Russian titanium producer VSMPO-Avisma will shift part of its workforce to a four-day week from Dec. 1, citing the need to maintain operational stability as demand weakens, the company said.
The reduced schedule will apply to employees not directly involved in core production, mostly administrative staff, and will remain in place until May 31, 2026, according to a company order cited by Interfax.
Workers in the company’s main hub in the city of Verkhnyaya Salda said they have had little or no work since October.
VSMPO-Avisma described the move as a “difficult but necessary” step to preserve jobs and prepare for a market recovery.
The company said affected employees would be offered additional opportunities for professional training during the shortened work period.
Despite the change, the firm pledged to continue meeting its obligations to clients and partners and to maintain its “leadership position in the global titanium market.”
President Vladimir Putin in June asked state conglomerate Rostec, which controls VSMPO-Avisma, about the state of its titanium operations.
Rostec head Sergei Chemezov said production was not fully loaded following the suspension of the company’s joint venture with Boeing after the U.S. aerospace giant exited the Russian market.
VSMPO-Avisma is the world’s largest titanium producer, accounting for 90% of Russia’s total output. Its majority shareholder is businessman Mikhail Shelkov.
The company’s revenue fell to 49.33 billion rubles ($540 million) in the first half of 2025 from 59.61 billion rubles a year earlier, while net profit plunged almost sixfold to 2.14 billion rubles.
VSMPO-Avisma joins a growing list of Russian industrial firms that have cut working hours to reduce costs without resorting to layoffs as the economy slows, domestic demand stagnates and exports decline.
Other companies that have introduced shorter workweeks include diamond miner Alrosa, cement producer Cemros, Russian Railways, truckmakers KAMAZ and GAZ, automaker AvtoVAZ and the Chelyabinsk Electrometallurgical Plant.
In September, wood and paper producer Sveza shut down its plywood plant in Tyumen due to a sharp drop in demand, leaving more than 300 people without jobs.
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