<p>The

machine building, iron and steel foundry and rolling mill plant of

the Kramatorsk Metallurgical Society belonged to the joint stock

Kramatorsk Metallurgical Society till 1918.</p>

<p>After

World War I started, foreign citizens left the joint stock company on

the Russian government’s demand and the company was owned by

Russian and Polish shareholders. During the war, in

addition to its basic production, the plant also produced gun tubes

and carriages, two-wheel carts for medical service, shells. Apart

from that, locomotives were repaired there.</p>

<p>During

World War I the number of workers fluctuated greatly from 1.3

thousand in 1914 to 4.1 thousand in 1916. In 1914 women were first

admitted to work at the plant. In 1915 Chinese workers were hired due

to lack of workers caused by mobilization.</p>

<p>In

1915 a shell shop was built, where a half of the workers worked. In

1916 the shops were equipped with new kinds of machines; a metallic

bridge over the Torets river was constructed, which joined the

plant’s territories situated on the different banks of the river.</p>

<p>On

17 November 1920 the plant was nationalized and renamed as the

Kramatorsk State Machine Building and Metallurgical Plant. Now it is

the Starokramatorsk Machine Building Plant [http://www.skmz.dn.ua/].</p><p><i>Author: Volodymyr Kulikov</i></p>