Domestic-made wheels roll better

Food trucks for catering, ambulances and cash-in-transit vehicles — MAZ-Kupava has successfully mastered the production of import-substituting machinery

A Belarusian vehicle for transportation of valuable goods has been unveiled to the general public for the first time during the 2nd National Security. Belarus-2024 International Security Industry Exhibition held in Minsk recently. This is a brainchild of MAZ-Kupava — a leading manufacturer of commercial vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers, refrigerators and vans in the Republic of Belarus. The vehicle boasts a second-class armoured protection while its interior is equipped with semi-hidden armour. In addition to the driver, it can accommodate three cash-in-transit service employees. The machinery has been developed to replace imported cash-in-transit cars in our country with domestic ones.

Truck by MAZ-Kupava Automobile Trailers and Bodies Plant      Yegor Yermalitskiy

Technological response 

This is not the only novelty that has been developed by the enterprise recently. Due to the sanctions pressure, many types of special vehicles have stopped being supplied to the Belarusian market, including those for emergency aid. Previously, our doctors often used products from the German automotive industry. Now they rely only on Belarus-made cars. Since 2022, a social project to upgrade the fleet of emergency medical vehicles has been implemented in the country. Over the past two years, medical institutions from each region of the republic have already received 44 new cars. At the end of June 2024, 22 new ambulances appeared in health facilities in Baranovichi, Bobruisk, Dzerzhinsk, Kopyl, Lida and other Belarusian cities. All cars are of domestic production, assembled at MAZ-Kupava — subsidiary of JSC MAZ [Minsk Automobile Plant’s brand].
“New cars are fitted with solid equipment and meet all necessary requirements,” noted Vitaly Yakubov, Director General of MAZ-Kupava. “The ambulances we produce today stand out in terms of interior and exterior. In addition, in co-operation with a Belarusian company, we have mastered the production of medical gurneys for these vehicles. Both gurneys and receiving devices used to be purchased in the Czech Republic and Italy. The domestic equivalent meets all the technical regulations of medical professionals and has received good reviews. Last year, we supplied 250 vehicles equipped with the gurney. This is our anti-sanctions response. We also produce an evacuation chair for the car. The ambulance is almost entirely assembled and fitted with Belarusian components. All equipment inside the ambulance is also produced in our country. Doctors have indicated their wishes, our designers have taken into account all the requirements and come up with several options. Thus, already in 2024, we will produce another innovation, made entirely to meet the needs of ambulance workers.”    

It will reach everyone

The domestic manufacturer of commercial vehicles and semi-trailers participates in other social projects. In April of this year, during a working trip to Kostyukovichi District, the President of Belarus was shown a new travelling shop of Belkoopsoyuz [Belarusian Republican Union of Consumer Societies], which is another development of the Minsk-based enterprise. “This is a completely Belarusian product. The car clearance is 265 centimetres, which suggests excellent cross-country ability. The load capacity is 5.5 tonnes,” Director General of MAZ-Kupava provided the details. “Belkoopsoyuz travels to all villages, dacha settlements [summer house outside the city with a fruit and vegetable garden] and gardeners’ associations. Thanks to the large load capacity, the travelling shop can follow the route without additional loading.” 
The travelling shop is 85 percent Belarus-made, the rest of the components are Russian. All details in the car have been carefully thought-out, and each centimetre inside is used efficiently. The vehicle interior features a number of shelves adjustable at different angles. The counter height is optimal for both sellers and buyers. “Belkoopsoyuz is now actively buying travelling shops. The basic model, which was demonstrated to the President, costs Br244,000. Since this is a social project, we have frozen this price until the end of the year. Moreover, this is not the product that we earn money from. This is a contribution to the economic security of the country. We provide the country with ambulances, mobile first-aid stations, travelling shops — this might be as well our company’s contribution to the economic security of the country.” 

Delicious solution

In April 2024, the first mobile fast food restaurant opened. Today, this mega format food truck travels all over the country enjoying popularity. MAZ-Kupava managed to implement the ambitious project in less than six months. The vehicle fits the entire kitchen of the restaurant — a grill, deep fryer, ice cream machine. Its complex envisages everything not only for work but also for the recreation of employees. A separate module contains showers, a sanitary room, a place for eating. “This project is unique, it has no analogues in our country or in the post-Soviet space,” Vitaly Yakubov emphasised. “When we were approached with a proposal to develop a full-service mobile restaurant that would function as a stationary one, we immediately appreciated this idea. We have been making food trucks for many years in different configurations and different lengths, the maximum of which reached six metres. However, we had not made a 13.5-metre semi-trailer, so it was very interesting. It took us six months to fulfil the idea, although initially we assumed nine months. Our company’s in-house design engineers and assembly people ensured the project turned out great. Now we can mass-produce it.” 

Ambulance by MAZ-Kupava

Quality is at the core

Recently, nine Belarusian enterprises have won the CIS Award for achievements in the field of product and service quality. The title of diploma holder was conferred on the MAZ-Kupava Automobile Trailers and Bodies Plant. The general director of the company confirmed that the award was well-deserved, “Our main trump card is quality. It all starts with the design engineer. If the specialist has good knowledge, experience, competencies and professional equipment, the whole process will be of high quality. After the design engineer, the development goes to the technologist, who will make the product technologically advanced. Last but not least, professional workers on the assembly line will assemble and release a solid product. If you miss even one detail in this chain, it is useless to expect high quality. This is our production philosophy. We are optimistic about the future. We constantly carry out modernisation and try to purchase new equipment annually.  

By the way, every three years the enterprise has been successfully confirming the status of a diploma holder of the Government Award for achievements in the field of quality for more than 20 years. The plant also claims to receive a State Quality mark.

By Vladislav Sychevich  

Photos by Yegor Yermalitskiy