Belarus had third by volume part of automotive industry of the Soviet Union with near 40,000 annual production. Since that times Belarus specializes on production of own designed superheavy, heavy and middle trucks mainly plus post-Soviet developed buses, trolleybuses and trams. Auto manufacturers in Belarus includeMAZ,BelAZ andNeman.
BelAZ is aBelarusian manufacturer of haulage andearthmoving equipment based inZhodzina. The factory opened its door in 1948 and has produced over 120,000 vehicles for use in theSoviet Union.
BELAZ is a site for one of the largestCommonwealth of Independent States investment project. The factory finalized two of the three scheduled phases of the technical re-equipment and upgrades. The Quality Management System applied in research and development, fabrication, erection and after-sale service of the equipment complies with internationalISO 9000 standards.
Minsk Automobile Plant orMAZ is a state-run automotive manufacturer association inBelarus, one of the largest in Eastern Europe.
It was built shortly after the Second World War. The first MAZ model (MAZ-200) used General Motors designed 2-stroke engines. Later on their own original engines were developed and implemented in the MAZ-500 series.Not only the plant itself, but the entire living infrastructure were built in a short time. Apartment buildings, shops, medical clinics, cinemas etc. were built in close proximity to the MAZ plant, providing plant workers with local (though limited) necessities. On many of the construction sites German prisoners of war were working together with Belarusian construction workers. The majority of these buildings are still in service today.
It manufactures heavy-dutytrucks,buses,trolleybuses,road tractors andsemi-trailers forsemi-trailer trucks, andcranes. MAZ was, and possibly is, the world's largest manufacturer ofTELs (Transporter-Erector-Launchers) for many of the world's mobileballistic missiles, from the widely proliferatedMAZ-543 used to carry and launch theScud B through to the recentTopol M's impressive 8-axle TEL.
At the end ofSoviet times, MAZ was the largest manufacturer of heavy trucks in the Soviet Union, and the only one for some truck categories. After theSoviet Union dissolved, MAZ production was reduced substantially, as has happened with many enterprises in the ultra-industrialized Belarus, oriented on the needs of a very big country. The previously mentioned production of public transport vehicles was a result of following diversification of the company.
Among other recent products, MAZ city buses (see pictures below) are operating throughout Belarus, as well as inRussia,Ukraine,Poland,Romania,Serbia andEstonia.[4]
InSerbia, working in cooperation with a local-based company BIK (Bus industries Kragujevac), a production of gas-powered buses named BIK-203 has been agreed, which are based on the platform of MAZ-203 model.[5][6] These buses have been delivered at several Serbian towns to be in use in public transportation companies.
In 1997, together with "MAN", a joint Belarusian-German company JSC "MAZ-MAN", Minsk was set up, which by 1998 had established full-scale production of heavy vehicles, using the F90 MAN cabs introduced 1986 and replaced 1994. Production of truck cabs involves huge, expensive tools, making this kind of recycling an existing design attractive. While production of tractors for international trade with 4x2 and 6x4 chassis layouts was a stated goal, development of exhaust gas regulations within the EU turned this into illusion. Based on the MAZ-MAN they have produced concrete mixers, fueling vehicles,flatbed trucks, dump trucks, front-end loaders etc.
Production of the Belarusian-German company demonstrated the advantage of technology created by combining the abilities and experience of auto makers of two countries. Compared to European models in the same class and quality range, MAZ-MAN products are on average 30% cheaper. Currently 98% of MAZ-MAN comply with Euro-3, while sale to the EU would require Euro-5 at least, Euro-6 by 2014.
In 2004, the joint venture made 272 vehicles, which is 45% higher than 2003. At the same time in 2003, output in comparison with 2002 increased by 50%.
28 November 2005 MAZ-MAN sold 1000 of the first MAZ-MAN tractor to customers.
MoAZ orMogilev Automobile Plant is an automotive and earth-moving equipment manufacturer in the city ofMogilev,Belarus. MoAZ is a subsidiary ofBelAZ since 2006. In 1958 MoAZ was named in honor ofSergey Kirov, a prominent early Bolshevik leader in theSoviet Union.
The company was founded in 1935 as Workshop. In 1941 the plant was evacuated toKuibyshev, where he mastered the production of engines for the attack aircraftIL-2.[7]
After World War II the plant was returned to Mogilev and produced locomotives, steam-powered machinery, overhead cranes and oil trucks on chassisGAZ-51. In 1958 the factory conveyor technology named S. Kirov Mintyazhmasha USSR in Mogilev was transferred to the production of single-axle tractorMAZ-529, developed at the Minsk Automobile Plant.[8] In 1960 MoAZ andMinsk Automobile Plant was transferred a group of designers, which became the basis of the technical services of the plant. Since that time MoAZ became one of the largest manufacturers of earth-moving equipment in the USSR.
In 2006 the factory became a branch of JSC "BelAZ". Since 2012 - the branch of "BelAZ" - managing company "BelAZ-Holding". The company mainly works on exports - more than 85% of production going toCIS member states.
MZKT (Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant (MWTP)) is a manufacturer of heavyoff-road vehicles, especially military trucks, based inMinsk, inBelarus;[9] it was formerly a division ofMAZ. MZKT civilian trucks are brandedVOLAT. MZKT specializes in the production of road and off-road heavy-duty vehicles and trailers to them, as well as special wheeled chassis for installation of various equipment for enterprises and transport organizations of the construction, oil and gas and engineering complex.
In 1954, MZKT, the Minsk Wheeled Tractor Plant, was founded to develop artillery tractors; it then developed a series of heavy weapons transporters for the military of theUSSR, including heavy offroad trucks such as theMAZ-537 andMAZ-7310.[10] It was a division ofMinsk Automobile Plant (known as MAZ). The name in Russian is "Минский завод колёсных тягачей"; this is abbreviated MZKT in English. In 1991, MZKT was spun off into a separate company; its former parent, MAZ, continues to make a broader range of heavy vehicles.[11]
In 1992, military orders slowed, and MZKT attempted to adapt its products to civilian uses, such as mining trucks and crane carriers.
Lida BusesNeman is a state-owned bus manufacturer located inLida,Belarus.
The company was founded in May 1984 by the Ministry of Radio Industry of the Soviet Union to produce industrial equipment (assembly and testing machinery) for its parent Association Agat.[12] In 1988, the plant was designated as pilot plant to manufacture prototypes. After thedissolution of the Soviet Union, the plant reoriented itself to produce household items (gas burners, electric motors, fans). Since the factory still had unused capacity, it entered into agreement with theLikino Bus Factory (LiAZ) to produce LiAZ-5256 buses. It produced its first bus in 1994.[13] It also produced fire trucks AC-40, busesPAZ-3205, vansGAZelle. In 1998, the company began to produce its own original Neman buses.[12] In June 2011, the company produced its 1000th bus.[13]
TheFord Union is a former joint venture of theFord Motor Company, the RussianLada importer Lada-OMC and the Belarusian government. It was located inAbchak near the city ofMinsk in Belarus. Ford has invested a capital of US$10.000.000 for building this plant. So it was the most expensive plant of the Ford concern in Western Europe at this time. The company existed from 1997 up to 2000 when it was closed due to low sales.[14][15][16]
The Ford Union was not a manufacturer, it was only an assembler ofSKD kits. The vehicles assembled by the Belarusian plant can be identified by the manufacturer codeY4F on the start on theVIN and anR on the eleventh position for the plant identification.[17][18]
The plant become well-known on 23 July 1997 as presidentAlexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko was invited to a press conference with five strategically selected foreign journalists to discuss a predicted failure which later proved true.
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