As part of its switch to the summer flight schedule, Air Astana has established flights from Sheremetyevo Airport to Atyrau (the Republic of Kazakhstan). The first scheduled flight was made on April 1, 2013.

LONDON –  Increased investments, government regulations and the exploration of new oil and gas deposits will favour the development of the automation and control solutions (ACS) market in Russia over 2013-2016. However, the market faces major challenges in the form of Russia’s unstable economic and political landscape and end-user perceptions of ACS being non-critical in the manufacturing process.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Strategic Analysis of Automation and Control Solutions in the Russian Oil and Gas Industry, finds that the market earned revenues of $1,107.9 million in 2011 and estimates this to reach $1,822.0 million in 2016. The research covers six major segments: programmable logic controller (PLC), distributed control system (DCS), safety instrumented systems (SIS), supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), industrial asset management (IAM), and manufacturing execution system (MES).

As demand for oil and gas soars, oil and gas companies have started implementing ACS to make the industrial process more effective and save on production costs.

“ACS systems can be used to improve efficiency, decrease operating costs and boost the productivity of oil and gas manufacturing processes over the long-term,” explained Frost & Sullivan Industrial Automation & Process Control Research Analyst Maryna Osipova. “Besides ensuring performance optimization and technological control and planning, ACS also promotes safe operations – this will be in line with stricter government regulations related to safety in oil and gas manufacturing processes.”

As a result of such trends, oil and gas customers have started to recognize ACS as a strategic investment. At the same time, one of the major restraints to market expansion has been the end-user perception of these solutions being non-critical in the manufacturing process.

“End users try to save on ACS investments in the short-term without factoring in their long-term benefits,” remarked Osipova. “Increased market penetration will depend on end users recognising the importance of ACS as vital management and optimisation tools in oil and gas manufacturing processes.”

On their part, vendors need to undertake marketing activities to generate greater awareness about newer technological offerings and their benefits. Oil and gas companies need to be educated about the basic features of ACS and the advantages and opportunities that it can offer.

If you are interested in more information on this study, please send an e-mail with your full contact details to Joanna Lewandowska, Corporate Communications, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it <mailto: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it >.

Strategic Analysis of Automation and Control Solutions in the Russian Oil and Gas Industry (M8B7-10) is part of the Industrial Automation & Process Control Growth Partnership Services programme, which also includes research in the following markets: Automation and Control Solutions Market in the European Oil & Gas Industry, Automation and Control Solutions Market in Eastern Europe <, Industrial Security Solutions Market in Europe and Wireless Devices in European Industrial Automation Market. All research services included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends that have been evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.

Sberbank Investment Research, the award-winning research division of Sberbank CIB*, is pleased to announce the return of Kingsmill Bond and Andrey Kuznetsov to its team. Kingsmill will return to the company as Chief Strategist, Managing Director, while Andrey rejoins as Strategist, supported by the largest team of analysts delivering cutting-edge analysis on Russia’s capital markets and industries. They will both be based in Moscow, starting shortly, and will report to Andy Smith, Head of Equity Research, Managing Director.

Kingsmill has an unrivalled reputation globally and is widely recognised as one of the leading Russian strategists. In 2010, Kingsmill was ranked the number one Russian strategist by Institutional Investor and the leading Russia strategist by Extel, an accolade he has earned several times. Last year, he was voted the number two Russian strategist by Institutional Investor.

Prior to joining Sberbank Investment Research, Kingsmill held the position of Chief Strategist at Citibank. He previously spent four years as Chief Strategist and Managing Director at Troika Dialog and ten years at Deutsche Bank in a number of research and strategy roles, including Head of GEM and EMEA Strategy between 2004 and 2007.

Andrey also joins from Citibank, where he held the role of Strategist responsible for the delivery of strategy and thematic research across the Russian equity markets. He has over ten years of experience in financial research and analysis, having previously spent four years at Troika Dialog as a strategist on the Russian equity markets desk and five years as an economist in the Treasury Research Department at Sberbank.

Commenting on the two appointments, Andy Smith, Head of Equity Research, Managing Director, said: “We are delighted to welcome back Kingsmill and Andrey to the team. Both have an unrivalled reputation for first-class research, and their wealth and depth of experience to lead our strategy offering will be invaluable. Sberbank Investment Research leads the market, providing clients with timely market analysis and insight into all aspects of Russian capital markets. These two appointments are a huge boost to this proposition.”

This appointment is the latest in a number of senior hires as Sberbank CIB continues to strengthen its broad industry capabilities and enhance its position as market leader. Recent hires include Peter Urbanczyk, Head of FICC Sales Americas, Sberbank CIB USA, Inc. and Managing Director, International FICC Sales Subdivision, Global Markets, Steven Weller as Head of FX Trading, Managing Director, Bill Beller as Head of Equity Options Trading, Managing Director, Robert Hagon as Co-Head of Equity Sales Trading, Managing Director, and Peter Holowka as Head of E-FX, Managing Director, for Fixed Income, Currencies and Commodities Division.

Information for Editors:

Sberbank CIB

The Corporate & Investment Banking Business was created as part of the integration of Sberbank of Russia and Troika Dialog. Sberbank CIB’s key areas of activity are corporate financing** , investment banking services, trade operations with securities, and private equity. Sberbank of Russia’s Corporate & Investment Banking Business provides integrated financial solutions and investment advisory services to its clients, which include major corporations, financial institutions, sovereign states and federal and sub-federal government bodies and organisations. Sberbank CIB is part of Sberbank of Russia’s Corporate Business Block.

*On the basis of CJSC “Sberbank CIB”

**Financing provided by OJSC Sberbank

Needham, MA—The Object Management Group (OMG^®) will be hosting its quarterly technical meeting for both members and interested nonmembers at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Berlin, Germany. The meeting will run from Monday, June 17^th to Friday, June 21^st.

The meeting will include various special events including: a Component Workshop as well as the Health Community Summit on Monday; the European Business Architecture Innovation Summit and a Data Distribution Service Workshop and Tutorial on Tuesday and Wednesday.

OMG technical meetings provide a neutral forum to discuss, develop and adopt standards that enable software interoperability for a wide range of industries. Attendees are able to influence the direction of future standards work, hear from industry experts, network, and be among the first to know what will be cutting edge tomorrow.

Registration fees for attending the week start at $740. Visit www.omg.org/news/meetings/tc/berlin-13/info.htm for more information, to register, or to learn about becoming an OMG member. Walk-in registration is also available.

The meeting is sponsored by: No Magic, PrismTech, Accelare, Remedy IT, Sparx Systems, Modeliosoft, and Transentis Consulting.

OMG is an international, open membership, not-for-profit computer industry standards consortium. OMG Task Forces develop enterprise integration standards for a wide range of technologies and an even wider range of industries. OMG’s modeling standards enable powerful visual design, execution and maintenance of software and other processes.