Two roads, two destinies

May 25, 2014 the workers of chemical industry celebrate their professional holiday.

The theory of “six handshakes” in reality

You may have already heard of the “six handshakes” theory, according to which every person is indirectly familiar with any other person on the planet through a chain of people, consisting of six people on average. Surprisingly, the theory was confirmed in real life during a presentation at the International Pharmaceutical Exhibition in Frankfurt. We turned out to have common acquaintances in Shostka with the director of Fine Chem Trading LTD (Armenia).

As it turned out, during the times of Soviet Union Gagik Hasratyan, Ph.D in chemical sciences, and a specialist in the field of organic chemistry, worked at Yerevan Institute of Organic Chemistry, whose staff constantly came to Chemical Reagents plant in Shostka. According to Gagik, the plant was one of the leading enterprises in its industry, and chemists from Shostka were famous throughout the Soviet Union. The phrase “Shostka – a city of chemists” was always said with great respect. Scientific intellectuals at Shostka plant were not only intelligent elite of the city but also the cultural elite. Graduates of prestigious educational institutions such as Dnepropetrovsk Institute of Chemical Technology, State University of Kiev, Kiev Polytechnic University came to Shostka to link their lives with a small but fast-growing town of Polissya.

Diana Shurygina from Crimea and resident of Donbass Nadia Kadrik met in Shostka. The choice of profession has determined their future lives: more than 40 years of their lives were dedicated to the chemical industry. Even difficult and penniless 90’s did not force them to leave the profession.

Point of arrival: Shostka

For a resident of Simferopol Diana Shurygina the choice of Shostka Chemical Technology College, was accidental. Father of a close friend, being a pilot was flying the route “Simferopol-Kharkiv” and heard about college in Shostka. Institution had a good reputation, and their parents chose this college. Dad-pilot together with the girls arrived in Kharkiv, and from there to Shostka by train, but … ironically her friend failed the exams, and Diana passed. As a result fifteen years old Crimean girl turned out to be all alone and far away from home in the north of Ukraine.

After 5 years Diana Shurygina graduated with honors and got directed to work in her home town Simferopol for a tire repair factory. However, having arrived there, she was horrified by the devastation and broken windows. Her father took the situation in his hands and wrote to the Ministry of Education: saying that a graduate with “red diploma” deserves better working place. The reaction of the big officials was fast and a new job at Chemical reagents plant in Shostka was offered.

Chemical reagents plant in Shostka was a multi branched and budget forming chemical enterprise which produced 1300 different products and delivered them not only to the republics of the USSR, but also abroad. The products of the plant were used in almost all industries of the national economy: metallurgy, electrical engineering, medicine, mechanical engineering, transport, food industry, research institutions and laboratories (custom synthesis of reagents and various indicators), rubber technology and gas purification. The plant employed 2.5 thousand people.

To learn a new profession Diana Shurygina as a regular worker had to start at Central laboratory of the plant. She often had to work in chemical sites, in hazardous conditions, when it was necessary to assist implementation of the laboratory procedures or oversee the initiation of the mass production of a new product. Professionalism and responsibility of Diana Feodorovna were noticed and she later started to lead the technological sector of Central laboratory of the plant.

Diana Fedorovna remembers how committed to work they were and even sometimes New Year was celebrated in festive clothing near the reactor as it is impossible to stop the chemical reaction. But they also had energy for public life. Diana Fedorovna was elected by the colleagues as chairman of the workshop committee, and the member of labor union committee of the plant.

Plants of Shostka needed young scientists

Nadia Kadrik a graduate from Dnepropetrovsk Institute of Chemical technologies came to work in the Central laboratory of the plant in 1971. For a girl with such brilliant knowledge who finished school with gold medal and graduated from the university with distinction many doors were open. However, being married for Nadia meant that she had to follow her husband and with some hesitation she moved to Shostka where her husband was from.

However, Shostka was not ‘terra incognita’ for the young graduate: as a student in her 3rd year of studies she undertook a placement at this plant. She worked on manganese salts production as an operator, mastered the process tanking procedure. Therefore, she wanted to work in the workshop. However, the chief engineer Mikhail Borisovich Nedov decided differently and sent her to the Central laboratory of the plant.

– He had such a strange position – if you wished to work in the laboratory he would send you to the workshop and vice versa, – says Nadia with a smile.

In the CLP, the young and talented Nadia had wise and competent teacher-chemists: Taisia Ivanovna Komarenko, Svetlana Mikhailovna Zenchenko, Asya Yurievna Dolbina, Vladimir Ivanovich Bazakin. The results were immediate: a young professional became a multiple winner at the prestigious conferences of young scientists.

Central laboratory of the plant was one of the major divisions, which employed about 80 people. Only a group of analysts consisted of 30 employees. The laboratory has also worked closely with the Institute of reagents. The development, improvement and implementation of new technologies and procedures, control of intermediates, research, testing, technical assistance for the production – all this without exaggeration can be called research work or as they say today, R & D (research and development).

Nadia Ivanovna recalls how they initiated a large-scale production of dimethylformamide which is a solvent for chemical industry. Additionally, her team has also launched production of dimethylsulfoxide – a chemical that due to its unique solubility characteristics is used in pharmacy as a carrier of medical components.

Many developments have lasted for several years. For example, the introduction of “Mollifier -2” into the production took 2 years. Over the years many events have happened at the plant: explosions, fires and accidents. But even a chemically hazardous production has not forced Nadia Kadrik to change the profession. Her achievements include more than 15 inventions, certificates of Mendeleyev Society, the honorary title for “Excellence in chemical industry.”

Excellence in production

In 2001 new company Pharmhim Ltd. started to operate on the territory of the plant, developing pharmaceutical chemistry as a very promising direction of chemical industry. The new plant needed practitioners, who were the best in their profession. It was therefore quite natural that in 2002 Diana Shurygina was invited to the position of Head of chemical department of the plant. It is symbolic that it happened in May when chemists celebrate their professional holiday. Following that Nadia Kadrik, who was her friend and colleague, became a chief technologist at Pharmhim Ltd. in 2008.

Manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) is now the responsibility of the Deputy General Director of production Nadia Ivanovna Kadrik and head of production department Diana Feodorovna Shurygina. In 2002, at the beginning of its activity, the plant produced only Mebhydrolin which was used for the production of well-known antiallergic agent diazolin, and over the years the company’s product range has grown to 11 substances. The substances produced by the company are used in the production of antibiotics, anabolic drugs, cardiac drugs, antiseptics and disinfectants.

Production unit which is managed by Nadia Kadrik and Diana Shurygina includes several sites with a high automation degree, equipped with the latest high-tech instrumentation. Multipurpose pilot installations equipped with reactors of different volumes (from 5 liters to 4000 liters) made of stainless steel, glass and enamel enable the manufacturing of products in pilot and industrial scale production, from a few kilograms to large-tonnage.

Nadia Ivanovna is the leader of technological laboratory of the enterprise which performs individual orders for research laboratories in Ukraine. High level of education and training of professionals working at the enterprise, allow them to participate in the development of analysis methods for new products and conducting their validation.

The main goal of Pharmhim team is to deliver high quality domestically produced medicines to Ukrainian consumers.

“Kadrik-Shurygina” partnership is more than 40 years old. The two young professionals over the years became the Deputy General Director of production and Head of the production workshop. They have gained great experience, trained several generations of students, oversaw the development of technology production lines put into operation and the manufacturing of new products. The pair’s commitment to the profession and love for chemistry is for life.