Posted: 30.09.2021 14:18:00

Well done — well sold

Today, domestic engineering industry exports its goods to 99 countries

200 MAZ vehicles will soon go to Tanzania                                                                                                                                 Photo by Vitaly Pivovarchik 

This year is going well for the domestic industrial sector. In the context of potential sanctions, risks and the unpredictable behaviour of foreign counterparties, as well as a difficult epidemiological situation, our industry maintains positive dynamics in terms of key financial indicators. All key indicators — indicated by the Government — have been met. Export growth for the first nine months of this year is 135 percent while net profit stands at about Br430m. On the eve of Machine Builder’s Day, which was celebrated in the country on Sunday, First Deputy Industry Minister Sergei Gunko tells us about the mechanisms for increasing the export of products and innovative growth points.

PHOTO BY VITALY PIVOVARCHIK 

Upward movement
The global situation after the lockdown was lifted contributed to the growth of exports. World corporations, primarily those that extract minerals, have resumed their investment activities. The sales of Belarusian-made household appliances, especially TVs and refrigerators, also started to grow. 95 percent of all household appliances produced in our country are exported.
“Since the beginning of the year, we have produced over Br11.9bn of industrial products (about $4.65bn in equivalent),” says Sergei Gunko. “The growth rate against the same period last year is 142.5 percent. Exports to Russia and neighbouring countries have also been increased. In many areas, we have reached the maximum actual production capabilities. We receive more orders than we can handle.”

War of brands
Today AMKODOR, MAZ and BELAZ are under western sanctions. Sergei Gunko is sure that sanctions are another instrument of a competitive war against our enterprises, “We pushed large players out of the market and took away a significant market share from them. Under the conditions of sanctions, we have found alternative ways of development. We reoriented work with other suppliers, while the quality of the products did not suffer. We have redirected export flows while mastering new sales markets.”
Today, export from the machine-building industry go to 99 countries. One of the most promising markets for our equipment is the African continent. So, last year, three contracts were successfully completed for the supply of equipment to Zimbabwe worth about $50m. Meanwhile, in June, new contracts were signed for the supply of 1,337 MTZ tractors, 16 Gomselmash harvesters and five units of agricultural machinery manufactured by Bobruiskagromash for a total of $26.5m. Moreover, our equipment was highly appreciated in Malawi and Burkina Faso, with the issue of building assembly workshops in Zambia and South Africa also being considered. Assembly shops are being set up in Egypt. A contract has been signed for the supply of 700 tractors to this country; 200 MAZ vehicles will soon go to Tanzania.

Photo by Sergei Mitsevich

Future technologies
A third of the total volume of products shipped for export is innovative. In some industries, this share reaches 80 percent e.g., in machine building and the production of television equipment. These are future growth points.
“We are actively developing electric technology: this is our foundation for innovation,” comments Mr. Gunko. “By 2025, a whole new industry will appear for the production of freight, passenger and light electric vehicles. The first prototypes are already being tested.”
The production of electric vehicles annually receives about $60m for the creation of solutions and products. In total, by the end of 2025, about $400m will be spent on these studies. The invested funds bear fruit.
In June 2021, the Head of State was shown how unmanned BELAZ trucks were mining granite crushed stone at the Sitnitskoye deposit of the Granit enterprise in the Luninets District. Prototypes of BELAZ-7558R mining dump trucks with a carrying capacity of 90 tonnes and a BELAZ-7825D front loader operate using data transmission technology over the 5G communication channel.
Minsk Automobile Works is also engaged in unmanned vehicles, with pilot development launched back in 2018. The first batch was produced and delivered to the domestic market this year. Four electric buses based on MAZ-303 run along Minsk streets and six more operate in the regions.
  Every year, the Industry Ministry allocates about $60m to create solutions and products in the field of electric transport production
By Ilya Krasovsky