By Nina Orlovskaya
Seeing all from the lift
Touring the factory floor, it’s easy to believe that the enterprise is capable of manufacturing any type of lift — from the most simple to the most luxurious. The latter boast panoramic views, huge mirrors, marble flooring and, even, a glass ceiling. Mogilevliftmash’s Director, Anatoly Tyukov, stresses that their panoramic lift (developed in 2008) is ‘unique in the post-Soviet space’.
Mogilevliftmash is quite ‘young’, being just 46 years old. However, over its years of operation, it has become one of the largest lift-producing facilities in the CIS — much owing to technical modernisation, which began nine years ago. Since 2004, production output has tripled, with its high specification lifts astonishing even German colleagues.
From Mongolia to Cuba
“We’re now exporting almost 80 percent of our goods, with all former Soviet republics and Mongolia buying from us. We’re also working on mastering the markets of Serbia, Cuba and India but can only sell certain items, since, to produce a lift, we need a precise building plan,” explains Mr. Tyukov. The company’s exports have grown 20 percent on last year alone.
Mogilevliftmash produces over 110 basic models — against just two originally. According to Mr. Tyukov, the company’s special lifts are enabling it to compete abroad: each lift is designed at the plant and sold via the enterprise’s commodity distribution network.
The tour takes us to a range of new products, including floor-by-floor escalators, which are already finding customers outside Belarus. Mr. Tyukov asserts that quality is his main priority, although modernisation has allowed the factory to speed up production time: from two months previously to just one now.
New technologies set the pace
Modernisation has enabled the plant to improve the design of its lifts and expand volumes. Its new laser beam technology cuts metal with precision and very quickly. The company annually produces 10,000 lifts. Mr. Tyukov emphasises that modernisation will continue. “The process is not cheap but it’s economically feasible — enabling us to manufacture competitive products. In the past, metal details were made by heavy press machines which took time to re-adjust; now, we use compact lasers which are easily reprogrammed. Our German automated line paints up to 4m per second, while ensuring high quality.”
New technologies and modern equipment allow ranges to be updated promptly, reading for trial testing. Previously, it took years to produce a model. The new equipment also allows precision to within a millimetre in the modern workshop. Each lift is tested in a special 24-floor tower and is guaranteed for 25 years if well-maintained.
