The ZAMESTIM facility in St. Petersburg is made up of the first letters of the names of Western companies that came out of Russia. But nothing, we will replace it! Photo: Alexander DEMYANCHUK/TASS
It was like a collapse. With the start of the special operation and the announcement of sanctions against Russia, many Western partners refused to cooperate with Russia, dozens of companies from “hostile countries” lined up to get out of our market. The dollar and the euro led the currency jumps. And although after a few months everything more or less calmed down, it became clear that the turning point had come when you need to develop yours in order not to depend on anyone in the future.
Numbers
Photo: Dmitry POLUKHIN
The Government of the Russian Federation has compiled an impressive list of projects in critical import substitution areas with a total value of 5.2 trillion rubles. They must be implemented by 2030. It is clear that the priority industries are those with the highest share of imports. These are electronics, the pharmaceutical industry, light industry, the automotive industry, machine tool construction. We have made a selection of the 5 best real import substitution projects that have been carried out in one year.
medicines
In the coming years, hundreds of vital medicines will be produced in Russia. Photo: Moscow Agency
In January, the first line for the production of solid dosage forms was opened in Moscow at the new Velfarm-M LLC (Bright Way Industries) plant. Of course, the plant did not appear for a few months. Construction started in December 2019. But this only shows that we have been preparing for import substitution for a long time.
According to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, more than 100 types of vital medicines will be produced here, most of which are not currently produced in Russia. In addition, three more production plants will be inaugurated this year and six more in the next four years. With his help, 80% of the need for cancer drugs in the country will be covered. In total, it is planned to launch more than 300 articles for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, chronic renal failure, respiratory diseases, cardiology and other diseases.
RuStore
When creating the Russian application store, new and already proven technologies were used.
After Apple and Samsung announced the suspension of activities in Russia and removed some of our most popular apps from their stores (banking, for example), it’s time to create our own. And already in March 2022, VK, together with other IT companies, began to develop the official Russian application store – RuStore. Both new and already developed technologies were used in the work. For example, the payment system in the new store is based on the principle of Sberbank payments. By the end of 2022, RuStore had more than 2,500 applications: banking, games, social networks, markets. The developers give figures: “The store application was downloaded almost 3,000,000 times, and the number of downloads of applications from the store itself reached 6,500,000. Users are authorized in RuStore using VK ID or Sber ID. This makes it easier to pay for content and subscriptions.”
“Moskvich-3”
The Russians obviously won’t have to walk. Photo: Moscow Agency
Renault left, Moskvich came. Rather, he returned after many years of oblivion. At the Moscow plant, where until recently French car models rolled off the assembly line, despite everything, work is in full swing. It seemed that the French would leave and production would stop, but no. New owners, rebranding, and all jobs are saved, and production doesn’t stop. And now a new model with narrow headlights and a streamlined shape is entering car interiors.
My dear Muscovites! Photo: Ramil SITDIKOV / RIA Novosti
Already this year, production will be expanded, Russian components will be added to the line. Therefore, the day when Moskvich-3 will be a success of our production is probably not far off.
“KAMAZ”
It took about a year to rebuild the technology of the new version of KamAZ without components from “enemy” countries. Photo: KAMAZ
Prime Tractor 54901 launched in 2020. Powerful, stylish design, smooth ride with control comparable to the lightness of driving a passenger car. But the main components are imported: a Mercedes cab, a Liebherr engine (450 hp), a ZF Traxon 12-speed automatic gearbox, a fuel-saving Daimler rear axle…
In the spring of 2022, the production of new KamAZ trucks was under threat. However, the situation was saved thanks to sufficient stocks. At the same time, hard work was underway to replace the components that ceased to come from “unsympathetic” countries with analogues assembled in Russia or in countries that did not support sanctions.
– The new version of the tractor has improved technical characteristics, – reports the press service of the Chelny auto giant. – In the new K5 car, the automatic transmission, drive axle, pneumatic system and other components were replaced. In addition, the updated model has improved ride smoothness and reduced fuel consumption.
It cannot be said that the listed spare parts are Russian-made. In many ways, the problem was solved with the help of components from friendly countries. However, in the near future, the plant will assemble 272 KamAZ trucks of the K5 generation, of which 70 units will use components localized in Russia and friendly countries.
filters
In Moscow, the production of water filters from Russian raw materials has begun. And this also happened thanks to sanctions. The manufacturer of nonwoven materials Montem now produces disc filters for the post-treatment of urban and industrial wastewater entirely from domestic raw materials and not imported, as before. It is expected that more than a thousand units of such products will be produced annually. The development has been tested in national companies in various industries. Disc filters made of these materials are used for wastewater treatment: they let water through, but retain small dirt particles.
Only numbers
Photo: Dmitry POLUKHIN
WHAT OTHER THING
• Rostelecom is developing Russian robotic systems for business process management. The company funds IT startups from innovators, allowing them to use its sites.
• In Chuvashia, within the framework of import substitution, a modular relay was developed – a complete analogue of the relays of Western manufacturers. It is used in electrical circuits and emergency automation.
• Rosatom is replacing foreign engineering analysis systems and mathematical models with Russian counterparts.
• Rosneft switched to domestic catalysts. They are substances that accelerate a chemical reaction and are used in the purification of petroleum fractions from sulfur and other undesirable impurities, as well as to improve the quality of fuels and oils. Previously, Russian oil refining relied almost 100% on foreign catalysts. Now it is much less.
