ASTANA – A new plant producing specialised vehicles for military and civil purposes will be built in the capital. Defence Minister Adilbek Dzhaksybekov and the Akim (governor) of the capital Imangali Tasmagambetov helped lay a capsule in the foundation of the future plant.
While opening the ceremony, the defence minister stressed the importance home production of armoured vehicles has in President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s Kazakhstan 2020 strategy. According to Kazakhstan law, the President is the Supreme Commander of the country’s Armed Forces.
According to the strategy, by 2020, state orders for defence products will be 80 percent satisfied by domestic producers. The new facility, which will be capable of producing 120-360 specialised vehicles a year, is scheduled to be launched in 2015 and will be located at the Astana – Zhana Kala Industrial Park.
Modern robotic equipment will be used in the full cycle of manufacturing for tasks such as cutting and welding armour plates, painting and assembling vehicles and providing quality control. The project encompasses production of not only military equipment, but also busses for civilian purposes.
State owned Kazakhstan Engineering, the Paramount Group (South Africa) and Kazakhstan Engineering Distribution, which signed a tripartite memorandum on the production of combat vehicles and their maintenance in Kazakhstan in November of this year, are taking part in the project.
This project is the first of its kind in Central Asia, it will create a highly profitable joint venture and is a huge boost to the defence and engineering industry. It is planned to bring local assembly of vehicles with parts and equipment manufactured in Kazakhstan and other Customs Union members up to 50 percent of production. The project also involves the creation of more than 150 jobs, the sharing of technology and procedure as well as the training of more than 50 engineers and technical specialists both in Kazakhstan and abroad.
An engineering department and service centre at the plant will allow for the further modernisation and maintenance of equipment according to specific customers requirements.
All products manufactured at the plant will meet international standards written to ensure strong sales in both the domestic and foreign markets. The armoured vehicles that will be produced in Kazakhstan are recognised as some of the best in their class in many regards; they successfully passed demonstration tests in May and June of this year at several Kazakhstan military installations.
Miles Chambers, director of business development at the Paramount Group, said his “company is interested in participation in this large-scale project, which includes not only the production of vehicles, but also research and development.”
