Guarantor of technological sovereignty

How the machine tool industry is developing in Belarus

A fully-fledged machine tool holding company will be formed by the end of 2026

In recent years, the machine tool industry in Belarus has experienced a rebirth. It is developing dynamically and undergoing a genuine technological boom. In the face of illegitimate external pressure on our country, this industry has become one of the key sectors supporting technological sovereignty and import independence. Sanctions, on the contrary, have given a powerful impetus to the revival of the machine tool industry. Experts note that machine tool construction is becoming a mega-project of Belarusian industry.

Zhodino, BELAZ: new workshop conveyor line for assembly and testing of cars and truck tractors            Daria Titova

Strategic resource

Machine tools are the primary means of production. Without high-quality machine tool equipment, it is impossible to manufacture the necessary products, including those for mechanical engineering. In Belarus, more than 30 enterprises of various forms of ownership represent the machine tool industry. Together, they provide around 7,500 jobs. The geography of specialised enterprises is not limited to the capital and regional centres. Large factories are located in Orsha, Molodechno, Baranovichi, Pinsk and Zhodino.
Today, the industry is showing positive trends in both production and export. “An economy saturated with modern technology is on the rise. Therefore, technology production — not small businesses — should be the main priority. Small businesses are not capable of producing microchips or machine tools. That is why the main goal is large industrial enterprises and complexes, which will ensure fundamental development,” says Doctor of Economics Valery Bainev. 
Machine tool plants face a strategic task: to master, in the shortest possible time, the production of new types and technological levels of machine tools and machining centres, with characteristics that are not inferior to those of Western counterparts.

Worthy response 

Manufacturers are responding to increased demand with supply. Recently, at a thematic industrial exhibition in Minsk, the Orsha-based Krasny Borets Machine-Tool Plant showcased the OSh-530F2 universal circular grinding machine. It is designed for external and internal grinding of cylindrical, conical and shaped surfaces of parts mounted in a chuck and centres. “This is a high-precision machine, and, pleasingly, it is import-substituting. Its component base is produced in Belarus and Russia. We are confident that the novelty will be in demand among enterprises of the machine-building complex,” recounted Maksim Alekseyenko, Head of Marketing, Ordering and Sales Department at the enterprise. 
Gomel Plant of Machine Tools and Units is actively involved in import substitution. The enterprise manufactures computer numerical control (CNC) lathes, screw-cutting lathes, radial drilling machines, vertical drilling machines, bench drilling machines, as well as machine tool units. The plant is ready to offer the market a number of import-substituting innovations. One of them is a CNC lathe. The equipment is designed for turning parts with various types of profiles in small-scale and serial production.
Another technological novelty is a vertical drilling machine designed for machining holes in small and medium-sized parts. “The 2T132 vertical drilling machine can perform a wide range of operations — drilling, reaming, countersinking, boring and tapping,” noted Tatiana Kozyreva, the leading specialist in advertising communication at the enterprise. “The equipment is fitted with an automatic feed shut-off mechanism upon reaching a specified depth, and supports both manual and mechanical modes of operation.”
Against the backdrop of illegitimate Western restrictions, wagon repair plants have begun to experience a certain shortage of wheel-turning lathes. Previously, such equipment was imported from Poland and Ukraine. However, the Baranovichi Plant of Automatic Lines is now ready to offer the market an anti-sanctions response: a heavy-duty CNC lathe. It is designed for turning the tyres and rims of solid-rolled wheelsets of railway rolling stock. “The design and engineering documentation has already been developed, and we plan to release a prototype within a year,” shared Roman Pototsky, Head of Marketing and Sales at the enterprise. “The use of integrally cast parts in the machine tool ensures high rigidity and reliability. Importantly, the novelty has an automatic diagnostic system, which eliminates equipment failure. The level of localisation has reached 80 percent. This lathe has strong export potential, and we plan to supply it to Russia.”
 
At BelGee automobile manufacturer, Borisov District                                     Aleksandr Kulevsky

Allied vector

Belarus is actively co-operating with Russia, including in the machine tool industry. A corresponding intergovernmental agreement was signed in 2023. Recent events have clearly demonstrated that co-operation is a reliable instrument for building technological independence.

The first practical step toward implementing the signed roadmap for the development of Belarus–Russia co-operation in the field of machine tool construction was the Union State Machine Tool project. Five machine tools of various modifications were offered to the market in 2025 and gained popularity among consumers. These machine tools are almost 100 percent made from components manufactured on the territory of the Union State. More than ten enterprises from the Union State participated in the project.

Uniting efforts

In Belarus, a new integrated holding, the Belarusian Machine Tool Company, has officially started operating. It will unite key enterprises and the industry’s scientific potential. It includes Institute BELORGSTANKINPROM — Holding Managing Company, the Kirov Machine Tool Plant, and the Masherov Plant of Automatic Lines in Minsk. Rolando Perez, Deputy Director at Institute BELORGSTANKINPROM, spoke about the activities of the structure, “According to plans, at least seven more enterprises will join the holding this year. Thus, by the end of 2026, a fully-fledged holding company will be formed, concentrating all competencies in the field of machine tool industry. The holding will help implement the task set for Belarus’ industry: to reach the level of 100 robots per 10,000 workers by 2030.”

EXPERT COMMENT

Denis Bakei, Belarus’ Deputy Industry Minister,
“The main task in production today is to shorten the technological cycle, which will reduce the cost of final products and provide cheaper import-substituted products. If we recall the past, it was necessary to install 10–15 machines whereas now they are completely replaced by one machining centre. Moreover, one person can now service up to four machine tools simultaneously. This is what our country needs — first and foremost, technological independence and security.”

TO THE POINT

On February 27th, 2026, a standardisation plan for the Union State in the field of machine tool construction for 2026–2030 was signed on the margins of a joint meeting between the Belarusian State Committee for Standardisation (Gosstandart) and the Russian Federal Agency for Technical Regulation and Metrology (Rosstandart). It envisages the development of 40 standards for various types of machine tools and equipment. 

FACT

The Programme of the Socio-Economic Development of the Republic of Belarus for 2026–2030 includes, among other things, the main directions for the implementation of investment projects. In mechanical engineering and machine tool construction, the implementation of about ten projects is planned, providing for the renovation and establishment of new production facilities for manufacturing equipment for agriculture, forestry, road construction, and the construction and automotive industries, as well as machine tools and their components.

By Vladislav Sychevich