The history of the Belarusian Autoworks is worthy of a Hollywood adaptation. It's hard to count how many films about great brands have been shown on the big screen. We know the success stories of almost every one of them: from sneakers and sportswear to smartphones and cars. But believe us, it would be very difficult for them to compete with a film about the legendary BELAZ. In the new episode of the BELTA YouTube project "As a Matter of Fact: Decisions of the First," we will tell you how the yellow giants became one of the symbols of modern Belarus, what German investors called the main value of BELAZ, why Americans are annoyed by the successes of Belarusian competitors, and what surprise codenamed "canary" is being prepared together with Russia.
How the production of quarry dump trucks appeared in Belarus
The history of the Belarusian Autoworks began in 1946. After the war, the republic was going through hard times. Belarus suffered huge human and material losses. The enemy destroyed more than half of the national wealth. In terms of economic development, the BSSR was thrown back to the level of 1928, and in such crucial sectors as industry and energy, it was even back to the 1913 figures. In the liberated republic, only 2% of pre-war energy capacities were operational, and transport and agriculture suffered significant losses. All this had to be rebuilt from scratch. The five-year plan for the restoration of the national economy of the BSSR prescribed: "In order to create its own fuel machinery industry base, to restore and build two machine-building plants. One of them at the Zhodino railway station."
Of course, back then, no one was thinking about creating a super-truck. The plant in Zhodino was intended to produce peat equipment. The first products were brush cutters and trailed rollers. A little later, the enterprise was repurposed into the "Dormash" plant for road and land reclamation machinery, and the first street sweeping machine was produced.
However, in 1958, it became clear that the Soviet Union lacked heavy-duty trucks. The pace of economic development was ahead of its time, and working in large quarries with small trucks was unprofitable. It was decided to establish their production in Belarus, as the most qualified personnel were located there. By this time, the Minsk Automobile Plant already had professionals who knew how to build heavy-duty vehicles. A 25-ton MAZ dump truck was already operating at construction sites in the USSR. It was decided to master the assembly of this particular truck in Zhodino. However, mechanical engineering needed a breakthrough, and the designers returned from the workshop to their drawing boards. In the autumn of 1961, the first BELAZ saw the light of day.
27, 40, 80, 120 tons – the carrying capacity of the yellow giants only grew. They became indispensable assistants in the extraction of solid minerals in harsh climates and off-road conditions. BELAZ trucks won gold medals at international exhibitions in Leipzig, Germany, and Plovdiv, Bulgaria, and their creators were awarded state prizes. In the 1970s, Belarusian quarry dump trucks occupied 50% of the world market. Isn't the history of this success worthy of being filmed? And what happened next was no less interesting.
What happened at BELAZ in the 1990s
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, difficult times came for the Belarusian Automobile Plant, as well as for other machine-building enterprises of the republic. The market, which provided employment for tens of thousands of people, disintegrated. Belarusian flagships were already working two days a week and were barely surviving. Under the guise of "restructuring, liberalization, privatization," proposals were heard to cut up and divide BELAZ, MTZ, and MAZ. As well as other large enterprises, on which the entire Belarusian economy depended and still depends. However, the President's visit to the plant in the difficult 90s put an end to this issue.
"In the 80s, it was still bearable. There was a half-life, but there was a salary and everything else. In the 90s, the union collapsed, and problems started with everything. But the plant somehow managed to get by. Alexander Grigoryevich, our President, strictly forbade the sale of such large enterprises as "Belaruskali", BELAZ, MAZ. We had a meeting with the President in our workshop. He explained to us the "party policy", that we would get by, we would do everything possible. There were, of course, many problems, but they were solved. And the work started. Now BELAZ is a promising enterprise. There are many orders. If there is work, then there is a salary, there is a future," says Rostislav Ermakovich, a fitter-electrician in the assembly and testing workshop for vehicles and tractors. Alexander Lukashenko during a visit to the enterprise, December 1995
Why BELAZ was not sold to competitors
After Alexander Lukashenko came to power, the state adopted a course towards preserving enterprises and work collectives. And, perhaps, even primarily work collectives. Why? It's simple. When the Germans were looking at BELAZ, they concluded that the main value of this enterprise was not the buildings, not the premises, not the machines, but the workforce. A building can be built, machines can be purchased and installed. But teaching people, creating a school and traditions – this takes decades. And can one afford to be so careless with this?
It would have been possible to sell BELAZ to competitors from America or Japan, and the problem would have been solved in the short term. But what does it mean to sell an enterprise to a competitor? It will be closed in a few years or, at best, become an ordinary assembly shop. Competencies will smoothly flow to other countries. The freed-up market will soon be occupied by other manufacturers. And who will receive the main income? Not a Belarusian enterprise, but the USA or Japan.
However, this policy of the Belarusian state still found many critics. Meanwhile, BELAZ continued to develop new models of dump trucks, introduce innovations, and win awards at international competitions. For his selfless work and exceptional merits, the General Director of the Belarusian Automobile Plant, Pavel Mariev, was one of the first in the republic to be awarded the title "Hero of Belarus".
In 2006, Alexander Lukashenko visited the Zhodino enterprise again. And it was already a different plant. The President was shown the latest development – a quarry dump truck with a carrying capacity of 320 tons.
"I myself was lost when I saw the huge workshops, the territory littered with individual parts. The bodies particularly struck me. You know better than I do what was happening then," the head of state recalled his first visit to BELAZ. "The second visit – it was already your smiling faces, beautiful machines. You have already reached a certain level of production. This is a unique enterprise for our country. It is a symbol of our country. It is the pride of our country. Powerful, beautiful – only intelligent people are capable of making such a machine. And very, very few countries, rarely any countries, make such machines."
Whatever happened in the global economy, the state did not abandon its enterprises.
"BELAZ is on par with global manufacturers and maintains its standard. At that time, it held, I believe, about 30% of the world market. There were difficult times at BELAZ, challenging ones. But what I liked: the enterprise management did everything possible to ensure that employees' wages were paid on time and in full. Even in difficult times. When the state controls an enterprise, is a guarantor of something – that's already a big plus," noted Alexander Dobrovolts, a thermist at the thermogalvanic workshop. "New equipment is being purchased. When I came in 2004, this line, for example, did not exist. It was installed much later. This means not only modernisation of production but also its expansion, an increase in production volumes. We are trying to keep pace with the times."
How much can the largest BELAZ carry?
Today, BELAZ is 8 large enterprises united into one holding. It comprises 550 modifications of quarry equipment for operation in various climatic conditions. It is supplied to 80 countries worldwide. The world's largest dump truck is the BELAZ-75710, with a carrying capacity of 450 tonnes. And during tests, it carried even more!
Just imagine: this truck is the size of a large house. A children's playground could fit in its body. A couple of cars or a typical one-room flat could fit into the engine compartment. Its power is equivalent to that of a two-section mainline locomotive or four Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport – whichever you prefer. The BELAZ-75710 can transport a brick house with a foundation, roof, furniture, and residents in one go, and it will do so at a speed of 60 km/h. It is not surprising that the dump truck was entered into the Guinness Book of Records and the CIS Book of Records. The head of state also tested this giant in 2013.
"Look at this: leading countries, except for Germany, probably – they are raging today. These wars, conflicts, and so on – their basis is in the economy. And we are holding on here like the Brest Fortress during the war: in difficult times, we did not stop, you did not stop, but created a whole plant for the production of tomorrow's vehicles. This is the vehicle of tomorrow – 450 tons! 90 tons more than you produce now. And the main thing is that you were the first to do it. This is a great achievement. Well done for this!" - emphasized Alexander Lukashenko.
What Developments BELAZ Has
BELAZ surprises with its developments every year. One year it assembles a 220-ton diesel trolleybus, the next it presents a battery-powered mining dump truck. But the most promising development is a whole robotic complex. These are the technologies of the so-called intelligent quarry, where unmanned mining dump trucks and front-end loaders work in tandem. They are controlled remotely. Moreover, this can be done from anywhere in the world. The productivity of robotic dump trucks is 20% higher because they can work continuously in the most difficult conditions at the level of the most first-class driver.
Young people are also coming to work at the Belarusian Automobile Plant. "There has probably formed such an opinion (at least about BELAZ) that state-owned means stable. I have friends and acquaintances who work in private companies – they don't get the same salary as I do. Plus, they have no job stability: today you work and earn well, but tomorrow you might have to look for another place," - noted Alexander Avsyuk, a fitter for mechanical assembly work at the assembly and testing shop for vehicles and tractors.
Why New Sanctions Were Imposed Against BELAZ
And it recently became known that new sanctions are being imposed against BELAZ and MAZ. The heads of the enterprises were included in the US sanctions list. And do you know the reason? The US Treasury Department is dissatisfied with the "brutal repression against the pro-democracy movement and civil society after the presidential elections in Belarus." It seems they are simply irritated by our successes and the enterprise's resilience.
"By and large, such a decision by the US authorities did not come as a surprise to the Belarusian side. It is difficult to expect anything else from a country that, by inertia, positions itself as the arbiter of world affairs, continues to believe in its own exceptionalism, infallibility, and impunity. Something else is indicative. The imposition of sanctions against successful civil enterprises of Belarus is a concentrated expression of the hypocrisy of the US administration, whose representatives, at every convenient opportunity, like to declare their "support" for the Belarusian people," - commented the introduction of new restrictions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The MFA is convinced that both MAZ and BELAZ, which already have significant experience working under sanctions pressure, will successfully cope with any new challenges.
"Despite significant shocks, we finished 2022 very successfully. Products worth more than $800 million were shipped to the Russian Federation alone. This includes 866 quarry trucks of various load capacities, special equipment, and machinery for underground work. 2022 turned out to be one of the most successful years in our history for the Russian Federation market in terms of shipped equipment in monetary terms. The total revenue from product sales exceeded $1 billion. We also started the first quarter of this year quite well and confidently. Based on the current order portfolio, we expect to surpass the results of 2022 in 2023," - said Vasily Shostak, Deputy General Director for Marketing and Export Policy.
How BELAZ Develops Cooperation with Russia
Of course, it would be unfounded to claim that sanctions do not affect the work of Belarusian enterprises at all. Yes, they create certain problems. But Belarusians have probably become so accustomed to various kinds of external pressure that they can adapt to any conditions. For example, an updated BELAZ model will soon be released – the dump truck will be equipped with a Russian-made internal combustion engine. It will truly be, as they say, a powerhouse! By the way, according to the plant workers, the Russian engine is of such a bright yellow colour that it has been nicknamed "canary" by the people.
"It can be said that all the dump trucks that we sell in the Russian Federation market are, in one way or another, a joint product, since materials and components of a significant degree are used precisely from the Russian Federation's production. Now we are actively working on developing the product line and are considering equipping our mining dump trucks with internal combustion engines of Russian production," said Vasily Shostak.
Despite serious pressure, 2022 showed that not only the Belarusian Automobile Plant, but also the whole of Belarus managed to adapt to the new realities. It became stronger and more confident. This will continue to be the case.
The project was created using funds from a targeted levy for the production of national content.
Source: belta.by