News – Government of Russia

The issues of the company’s work in the conditions of sanctions, the development and release of new models and assemblies were discussed, as well as the organization of training for production.

From the transcript:

M.Mushin:
Good afternoon, dear Sergey Alexandrovich!

You are heading one of the largest companies in Russia, which is the flagship of agricultural construction, produces large wheel tractors. This is a rather complicated production.

Despite the unprecedented sanctions pressure, the company effectively masters new models, is engaged in import substitution of both the technological base and software.

To support industry, we have developed a whole set of measures that are quite effectively used – preferential loans, subsidizing the industry development fund. I know that the St. Petersburg Tractor Plant is actively using such capabilities.

I reported to the president about the results of 2024.

To date, the machine -building complex has become a processing industry growth driver in the country. And here your company makes a significant contribution.

It is also obvious that the solution to the problem of achieving technological and industrial sovereignty without modern wheels, without technology, is impossible.

Sergei Alexandrovich, tell us how things are going on, what new models are mastered. And about the prospects that the enterprise has today.

S. Serebryakov:
Our plant is one of the oldest plants in Russia. It was founded in 1801. And last year, in the fall, we celebrated the 100th anniversary of domestic tractor building. And the plant was marked by a high state award – the Order of Honor.

In recent years, we conducted a very serious, deep modernization of production. Since we are the ancestor of the Russian tractor building, we had to fulfill the task of deepening technological cooperation in the country and the development of a number of directions.

We have created many models that work successfully in the fields of the country. And before the imposition of illegal sanctions against our power, they successfully worked on the international market – both in Western Europe and the United States of America, which indicates the competitiveness of our industry.

The efforts of the factory commands, the KAMAZ group, the Tutaevsky engine factory have been preserved and the production of heavy diesel engines has been preserved and the production of. This is generally a very important and difficult task. This year we began the release of an experimental-industrial batch with an electronic engine control. Five years ago, we mastered and for five years we have been producing and improving the system of automatic transmission changes. This is such a alloy of technology, intelligence and engineering school. The design and technological school was revived in this direction. We are seriously engaged in transmission production.

M.Mushin: Do you have a big design bureau?

S. Serebryakov:
Large, almost 200 people. Moreover, the average age is 28 years. Ten years ago, we took up the personnel rejuvenation program. According to our estimates, we are one of the most “young” industrial plants in Russia.

We have two training centers in our enterprise – and secondary educational institutions are directly on our production site. And a large project “professional” has been implemented. That is, we are very serious.

Despite the difficulties associated with sanctions against Russia, we did not encounter problems of production in 2022, 2023, 2024. The plant did not stand a single minute, increased production volumes. Because everything is its own and Belarusian, with the exception of the components of hydraulics and certain electronics elements.

M.Mushin: In Belarus with whom are you cooperating?

S. Serebryakov:
Gomselmash is tire production, cardan production.

M.Mushin: Minsk Tractor to a lesser extent?

S. Serebryakov:
With the Tractor Plant and Gomselmash, we have technological cooperation and interaction in the field of warranty service and sales. And so the components of large Belarusian manufacturers are certainly present in our products. Many years ago, I was the initiator of the creation of the Association of Agricultural Builders of the Union State, which I head. We integrate deep enough.

M.Mushin: About personnel. You said that you are seriously doing this. It is difficult to solve education issues related to applied, technological production processes. Since today it is impossible to build a training system in a serious advanced engineering school without the participation of companies as yours. Therefore, the interaction of advanced engineering schools with companies – future personnel customers is very important in order to understand what is needed in terms of the technical requirements of a company that will wait for graduates.

Plus, of course, professional issues. It is also very important that professional institutions are deeply integrated into enterprises that produce modern, advanced products, are engaged in research and design developments. Conversely, the enterprise as an employer should understand and monitor (so that there is feedback), which, in fact, is engaged in their potential future employees. And here the role of mentoring is huge.

How is this process built by you?

S. Serebryakov:
The first thing we did was created a system of continuous practice at the factory. And this system needs to be studied, from my point of view, and, perhaps, spread throughout the country. For the head of the workshop (I will explain how it is from the inside) there is always a problem when young guys come: you need to fulfill the production plan, but we must train them. Therefore, I thought about how to resolve this issue along with an educational institution – this is the secondary professional educational institution named after Kotin. And we seized a certain full -time number from the structure of the workshop, filled it with students of working specialties and began to fulfill the production plan with this task. Thus, the head of the structural unit had to engage in the children and train them. This was the first step. Then, based on this, it was necessary to rebuild the system of training itself so that the permanent number of children could go into practice in production workshops. And then all this was transformed into the system when we already look: if a young person is capable, ready to work, we include in the state of the enterprise, and he studies in parallel. We pay him the appropriate salary. When he goes into the army, a workplace is fixed behind him. And such a combination of care for people, young guys, along with the constant practice of continuous training, gave a good result. And then professional professional was built taking into account this experience. Theoretical classes and practical classes are carried out in fact in parallel, that is, having studied the theory, the guys immediately go into practice: all production workshops, they can practically study all production competencies directly at the factory. Directly and in the training center there is practical work (we bought machines and equipment), and already in production cells, where regular places for them are always available.

This led to the fact that we raised a professional level at the enterprise and rejuvenated the team. If 10 years ago the “average age” of the plant was about 60 years, today 33 years. Good practice in this regard.

The same work, but with its specifics, and with higher educational institutions.

M.Mushin: Do you have a lot of employees with higher education? What is the share with higher education, with secondary education?

S. Serebryakov:
Almost 70% with the highest, because many adjusters, CNC operators are people with higher education.

M.Mushin: You know, it’s interesting, I visited several professional institutions and saw the guys: this education is not called the highest, but the level of competencies of the guys who are prepared there are very high.

S. Serebryakov:
They changed the technology more seriously. Today we have introduced the digital double of the workshop, that is, digital control The operation of each equipment. Introduced a payment system on a year -basis – accrual based on the results of labor for each day.

And when a young man works on a machine with a numerical control – this is either a welding robot or a mechanical processing machine – it is growing its qualification, he gets programming, commissioning skills, and is tightened to the level of technology knowledge. And this is actually a higher education.

In general, these digital solutions about labor productivity give a very good effect.

M.Mushin: Digital solutions, platforming and new technologies, which the president always talks about, is now the basis for increasing labor productivity. And today it is one of the main tasks for achieving national development goals that the head of state set before us.

Sergey Alexandrovich, thank you very much. Good luck and the factory’s labor team.

S. Serebryakov: Thank you.