The real history of the enterprise is people who come to the shops every day, work and study, pass on experience, communicate with colleagues and, which is not uncommon, awaken interest in their children in the world of production. This is how labour dynasties are born. In particular, the Karnaukh family from Metinvest Machinery, which this year received the title of "Steel Dynasty of Repairmen".
The history of the dynasty began in 1976 in Kryvyi Rih. Back then young Natalia Karnaukh, who was not yet 18 years old, came to the plant as a turner's apprentice. Step by step, she mastered new professions, gained experience and eventually worked her way up to the foreman of the mechanical assembly shop. It was this shop that became her professional home until her retirement in 2017.
"I didn't set a goal to make a career – I just worked and always tried to learn new things," Natalia Oleskiivna recalls. "Over time, I realized that the plant has given me a lot: profession, people nearby and the continuation of family history."
Often she had no one to leave her daughter Yevheniia with. She had to take her along to work. The girl spent many days in the shop and offices, at production meetings and in the midst of the work rumble.
"My mother said that we were going to the dentist, but in fact we were going to the plant," Yevheniia SAVCHENKO smiles. "From seven o'clock in the morning until the end of the shift, I was next to her. At that time, I did not even think that one day I would work here myself."
She started with work on the amenity improvement of the enterprise, later moved to the tool shop as a labour technician. At the same time, she received higher education and gradually built a professional career. Today, Yevhenia Savchenko works as a leading recruiting specialist and helps newcomers take the first step in the profession.
FACT
Every year, Metinvest awards the families that make the company's history. In 2026, the corporate competition identified four Gold Dynasties and six Steel Dynasties among metallurgists, miners, maintenance specialists, and coke plant workers.
Natalia’s younger daughter, Olena, also came to work to the enterprise. At the age of 18, she started as an apprentice miller, and later worked as a work distributor in a machine assembly shop. It was here that she met her future husband, Vasyl Turchak.
Vasily became another link in this labour dynasty. After school, he entered the branch of the vocational school No. 29, which worked on the basis of the enterprise. After training as an electric welder, in 1995 he began his practical training, and later remained to work at the plant. For three decades, he has become not just a specialist, but also a mentor for young people.
"If a person wants to learn, he needs help," says Vasyl. "Once they taught me, now I pass it on."
This is how history makes another circle: Knowledge is passed on, experience grows, and values remain unchanged.
Natalia KARNAUKH, head of the dynasty:
"We have never thought of ourselves as something special. We are just used to working honestly and doing things well. We have always supported each other, respected work and people nearby. It is these values that we want to pass on to the next generations."
This is their philosophy and, perhaps, the main secret. After all, great stories don't always start loudly. Often they are born quietly - from the first day of work, out of curiosity, from the example nearby. And they last for decades, passing from parents to children, from masters to students.
