History

The history of the Oka Plant dates back to May 16, 1938 when several shops separated from Zavodstroy (which is currently called Caprolactam JSC). The plant was set up with the principal purpose to produce ethyl fluid – antiknock agent for engine fuels, an item urgently required for military aircraft and transport.

During the war, the Oka plant, concurrently with the Java plant (hereinafter referred to as Sintez), effected regular supplies of the ethyl fluid to the front line. Employees of the plant were decorated with Orders of Red Star and Sign of Honour, medals of Labour Merit and Labour Distinction. Prior to 1947 ethyl fluid had been the only core item of the enterprise product range. In 1947 this product was phased out at the Oka plant considering scaling up of its production at the Java plant. In 1947 the second stage of the Oka plant development was started which was subsequently renamed as Toxic Chemicals Plant.

In the period from 1947 to 1972 new production facilities were constructed and commissioned as follows:

• 1947 – production of 1,3-dioxolan;
• 1948 – production of technical ethanolamines;
• 1950 – production of hydrogen peroxide by the quinone method;
• 1951 – production of non-inogenic surface active agents;
• 1956 – production of granozan (grain seed disinfectant);
• 1961 – production of diethanolamine and dimethylethanolamine;
• 1966 – production of pure ethanolamines;
• 1970 – production of Syntamide-5;
• 1970 – construction of the production facility was started to make Tosol-A antifreeze supplied to over 700 destinations worldwide in the 80-s.

Toxic Chemicals Plant had a powerful strength of technical personnel contributing to rapid growth of production. Virtually all above mentioned items were novel products in the USSR.

Pursuant to the Government Program for National Consolidation of Enterprises and Organizations, the Order of the Ministry of Chemical Industry, in January 1972 the national Toxic Chemicals Plant was incorporated in the Dzerzhinsk Fatty Alcohols Plant, in 1984 – in the Sintez Production Association.

From 1972 to 1992 the consolidated enterprise continued to grow and improve the existing facilities. Its specialization and the enterprise becoming the center of the chemical industry of the USSR, attracted creative personnel potential from major scientific and research teams and scientific schools. These included the Academy of Sciences and Higher Educational Institutions: Institute of General Inorganic Chemistry n.a. N.S.Kurnakov; Institute of Physical Chemistry n.a. L.V.Pisarzhevsky; Institute of Chemical Physics n.a. N.N.Semyonov; the Nizhny Novgorod University n.a. N.I.Lobachevsky. Their joint efforts in 1972 – 1992 resulted in the commercial production of a number of strategic products: propanide, various brands of tosol antifreezes, carbonyl iron, household chemistry items etc.

In 1977 the Plant’s achievements in mastering special chemical process technologies involving heavy organic synthesis was awarded with the Order of Red Labour Banner.

The Plant production development was carried out concurrently with its restructuring. Due to environmental and economic efficiency considerations, some products was discontinued while the production facilities released were utilized to augment the output of higher demand chemicals, specifically ethanolamines and dimethylethanolamine, and also to launch new items - methyldiethanolamine.

In 1993, in line with the changes taking place in the country, Sintez, the government enterprise, was restructured to become Sintez OJSC, and in 1997, after buying out the government-owned stock, Sintez OJSC turned into a 100% privately owned entity.

Notwithstanding the change of the economic system and associated disruption of production ties, the Plant successfully passed through a privatization stage and a subsequent period of slump in production. This was accomplished owing to export-oriented commercial production. The process of stabilization was successfully completed through restructuring of the Commercial Department and involvement of marketing specialists. It was the customer-oriented policy that allowed to abandon a number of technologies where domestic market had drastically dwindled. Active exchange of experience with associated enterprises and foreign partners brought about the understanding of the need for advanced technologies of chemicals production to the requirements of domestic and foreign markets. The idea of setting up a high-technology production was voiced as early as the beginning of 90-s, and its implementation was to become yet another stage in building a new complex producing new adsorbents for the oil and gas industry. In those years RAO Gazprom was the architect of such a complex and supported its initial steps. It helped to establish methyldiethanolamine production facility commissioned in 1994 based on the improved technology. On the basis of this production facility Khimsorbent CJSC was established in 1996.

The adopted direction of development - to set up a high-technology, science-intensive chemical industrial complex – was also taken up by the second industrial site, Sintez OJSC which was returned its historical name Oka in 2001. Fruitful cooperation of Sintez OJSC, Khimsorbent CJSC and Khimtek Engineering aimed at further satisfaction of the domestic market needs and prospective requirements of foreign consumers resulted in construction of shop №1 for production of high quality ethanolamines that was initiated in 1998. The above project was different from existing international technologies in that the synthesis involved anhydrous ammonia and ethylene oxide. This helped to ensure industrial safety, save power, avoid side reactions, improve purity and quality of products.

Production process is remotely controlled through micro-processor based equipment. The shop was commissioned in 2001. The design output amounted to 10,000 tons of pure ethanolamines per annum. As on today, the output has been augmented to 15,000 tons per annum. The new, XXI century sees production of other items as well: amincor (corrosion inhibitor), ethers of methyl alcohol.

In December 2006 the Oka production facility regained its independence and changed its name for Sintez Oka Limited Liability Company.

At present Sintez Oka LLC is a high-potential enterprise successfully operating in the domestic and foreign markets. It is a team-oriented group of professional workers and specialists maintaining and developing traditions of older generations.

Sintez Oka LLC is a diversified complex of organic synthesis production facilities focused on:

• further development of production facilities and output of new items;
• continuous improvement of product quality;
• maximum satisfaction of its customers.

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