Quality mark

Tractor bolide, virtual reality and unmanned 
vehicles: Belarusian equipment on the verge
of fantasy was presented at the international
exhibition INNOPROM

Belarus has been participating in the international industrial exhibition in Yekaterinburg for more than ten years, but this year for the first time the republic received the honorary status of the main partner of the forum and immediately impressed with the scope and quality of the exhibitors. The total area of the Belarusian part of INNOPROM occupied over 3,000sq.m, and more than 120 enterprises from our country were located on it.

On the first day of the INNOPROM exhibition, the Belarusian pavilion was visited by the Prime Ministers of Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan. Roman Golovchenko, Mikhail Mishustin and Alikhan Smailov examined the developments of domestic specialists and assessed the relevance of the introduced new products: INNOPROM is, after all, primarily about innovation. The Belarusian side paid special attention to the formation of booths with an emphasis on new projects and practical orientation. Seven main sectors of the economy were represented here, not only classical engineering and petrochemistry, but also light industry, which presented innovative developments in materials for workwear and fabrics for special purposes, as well as industrial cooperation that is super relevant today.


The exposition of Belarus was as great as ever (more than 420 exhibits) and arranged with special ingenuity. What is the cost of a vehicle assembled from LEDs at the stand of the Belneftekhim concern. This is a real symbol of Belarusian-Russian cooperation: wheels from Rostov, tires from Bobruisk.
Of course, not only tires are presented at the booth of one of the main industrial concerns of Belarus. The 12 largest enterprises in the industry brought samples of their products — from polyester yarns and polymer composite materials to a super-fast electric filling station. New contracts have already been signed for the supply of polyethylene, paints and varnishes, fiberglass, polyester threads to Russia. Belneftekhim enterprises signed contracts worth more than 2 billion Russian roubles at the INNOPROM exhibition.


The designers of the Minsk Tractor Works demonstrated their high professionalism. The creative new product of the Minsk Tractor Works — a racing car assembled from parts for tractors — was highly appreciated by all visitors. The model is only for presentation, but it is quite working. They say that the ‘racing version of the tractor’ can accelerate to a record speed of 320 kilometres per hour.
However, ordinary Belarusian exhibits, especially ‘full-scale samples’, also impressed the visitors. The Gomselmash harvester with a power of 530 hp surprised even in static mode. The sight of giant cone-shaped ‘fingers’ stopped the movement of an entire delegation from China. Indeed, it is difficult to resist slapping such a ‘horse’ on the sides and taking a photo as a keepsake...
Other visitors were struck not by the size, but by the information on the plate near the grain harvesting giant. It was carefully studied by two Russians in business suits.
“It is written: the level of localisation of the EAEU countries is 90.4 percent. Engine, bearings, automatic centralized lubrication system are Russian. Tires, plastic products, high-pressure hoses are Belarusian. Air conditioning and hydraulics were made jointly by Russia and Belarus.”
Belkommunmash, the leading manufacturer of urban electric transport, was already represented at last year’s INNOPROM, but then there was no equipment there. Now the Belarusians have shown the goods in person. The handsome trolley bus arrived at the pavilion straight from work — it is already cruising around the Ural capital along with its other brothers.


“A contract was signed with Yekaterinburg for the supply of 49 trolleybuses. 18 of our trolleybuses have already entered the routes. We produce trolleybuses practically on a turnkey basis with 80 percent of localisation. Our, Belarusian, body frame, electronics, battery — the key components are made at our enterprise. We buy part of the equipment from a Russian manufacturer,” Svetlana Rusak, Deputy General Director for Marketing and Sales of Belkommunmash, listed.
As for the cooperation between Belarus and the Sverdlovsk Region, its level is unprecedented — last year the trade turnover reached $700 million. The plans for this year are to reach a billion in turnover. The key direction is industrial cooperation.



Minsk Automobile Plant for the first time brought to Yekaterinburg a new mainline tractor equipped with a more powerful engine of Euro-6 environmental class and a robotic gearbox. In addition, the exposition included fire trucks developed as part of the union programme and high-capacity tourist buses, the production of which was organised in 2023. Minsk Automobile Plant has a good time now: there is a great demand for equipment in the Russian Federation, from which the ‘big seven’ of European manufacturers have left. Therefore, the chassis and buses from the Belarusian company are now in trend.
“The plant has prepared a new contract for the supply of equipment to the Russian Federation — more than 900 units of equipment, the contract amount is about 3.7 billion Russian roubles,” said Vladimir Yanushko, Deputy General Director of Minsk Automobile Plant.
Natalya Kurash, Director of the Belinterexpo Exhibition Company of the BelCCI, specified that the domestic industry was represented at the exhibition on a particularly large scale, “From the first day of the exhibition, unmanned tractors, which were demonstrated in the open area, aroused interest. The products of Minsk Tractor Works are interesting both for the private user and for professional use. Gomselmash and BELAZ have their own clients who come to them individually, and they are preparing for big contracts. The Russian regions showed great interest in AMKODOR communal equipment. Separately, there is great interest in MAZ buses, Belkommunmash trolleybuses and, of course, the MAZ-MAN tractor car and snow and swamp vehicle.”
The representative ‘scientific sector’ has always been a significant part of the Belarusian exposition. Samples of microelectronics, laser technology and even drones were presented at the current INNOPROM. Moreover, both these and other developments of scientists were distinguished, in their words, by ‘practicality, an increased level of innovation and readiness for implementation’.


Scientists are conducting one of the directions within the framework of the Belarusian-Russian Rusbelgaz project. The production of ultrasonic gas meters has been launched — from principal to household ones. Samples were on display, experts with explanations were nearby.
Despite all the difficulties in launching joint programmes, things are moving forward. Within the framework of the Union State, 60 scientific programmes have already been implemented.
The Bellegprom concern, one of the pillars of the Belarusian light industry, unites about 70 largest Belarusian enterprises that co-operate with 66 regions of Russia. The booth presented clothes for firefighters, a suit with protection from an electric arc — for nuclear and power engineers. And visitors to the exhibition were attracted like a magnet by racks with business clothes made of linen, wool and other materials.
By the way, the feature of this exhibition was the replacement of ‘postcard and glossy’ communication with a frank business conversation. This was discussed not only by ordinary INNOPROM participants, but also by the heads of business missions.

INNOPROM has exceeded all expectations of the enterprises of the system of the Ministry of Industry of Belarus: the amount of contracts exceeded $240 million

In 2022, against the backdrop of Western sanctions, trade between Russia and Belarus rose to a record $43.4 billion. And the set pace is maintained. In January-March 2023 alone, the volume of mutual trade between the two countries increased by 22 percent compared to the same period last year. 

By Tatiana Kazantseva
Photos by belta