A number of the largest companies in the engineering industry came under the influence of foreign economic sanctions. This is due not only to a lack of investment, capital outflow, and an increase in the cost of loans, but also to restrictions on the use of foreign technologies and software, equipment, supplies of components and parts.
Of course, the main technological base of any machine-building enterprise is metalworking machines. Due to the high cost of this equipment, as well as the need to have metalworking specialists, many enterprises preferred to purchase parts and components abroad. This helped to reduce production costs, even taking into account international logistics.
To date, the list of restrictions against Russia includes all the major manufacturers of aircraft and shipbuilding, machine tool and automotive industries, as well as components for them in our country. However, according to experts, it is impossible to fully meet the needs of the engineering industries and make a 100% transition to localization in such a short period of time. For example, the share of imported spare parts in the automotive industry ranged from 50 to 70%. After the change in exchange rates and the reduction in investment, the cost of components and, accordingly, car prices increased. The Russian industry will also not be able to quickly replace equipment in aircraft and shipbuilding, because the process of localizing will take several years, and for some high-tech systems - more than five years.
Restrictive measures introduced by a number of countries recently have enabled Russian enterprises to reduce their dependence on imported products and find new sources of income from exports. The policy of counter-sanctions, and the course towards full import substitution are already yielding results: Russian manufacturing enterprises are reorienting their potential. So, for example, the WestMedGroup company, a resident of the Dubna Special Economic Zone and one of the leading Russian manufacturers of medical equipment, mobilized its production base, not only expanding the range of manufactured medical products, but also allocated a sufficient technological resource. High technical potential, creation of a specialized personnel reserve and some technological solutions implemented by the company may be more efficient and appropriate for use in comparison with foreign counterparts.
At the resident's production site with an area of more than 2,000 sq. m. there are automated high-precision multifunctional machining centers for organizing and carrying out turning and milling operations, laser cutting, metal rolling and bending, engraving and marking of products, welding, powder coating, assembly of finished products. It is worth noting the presence of an engineering and design department, which brings together high-class technical specialists with many years of experience in related fields. The last one makes it possible to provide a complete production cycle from developing a part model to testing metrology and non-destructive testing in our own laboratories.
Moreover, in the context of the current change in the exchange rate, the products manufactured by WestMedGroup for the engineering industry are gaining a new competitive advantage due to the low cost and the ability to produce a unique product in accordance with customer requirements.
In the 2nd quarter of 2022, the company plans to launch a new production site with an area of more than 10,000 sq. m. as part of an individual investment project, which will expand the range and number of manufactured products.
According to experts in the field of economics, finance and international law, if it is impossible to reach agreements with countries that have introduced restrictions, an alternative solution would be to change the model of Russia's economic management, which we have already begun to contribute at. Therefore, today's external restrictions in the course of internal transformations can bring benefits to the machine-building industry.
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