Ivan Plotnikov

{{Short description|Russian engineer and inventor}} thumb|200px|right|Kirza boots. '''Ivan Vasilyevich Plotnikov''' ({{langx|ru|Иван Васильевич Плотников}}) (1902–1995) was a Soviet engineer and inventor of kirza, a type of artificial leather based on the multi-layer textile fabric, modified by membrana-like substances, a cheap and effective replacement for the natural leather. The material is mainly used in production of military boots and the belts for machinery and automobiles.

Plotnikov worked in the city of Kirov, at the ''Kirov plant'' or ''Kirovskiy Zavod'', a fabric producing artificial leather. The name ''kirza'' is an acronym from ''Kirovskiy Zavod'', which was the first place of the mass production of kirza.<ref name="vyatka">В. И. Шмакова Комбинат «Искож» // Энциклопедия земли Вятской / отв. В. Ситников. — Киров: «О-Краткое», 2008. — Т. 10. Книга вторая. Промышленность. Энергетика. Строительство. Транспорт. {{ISBN|978-5-91402-040-5}} {{in lang|ru}}</ref>

The technology was invented in 1935 by Plotnikov<ref name="vyatka"/> and his fellow engineer Khomutov.<ref>[http://sokr.ru/card/21108scc97c4fa/ Kirza] {{in lang|ru}}</ref> The mass production began during the Winter War of the Soviet Union against Finland. Initially the material proved to be unfit to the winter conditions, and the production was halted. However, very soon the technology was improved and the mass production was resumed in the autumn and winter of 1941 during the German invasion of Soviet Union, since the large numbers of footwear were badly needed for the Red Army.

For the invention of kirza, Ivan Plotnikov was awarded the Stalin Prize the size of 100,000 rubles on 10 April 1942, as ordered by the Council of People's Commissars of the Soviet Union.

== References == {{reflist}}

Category:Recipients of the Stalin Prize Category:1995 deaths Category:1902 births Category:D. Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia alumni Category:Soviet inventors Category:Soviet engineers Category:Soviet chemists