Summing up the results of the year is an important stage for every company, which allows you to evaluate achievements, identify areas for improvement and outline plans for the future. Despite difficult economic conditions and challenges, Tonar maintained its position in the market and retained its leadership.
We did not go unnoticed in the international arena either. In the ranking of global OEM equipment manufacturers, Tonar rose to 18th place, thereby setting a new personal record compared to the previous year. It is important to note that our plant is the only Russian manufacturer to receive this prestigious status.
Technologies and equipment
In technological terms, the year was eventful. A project was implemented to modernize the production of isothermal semi-trailers. We purchased a new filling press equipped with two foam filling machines from Cannon, the world leader in the production of this product. Another Cannon foam filling machine was purchased to upgrade the existing press. As part of the import substitution program, 3 gluing machines were delivered to the enterprise at the end of the year. Not all the activities for this production are listed, but it can already be said that thanks to this, the section is capable of producing up to 12 isothermal semi-trailers per day.
The process of introducing lean manufacturing elements has begun in the procurement production. The plant's specialists designed, manufactured and installed a unique robotic frame welding complex consisting of 12 robots. The complex replaces 24 welders (while not a single employee was laid off), and the welding time for a 16-meter semi-trailer frame is 30 minutes. The complex was created with the aim of increasing production output and allows for a twofold increase in labor productivity.
The mechanical processing section has also undergone changes. A new heat treatment section was put into operation, including: carburizing furnaces, shaft and hearth type quenching furnaces, quenching baths, tempering furnaces, high-frequency current units for hardening shafts up to 2000 mm long. In terms of mastering gear processing, we purchased a gear grinding machine manufactured by one of the enterprises of the Republic of Belarus - a good, reliable machine. We are mastering the production of bevel gears, in 2025, we plan to master bevel gears with a circular tooth - a very complex product in terms of mastering. For the production of axial units, we purchased a two-support lathe, thereby increasing the processing speed, with consistently high quality. We completed the move of the entire mechanical group to new premises, and this is, for a second, 12,000 sq.m. new, warm rooms with cranes.
The development of a brake mechanism of our own production is in full swing.
The main conveyor was modernized. These measures allowed us to differentiate assembly operations, thereby increasing the conveyor's throughput.
We have outlined measures to "unravel" bottlenecks and will spend the entire 2025 working on these measures.
I would like to note the high level of competence of the employees involved in the process of continuous modernization of production. The development of the enterprise and reaching a fundamentally different level of manufactured products is impossible without a continuous process of changes, improvements and modernization.
Construction
Construction of new facilities is an investment in the future of the plant, which will ensure the efficient operation of the enterprise for many years. We continue active and large-scale development in this direction in order to expand production and optimize internal logistics.
Over the past year, we completed the construction and put into operation: a heated metal warehouse with an area of 7,000 sq.m., a plywood warehouse with an area of 1,440 sq.m., a new gas boiler house with an area of 8 MW. We commissioned one of the important, in our opinion, facilities - a warehouse for spare parts for Tonar equipment with an area of 3,000 sq.m.
Under construction are: procurement production with an administrative and amenity building with an area of 24,400 sq.m., repair areas and infrastructure facilities for a motorcade - 2 boxes of 1,500 sq.m., an industrial building with an area of 900 sq.m. and the most long-awaited and important facility – a new canteen building with an area of 1,600 sq.m.
Received permission to build a wholesale warehouse with an area of 7,800 sq.m. In 2025, we plan to begin construction of a large gas boiler house with a capacity of 9 MW.
Design
All year long, we have been engaged in activities to increase production while maintaining quality.
Adapted the frames of semi-trailers for robotic welding on a complex consisting of 12 robots.
Simplified the frame design. Welded elements such as the rear protective device, side protection brackets, receivers, wing brackets, spare wheel basket, etc. were replaced with removable ones. All removable elements are galvanized.
The line of mainline semi-trailers has been updated with lightweight axles with disc brakes, which are 60 kg lighter than the previous ones (one axle) and have improved rolling and fuel consumption characteristics.
The problem with bearing block failure has been solved. A number of measures have been taken to improve quality and technology. Introduced additional control of bearing pressing and inspection operations at all stages: from purchasing to production.
Introduced pneumatic colored tubes, thanks to which the process of installation and subsequent repair of the pneumatic system is significantly simplified.
Together with our partners VIE, TSR, the pneumatic braking system was modernized:
- the TEBS unit received the ability to record information about trip details (ODR file);
- it became possible to control lifting axles in automatic mode;
- adjusted braking calculations on all models of mainline trailer equipment to optimize braking as part of a road train.
Developed a BT5 stacker (conveyor) for agricultural tractor trailers BS17 and BS18, designed for reloading beets from a combine harvester into piles or in mainline transport.
The range of agricultural machinery has been supplemented with a new product, the Tonar-98885 poultry carrier has been released. The semi-trailer is equipped with a lifting hydraulic roof and allows transporting 26 containers measuring 2400x1200 mm in one trip, which is 4 units of containers more than the proven Tonar-98882 poultry semi-trailer can accommodate.
Sales
Over the past two years, the semi-trailer market has shown stable growth, but at the end of 2024, the situation changed dramatically. The reason for the deterioration of the situation was the high key rate, as well as the associated difficulties for the financial sector and business in general.
Such economic conditions provoked a decrease in demand for semi-trailers, which negatively affected the production and sales plans of manufacturers and, on the other hand, the investment activity of carriers.
"Tonar" managed to maintain its leading position in these conditions, ending the year with 8,186 units of shipped equipment.
The total market share of MZ "Tonar" in 2024 among new semi-trailers was 23%, and among Russian manufacturers, "Tonar" is in first place, occupying 37% of the market.
Compared to the same period last year, the main growth was shown by the following areas:
timber semi-trailers: +141.66
livestock semi-trailers: +31.70
tarpaulin/flatbed semi-trailers: + 30.95%
isothermal/refrigerated semi-trailers: + 9.82%
Gratitude
And according to established tradition, we express our deep gratitude to everyone who worked with us in 2024. We sincerely hope for further fruitful cooperation and friendship:
• Baulin D. V.
• Boronin A. V.
• Vyunyshev I. V.
• Yuzhakov E. V.
• Kazakov E. S.
• Prima V. I.
• Dudarev V. A.
• Sukhinov V. E.
• Astashin E. A.
• Golubev P.
• Verbovsky S.
• Tumanov S.
• Popravka E. V.
• Timokhin V.
• Anisimov A.
• Morozov A.
• Zheludkov N. E.
• Ushenin A. M.
• Yarullin R. M.
• Ayupov F.
• Korolev G.V.
• Krivosheev D.
• Islamzade N.I.
• Gasanov R.M.
• Gasanov R.M.
• Shipetin V.A
• Bilenkiy P.S.
• Buiko V.V.
• Kirichenko D.A.
• Fadeev V.E.
• Bykov A.N.
• Krikunov S.I.
• Kudryashov A.V.
• Deikun R.A.
• Chekh A.N.
• Nikolaeva O.S.
• Kiryukhin S.N.
• Dubrov S.V.
• Ananyev A.
• Vorobyov N.
• Krivenda Yu. B.
• Sapelnikov D. V.
• Zharkova N. A.
• Filipochkin V. A.
• Sharmazanov P. Sh.
• Losev A. V.
• Pankratyev A. V.
• Globin D. N.
• Garagulya I. V.
• Bogdanov I. A.
• Diner V. A.
• Krasnopolsky A. V.
• Korikov V. A.
• Filipenya P. N.
• Afanasyev O. V.
• Gorbunov V. V.
• Valiullin I. Sh.
• Shchekoturov I. A.
• Kravtsov E. E.
• Kuznetsova K.V.
• Abrossimov N. Yu.
• Khizhnyak M. I.
• Badretdinov I. G.
• Galinovsky A.V.
• Tarasov E. S.
• Zubov A. P.
• Zhukov S. A.
• Ivanov A.V.
• Alibekov A. D.
• Klokov V.L.
Summing up is an integral part of professional growth and development, which helps to draw conclusions and make the right decisions for future success.
2023 was a year of trials and triumphs for us, a year of work and creativity, a year of questions and answers. We were at the forefront of the industry, performing complex and responsible tasks. "Tonar" obliges us to give "goods to the people", and we have coped with it!
We received recognition at the global level, taking 24th place in the Top 50 global OEM manufacturers rating for 2023, which attracted the attention of Western politicians, who immediately added our plant to the sanctions list! What could be a more significant recognition of the merits of the entire team?
Design
The designers clearly did not get bored all year. But the emphasis was not on the quantity of new products, but on the quality of developments. Today, it is not enough to simply draw and make one trailer. The design must be technologically advanced to enable the production of thousands and thousands of units with minimal costs. At the same time, quality must be ensured from the first copy. The market situation obliges. This approach requires significantly more time for design, production preparation and testing.
Some of the new products were presented at our annual presentation. First things first:
Our main development of the year is the new model of the 97861 isothermal semi-trailer.
It was necessary to solve three problems:
Despite the apparent similarity with the old model, revolutionary changes have occurred in the new design. It was necessary to remove the height of the frame in the front part as much as possible and shift the load to the body, which was reinforced. The frame was made as light as possible, but to maintain the required strength, it was made of high-strength steel. To give increased durability, the frame was galvanized.
A new lightweight axle design with improved rolling was also developed specifically for this trailer. As a result, fuel consumption was reduced by approximately 1 liter per 100 km. In 2024, other mainline trailers will also receive such axles.
Now we can say with confidence that this trailer has become the most technologically complex of all trailers produced by our plant. These innovations are the result of all the accumulated experience of our designers and technologists over 30 years of the plant's operation.
Pig carrier semi-trailer
To eliminate the possibility of an emergency fall of the floors, a semi-trailer was developed where all 3 tiers are stationary. Animals are loaded using a lifting ramp.
BS18 trailer
The trailer has a small body volume - 26.9 cubic meters. m, which allows it, unlike the BS17, to interact with a tractor of a smaller traction class. At the same time, the unloading capacity of the BS18 is the same as that of a larger model.
Articulated dump truck T-45
The work on adapting the new power unit and localizing other components continued throughout the year. Testing began in the harsh conditions of Yakutia. The first pancake was not a flop! Testing continues in the spring to test the machine in the most difficult muddy conditions. In 2024, serial production of this model will begin.
Localization
The difficult task of localizing components, in which all plant services participated, did not stop for a minute throughout the year. Some of the parts were mastered by domestic suppliers - often this required a large-scale reworking of the existing design and technology, and sometimes even the creation of production from scratch.
In some cases, when it was not possible to find a reliable supplier, we mastered production ourselves.
Throughout the year, work was carried out on testing and fine-tuning prototypes. As a result, all of our products meet the localization requirements of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, which have increased to 70% since January 1, 2024.
This work will not stop further: localization requirements will become more stringent over time. And this is right - no one has canceled sanctions, logistics, and exchange rate risks.
Sales
We successfully coped with the challenges of sanctions and competition, increasing our sales and market share through quality, innovation and diversification of our products.
Thus, by the end of 2023, we showed a steady increase in sales by 46%.
We took 26% of the total market share among new semi-trailers. Among Russian manufacturers we are the leaders, holding 40% of the market.
Based on the sales results of all types of trailers, Tonar is in first place, overtaking manufacturers No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 combined!
Tonar took the undisputed top spot in the container semi-trailer segment with a market share of 55%.
The following areas showed the main growth:
Service and spare parts
It is not enough to produce and sell such a quantity of trailers, it is necessary to provide competent service and supply of spare parts for all this equipment throughout our vast country. Construction of a logistics center with an area of 3 thousand square meters has begun, from where spare parts will be sent to customers and dealers throughout the country. Together with our logistics partner, we expect to minimize the delivery time of components to any point in Russia within 2-3 days.
Work with service partners has been intensified. A service portal has been launched, where we can track the progress of all warranty repairs. All information from the portal is automatically processed by the relevant services, and measures are immediately taken to eliminate the causes that led to the malfunction. This area will remain a priority in the future.
Technology and equipment
Mechanical engineering production should remain a stable industry in the labor market, for this constant technical re-equipment and development is necessary. Over the past year, we have put into operation quite a lot of new equipment:
Along with this, we are working on import substitution of welding equipment.
Construction
It is impossible to imagine the development of production without increasing production areas. And here we have been working hard for several years: new workshops, warehouses, administrative buildings are being built.
Just last year, a building for the brake production workshop was put into operation, and this is two stages of construction of 6,000 sq. m. Also, a 1,500 sq. m. assembly warehouse was put into operation.
We have begun construction of new warehouse and production facilities with a total area of 40 thousand sq. m.
And let's not forget about the plant workers: 2,000 people are currently employed, and one of the most pleasant news for them was probably the construction of a new canteen with an area of 1,400 sq. m. Each of us loves to eat tasty and satisfying food.
Personnel
Vacancies are opening up following the expansion of production, both for seasoned specialists and for young guys who know their business and are ready to work. Over the past year, more than 435 new employees have joined us. And in the new year, we will continue to expand our friendly and close-knit team!
Gratitude
And, according to tradition, we express our deep gratitude to everyone who worked with us in 2023. We sincerely hope for further fruitful cooperation and friendship:
As usual, let's sum up the results of the past year. Despite all the difficulties and upheavals, we remained true to our principles and plans. In the development policy of the enterprise, as before, we adhere to the course of increasing our own production competencies, cooperation with domestic suppliers and partners from friendly countries.
Important projects for us are being implemented: construction of new plant workshops, modernization and expansion of production capacities.
Technologies and equipment
We continue to modernize and technically re-equip production.
In 2022, quite a lot of new equipment was put into operation:
The immediate plans include making another robotic complex for welding the side members of the front parts of the frames, a complex for welding aluminum bodies with robots and robotizing the second paint booth. Also, at the moment, we are installing a robotic complex for welding units with GSK robots.
Construction
Last year, the building of the service and repair shop was put into operation - now gearboxes for TONAR vehicles are assembled there.
The construction of new production areas on land plots that we received as part of government support measures and the "Land for a Ruble" program is in full swing.
As part of this program, our plant received three land plots for lease, which will be used to expand production and increase the volume of manufactured products.
Already in March 2023, we plan to put into operation the first stage of the brake production shop - this is 6,000 sq.m.
Products. Construction
In 2022, we presented a number of new trailers:
As for components, last year we began to design an axle for trailer agricultural machinery, which will replace the well-known ADR axles.
Current geopolitical conditions gave us the opportunity not only to replace European suppliers ourselves, but also to find new partners from friendly countries, for example, for hydraulics we began to cooperate with the Turkish manufacturer HIDROMAS, for pneumatics with the VIE company (China).
Sales
In the current ambiguous market conditions, we managed to finish the year with an increase of 6%. At the same time, in general, the market for new trailer equipment showed a decline in relation to the volume of last year by 30%. In total, we shipped 5,619 units. equipment.
The total market share of MZ "Tonar" in 2022 among new semi-trailers was 30%, and among Russian manufacturers, TONAR is in first place, occupying 47% of the market.
The following areas showed the main growth:
We continue to cooperate with our key client, Alrosa, on the supply of TONAR road trains.
Staff. Social policy.
We are proud that last year we managed to retain the entire plant team: as of January 2023, the number of employees is 1,544 people (for comparison: in January 2022 - 1,539 people).
It is difficult to talk about this, but among our colleagues there are those who take part in the SVO. The plant provides support to both the participants themselves and their families: parcels are collected, financial assistance is provided, gifts are given to children. Now such support is necessary and very important.
Gratitude As usual, we express our deep gratitude to everyone who worked with us in 2022. We sincerely hope for further fruitful cooperation and friendship:
According to established tradition, the results of the past year were summed up by Technical Director Weinstein Yu.P.
The year was generally not bad for us. We hired an additional 480 people. This is probably one of the main objective indicators of any enterprise. Firstly, these are taxes, as well as the well-being of the people who work at the plant. And now, let's take everything in order.
CONSTRUCTION
Construction at the plant is in full swing. We will maintain the pace that was achieved this year. Over the past year, we have built quite a few things:
In addition, we began construction of a heated passage from the procurement shop to the assembly production with an area of 3,000 sq. m. We also plan to place axle beam assembly lines there. Everything will be done right: painting nearby, assembly nearby.
We also bought land near the plant for an HVAC warehouse.
TECHNOLOGY
Today, this is the main article.
We made two plasma cutting machines. The guys designed and assembled them themselves. The machines work well. We are especially pleased with the appearance of a machine for cutting thick metal with the ability to make a chamfer for welding. All this significantly reduces labor intensity.
We bought two new bending presses for sheet metal. And another 400-ton press.
We launched four units of metal-cutting equipment, two more are in the setup. We set one in motion. Now, the setup for the parts.
We have implemented a complex for double-sided crimping of the axle beam.
We have increased the capacity of the shot blasting chamber for products by implementing 2 additional jet boilers.
We have increased the capacity of the drying chamber for small products by extending it.
And of course, we continue to implement robotic systems for welding. There are currently 44 robots at the plant. There are 4 robots for painting.
We will implement 4 more in 2022. Two robots do everything: mill, drill, and melt stiffeners on thin metal. All the rest are welding robots.
We plan to implement another 28 robots. It's a good thing. One robot replaces three welders (and we haven't laid off a single person). One operator services two robots on average. But there are also complexes of four robots. I am writing in such detail because I am surprised why this technological method is so poorly implemented at factories. I know the number of robots sold in our country. These sales are not impressive.
DESIGN
At our annual presentation, we showed the articulated dump truck (ADT) model 7507. In general, potential consumers liked the machine. Now they are undergoing road tests, and then there will be resource tests. In parallel, we are preparing for production, and it is not small. But we have firmly decided - to produce the machine!
We have modernized machines 7501, 45251, 7502. We continue to work on localizing the transfer case and axles for the 7507. There are no options here - each manufacturer makes them for itself. We organized a bureau of competent guys who both design and deal with technology.
For trailer equipment - we changed the frame of the curtain-sided semi-trailer, the body volume increased slightly, and it began to meet TIR requirements. In addition to this, the tightness of the body was improved - now neither rain nor snow is scary.
We developed several models for agricultural machinery, but mainly the efforts of the designers were aimed at the unification of parts and assemblies and their manufacturability.
PRODUCTION
In 2021, we reached the pace of 32 vehicles per day. The assortment includes curtain-sided, flatbed, isothermal semi-trailers, container trucks, timber trucks, agricultural machinery and special equipment.
New teams, new sections have appeared. Young guys are coming - well, completely green in the profession! Therefore, our main task in terms of personnel is to train workers.
Our main profession is a welder. There are 215 welding machines at the plant, so we close this profession first. Then fitters-assemblers, turners, milling machine operators, borers, grinders, plasma cutting machine operators and robotic complexes, toolmakers, pickers, warehouse workers.
We can list the professions that the plant has for a long time. Everyone needs to be trained. It is worth thinking about reviving a normal personnel training system that existed in the Soviet Union.
SALES
We sold products for 16 billion rubles. The main focus of the business is on quality, reducing maintenance periods, increasing the service interval, reducing the cost of ownership of the product. All this should lead to an increase in the price on the secondary market, an increase in the annual mileage and, as a result, an improvement in the financial well-being of our consumers.
In 2022, we will make a covered spare parts warehouse at our sales warehouse, which will allow us to respond very quickly to our customers' requests.
Our 7501 machine continues to operate at ALROSA. This year, we must deliver 4 more road trains. We are trying not to let down Udachny Mining and Processing Plant and its director Sergey Vitalievich Pavlenko.
LOGISTICS AND SAFETY
We organized the production of containers for units and parts. In 2021, about 1,600 units were produced.
WORKING CONDITIONS
In the fall, a new ventilation system was introduced in the workshop for the production of dump semi-trailer bodies.
PUBLIC LIFE
We support our veterans who have retired. Unfortunately, age takes its toll.
It is very difficult to see off honored workers on their last journey. But life is life…
We support the sports life of the village.
But the main thing for any enterprise located in the district, city, village is the timely payment of taxes. This includes healthcare, education, culture, sports, local government, and maintaining order.
As per tradition, we express our deep gratitude to everyone who worked with us in 2021:
It takes time to give an objective assessment of the past year. Hardly anyone has had to deal with such a disaster as a pandemic. I remember the cholera outbreak in Odessa and Astrakhan in 1970 and the mass infection of dysentery in the unit where I served in 1972. The methods were the same everywhere - isolation, strict hygiene, treatment in the medical unit. The unit command was ordered to restore order. We used the same methods, but we did not stop working for a day. If you stop, that's it, there is no plant, only horns and legs. I remember this from the 90s. Oddly enough, it was this time that marked the beginning of growth. We started the year with a rate of 10 units of equipment per day, and ended it with 21 units per day. Now, in order, what we did in 2020.
Construction
Asphalted the finished goods warehouse and the road to it, which is three hectares. Covered the parking lot for employees' cars with crushed stone. At the plant, we completed the construction of a section for the repair of units: engines, gearboxes, bridges, axles, etc. We carried out major repairs, including a complete replacement of the roof of the Sales Department, located at 83 km of the Gorky Highway in the village of Ozherelki.
Technology
We installed a complex for crimping the axle beam, we plan to launch it in January. We carried out installation supervision and commissioning work ourselves, over the phone, since due to the pandemic, the specialists of the complex supplier could not come to us. I will remember this joke all my life. Without such adventures, life would be very gray and uninteresting.
We bought and launched a 400-ton hydraulic press. The press is not bad, we will write off the old presses, they have served their purpose.
We installed welding complexes for welding the front side members and added two more robots to the complex for welding the suspension arms. In total, we launched seven robots. Now we have 33 of them. Is this a lot or a little? Now it is already clear that we need another 15 pieces. In 2021, we will introduce at least 6-8 pieces. The robot replaces three welders. And this is despite the fact that we did not lay off a single person, but hired additional workers.
We purchased turning, milling machines, a machining center. Additionally, we purchased compressors, localize the supply of compressed air. Particular attention was paid to the production of dies and the manufacture of adjustments for profiling machines. Where there is a large output, the parts should come out in seconds. LiAZ taught me, where I worked for 20 years. We completely re-equipped the section for assembling isothermal trailers. We bought 4 gluing machines, they are so expensive, but either they are there, or there are no bodies, no options. We made a body gluing line, I would be lying if I said that everything is ideal, but they gave a five-year warranty on the body. For carriers, this is very good.
Design
I think the main thing is axle units. We completed running tests of axles on block bearings. This is the main requirement of our consumers, so that semi-trailers are serviced in the service as little as possible. This is what we paid attention to.
We developed a curtainside semi-trailer in the TIR version.
In connection with the specific requirements of the Rules for the transportation of goods by road for permissible loads on the axles, we developed curtainside semi-trailers with an external axle, which allows increasing the load capacity of the semi-trailer without violating these very Rules.
For isothermal bodies, we developed all the options that exist - transportation in two tiers, different methods of securing cargo, with a removable roof.
For dump trucks, we improved the awning. The main thing in this matter is to exclude injuries so that the driver is on the ground and does not climb anywhere when awning.
Several new products were made in the agricultural direction. This is the most promising direction.
Cars have been modernized, the machines operate in Yakutia (ALROSA), in Kuzbass, in the Rostov region, Buryatia.
Production
We are hiring people, in 2020 we additionally employed 153 people. Currently, the plant employs 1,091 people. We pay salaries on time. We pay taxes in full. We would really like to see a sports hall for children built in our village with these taxes. We are ready to take a share in the project, but so far everything is at a standstill.
We organized production competitions among teams and sections. At the beginning of each following month, we summarize the results. The teams that took first place are awarded prizes and cash bonuses. In scientific terms, we motivate the guys as much as we can.
Sales
We sold equipment worth over 10 billion rubles in a year. Not bad, but we will go further, we will try to increase sales in 2021.
We are expanding our product range, we are thinking of opening an additional metalworking line. The consumer base of our products is growing, we pay special attention to this.
We continue to sponsor the local football team. We try to attract students for practical training. Perhaps it is time to review the training program for specialists, since development in this area is slow. They become engineers after 5 years of work at the plant. In my understanding, an engineer is a specialist who is able to develop a product, organize production preparation, set up equipment and release a pilot batch. Such people are born five years after graduating from the university. I wish it had happened earlier.
As always, I would like to express my gratitude to those who actively collaborated with us in 2020:
I read the results of 2015 to refresh my memory. I'll start by saying that this year we mainly worked on technology. To paraphrase the famous saying of I.V. Stalin: "Technology decides everything." Of what we planned, we didn't finish painting. We built a new chamber for shot blasting frames and bodies. It turned out well. A light, high, wide chamber, made taking into account the operating experience of the previous 16 years.
The most voluminous area of work was moving the frame manufacturing area to a new building with an area of 4,800 m². We made universal assembly devices with a total length of 160 m. I agree, it wasn't cheap. But now we can make any frames at five workstations, plus original bodies - another four workstations. The idea for this development is entirely ours: from design to implementation. It took four months to make. A very powerful design. Well, we were taught something at the institute. By the way, I did my internship at ZIL. A great plant. It was a long time ago.
The main thing in any frame is the side member. These are I-beams. So, if a plant makes beams from 50 mm to 800 mm high, and makes them quickly, then everything is in order with the technology there. We made a new side member assembly section: a two-cutting plasma, a special 18 m long frame and a side member welding line consisting of three robots and two tilters - everything works well.
We are also trying to dispel the myth that robots are used only in mass production. This is not entirely true. FANUC provided a program in which all the movements of a robot with a welding machine can be simulated on a computer, creating special workplaces, the so-called cells. Our programmers create control programs, which are then transferred to the complexes. The work of robots is a fascinating sight. By the way, our programmers are local guys. Now they are teaching me, though without fanaticism.
We bought two good horizontal boring machines and a special machine with two spindles. It helped us out in the production of frame assemblies. After all, the length of the table of this machine is 6 m. There were several more implementations, but the scope of the article limits me. Let's smoothly move on to the design.
The main event is the design and manufacture of a road train for Alrosa (formerly Yakutalmaz). How we did it is a separate story.
We developed everything ourselves: we made the cabin ourselves, made all the panels using a two-hundred-kilogram robot. The material is aluminum. We made the frame, saddle, suspension. The engine and gearbox are still American. Let's hope that they will start making automatic transmissions and corresponding engines here too. We did everything - we delivered it to Ust-Kut by our own transport, then along the Lena to Lensk - Mirny - Udachny. Now the road train is working, transporting ore from the Zarnitsa pipe to the processing plant. Our teams are constantly on duty on site and, if necessary, carry out repairs and maintenance. Operation in those latitudes shows that what works under normal conditions stops working at a temperature of -45º. We changed several units. The frame and cabin do not crack - we chose the right steel. But without the employees of Alrosa - this would not have been possible. We developed a new 25-ton axle that successfully resists cold brittleness.
We made a family of so-called light dump trucks - for all occasions.
The period of transition to transportation according to the rules has dragged on in Russia. I mean axle loads. In such regions as: Krasnoyarsk Krai, Kemerovo Oblast, Novosibirsk Oblast, Krasnodar Krai - everything is done. In other regions - "somehow" they bypass the requirements of the technical regulations, Resolution No. 272. "Somehow" I put in quotation marks, because how it is done - everyone knows. It's a pity that the regulatory authorities turn a blind eye to this.
Sales in 2016 were 600,000,000 rubles more than in 2015. A little short of three billion rubles. Exports in 2016 amounted to 24% of total sales. A step forward. What is most interesting is that there are no complaints - we made a good safety margin for the structures. We selected good tires - the main consumable part of any trailer. As a rule, customers take the first batch, operate them and, in case of a successful test, make a repeat order. We have repeat orders - 100%.
We participate in all kinds of exhibitions: Munich, Hanover - this gives its results. We do not participate in Russian exhibitions - very low efficiency. We hold our annual presentations: in May, to date, the best option for demonstrating products. Plus a website.
We continue to support our local football team. The guys play for the Moscow Region Championship. They try.
As always, in conclusion, huge thanks to those who helped us in 2016, with whom we collaborated, who contributed to our factory life:
In 2018, the main thing was the growth of production, which amounted to 66%. This was achieved thanks to a competent government policy, as well as an increase in the quality of manufactured products. The result is a sharp reduction in complaints. But first things first.
Production
SUVs
In the summer, there was a large order from our long-standing partner, ALROSA. We made 29 road trains, which are now operating at the Verkhne-Munskoye deposit. We did a lot of work, and it was worth it.
The 60-ton machine presented in May is operating in Kuzbass. So far, without failures. We associate our future with this equipment.
In December 2018, we presented a road train also for work at the Verkhne-Munskoye field, but with a lifting capacity of 127 tons and all-wheel drive. We took into account all the comments we had about the first machine, which, by the way, works well and is approaching the figure of 1 million t * km since the beginning of the year. The main problem of the northern regions, including Yakutia, is vehicle slippage. By using all-wheel drive, we minimized this problem.
Agriculture
We paid a lot of attention to the agricultural direction. What is important: we changed the design of the cattle truck, using a cable floor lifting system on the three-tier model 9827 instead of a chain one. We believe that this will be much stronger and more reliable. We improved the suspension, strengthened it, taking into account our roads and special attitude to this direction.
As for agriculture, we expect to make several new models every year in order to fully cover all agricultural areas: grain growing, vegetable growing, potato growing, etc. We are waiting for viticulture to receive sufficient government support. We have already made one trailer for transporting grapes, and we hope that soon, in light of the new policy of our government, this industry will also receive due attention.
Trunk equipment
Since mid-2018, we have been closely engaged in developing a new design for isothermal bodies. We will continue to do this in 2019.
The first thing we want is to find domestic suppliers of all components, from the cladding to the adhesives used. Such manufacturers already exist, and we will support them in every possible way and focus on cooperation with them. Among such partners is the YarLI paint plant. Very good products, excellent attitude. This is practically a Western plant that produces, trains, and supports.
Suspension
We have completely switched to suspension with a so-called large silent block, which has proven itself well. Now we are preparing a new version of the suspension, which will be even more reliable and cheaper. At the moment, the main thing is to switch to more advanced designs and technologies that imply the manufacture of not individual products, but large batches. We are moving towards this. This is what will help reduce the cost of finished products.
Technology
Last year, as well as in the last few years, we paid a lot of attention to technology. We finally launched the paint booths and began manufacturing a section for painting small parts, which we will introduce in 2019. As a result, the painting process will be organized as follows: all small parts will be painted separately, and the main area will paint bodies, frames, and other large parts. Due to this organization, we want to achieve the output of about 25-30 pieces per day.
We also plan to complete the process of robotic painting, which began in 2018, this year. As of today, all the painting equipment has arrived, including 4 FANUC robots. I hope that with the help of robots we will be able to significantly improve the quality of painting. By the way, with the robotic process, paint consumption is reduced to 50%.
We continue to update the equipment: almost all the old machines were sent for major repairs, or written off and new ones were bought. Thus, we prepared for those complex products, by which I mean off-road tractors and everything related to technological transport. I think we prepared well here.
Construction
In terms of construction, we mainly dealt with internal technology. Finally, we launched a new main conveyor, which significantly accelerated the release of equipment. Now everything has fallen into place, all operations have been streamlined, and the throughput capacity today is seen to be around 35-40 units per day.
Personnel. Internal regulations.
In the past 2018, we managed to raise wages by about 25%, taking into account inflation and further focus on robotization of production. 19 robots, which are already working at our plant, replaced 55 people. At the same time, robots do not need to be paid. Thus, we used the freed up money to increase wages and, in fact, stimulate people as much as possible. This policy will continue in the future. We are also trying to organize assistance in purchasing apartments for a certain category of workers, engineering and technical specialists who have proven themselves. The plant takes on the payment of the interest rate, and the workers pay off the principal. This, as an incentive, works well.
At the end of 2018, we began an experiment in holding production competitions. We outlined the evaluation criteria. We determined the procedure for appointing the winners. Every month there will be 2 teams in two categories. At first, this initiative did not arouse much enthusiasm among the workers. But the appointed cash bonus for the winning teams immediately changed their attitude. A real goal and meaning appeared.
For us, the management, the main goal of such competitions is the involvement of each employee in the production process, responsibility for their work and, as a result, reducing defects, improving quality and productivity.
We continue to experience a shortage of qualified personnel, primarily designers and technologists. Currently, the design department consists of 8 bureaus, each of which is engaged in its own area. And although it is not for me to judge the quality of Russian education, I believe that at least 50% of specialists should come from universities, but in fact, unfortunately, very “raw” guys come who still need at least four years to learn. And all this despite the fact that there are many smart guys in Russia.
Sales
As mentioned above, sales last year showed decent results. The increase was more than 60%. These are the best figures in the last 7 years. The main growth was shown by the mainline equipment and this is again the result of the fact that the equipment was worked out to the smallest detail, paying special attention to the comments of our customers. In such areas as curtain-sided semi-trailers, timber semi-trailers, container trucks, the increase was more than 100%, compared to 2017.
Traditionally, I would like to thank all those who helped us last year, our partners, friends and employees who contributed to our factory life:
Employees:
1. Shashkov V.V.
2. Kochnov A.Yu.
3. Bukhteev V.M.
4. Smirnov A.S.
4. Belov V.V.
5. Fedyushin S.A.
6. Smirnov A.S.
7. Zhmulin P.A.
8. Pimenov S.Yu.
9. Kozlov A.Yu.
10. Prilepin I. M.
11. Dzhokhadze L.Sh.
12. Efimov D.V.
13. Conversations D.M.
14. Shabashov I.V.
15. Knutov A.V.
16. Ionov A.Yu.
17. Bibliev A.K.
18. Vereshchagin V.V.
19. Dubinkina I.A.
20. Emelyanov A.A.
21. Makarenko M.I.
22. Krioni S.G.
22. Kozyrev A. A.
23. Kozyrev S.A.
24. Bykin D.V.
25. Voznesensky A.V.
26. Shaimardyanov Sh.M.
27. Shamandrin I.V.
28. Yaroshek A.V.
Our partners:
1. Makhrachev A.F.
2. Bukhantsev A.V.
3. Yavorsky S.A.
4. Petrov V.V.
5. Evsa M.B.
6. Opanasenko P.I.
7. Pozhidaev Yu.I.
8. Kopylov K.N.
9. Vyunyshev I.V.
10. Kapitonov D.V.
11. Pastukhov A.Yu.
12. Poryadin I.V.
13. Latkin E.E.
14. Khapova E.A.
15. Kudritsky G.V.
16. Krasnov A.E.
17. Mayorov K.Yu.
18. Dyudyaev D.P.
19. Bolgar A.V.
20. Popov I.V.
21. Sabirov E.M.
22. Dvoirin B.M.
23. Sakharov S.V.
24. Vodin K.E.
25. Duritsky I.V.
26. Gorbunov V.V.
27. Riga S.S.
28. Shiltsev M.V.
29. Zinin A.N.
The main event was the nomination of V.V. Putin as a candidate for President of the Russian Federation. I will not hide the fact that in our circles, who are engaged in business, there was a little unrest: will he go - will he not go. However, after V.V. Putin decided to run for another term, somehow everyone calmed down. Everything is connected with investments, and not small ones. To invest money - not to invest. There is experience, and sad experience - from the 90s. I do not want to step on the same rake.
Now we can tell what happened in 2017 from our local news. In general, by the end of 2017, the production volume increased by about 30%.
And now about everything in order.
Plant
In May, a presentation of the plant of the 2017 model took place. They showed the main product line and new developments, showed the workshops, showed new technologies. The presentation took place in the new engineering building. At that time, two floors were open, at the beginning of 2018, the construction was completely finished.
Technologies
A new painting stage was completed. I'm probably repeating myself, but technologies are the main thing to invest in now. Robots, standardization, unification, economic calculations - this is the basis of today's technology, which is constantly changing. If you're slow with the update, you'll be passed over like a "standing person" (an expression used by motorists).
Products
Aluminum, dump bodies, agricultural products, and isothermal bodies have become widely used. According to the design, a new model of curtain-sided semi-trailer, several models of dump trailers, and isothermal bodies have been made.
We continued developing axle products: disc brakes, axles with a load capacity of 20-25 tons. We made a suspension for a 9-ton axle based on an enlarged silent block, as well as a 35-ton suspension on rubber elastic elements.
We chose a good plant for the production of all rubber (not all plants have gone into oblivion). Everything has stabilized.
Off-road vehicles
A separate topic is off-road vehicles. We improved a 45-ton dump truck. The technical readiness factor is quite high - 0.95. We modernized the tractor that works in Alrosa quite well - we installed a more powerful 760 hp engine, a more powerful gearbox, and modified the middle axle. In general, a lot of work has been done, the modernization has fully justified itself.
We are developing new models, which I will tell you about in due time.
Working conditions
We have handed over the second floor of the engineering building, where all the designers have moved. We have production on the first floor, designers on the second floor, and technologists and builders on the third floor. The area of each floor is about 700 m². Everything is beautifully finished. Each team has computer terminals where you can view all the information: drawings, shift assignments, salaries, all regulations on payment, safety precautions. In general, everything you need is here. Most of the work on technology in 2017 is outwardly barely noticeable, but it is very important: ventilation, laying new power cables, transport, workshop setup systems on the stocks. The output is growing, and the piece time is calculated in more detail: by the number of worker movements, the distance from units to parts, minute planning, calculations of backlogs. In general, the work is familiar, the work is necessary.
We made a greenhouse. Planted cucumbers. We eat them, sell them in our store. There is land, why not use it.
We are recruiting people. We are training them. Unfortunately, the demographics of the 90s are making themselves felt more and more clearly. But it's okay - we'll get through it!
In conclusion, as always, I would like to thank everyone with whom I collaborated in 2017:
I read the results of 2015 to refresh my memory. I'll start by saying that this year we mainly worked on technology. To paraphrase the famous saying of I.V. Stalin: "Technology decides everything." Of what we planned, we didn't finish painting. We built a new chamber for shot blasting frames and bodies. It turned out well. A light, high, wide chamber, made taking into account the operating experience of the previous 16 years.
The most voluminous area of work was moving the frame manufacturing area to a new building with an area of 4,800 m². We made universal assembly devices with a total length of 160 m. I agree, it wasn't cheap. But now we can make any frames at five workstations, plus original bodies - another four workstations. The idea for this development is entirely ours: from design to implementation. It took four months to make. A very powerful design. Well, we were taught something at the institute. By the way, I did my internship at ZIL. A great plant. It was a long time ago.
The main thing in any frame is the side member. These are I-beams. So, if a plant makes beams from 50 mm to 800 mm high, and makes them quickly, then everything is in order with the technology there. We made a new side member assembly section: a two-cutting plasma, a special 18 m long frame and a side member welding line consisting of three robots and two tilters - everything works well.
We are also trying to dispel the myth that robots are used only in mass production. This is not entirely true. FANUC provided a program in which all the movements of a robot with a welding machine can be simulated on a computer, creating special workplaces, the so-called cells. Our programmers create control programs, which are then transferred to the complexes. The work of robots is a fascinating sight. By the way, our programmers are local guys. Now they are teaching me, though without fanaticism.
We bought two good horizontal boring machines and a special machine with two spindles. It helped us out in the production of frame assemblies. After all, the length of the table of this machine is 6 m. There were several more implementations, but the scope of the article limits me. Let's smoothly move on to the design.
The main event is the design and manufacture of a road train for Alrosa (formerly Yakutalmaz). How we did it is a separate story.
We developed everything ourselves: we made the cabin ourselves, made all the panels using a two-hundred-kilogram robot. The material is aluminum. We made the frame, saddle, suspension. The engine and gearbox are still American. Let's hope that they will start making automatic transmissions and corresponding engines here too. We did everything - we delivered it to Ust-Kut by our own transport, then along the Lena to Lensk - Mirny - Udachny. Now the road train is working, transporting ore from the Zarnitsa pipe to the processing plant. Our teams are constantly on duty on site and, if necessary, carry out repairs and maintenance. Operation in those latitudes shows that what works under normal conditions stops working at a temperature of -45º. We changed several units. The frame and cabin do not crack - we chose the right steel. But without the employees of Alrosa - this would not have been possible. We developed a new 25-ton axle that successfully resists cold brittleness.
We made a family of so-called light dump trucks - for all occasions.
The period of transition to transportation according to the rules has dragged on in Russia. I mean axle loads. In such regions as: Krasnoyarsk Krai, Kemerovo Oblast, Novosibirsk Oblast, Krasnodar Krai - everything is done. In other regions - "somehow" they bypass the requirements of the technical regulations, Resolution No. 272. "Somehow" I put in quotation marks, because how it is done - everyone knows. It's a pity that the regulatory authorities turn a blind eye to this.
Sales in 2016 were 600,000,000 rubles more than in 2015. A little short of three billion rubles. Exports in 2016 amounted to 24% of total sales. A step forward. What is most interesting is that there are no complaints - we made a good safety margin for the structures. We selected good tires - the main consumable part of any trailer. As a rule, customers take the first batch, operate them and, in case of a successful test, make a repeat order. We have repeat orders - 100%.
We participate in all kinds of exhibitions: Munich, Hanover - this gives its results. We do not participate in Russian exhibitions - very low efficiency. We hold our annual presentations: in May, to date, the best option for demonstrating products. Plus a website.
We continue to support our local football team. The guys play for the Moscow Region Championship. They try.
As always, in conclusion, huge thanks to those who helped us in 2016, with whom we collaborated, who contributed to our factory life:
The year passed under the motto "Export, export, export". We exported our products to countries engaged in the mining business. Since 2014, exports have increased 7 times. It became clear what equipment is in demand, what requirements are imposed on this product, what the qualifications of the personnel should be. All attention began to be paid to the selection and training of personnel. First of all, these are designers and technologists. This is not a quick process. It takes two years to understand a person, after which it will become clear: this guy can really work as a designer or technologist, or he came to the wrong place. There are a lot of capable guys. Finding them is our task.
In production, we are introducing robots. If there were more cheap money, we would introduce more. For better or worse, we have already introduced nine robots. So far, all of them are welding. Now we have bought one cargo robot with a lifting capacity of 220 kg. I will tell you why in the results of 2016.
We have been preparing for the move all year. We have to move entire sections, spans. All in order to make a new painting line. I really hope that this year all the moves will be over. Now the only dream is to wake up on January 1, 2017, and everything will be behind us: painting is working, the frame assembly and welding section is in place with new universal stands, a special section for assembling individual items and agricultural machinery is working in a new place, intra-plant transportation has been reduced to a minimum. In other words, communism. But no matter. The eyes are afraid, but the hands are doing.
We have very high hopes for cars. We have determined the direction in this business: special vehicles and powerful tractors for road trains with a total weight of 188 tons. They will be engaged in the transportation of minerals from mining sites to the warehouse.
The quarry dump truck segment will also develop. It is not a fast process. But we will go this way. By the way, cars are also a good export segment. Here, of course, we will attract foreign specialists: their experience and knowledge will be of great help to us. The main thing in this matter is for our engineers to study and absorb everything that we get from working together with foreign specialists.
A special area of development is marketing and sales. There are questions, there are gaps in both areas. Watching how our partners who provide export work, I can see that we have something to strive for. It is a pity that higher education does not prepare such specialists. But competent, high-quality marketing ensures the prospects for the development of an enterprise for years. And sales – a sustainable life for people, their families – this is, in fact, the heart of the enterprise. In general, we see our problems and mistakes, we need to learn and correct the situation.
There is a lot of talk about the crisis. I have absolutely no idea what they are talking about. There is a crisis of overproduction. But when there are imported products and consumer goods on the shelves of stores, when cargo is transported on imported vehicles, when they do not want to take Russian goods - what kind of crisis is this! It is backwardness and laziness - that is the exact definition of what is happening. The ruble is low - all sorts of duties and bans help - just work and strain! You should not attribute the inability to make quality goods to the crisis. By the way, this fully applies to us. But we are trying very hard to improve the situation. In May, I hope, the quarry will start working. This will help with money for technical re-equipment.
Now directly about the products. Regarding cars: we are installing an engine from the Tutaevsky Motor Plant on the quarry dump truck. We have switched to a more powerful gearbox. And, most importantly, we are making a truck tractor for road trains. I will tell you about it separately.
Our dump truck is our native equipment, our breadwinner. It provides export earnings. Finally, we will finish off the light dump truck, and structurally change some parts and units in the rest. The line is very large. The leaders are side-unloading couplings. It is interesting that when we presented them in 2008, some "experts" predicted the failure of this venture: they assured that it would not be in demand. Everything turned out the opposite.
Tarpaulin group: a lot of changes will be made. In fact, this will be a new product. This is about marketing. Taking this opportunity, I would like to express my deep gratitude to the Delko company, which explained to us in a popular way what requirements are imposed on this product. This is what we need to do now - find out from people what they need for business.
Axle production is a priority area. It is developing very quickly. This is where we have won. A lot depends on axles: both price and delivery time. Now we produce 7, 9, 13, 16, 20 and 25-ton axles, plus steering axles, plus suspensions. In general, we have guessed right on this issue. As Pushkin said: "Well done Pushkin, well done son of a bitch!"
For the isothermal group: I believe that the products have been finished and will not undergo any structural changes in the near future.
For the agricultural group: we made a new grain truck with bottom unloading, localized the cattle trucks, for potato trucks - it is necessary to change the tailboard, PT-4 - replace the vertical conveyor. In general, there is a lot to do.
The process of developing the sale of spare parts and developing the service base is a continuous process, and we do not stop in this development for a minute.
We started building a small greenhouse for our canteen: I hope that a year-round supply of vegetables will be ensured!
In conclusion, I would like to mention all those colleagues and partners with whom we worked very fruitfully and creatively in 2015:
In terms of production indicators for 2014, the plant took another step forward, albeit a small one, but still a step. According to statistics (registration data with the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate), we occupy first place in terms of production output among CIS plants and second after Schmitz in the absolute standings. Before Tonar, I worked at the Likinsky Bus Plant. We made 38 buses a day, and if there were any breakdowns, the director would give us a dressing down at a meeting and say that the workers would make 35 vehicles themselves, without any management. And we make ten trailers and still manage to take first place. What times!
We paid a lot of attention to quality in general, production culture, and personnel training. By quality, I mean not only correct assembly and good painting of the product, but also the entire range of measures related to the life of the equipment produced. These include all operational properties, service, and provision of spare parts. Of course, not immediately, but it will give a certain result. The main thing is the faith of buyers of our equipment in the plant, the faith that the plant, like a good doctor, will look after its patient and will not abandon him in trouble, will be with him until the end.
Over the past year, we have transferred a large number of units to robotic welding thanks to the prompt work of our programmers. All designs are created for robotic complexes. Technical processes are described step by step, and this strengthens technological discipline. Once again, I have to admit that the Soviet engineering school was far from the worst. We prove this in practice.
Now, when the industry has found itself in a difficult situation, it would be right to put forward the slogan: "Russian means excellent." I believe that the most important thing is to get rid of import dependence and switch to domestic components. For the plant, this is now one of the main issues. It is not easy, but it must be done. Of course, you can't just take and switch, since this is primarily related to quality. There are no alternatives for hydraulics and other complex components in the foreseeable future, so we will be cooperating with the Vabco and Penta plants for a very long time, but such positions as forged and cast parts can be worked out. If the government would help with competent laws, and there would be real support for loans for our clients, we could talk not about a step forward, but about a whole leap. But for now we have what we have. The wartime slogan "not a step back" is not for our bosses in the government from the economic block. But it would be nice to issue an analogue of the 227th order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.
In 2014, we significantly strengthened sales. We created several sites for sales in the regions. Sites are already operating in Kemerovo, St. Petersburg, Krasnoyarsk, Krasnodar and Belgorod. It is planned to open a trading platform of the plant in Crimea and Kazakhstan.
At the plant, we regularly conduct training for sellers and dealers.
I would like to say separately about export deliveries. They are growing at a good pace. Our partners who are responsible for export have expanded their staff. We have started cooperating with another company for export deliveries. I think that 2015 will be decisive for export. At the exhibition in Hanover, in which we took part, our equipment had an unexpected (for me personally) success. Probably because we exhibited an unusual dump truck for transporting ore. It was a giant, which can carry up to 100 tons of ore along technological roads.
In 2014, we sold a large batch of road trains for the first time. Twenty of them for transporting coal are working in the Belovskaya Mine. Once again, I send warm greetings to the respected consumers of our products from this mine.
Our site in the Kemerovo region - "SibirTonarService" has shown itself very well, providing customers with a full range of services for maintenance, provision of spare parts. The company has operational mobile repair teams and much more. In all this, my old Siberian friend - Eduard Mikhailovich Sabirov - deserves much credit.
In 2014, we took part in major international exhibitions such as "STT-2014" (Moscow) and "IAA Commercial Vehicles" (Hannover). We held a full-scale annual presentation of all manufactured equipment.
Throughout the year, a large number of presentations were held, organized jointly with our regional partners. I would like to especially note the presentation in Syktyvkar jointly with the Autocentre "Chovyu".
This year, we are finishing the construction of the production building, we will hand it over in May 2015, we have laid the foundation for the service, we plan to hand over the engineering building at the end of 2015.
We are purchasing equipment for tool production - fairly large machines, modernizing them, installing CNC, replacing manual control. This will help us in the production of robotic complexes.
We continue to support sports in the village where our production complex is located. This is mainly football and hockey. The children of our employees play in the teams, the guys are literally crazy about the game. This makes us very happy - the youth are healthy and busy. Let's hope that they will grow up to be worthy citizens of our country.
As always, I would like to highlight our employees and partners of our plant who have distinguished themselves:
Technical Director of MZ LLC "Tonar"
Yuri Pavlovich Weinstein
The year passed smoothly, without any noticeable ups and downs. All divisions of the plant were functioning. In the conditions of the general decline of the freight market, we retained the entire staff, all highly qualified specialists, which is very important.
The model range has been replenished - new dump trucks with a wheel arrangement of 10 * 4 and 8 * 4 have appeared. We have developed and manufactured steering axles for them, which greatly affects the speed of production of machines. Our main testing ground today is Kuzbass. We held a presentation at the level of the regional government, concluded a cooperation agreement with the Gorbachev University, and we are testing all new dump truck products in the Kemerovo region. Currently, 33 m3 semi-trailers are being tested.
Over the past year, a number of improvements have been made to the design of many models, which have greatly simplified the process of servicing the equipment. We are currently paying a lot of attention to the process of awning dump trucks. I hope that we will close this topic for all products in 2014. It is very important that all awnings are automated.
Special anti-skid devices were installed and successfully tested on the vehicles. The documentation is currently being finalized, and then we will begin to offer them to our clients as options. This project is being developed jointly with the Americans. Wonderful people from the state of Utah, they came to us three times. What is interesting is that they do not drink anything else except juices and water, neither tea nor vodka.
We continue to cooperate with foreign specialists - on isothermal bodies with a Finnish specialist, for 17 years now. The isotherm production line has been seriously modernized, we hope that our customers will soon appreciate the new quality of the Tonar isotherms.
We cooperate with Australian and Italian engineers on dump bodies, and with German engineers on the special project "pig trucks".
We continue to cooperate with at least 8 countries around the world. The share of exports is growing. Our friends, whom I met in Mongolia during the testing of mainline equipment for coal transportation, have started working in Holland. We supply this equipment to countries where coal, bauxite, and various ores are mined. Export disciplines us in everything - in quality, cost price, and delivery times. So far, there have been no complaints about us.
A special topic is quarry dump trucks. We are currently developing a third modification - for coal transportation. The equipment will again go to Kuzbass. We wrote about the tests at our quarries on our website, so I will not repeat myself. The machine has 70% localization. I hope there will be no problems with spare parts, and this is one of the main conditions in operation.
Our cooperation with Miratorg also began very successfully. 8 special poultry trucks were manufactured according to their special order. The project was not easy, but we coped with it. I would like to say a big "thank you" to the guys from Miratorg for their trust. I hope we will continue to work together.
A separate topic is the transportation of grain. Considering that control over axle loads is systemic and becoming more stringent, we are preparing several models that will have a small tare weight. The time has come to massively introduce aluminum into designs and this is justified.
In 2013, we made a whole model range of isothermal semi-trailers. They differ from each other mainly in volume and "filling" of the body. The largest isothermal semi-trailer has a length of 16.5 m, which is quite within the requirements of Resolution No. 272 of the Government of the Russian Federation.
In 2013, we designed a trailer for transporting timber. It is extendable, changing its length as needed. Now, together with Finnish specialists, we are finalizing a road train for transporting timber - after all, we live in a forested region!
But still, our main focus is technology. Welding, assembly, painting ... for obvious reasons, I cannot reveal all our secrets in depth, this is our bread and butter, who wants to go hungry. But a lot of money is invested there. I hope that we will not make a mistake in investments.
As for construction, we commissioned three new boxes for servicing cars, made areas with a surface for parking equipment, made a 1 km long road for driving around the plant. We continue construction of a three-story engineering building with a total area of over 1,700 m2. It will easily accommodate four plant services, but some people have such houses, why would they need so many?
Special thanks to those who worked with us in 2013:
Technical Director of OOO MZ "Tonar"
Yuri Pavlovich Weinstein
2012 can be called a defining year in choosing the direction of the plant. We continued to develop, but it finally became clear that serial production would have to be forgotten. Multi-profile began to come to the fore. Remembering the proverb about the impossibility of keeping all your eggs in one basket, we developed an action plan.
Such actions are drawn to:
1. Selecting markets
2. Determining your place in these markets
3. Drawing up an action plan
The markets we chose were very different. These included transportation, and deepening the agricultural market for harvesting products, and their transportation. As soon as we started transporting bulk cargo, it became clear how and what should be improved in our line of dump trucks. And the improvements were quite large in terms of the volume of design documentation. The difference between the requirements for equipment in Europe and the requirements in Russia became very clear. It is important to take into account that we have a "refrigerator" for half the year: winter, snow, ice, icy conditions. It is clear that in winter the driver should not climb into the body, on the body, on the car. If it falls off, there is an injury - "goodbye work!" All actions must be performed from the ground.
So, we critically assessed our entire production line. This entailed a threefold increase in the design department. There were no options. We recruited designers exclusively from workers who had higher specialized education, or were about to get it. Several ready-made specialists came from outside. Things have moved forward. I think we will complete this work in 2013.
We replaced the old plasmas with new ones - the best plasmas in the world from the company "Messer". This is a German, very well-known company. We bought as many as five plasmas. We said "thank you very much" to the old plasmas and wrote them off, some were sold. We bought two robots, "Panasonic" and "Kuka". One is Japanese, the other is German. Now when I show the plant I say: "Look at our Japanese and German friends, they don't drink, they don't smoke, they don't make mistakes." The quality of welding has improved significantly.
The introduction of robots is, at a minimum, the organization of a bureau, the robot needs to be given movement, programmed, designed and made welding devices, operators trained. We did all this. Young people work on the robots, I see that they like this work. It's really interesting. Young people want not only their hands to work at work, but also their heads, and the tilt was more and more towards the head.
We tested road trains in Mongolia, in the Khushuut coal deposit. I was at these tests. Romance... We lived in yurts. The route passed through the mountains of the Mongolian Altai. They transported coal to China. Climbs of 30-40 km. And such descents! Full weight 93 tons. Average fuel consumption 76 l. per 100 km. On climbs - 6th gear. On descents - 4th gear. We descended on the mountain brake. Everyone was happy, especially the Chinese - they did not have to clean the bodies of coal. They greeted our drivers with cries of: "Rus, kholoso!" The tests took two months. A good school. This is clearly not driving on our roads, it is a little more difficult there. Based on our Australian or, as we call it, "Mongolian" semi-trailer, we have created a whole family of trailers of various load capacities. Emphasis on side unloading. This is, first of all, safety, this is fast unloading, which means - on certain shoulders of transportation you can win one trip, or, as we say, "one trip". One road train - a single dump truck with a four-axle trailer works at the plant - it carries crushed stone to fill the site for sale. I invite everyone to come and see, ride with the drivers on any road train. This is what our motor columns were created for. The time is coming to create a union of trailer equipment manufacturers. I will not develop this idea further, but the need for someone to defend our interests has already matured. And there are more questions than answers. This includes the penetration of illegal Chinese dump trucks with Euro-2, and the appearance of products that do not meet certification requirements, etc. I express my deep gratitude to all our customers, critics of our products, new customers.
Special thanks to:
We would like to express our gratitude to the service centers:
We would also like to say “thank you” to the dealers selling spare parts, and especially:
Good luck to everyone!
If we compare 2011 with previous years, then in terms of its dynamics it is a repeat of 2007. The theory of cyclical crises has been confirmed in practice. The growth in volumes was more than 100%. On the one hand, this is not bad, but on the other, it was very difficult financially, because a lot of money was spent on purchasing additional equipment. Investments amounted to 250 million rubles. We built a new building, this is 5 thousand square meters - the second stage of the procurement shop. The manufacturers know: the main thing in our business is to make a part from a sheet of metal, cut, bend, stamp, turn, etc. Then we purchased turning equipment for the axles (the load should be no more than 80%, otherwise there will be problems with maintenance). We launched the sixth paint booth. We can say that the problems with painting have been removed for the next five years.
We continued to develop four production lines:
We created another line: special transport for transportation of bulk cargo. For mainline equipment, all comments from operation were mainly taken into account. Surveys were conducted. For tarpaulin semi-trailers, 16 points were eliminated, for dump trucks - two, for isothermal semi-trailers - one point, but what a point! The transition to glued bodies is a whole event. Thanks to our Finnish friends and, above all, Eero Tolli. Without him, this project would not have been possible.
We paid great attention to the manufacturing technology - this includes simplification of the geometry of the parts. You know the famous designer's slogan - one part is always better than two. We tried to stick to this slogan. And the introduction of new devices. And most importantly, we decided to change all the plasmas. Our plasmas have worked for 5-6 years already. To stay afloat, the equipment must be changed no later than seven years. Otherwise, as the American youth say, the weak are killed and eaten in the market. I categorically do not want to be eaten.
Agricultural machinery was replenished with several models, mainly dump trailers and attachments for PT-4. Grain reloader and spreader of defecation - waste from sugar beet processing. We conducted tests, improved. We are preparing for production. We bought a welding robot. Mainly for agricultural units. Welds wonderfully.
We started serial production of cars. The main thing here is personnel. There must be good assemblers, because a lot depends on them. Let me remind you of an episode from history, when John De Lorean, having created a wonderful car, suffered a fiasco with its release, because he chose Ireland as the assembly location, a country where they had no idea about car assembly. The marriage buried all the hopes of John - the most famous vice president of General Motors, in my opinion. So: the car was brought to mind. Frankly speaking, it is a pity that in 2013 the design again needs to be changed in connection with the transition to Euro-4. We expanded the sale of spare parts. Our sales department has additional sales areas, we have hired a staff of salespeople, the main thing, I think, is to expand regional sales, provide all kinds of support to our representatives in the regions. Carriers should not consider themselves left alone with the problem of technical maintenance and purchasing spare parts. They should not even think about it. The task is difficult, but doable.
A very interesting topic of special equipment for transportation of bulk cargo. And it all started with a call from Mongolia. We were asked to provide proposals for the provision of technology for transportation of coal from the Tavan Tolgoi deposit. I will not describe all our further actions, but, in the end, they led us to Australia, where we learned from local carriers how to properly transport coal. An unforgettable sight. Imagine road trains 48-54 m long, moving at a speed of 80-90 km/h. Stern-looking, bearded drivers with tattoos all over their bodies. In fact, they turned out to be very friendly, kind people who were very surprised by the appearance of engineers from Russia, but told us everything about coal transportation in great detail. By the way, coal is one of the main export products of this amazing country. We designed the coupling with the help of Australian partners, manufactured it, held a presentation and now it is being tested in Mongolia.
We developed and manufactured a sliding floor with a load capacity of 80 tons. This trailer helped in harvesting sugar beets in the Belgorod region. Of course, such road trains radically solve the problems of transportation on special technological roads - coal, agricultural crops, peat, crushed stone, etc.
I would like to say special thanks to those who took part in the creation and refinement of our equipment:
Before summing up the results of 2010, I would like to express my deepest condolences to all the relatives of the victims of the terrorist attack that took place at Domodedovo Airport on behalf of all the plant employees and all the dealers.
In 2010, the plant continued the direction it began in 2009, namely: developing the production of automobiles and agricultural equipment. Dozens of new models have been developed for mainline trailer equipment, which were designed according to the direct technical requirements of carriers. In 2010, design documentation was prepared for the replacement or modernization of all frames of semitrailers and trailers. All the frame tooling, two universal frame tooling for the production of one-off special orders, as well as agricultural equipment have been manufactured or are in the manufacturing stage. In May, we received a large order for tractor trailers with a vertical conveyor (PT4). We made a prototype, waited for favorable weather to start testing and refine the equipment based on the results. But the whole summer - not a single rain, no beets. We had to start production without testing. We warned all our suppliers: if anything, immediately come to us and together we will fix everything. And the suppliers are Italians and Germans. It would be great if they were all nearby. But we have what we have. We specially bought a PAZik so that a team of refiners could go to field brigades. And at the end of August, things started moving. Fortunately for us, there were few refinements, most of the trailers were intercepted from ourselves. People from all departments went to the fields - sales, engineers, heads of the technical department, local services in the Belgorod region. Italian hydraulic specialists came, specialists from God, by the way. Everyone was interested, everyone was trying to fix these or those defects as soon as possible. I am describing all these events in such detail because they were key in 2010.
Many thanks for their dedicated work in fulfilling this order to the following comrades:
In June 2010, completing the stage of testing the cars, we made a run on two road trains along the Moscow-Vladivostok-Moscow route. I will not retell the entire chronology of the run in detail, the editor of our site did it for me with great knowledge of the matter, but after the end of the run, calls about purchasing our cars increased by an order of magnitude. But the tactics that we chose when putting the cars on stream, I think, justified itself - maximum reliability, bringing each unit and each part to maximum technological sophistication. The release was delayed from the planned date by six months. I think this is justified. You can't release cars that you doubt even a little. Bring them to perfection. Which is what we did. We decided not to make any options. Everything should be in the basic configuration - heater, air conditioner, low seat, etc.
Special thanks for the modification of the vehicles and the rally:
This year we will sell road trains for the first time. The plant has been working towards this for a long time, but I believe that in our country this is probably the only correct form of trading in fixed assets, you sell not partial solutions, but a complete transportation technology. Road trains will mainly be designed for a total weight of up to 60 tons. Such transportation is common when transporting bulk cargo. We have started building the second stage of the procurement production. The assembly production is ready to produce 40 units per day. We have introduced two welding tractors worth 12 million rubles for welding dump truck bodies. We have automated 75% of all welding on the bodies. We will automate the remaining 20% - 22% by 2013. We have transferred 8 parts to dies. Of course, for localization it is necessary to develop blank production, starting with the supply of metal sheets of the required size (in China this is solved in a jiffy), in our country this is a real problem, hence the unplanned waste from cutting sheets. Much attention was paid to training personnel from welders to engineers. Most of the designs and technologies are related to welding. The plant has 58 welding stations. The welders are experienced. The main thing in this business is good equipment, good welding wire, good salaries. Having withstood these three factors, you can be sure of the quality. The guys are trying. There is no turnover among welders. Everyone has been working for a long time. The program we have introduced for strength calculations is very helpful. If there was also a program for calculating fatigue strength, the Americans would be priceless. Special thanks to the head of the Russian branch of the company that developed the program, Alimovsky Andrey Aleksandrovich. I believe that the main result in terms of build quality is a significant reduction in the number of complaints. Finally, the pneumatic system started working as it should, the solution for isothermal bodies is close, and we found the optimal solution for grain trucks. But it is categorically too early to calm down, I expect from our clients (and all clients are our friends) more comments on our equipment, more suggestions for improving service and providing spare parts. More healthy criticism, everything you suggest will be carefully considered, studied and implemented. Success, happiness and health, dear friends, in the new 2011.
In industry, any failures or achievements can only be commented on by numbers. Compared to February 2009, the plant ends December with sales and volume indicators in units increasing twofold. But compared to 2008, these data are four times lower. These are the statistics I will analyze.
Container ships have disappeared. This could have been predicted, since the ruble exchange rate against the dollar and the Euro has fallen sharply, which means that imports have sharply decreased and there is nothing left to transport in containers. Semi-trailers for pallet transportation have lost their positions by 10 times. This was also evident at the beginning of 2009, for example, a huge amount of trailer equipment was imported from Europe, new and not quite new. Prices for it were reduced by up to 40%. Sales of dump trucks remained stable, although they also fell. The plant chose the following areas of activity: agriculture, expansion of spare parts sales, and the repair market. Three new bureaus were created in the sales department, which began to develop these areas. What does "develop" mean? It means continuous trips to enterprises, demonstrations and demonstrations of new equipment in operation. Working with agricultural producers is a pleasure. Firstly, these are competent specialists with extensive experience, and we spoke the same technical language. Secondly, very patient and consistent consultants who edited the technical specifications for new equipment several times. In the 16 months that the crisis has lasted, we have manufactured more of this new equipment than in the previous three years.
The peculiarity of any crisis is that serial production falls, the range of products increases. I am already going through my third crisis and I know from my own experience that you need to prepare yourself psychologically for this difficult time - not to panic when things fail and not to jump for joy when things improve. Analyzing the trips of our crews to agricultural enterprises, we can conclude that this market of trailer equipment for transporting grain, beets, potatoes, poultry, pigs, feed, to put it mildly, is not completely filled with Russian equipment, or rather, there is none there. Either this equipment is of foreign manufacture, or this is a joint assembly, as a rule, on a chassis and someone's imported superstructure. I think that this market needs to be developed, with good preparation of production and with a significant reduction in the cost of trailer equipment. First of all, it is necessary to connect plants producing black casting, aluminum profiles, assembled wheels, hydraulics. Very serious attention was paid to services and stores that sell our spare parts. We have published all the addresses of our partners on our website, the goal of this work is to deliver running spare parts in the shortest possible time. We received type approval for three models of cars. Now they are being tested in the Kemerovo and Belgorod regions. In the near future we will publish an interview with the owners of the transport companies that operate our trucks.
Special thanks for the fruitful joint work in 2009:
In September 2009, the technical regulations on the safety of wheeled vehicles were published, which will come into force in September 2010. Anyone involved in the design and certification of transport should note that there are almost no new points in this regulation. All the points are taken either from the traffic regulations, or from the "Instructions for the transportation of large and heavy cargo", or from the UNECE regulations, which we are obliged to observe, since our country has signed all the agreements with this European commission. Only the dimensions (length) and axle loads have changed. But if all operators welcome the change in axle loads and total weight, then there is an obvious discrepancy with the length. Reducing the length by 3.5 m of a road train with a semi-trailer and by 1.25 m of a road train with a trailer will lead to the fact that all American tractors, which are now sold quite legally, will be forced to leave the pallet transportation market, since they do not fit into the future permitted length. And since all, or most, of these machines were purchased with borrowed money, there will be mass returns of "Americans" to banks, leasing companies and they will be forced to write this off as losses. European rules or regulations usually prescribe a mechanism for implementing these innovations, this is usually a temporary mechanism. And our developers did not take this into account. It is necessary to correct this point as soon as possible in length, since carriers have started to panic a little. But I wanted to raise another question. Why is there no control mechanism now? Why are cars and trailers being produced that do not comply with the UNECE rules: no ABS, electrical equipment does not comply with Rules No. 48, no side protection, cars do not comply with the environmental class, the noise level is exceeded, road trains do not fit into the turning radius? Personally, I reported this to the Russian State Traffic Safety Inspectorate and Gosstandart, and to the SATR Fund. No reaction! So if there are already huge violations in the design and there is no control mechanism, then what will change from September 2010? All this means the absence of any technical policy. This situation is shaking the road transport market to the limit. God forbid, but probably they will take up road safety only when a tragedy comparable to the tragedy in Perm occurs. And this cannot be allowed. I would like to congratulate all my colleagues, our suppliers, and all auto carriers on the upcoming New Year. Health, happiness, and good luck in the coming year!
2008 was one of our most successful and at the same time one of the most challenging years. The factory produced more than 3,500 semi-trailers. We spent over 5 million US dollars on construction and technical re-equipment. We built new painting complexes, commissioned another shot blasting chamber for metal cleaning, manufactured and implemented automatic welding complexes for welding dump bodies, side members, etc. Special attention was paid to maintenance, and contracts were signed with spare parts stores. We carefully study all your comments and suggestions through surveys and the "Questions and Answers" section on our website, taking them as a guide to action.
In 2009, we will be changing the designs of almost all models. They will be stronger and, at the same time, lighter, with fewer weld seams, fewer parts and assemblies. This means our products will be more reliable, with increased intervals between services.
I believe that invaluable contributions to our projects were made by the following company directors and employees of carrier firms:
Their advice and critical remarks helped us a lot. Thank you!
In October, like everyone else, difficult times came. But I must say, such times were exactly the same from 1995 to 1998. Of course, it was much harder then. How did we all survive? Barter, if there is no money, mutual offset. This is not the best way to do business, but it is even worse to stand still, then light a candle, put it on your chest, and quietly die. You won't see that from "Tonar," that's for sure. Now, just like in those distant years, we will work on barter with whom we can. For companies we trust and have worked with for many years (for example, Moscow's JSC "Intercargo Service"), we will sell equipment on installment plans for six months or a year. This is our contribution to supporting the Russian carrier!
According to our forecasts, in 2009 things will very slowly start to improve. We feel this by our indicators (number of incoming calls, etc.). It will not get worse. The worst was in December 2008. Then all carriers need to act: cut off oxygen to foreign carriers, achieve changes in the rules on the total weight of road trains without changing axle loads, form a good union that would clearly regulate transportation rates, otherwise this will lead to complete anarchy and bribery on the roads. It's time to close these weight feeders, transport cargo according to the rules, and not dump prices.
I wish everyone health and success.
A new production building with an area of 18,000 sq. m was commissioned, under the arches of which high-tech equipment was located: dozens of metal-cutting machines, equipment with numerical control, new laser installations and bending presses, plasma cutters TRUMPF and EHT (Germany), guillotine shears RAS (Germany).
According to the plan for technical re-equipment of the plant, a number of modern technological processes based on the use of high-performance equipment were introduced:
As throughout its history, Tonar is not standing still today. The plant has ambitious plans, and, as all the previous experience of the enterprise shows, they will certainly be realized.
Two new paint and drying chambers, 20 m long each, were put into production. Welding lines were introduced (including through the purchase of welding robots), as well as lines for the assembly of dump semi-trailers, due to which the workshop was expanded by 864 sq. m. A semi-trailer with a broken frame on axles for 17.5-inch wheels and a volume of 120 m3, "trough-shaped" dump semi-trailers with a volume of 28 m3 and 37 m3 with a carrying capacity of 34 tons and 45 tons were developed; a semi-trailer with sliding floors, model "Tonar"-97461; The Tonar-9442 timber semi-trailer for transportation of long loads measuring 2 x 6 m and 3 x 4 m (timber materials, pipes, etc.) was developed and launched into production. Load capacity is 31 t, tare weight is 6 t, geometric volume of transported load is 58 m3. The plant started manufacturing dump bodies on the IVECO chassis with a 6x4 wheel arrangement. Body volume is 16 m3, load capacity is 24 t. Hydraulic equipment is PENTA. and the Tonar-8579 dump trailer, body volume is 16 m3, load capacity is 21 tons, hydraulic equipment is PENTA. The plant plans to install dump bodies on the chassis of vehicles from various manufacturers with 6x4 and 8x6 wheel arrangements. For the first time, the T-EBS E trailer brake system from Wabco, which is an electropneumatic control unit with a built-in control device, speed and pressure sensors, backup valves, as well as connecting tubes and cables, was installed on the Tonar-9523 dump semi-trailer. Axles for the Tonar-9042 model, with non-lubricated expander knuckles and pad axles, with a maximum permissible axle load of 9,000 kg and a tare weight of 390 kg, have entered serial production.
Taking care of its customers, Tonar has completed the construction of a service center with an automatic wash for the simultaneous maintenance and repair of five semi-trailers of various modifications. Special equipment from the Swedish company "JOSAM" for repair and straightening of frames of semi-trailers and truck tractors has been installed. This equipment allows for a wide range of repair work of any complexity on vehicles up to 24 meters long and weighing up to 60 tons. The use of advanced technologies with high quality of work performed allows transport companies and owners of semi-trailers and truck tractors to significantly reduce repair costs. I would also like to note an important factor such as reducing equipment downtime. The TONAR semi-trailer service station is opening, providing warranty and post-warranty repairs, technical service, and selling spare parts for TONAR semi-trailers.
The company does not forget about its employees, for whom a canteen with 100 seats, a store and a first aid station equipped according to the most modern requirements has been built.
