"The Most Important Thing Is Not to Be Lazy": Fitter from Novosibirsk Receives State Award

Siberian Alexander Komlev has been working at a chemical concentrate plant for over 40 years. During this time, he has mastered several professions and helped significantly speed up the production of key parts, while reducing the environmental impact. Recently, fitter-assembler Komlev received a state award — the Medal of the Order «For Merit to the Fatherland» II degree.

In childhood, Alexander Komlev saw himself behind the wheel. After school, he got a driver«s license and even managed to work a bit in a garage. Then came the army, and after service, life took a different turn — instead of roads and cars, a working profession appeared.

— I trained as a refrigeration technician, a fitter for the installation and repair of refrigeration equipment. I worked for two years, — recalls Alexander Leonidovich. — The work was interesting: we prepared solutions, understood the intricacies of technology. And then a friend returned from the army and called me to the city. That«s how I ended up at the plant. It was 1982.

When asked what was the most difficult at the beginning of the path, he answers simply:

— I don«t know. My father taught me from childhood: you have to work wherever you are.

At the plant, Alexander Komlev started as an operator. Over time, he mastered several professions at once: he became a turner, milling machine operator, welder. Moreover, he didn«t limit himself to one specialization: today he works with electron-beam, contact-butt, and laser welding.

— I liked the work from the very beginning, — he says. — Yes, many left. But I stayed. Because I found my place. The team is good, the attitude is normal, and the work is to my liking.

Today, Alexander Leonidovich is engaged in manufacturing components for fuel assemblies. To participate in new projects, he himself mastered several modern types of welding. At the plant, they note: it was his suggestions that helped increase the productivity of manufacturing key parts by about a third. At the same time, it was possible to reduce the number of operations and decrease the impact on the environment.

— No one has canceled the instructions, — he smiles. — We work strictly according to them. But when an additional task appears — to machine a part, refine a solution — then we start trying, seeing what can be improved.

Alexander Komlev is considered one of those specialists who can be trusted with the most responsible work. He willingly shares experience with the youth and doesn«t hide: keeping young people in production doesn»t always work out.

— I had many apprentices. There are those who grasp it immediately: showed, explained — and the person went to work. And there are those who don«t really want to. When there»s no desire, reasons are always found. But those who want to work, stay. In our team, the core staff hasn«t changed for many years.

Recently, Alexander Komlev«s labor was recognized at the state level — he received the Medal of the Order »For Merit to the Fatherland« II degree.

— Of course, it was pleasant, — he admits. — The award was presented by the First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Sergei Vladilenovich Kiriyenko. Such a moment is remembered for a long time.

For Alexander Leonidovich, the plant is not just a workplace. Here he met his future wife, who then worked as a controller in the technical control department. They have two children and four grandchildren. In his free time, he tends to his dacha, fishes, and sometimes goes hunting.

He formulates his main life principle briefly:

— The most important thing is not to be lazy. If you deal with laziness, everything else will work out.

Colleagues highly value Alexander Komlev«s professionalism. His path is an example of how experience, responsibility, and interest in the work turn into a result important not only for the enterprise but for the industry as a whole.

— I can only say good things about Alexander Leonidovich, — says foreman Vyacheslav Gubanov. — He knows and uses the most modern methods, works carefully, without violations. He can be entrusted with a task of any complexity — he will manage. And as a mentor, he is very strong: he always advises, explains, helps. He is respected in the team.