Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ) (Belarusian: Адкрытaе Акцыянэрнaе Таварыства «Мінскі аўтамабільны завод», Open JSC Minski Autamabilny Zavod, Russian: Минский автомобильный заводMinskij Avtomobilnyj Zavod) is a state-run automotive manufacturer association in Belarus, one of the largest in Eastern Europe.
History
Stamps of Belarus with MAZ trucks (1998)
After a decision by the Soviet Industrial command in August 1944, the plant was begun as the Second World War ended.[2] The first MAZ model, the MAZ-200, entered production in 1949. This truck used General Motors-designed two-stroke engines and was a continuation of a truck developed by the Yaroslavl Motor Plant (YaMZ), who also built the engines.[2] Later on, YaMZ's own original engines were developed and implemented in the MAZ-500 series which was first shown in 1955, but only reaching full series production in 1965.[3]
Apartment buildings, shops, medical clinics, cinemas etc. were built in close proximity to the MAZ plant, providing plant workers with local (though limited) necessities. On many of the construction sites, German prisoners of war were working together with Belarusian construction workers.
In 2020, it was said that the MAZ was the primary supplier for the chassis of such Russian army vehicles as the launchers for the Iskander-M and the S-400 because the domestic Russian products are of comparatively low quality.[4]
Political repressions, sanctions
On 21 June 2021, MAZ (as well as its general manager Ivankovich) was added to the sanctions list of the European Union for repressions against workers who participated in mass protests against the authoritarian regime of Alexander Lukashenko following the controversial presidential election of 2020. According to the official decision of the EU,
"[MAZ] is a source of revenue for the Lukashenka regime. OJSC MAZ has offered its premises and equipment to stage a political rally in support of the regime. Therefore, OJSC “MAZ” benefits from and supports the Lukashenka regime."[5]
Moreover,
Employees of OJSC “MAZ” who took part in strikes and peaceful protests in the aftermath of fraudulent August 2020 elections in Belarus, were intimidated and later laid off by the company’s managements. A group of employees was locked indoors by OJSC MAZ to prevent them from joining the other protesters. Therefore, MAZ is responsible for the repression of civil society and supports the Lukashenka regime.
On the same day, MAZ and Ivankovich were also sanctioned by Canada.[6] Later, Switzerland also sanctioned the company and its general manager.[7][8]
The association consists of the MAZ plant proper, located in Minsk, which is the main enterprise of the association, as well as several secondary enterprises:
In Serbia, working in cooperation with a local-based company BIK (Bus industries Kragujevac), a production of gas-powered buses named BIK-203 has been agreed, which are based on the platform of MAZ-203 model.[13][14]
MAZ-MAN
In 1997, together with MAN, a joint Belarusian-German company JSC MAZ-MAN, was set up, which by 1998 had established full-scale production of heavy vehicles, using the F90 MAN cabs introduced 1986 and replaced in 1994. While production of tractors for international trade with 4x2 and 6x4 chassis layouts was a stated goal, development of exhaust gas regulations within the EU turned this into illusion.
Models
Cars
MAZ-1500 (1959, MAZ's only car)
Trucks
MAZ-200 (1950, formerly built by YaAZ from 1947 to 1950)
МАZ-200V (1952, tractor-trailer version of MAZ-200)
MAZ-535/MAZ-537 - The MAZ-535 and the heavier version MAZ-537 were developed in the early 1960s and built to transport rockets and tanks of various types.
MAZ-543/MAZ-7310 - The MAZ-543 was also designed for the transport of medium-and long-range missiles and has the same specifications as the MAZ-537. The MAZ-543 is best known as mobile missile launch pad of Scud missiles. In 1976, the MAZ-7310 was released. It is similar to the MAZ-543 but without the special equipment. In addition, there are various modifications of the vehicle, such as the MAZ-547 as a mobile launch pad for SS-20 missiles or the MAZ-7917 as a launch pad of Topol intercontinental missile.
MAZ-547/MAZ-7916 - The MAZ-547 is a six-axle version of the MAZ-543 and was used for the RSD-10 Pioneer IRBM. The MAZ-7916, an improved version, was released in 1980.
MAZ-7904 - The MAZ-7904 is the largest wheeled vehicle that was ever designed for military purposes in the USSR. The prototype was designed in 1982 as a support vehicle for intercontinental ballistic missiles, but never went into production. The vehicle was found in 2007 in a hangar at Baikonur, but was scrapped in 2010 due to severe corrosion.[15][16][17]
MAZ-7906/MAZ-7907 - The MAZ-7906 was an eight-axle, 16 wheel Transporter-erector-launcher intended to transport the Tselina-2 missile, a projected road-mobile variant of the RT-23 Molodets. In 1985, the 12-axle MAZ-7907 was developed, also intended for the Tselina-2. Two prototypes were produced, but despite successful factory trials, no production followed. At least one seems to have been used after the collapse of the USSR for transportation of bridge parts and ships. One unit is stored at the Minsk Wheel Tractor plant awaiting restoration.
МАZ-7912/MAZ-7917 - The MAZ-7912 is a seven-axle, 14 wheel TEL for the Topol missile. In 1984, the MAZ-7917 was released, lengthened 1 m (3.3 ft) and had crew cabins similar to the MAZ-7916.
US$ 167 million (2011)
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