The "Women’s Shop": Production of Stainless Steel Cutlery at the Dniprospetsstal Plant (1970s Amateur Film & 1954 Shop History)

history · Amateur Film Studio of the Palace of Culture "Oktyabrsky" (Dniprospetsstal Plant) · History Museum of PJSC Dniprospetsstal

An archival film chronicle titled "The Women's Shop" (Zhenskiy Tsekh), filmed by the Amateur Film Studio of the "Oktyabrsky" Palace of Culture of the Dniprospetsstal (DSS) special metallurgy plant. The film focuses on the Cutlery Shop (Tsekh Stolovykh Priborov - TsSP), a specialized department dedicated to producing consumer goods from the plant's signature stainless steel. FILM CREDITS AND PRODUCTION TEAM: - Created by: M. Vulfovich, V. Fomenko, I. Rogalev, A. Anisimov, S. Skobeev, V. Polegenky. - Digitization: Digitized from original reels by the specialists of the Center for Urban History in Lviv (LivArch) in 2025. - Archive: The physical film master and records are permanently preserved in the History Museum of PJSC "Dniprospetsstal" in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. FILM CONTENT AND SYNOPSIS: The footage captures the complete manufacturing cycle of stainless steel table forks, spoons, and knives, heavily featuring the female workforce of the shop: - Industrial processes: Stamping of forks, grinding, mechanical polishing, electro-polishing, and rigorous quality control of finished spoons. - Key Personalities: Yuri Vasilyevich Ignatyev (brigadier of machine adjusters); Viktor Mikitovich Proskura (engraver, shown developing sketches for future products); Leonid Mikhailovich Prokopenko (then-employee, future Head of the Shop) presenting flowers to female workers. - Daily life: Female workers in the factory canteen, resting by nature photography stands, and administrative tasks like filing sick leaves. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND (From the Book "This Is Our and My Biography"): The construction of the Cutlery Shop began in 1953 under a state directive to expand consumer goods production. Due to the "Green Light" administrative order during the 300th anniversary celebration of the Pereyaslav Agreement (1953–1954), machinery was delivered ahead of schedule from across the USSR (heavy 250-ton presses from Shymkent, grinding machines from Leningrad, and 12 polishers from Stavropol). The official launch process started on November 5, 1954, when the Plant Director, A.N. Kuzmin, announced a corporate design competition for the official "Stainless Steel" (НЕРЖ / NERZH) trademark stamp (dimensions: 3x10 mm). The jury, led by Deputy Chief Engineer T. Gabuev, received dozens of submissions. The 1st prize (600 rubles) was awarded to V.I. Stepanov (a painter/artist in the thermal shop), and the 2nd prize (400 rubles) to N.A. Zhirovos (a painter/artist in the rolling shop). In Soviet industrial reality, talented factory artists were officially employed as "painters" (malyary) due to rigid staff scheduling regulations. The first official run of cutlery bearing the new corporate stamp was released on January 12, 1955. The shop's planned annual output reached 4 million stainless steel items (tablespoons, teaspoons, dessert spoons, ladles, knives, and forks). Original YouTube link: https://youtu.be/q-WVW6bdFwM Official YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@JuryRylsky Curator Contact: rylskiju62@gmail.com / rylskii.iurii@dss.com.ua