Holdings come to the fore
“This year, we’re on the verge of serious change: Belarus has adopted a strategy to set up holding companies. One such large holding company is almost ready, with all the necessary documents pending confirmation. This is a tool-building holding which unites over 17 companies in Belarus,” Mr. Demidovich explains, adding that the Republic is open to co-operation in the machine-tool industry not only domestically but also within the entire post-Soviet space and with non-CIS countries. “We hope for fruitful co-operation with Russian, Ukrainian, German and Czech machine-tool builders,” he notes.
According to Mr. Demidovich, this year, things have picked up in the machine-tool industry — with greater liaisons evident within the Single Economic Space, between Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. “This provides serious opportunity for development. We believe this is a crucial period for the machine-tool industry — a milestone in our development,” he adds. He notes that this is especially true for BelAZ, which is in the middle of a major upgrade, building new production facilities for heavy duty vehicles. The Belarusian Steel Works is also considering a range of projects with foreign companies, involving Belarusian machine-tool companies.
The largest industrial and technological forum’s Machine-Tool Industry, Welding and Cutting, Protection Against Corrosion. Coating shows covered a wide range of industrial technologies in the field of machine building, metal processing, construction materials and resource saving.
Taking part in the exhibition were leading companies from 15 countries — including Belarus, Germany, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, the USA, Ukraine, Switzerland, Sweden and Japan. A large scale business programme was also in place, with its events focusing on the current state of Belarusian industry, its prospects and major trends.