Mytishchi Engineering Plant: history, products

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

JSC Mytishchi Machine-Building Plant is one of the oldest machine-building industries in Russia. Initially, the profile of the enterprise was the manufacture of railway cars. During the Great Patriotic War, they set up the assembly of self-propelled guns, and after its completion - unique tracked chassis for special equipment and anti-aircraft installations. At the same time, dump trucks, tow trucks, bunker carriers, rolling stock for the metro were produced.

Starting a business

The official opening of the car-building enterprise under the patronage of the famous industrialist Sava Morozov took place in 1897. The creation of production was personally certified by Tsar Nicholas II. The plant was equipped with the latest equipment at that time, and specialized in the production of railway rolling stock for various purposes. It also produced wagons for city horse-drawn carriages - trams andsubway.

Good story

In its 120-year history, the Mytishchi Machine-Building Plant has never stopped working. His products have always been in demand. In the 1920s, MMZ was the first in Russia to start producing electric trains. In parallel, the enterprise produced 12 types of trailer and motor trams. In the early 1930s, the plant was commissioned to design the first cars for the Moscow metro under construction.

With the beginning of the war, the Mytishchi Machine-Building Plant switched to the production of military products. Anti-tank hedgehogs, grenade shells, mortar plates were made here. Later they began to produce armored trains. In 1942, the enterprise was renamed Plant No. 40.

From trams to self-propelled units

As a result of the rapid offensive operations of 1942-1943, Soviet troops captured many captured tanks. In Mytishchi, it was decided to organize the production of self-propelled assault and anti-tank guns SU-76i, SG-122 on the basis of the chassis of German technology.

In 1943, OKB-40 was created, headed by a talented designer of combat tracked vehicles Astrov Nikolai Alexandrovich. At first, the Mytishchi Machine-Building Plant assembled T-80 light tanks, but it was decided to replace them with more popular self-propelled artillery mounts. Soon the workshops left the first serial "self-propelled gun" SU-76, which has proven itself on the fronts of the Second World War.

Post-war production

After the war, part of the production was focused onproduction of chassis for tractors, special equipment, various artillery (ASU-57, K-73, BSU-11, ASU-85) and anti-aircraft systems (ZSU "Shilka", SAM "Cube", "Buk", "Tor", " Tungus). At the same time, civilian products were produced in adjacent areas: trucks, subway cars, dump trucks, trailers, etc.

To restore the country needed vehicles. MMZ mastered 9 modifications of trucks based on ZIS and ZIL for work in the countryside and in construction. Their design was constantly modernized and distinguished by worthy workmanship. In peak years, the maximum production of dump trucks reached 65,000 units.

In the 70s, the Mytishchi Machine-Building Plant entered the international market. In 1972, the company delivered a batch of wagons for the Prague metro to the Czech Republic. After the rolling stock was exported to Hungary (Budapest), Poland (Warsaw), Bulgaria (Sofia).

Reorganization

The combination of closed military and civilian production created organizational and logistical difficulties. The question of the proximity of two parallel sectors in the 90s was especially acute. The company was actively looking for (and finding!) foreign investors to modernize the car building section, but the availability of production lines for military equipment hindered cooperation.

In 2009, a strategic decision was made to separate production with the organization of separate plants. The Mytishchi Machine-Building Plant is now responsible for fulfilling military orders and manufacturing vehicles. "Metrovagonmash"fully focused on the assembly of rolling stock for the subway.

Practice has shown that it is more profitable to combine individual enterprises into holdings - this allows you to accumulate working capital, receive large government orders, and avoid intra-industry competition. Given the trends of recent years, in 2016 MMZ became part of the Kalashnikov concern.

Products

Today, MMZ remains a large specialized enterprise designing and manufacturing tracked chassis with unique characteristics. In its lineup there are 11 modifications of GM family machines. The base model is GM-569.

Among the civilian types of products mastered by the Mytishchi Machine-Building Plant:

• trailers, semi-trailers;
• construction and agricultural dump trucks;
• concrete trucks;
• truck tractors;
• municipal equipment;
• tow trucks.

After receiving a large defense order, since 2011, the main facilities have been reoriented to the assembly of tracked vehicles. MMZ has its own test site, where running and sea trials of special equipment are carried out.

It's hard to imagine modern Russian mobile anti-aircraft systems without GM chassis. They have proven themselves to be extremely reliable vehicles capable of covering considerable distances over rough terrain.