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Everyone in Bobruisk Machine Building Plant talks about changes soon coming along with the acquisition by HMS Group. I barely stepped into the reception and got into talking about equipment modernization, preparing to the new products launch, etc…

The Plant is one of the oldest in Bobruisk, founded in 1898. From 50s of the last century, they have been specializing in the centrifugal pumps manufacture applied in downstream and mining.
The production capacities are more than is necessary for the domestic market so the most part of the output (80%) is exported, half of which goes to Russia. The plant could not always compete on pricing terms and depended on Russian suppliers of accessory components. But the main problem - equipment depreciation having reached 90%. In the plant there are many machines that were released in 70-80s of the last century. Ideally their place is in museum. But they still function. Obviously, it is very difficult to make products that meet today's requirements, If at all possible. They did not have funds for modernization. A few years of such functioning and the plant would have collapsed. Now, thanks to the fact that solid Russian investor took the ownership, this will not happen. HMS Group is one of leading Russian pump and oil & gas equipment producer. So It turned out that Bobruisk Machine Building Plant, more recently, the former outsider, almost simultaneously has come to the forefront?

It’s too early to think so, - Igor Novikov, Executive Director, says, - though we have all prerequisites for that. HMS Group is investing $12.5 million solely into equipment modernization program.
During the next few years all profit will be invested into further modernization, raw materials procurement. We will update the product range and soon launch entirely new pumps. This whole program is intended for 3 years. It certainly is a bit difficult to calculate the economic effect, but the most important is that we could save the plant. Considering our plans to extend our product range, significantly increase production volumes, we can now talk only about the expansion. To be frank with you a lot of professionals have left us recently. The reasons were the low wages and lack of confidence in the future perspectives. Nowadays we think how to get back skilled workforce, have started our own training programs. You know, for the 100th anniversary of the plant a brochure was published. In the foreword written by the then Executive Director Gerasimov, there is a phrase: "Not once in our centuries-old history the plant and his team had to start new business, rise from the ashes, spread our shoulders and run forward." Seems to me that these words are the best reflection of the company today.

At times the attitude towards investor is rather cautious. We want someone to invest in us and at the same time are afraid - nobody knows what might come to mind of the new owner tomorrow. Therefore we take a lot of time to consider the proposals of potential investors. And time is running out. HMS Group was willing to invest in Bobruisk Machine Building Plant in 2003 but could only do that now. Why? The Executive Director would not comment that. There may have been some reasons. I guess, probably because of the red tape. If the deal was not put off indefinitely, the company would have taken a strong position in the Russian market a while ago. Today, they have another chance to fix things.

Rossiyskaja Gazeta. December 15th 2011