. In response, General Director of “Pressmash” refers to Zinoviev’s and Lebedev’s raiders. According Pukisha, Zinoviev, and Lebedev, initially tried to dilute its stake, and then bankrupt the company. Who is true, still find out the courts. Zinoviev was an exceptional experience to “Presssmashe” – an experience that confirms one of its tenets in business: to participate only in those enterprises where one partner has more than 50% of the vote. “Normal people in business will always be able to agree about everything, not only share the responsibility”, – says Zinoviev.

Another lesson Zinoviev received during the crisis. In 2008, the largest company of its group – “Dnenrotyazhmash” to ramp up production to 23,500 tons of tubing (in 2004 – less than 1,000 tons), the company has received orders for handling complex, created and released a locomotive for the “MMK”. But when the crisis struck in 2009, all steelworkers posvorachivali its modernization program. Production on “Dneprotyazhmash” dropped a few times.

“The crisis has thoroughly cleaned our brains and business processes in enterprises”, – says Zinoviev. To reduce costs, he introduced a special registry for all companies in which all payments were recorded, ranging from 1 hryvnia, pre-approved by them and the director. The audit of procurement has reduced costs by 30% -40%. Also, “Dnepretehservis” refused to purchase new equipment, in consequence, the costs have decreased by 50 million hryvnia in the year.

“The worst is behind us” – says Zinoviev. In 2010, his factories produced and sold products to 800 million hryvnia. The total turnover of the Zinoviev group considering metal-trade in other commercial transactions, amounted to 1.2 billion hryvnia.

In 2011 it is planned that this amount will increase at least half, says the businessman. “Dnepretehservis” slowly thawing the projects that were frozen during the crisis. Zinoviev promises to build a couple of years, a special workshop, which will produce tubing under the – with the economic, geological and technological conditions of the customer.

“We have orders from the yearly” Dnepotehservisa “of equipment worth tens of millions of dollars. “It’s very good to this company”, – said Vice President of Public Relations “Evraz Group SA”, Alexei Agursev. This year’s “Dnepretehservis” for “Evraz” make car dumper. The company also performs bulk orders for “Metinestholdinga”, “Arcelor Mittal”, Russian “Severstal” and Novolipetsk MK.

65% of its products “Dnepretehservis” exports to the EU, Brazil, the United States.
But most of all Zinoviev encouraged that he is working again in space. “I guess it’s a childhood dream – recognized businessman. – I am fond of science fiction books, and because he entered the Moscow Higher Technical School. ” Several years ago, “Dnepretehservis” became one of the contractors ambitious Ukrainian-Brazilian project “Cyclone-4”. Along with CB “Southern” the company has developed technology and launch systems for missile launch and received a contract totaling $ 96 million hryvnia. Until now the norm in Ukraine were established just launch vehicles, ground support equipment design was reserved for Russian designers. On the territory of “Dneprotyazhmash” also built a stand on which to spend this year tested all the components and systems, “Cyclone-4” before sending them to Brazil.

Although the rocket-space engineering brings “Dnepretehservis” only 5% of revenue. Zinoviev calls it one of the main direction of the business. Stand, built on the “Dneprotyazhmash” is useful not only for the “Cyclone”. Director General of National Space Agency Yuriy Alekseev confirms that the grounds for optimism Zinoviev available. According to Alexeev, Ukraine annually provides 9-11% of commercial launches in the world.

The Ukrainian state is experiencing a permanent fiscal crisis, but is not afraid to Zinoviev, the treasury will cease funding the project. Its scary that someone from the project participants do not do their part. “The construction of the missile launch site I, of course, are not paid, – said a businessman. – And our order, I will eventually, performing for their money. ” He was ready for it to begin with.

What is the “Cyclone-4»

Visualization of the start of the launch vehicle, «Cyclone-4»

In 2004, Ukraine and Brazil have agreed to start with the Brazilian Alcantara launch site of a new booster rocket “Cyclone-4”, which will create a Ukrainian company. Project cost – $ 520 million First launch is planned for 2012 Year. Total start-ups should be done yearly 6.10. The project is implementing a joint venture Alcantara Cyclone Space, in which participate on an equal footing, Ukraine and Brazil. In the works contractor employs 16 Ukrainian companies, including KB Dnipropetrovsk “South” and “Yuzhmash” Mariupol “Azovmash” Kharkiv “Khartron.”