Russian businessmen immediately started fussing: they should not allow foreign competitors to overtake such a profitable and prestigious market segment, currently the most attractive one. Not every industrial sector can demonstrate a 20-30% increase per year! But even the growth rates will be lower, for example 10-15% per year, it's all the same profitable. Therefore, most plants were retrained to focus on the new direction.

The prime example is the activity of the Demidovsky plant from SUAL group. The only woman in the holding, Inessa Smirnova, the plant director, is dreaming about holding 25% of the market and these dreams do not seem to be totally unrealistic. SUAL group is building a new ScovO plant for production of aluminium ware with antiburning coating in Stupino city of the Moscow region. There are plans to start activities at the plant next year, and in 2007 the plant is expected to reach its design capacity of 5.5 to 6 mln pieces of kitchenware per year. By 2009 its turnover may achieve 100 mln pieces. Kitchenware blanks will be produced using either stamping or minting technology. The antiburning coating is applied in compliance with the highest international standards: using spraying method for the high price range and rolling method for economy class items. antiburning coating per year. In prospect the annual output of supplies may be brought up to 1.5 mln pieces. It is the next important step for expanding its share on the kitchenware market. Now it amounts to 15%, but RusAl ambitions are even greater than those of Demidovsky, namely, they intend to increase their share up to 40%.

In fact, it's noteworthy that it won't be so easy for the Russian kitchenware dealers to realize these wishes. Up to now the biggest competitor for them in the antiburning segment is Tefal company (France).

The Tefal brand has almost 100% recognition (during the last 10 years the company spent up to 98% of all funds for advertising), while Demidovsky frying pans are known only for 7_10% of pollees. But the French are not the only competitors for our companies. Another leader of the kitchenware business are Italians. They also try to sweep the market not only distributing their products, but also establishing their production facilities on site, i.e. in Russia. That's the policy of Giaretti and Italika companies which construct plants working with Italian raw materials (but using "Russian hands").

Does Teflon have Environmental Problems?

The most recognized antiburning coating in the world is Teflon, therefore the antiburning and teflon coatings are very frequently used as synonyms. Teflon was developed in the 1930s by DuPont, an American chemical giant. Today this material is used for production not only of the kitchenware, but also clothes, umbrellas, carpets and even bullets. To produce various high-tech-nology compounds, and in particular, Teflon, a synthetic polymer - perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), as well as ammonium perfluorooctanoate (C-8) - are used. These very materials arouse questions from ecological organizations of the West. According to many statements C-8 may contribute to the increased cholesterin and triglycerides level in blood, thus increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases and cerebral accidents, and in turn PFOA may lead to deficiencies of newborns and may cause cancer. Such terrible accusations fell on DuPont company in America, however to date the company provided documents proving safety of the Teflon coating.

Expert Opinions

Lyubov Gerasimchuk, Sales and Logistics Representative, Fluo_roproducts Department, DuPont Russia Ltd.

- What big Russian factories producing kitchenware with antiburning coating does Teflon deal with?

- Demidovsky, Kalitva, Neva-Metal Posuda, Severstal-emal.

- What features are distinguishing for the Teflon coating?

- Nowadays DuPont company offers several types of the Teflon coating. The most popular among them are Teflon Classic, Teflon Select and Teflon Platinum. Teflon Classic is a two-layer coating which is used for cooking with minimum butter amount or even without it and is easy to wash. Teflon Classic is an excellent price-quality relationship. Teflon Select and Teflon Platinum are three-layer coatings providing additional advantages in terms of resistance to mechanical damage and longer service life. An incontestable advantage of the Teflon Platinum coating is the possibility to use metal accessories when cooking. When properly used the kitchenware with Teflon Classic coating will serve up to 3 years, Teflon Select - 5 to 7 years, and Teflon Platinum - over 7 years. It's important to say that the quality of the kitchenware with our coating should be high and should fully comply with the requirements of DuPont company. Before securing a license, the manufacturer is subject to stringent quality control according to company standards.

- How can you comment on press news about health hazard of the Teflon coating?

- Since they appeared on the market, DuPont antiburning coatings permanently undergo various quality and safety tests, for example, in Haskell Laboratory for Toxicology and Industrial Medicine and other similar institutions. The Food and Drugs Quality Committee of the US government recognized DuPont antiburning coatings as suitable for everyday use all over the world. Billions of saucepans, frying pans and other DuPont kitchenware items are used in kitchens of practically all countries of the world and we don't know a single case of serious health problems related to their use, except for negligence cases.

A large-scale study conducted last year was focused on various DuPont kitchenware items. Following the study results, Teflon coatings are totally safe and by no means endanger health. The results of this study fully confirmed findings made earlier by the Chinese Quality Control Institute and the Danish Institute of Technology. Some independent studies performed this year have also proved that Teflon does not have any harmful effects on human health.

DuPont company has never hindered any type of sanitary, ecological and legal control from nongovernmental organizations and is ready to provide any required materials for studies.

Besides, the company always tends to improve ecological aspects of its activity and invests considerable funds in environmental enhancement - several million dollars a year.

Aleksey Y. Ivanov, Head of the Giaretti Division

- What's the name for the antiburning coating used by your company and what are its advantages?

- The antiburning coating applied on Giaretti products is called Dicotech. It is a Teflon analogue and is based on PTFE (polytetrafluorethylene), which provides antiburning properties plus some additives enhancing adhesion and service life (in-house development). Giaretti uses 4 types of Dicotech antiburning coating: Dicotech Basic, Dicotech Style, Dicotech Premium and Dicotech Metalica. Now it is the widest range of coatings on the market, which thus allows to offer products with the best price – functional quality relationship.

- What's the main difference between Italian kitchenware with antiburning coating and its Russian analogues?

- There is no fully Russian production line of high-quality kitchenware with antiburning coating thatwould be able to meet the world standards. Most manufacturers use Italian component parts, providing product manufacturing only in Russia. Exceptions are production lines of the downmarket that have appeared most recently. Therefore, it would be wrong to speak about any differences or analogies.