KAMAZ Constructors’ Anniversary
On 16 April the managers, specialists and workers of the Department of Vehicle Design and Experimental-Industrial Production which is a part of the Administrative Development Unit of KAMAZ celebrated the 40th anniversary of their department – the Research-and-Development Center of KAMAZ.
As is known, KAMAZ’s history starts from “the first bucket of earth” took out when constructing facilities of the Kama plant for heavy haulers production on Decembr 13, 1969. After the anniversary of the whole KAMAZ the plants, departments and services of the Russian largest truck producer also start celebrating their own anniversaries. The first department to start celebrating its anniversary became the R&D Center set up in April 1970 as the Design Manager’s Department.
The work of design and experimental services is very important for all automobile companies as it is the cornerstone of their philosophy. This explains why the Design Manager’s Department was one of the first established departments of KAMAZ, then under construction.
The history of the R&D Center was made by three generations of KAMAZ designers and testers – headed by three design managers of KAMAZ. The leading organizer of the Design Manager’s Department in 1970-ies was the first design manager of KAMAZ, Vladimir Barun. The construction and experimental-industrial service acquired the current name, the Research-and-Development Center, in 1986 when Ramil Azamatov became the design manager of KAMAZ. In 1987 young and energetic Semyon Yakubov headed the pilot production of the R&D Center. In February 1995 he completely switched over to managing the KAMAZ-master team. The team created on the basis of the R&D Center became the contender for the global leadership. The same year Danis Valeev became the design manager. In this difficult period of time it was decided, for instance, to create the heaviest-duty truck KAMAZ-6520, many other projects were developed. The latest years were devoted to intensive modernization of all lines of vehicles. A new generation of heavy-duty KAMAZ trucks is currently beign developed by the constructors.
In the honour of the 40th anniversary the large group of constructors, managers and workers of the R&D Center received a decoration “For services to the city of Naberezhnye Chelny”, Honorary Diplomas of Naberezhnye Chelny and OJSC KAMAZ and notes of thanks from the company’s management. 17 best managers, specialists and workers of the development unit received congratulations, their names and photos were placed in the hall of fame “Our Pride” in the KAMAZ R&D Center.
Friday, 16 April 2010
Meeting of Presidium of Tatarstan State Council was Held at KAMAZ
The meeting of the Presidium of the Tatarstan State Council devoted to realization of crisis-management measures of OJSC KAMAZ and its experience in modernization and innovation took place in the general directorate of OJSC KAMAZ.
The members of the State Council accompanied by the top managers of OJSC KAMAZ visited a number of the company’s plants: the automobile plant, OAO KamPRZ and OAO KAMAZ-Diesel. The guests saw a mother assembly line and a cab assembly shop at the automobile plant. Farid Mukhametshin, Chairman of the Tatarstan State Council met with the workers of the plant. The guests saw a new cab painting line at the Kama Frame-and-Stamping Plant and visited an engine assembly line and a shop for localization of details for Cummins engines at KAMAZ-Diesel. The parliamentarians also visited joint ventures of KAMAZ and the leading global automobile component producers – CUMMINS KAMA and ZF KAMA.
After that a press conference was held for mass media with the participation of Farid Mukhametshin, Sergey Kogoghin and the head of administration of Naberezhnye Chelny Ildar Khalikov.
Within the bounds of the meeting Sergey Kogoghin, Director General of the company made a report on the subject “Results of Crisis-Managment Program of OJSC KAMAZ. Realization of Development Programs under Crisis Conditions”. Below is given its summary.
The crisis-management program of OJSC KAMAZ was developed in October 2008, and it covers 12 main areas of activity in the sphere of sales, cost reduction, activity financing, assets optimization, increase of labour productivity, introduction of lean production tools. The planned truck model line was formed with a marginal level optimum for working under the crisis conditions. Price-cutting, searching for alternative suppliers and design and engineering neasures helped to save more than 2 billion roubles. On the whole the crisis-management program enabled to improve the company’s financial performance for 2009 by 3.5 billion roubles.
The crisis management programs were developed and realized also by the main subsidiaries – OAO NEFAZ, OAO Avtopritsep-KAMAZ and OAO TZA. Thanks to that, they survived even when their production volumes went down to 80%.
KAMAZ didn’t stop its cash flow, said Director General of KAMAZ in his report, purchases and social programs were financed in time, wages and taxes were paid without delay. In spite of the difficult economic situation and cost optimization in 2009, KAMAZ took measures to maintain the staff. Temporary job placement and public works were organized in the period of the mainline production shutdown: 20700 jobs were created in the subdivisions and organizations of OJSC KAMAZ where over 32 thousand KAMAZ workers were engaged. During 2009 more than 3400 people received training.
By reengineering KAMAZ’s own production areas were reduced by 76%, its equipment base was reduced by 58%. Partially it was made due to outsourcing of some activities, but in all cases – without considerable losses of volumes of products made with the help of this equipment. Joint ventures of KAMAZ and its partners are located in the vacant buildings. Even before the crisis, in 2004 the main building of ZAO Remdiesel was vacated and its areas were leased to small and medium businesses, the participants of the Kama Indistrial Park Master. Now there are 137 enterprises working in various areas from mechanical engineering to the sphere of services there. To date 77% of areas of the pre-crisis level are leased, occupation of 95% of areas of the KIP Master is expected by the end of this year. And then they will consider the issue of introduction of the third line of the KIP and work of the transport and logistic terminal with estimated capacity.
Despite the worsening of the economic position KAMAZ even under the crisis conditions continued realizing the earlier planned development programs and developing new ones. The company’s strategy for 2010-2013 is being realized. It presupposes that KAMAZ will continue working on the earlier adopted innovation programs. Two stages of realization of the program of product development were planned. According to the first one, the available model line of vehicles was modernized and a product with new qualities was created. At the second stage a new generation of trucks will be created and several key investment projects will be realized. In accordance with the adopted strategic guidelines, a component basis will be developed and a product range will be expanded in partnership with the global leaders in these areas in the format of joint ventures.
“Intellectual and technical potential which we managed to maintain and create in the period of the crisis enables KAMAZ to quickly and effectively react to the market needs in the period of business activity growth in the Russian economy and to create a new generation of vehicles, in accordance with the planned terms of implementation of new technical specifications,” - said Sergey Kogoghin in conclusion of his report.
Friday, 16 April 2010