Almost three billion dollars worth of machinery products were exported by domestic manufacturers. This is data for 9 months of last year. The growth over the same period amounted to 47%, the correspondent of 24KZ reports. The Union of Machine Builders of Kazakhstan intends to increase this figure. The President of the country gave instructions on the support and development of the domestic manufacturing industry, including mechanical engineering, in his Message in 2019. During this time, the field has shown a tremendous increase in production volume – three times.
For a couple of years now, Saran's factory has been closing the needs of buses across the country. The deficit, of course, is still impressive. But the very fact that vehicles assembled at a domestic factory are traveling around Kazakhstan is a source of pride.
Zharas Isabekov, foreman of the small-node assembly shop:
- The small–node method is a full cycle, all nodes and gatherings are assembled from scratch. There are about 8 thousand components in the small-node workshop. This bus is one of the most comfortable. It has an air suspension, an independent front suspension, which allows you to transport citizens in more comfortable conditions.
Kazakhstanis are also waiting for a new car production plant in Kostanay. In parallel, a huge transport and logistics complex and a localization center are being built there. From the level of small-node assembly, they will move on to the production of automotive components for mechanical engineering. This is another victory in the development of mechanical engineering and the manufacturing industry as a whole.
Meiram Pshembayev, Chairman of the Union of Machine Builders of the Republic of Kazakhstan:
- From world exports, these are engineering products. And such developed countries as the USA, Japan, South Korea, Germany, where volumes reach up to 50-60%, the locomotive of progress, first of all, is mechanical engineering and the second is petrochemistry, and all other industries participate in the process of final products.
The area has all the prerequisites to become the locomotive of the economy in our country.
For example, the roadmap for the development of mechanical engineering, launched back in 2019, was implemented ahead of schedule. The five-year plan was "closed" twice as fast. The adopted law on industrial policy and the established Industrial Development Fund played a major role in this. Manufacturers now have benefits and even tax breaks. All this has led to the fact that in 4 years the volume of production in mechanical engineering has increased 3 times.
Meiram Pshembayev, Chairman of the Union of Machine Builders of the Republic of Kazakhstan:
- Kazakhstan has never produced diesel locomotives. Today, we produce electric locomotives together with General Electric, together with Alstom, now we are switching to joint production of passenger cars together with the Swiss company Stadler and similarly in the automotive industry KIA, Daewoo, Scoda. Such manufacturers of equipment of the German company class entered the country, which produce tractors, combines, a large train of equipment. Mechanical engineering is 37 industries, including oil and gas engineering, mining, and the defense industry.
All these industries will receive a new round of development already with the implementation of a comprehensive plan for mechanical engineering, which is planned literally step by step until 2028. Admittedly, the target indicators are also quite ambitious – to bring production volumes to 11 trillion 3 billion tenge. It is clear that this is an increase in labor productivity and investment. But in order to achieve a plan for the volume of exports, drastic measures will have to be taken, the economist believes. According to Zhangelda Shimshikov, the unequal opportunities of the EAEU producers will simply "crush" domestic ones.
Zhangeldy Shimshikov, economist:
- We just need to suspend membership for a while. I have repeatedly said that when the draft laws of the Eurasian Union were adopted, all projects were prepared only by Russian research institutes. We have lost our own guidelines in the economy, we can get secondary sanctions.
In the meantime, the Union of Machine Builders and the relevant department are doing everything to protect manufacturers legally. Currently, the Parliament is considering amendments regarding the provision of raw materials, mandatory purchase of products from local producers, as well as another package of tax preferences.
