Now for many, the verification issue has become “whose Crimea”. I consider, not less a marker question, besides this, is "whose goods to you - ours or because of the cordon?".
Solid import
After the collapse of the USSR, a treacherous ideology appeared - why develop something and produce it yourself, if you can buy everything there? Closed many plants. Of course, they demanded modernization for the production of modern products. But so it would be worth doing! Together with the factories, design schools were closed, teams of engineers and workers broke up.
This was followed by no less treacherous ideology - we only produce what we have succeeded at the moment. Cars, consumer goods, household appliances in the USSR did not have priority, so we did not succeed in these areas. According to this ideology, you shouldn't bother yourself - we produce only a few highly specialized goods: rocket engines, titanium products, we ride foreigners on the ISS, we sell weapons for 15 billion dollars a year, we build nuclear power plants, in spite of everything. We buy the rest abroad and bring it here. Joy!
Take a look at any salesroom electrical products - they are full of imported appliances. These simple products are quite possible and necessary to develop and produce themselves, to acquire domestic competing companies. In its time, South Korea followed this path, and its private business with state support created powerful concerns that produce everything that people need in everyday life and industry. Following South Korea, China went as well, first copying other people's samples, and now trying to create them independently.
ZIL as a symbol of the country
In Russia, there was a factory - the automobile symbol of the country. Since 1916, he built both civilian and army vehicles. In the new Russian ZIL (Likhachev Automobile Plant) tried to survive. From the Soviet times, all the construction sites and fields were used by his workaholic trucks. The plant gave jobs to people, motor transport economy, and was the automotive face of Russia.
After the collapse of the USSR, difficulties arose in the enterprise. There were plans to overcome them. But he heard "Close! What is he chadit on half the city - and does not let out competitive equipment?" And closed the ZIL.
Immediately life became comfortable. We watched on television videos supporting and praising the “wise” decision of the city authorities, which destroyed not only the plant - the science and technology school, the base, which dispersed the design team, which, unlike many, could create cars from the clean sheet stage to mass production.
Lost experience
The Republic of Belarus shows another example of concern for the people, the country and technological development. Recently, Belarusians on their own have created new wheeled tractors of different traction classes, a caterpillar tractor and a bulldozer. The Belarusian company "Amkodor" develops tracked and wheel excavators, front and forklift trucks, logging and road equipment. We built together with the Chinese an automobile plant "Belgi" for the production of passenger cars. And in Russia - ZIL closed!
What does ZIL mean for a country? Now the leader of the truck building industry is KamAZ. Where did the auto plant in Naberezhnye Chelny come from? Built in the field. And what to let out there, in new premises with machine tools? The ZIL-170 model just developed (in 1969) by the Zilov designers (according to the American prototype, like much in the USSR), with the YMZ-740 diesel engine, with two or three axles, was ordered to be transferred to Chelny. Auto called KAMAZ. ZIL engaged in the production of exclusively gasoline models, but gradually "connected" to the diesel theme - produces ZIL-133.
By the mid-eighties, the new model comes into production - the ZIL-4331 with a new cabin, bonnet layout (so comfortable for the driver), a new diesel engine - an eight-cylinder V-shaped one. But the nineties began - and with them the instability in the economy. The ZIL car plant would have the opportunity to modernize to the state of modern production, if the plant were engaged seriously, invested money, without which the update is unthinkable. But in the Moscow mayor's office, they didn’t particularly bother looking for ways to lift it, and they didn’t find the necessary funds, and the plant was withered. Then they said: "close the skunk!" - the legendary plant.
Do not lose leftovers
It might have been thought that today technologically developed countries are only focused on the production of toys and gadgets - tablets, smartphones, game consoles, etc. Ministers, wake up! In the US, many of their automotive companies that produce trucks, dozens of large firms that produce agricultural, construction and road equipment, loaders. These are companies such as John Deere, Caterpillar, Case, New Holland, Terex. Diesel engines produce both Detroit Diesel and Cummins. It is the Cummins brand engines that run on diesel versions of Gazelles, on expensive versions of Cheboksary bulldozers, on medium-tonnage KamAZ vehicles. States supply their engineering products both to the American market and around the world, receiving excellent benefits. Americans firmly hold on to domestic engineering, so that it stands firmly on its feet. So, not only tablet flights in the clouds are busy overseas, smartphones and Internet search engines.
Modern KAMAZ - this component from all countries. Automotive plant "Moskvich" for a long time does not work. GAZ does not produce new passenger Russian models - only the contract assembly of foreign cars. Izhevsk Automobile Plant is not an independent enterprise, it collects VAZ vehicles.
And again about the symbol of the country
There is a demand for foreign cars in the USA - but still, Americans value their cars, especially trucks, tractors - bonnet, three-axle. In the market of America, the European short beskapotnikam nothing to do. In Britain, until the auto plants were closed, the truck had to have three axles - so that the soft ground would not subside. Everywhere their standards. Why do we copy foreign products in Russia and follow their developments at the surviving factories? Russian designers need to look for suitable technical solutions for local conditions. The ZIL designers did just that.
The results of the intensive improvement program of the ZIL plant are not visible - out of 300 hectares of land that belonged to the automobile plant before, 50 are allotted for the renewed production, the rest goes to urban development. But 50 hectares is not enough for a serious enterprise. Consequently, it makes sense to move the ZIL automobile plant beyond the city limits or to the suburbs, and preferably eastward, by placing it near the railway line, where residents can quickly get to work and back on the high-speed train? Find government money and rebuild the automobile plant. At first, he could produce updated versions of the ZIL-4331 in various versions - with the ZIL-645 engine (and at its base and in-line engines in 4 and 6 cylinders). In the future - new car models.
What to do
Restore ZIL - a symbol of the country? Looking for funds in various specially created funds and development institutions? And let's revive the Moskvich car factory, not far from the new ZIL, by forming an industrial platform for the production of Russian cars? Will we put in the shops of companies only Russian machine tools and equipment? Provide work to the machine tool industry? We will learn to develop and produce robotic manipulators for new enterprises - without which it is difficult to imagine modern production? Foreigners easily build their factories in Russia in batches - and what can we not?
Rather - just do not want! And we should develop everything ourselves - from fasteners to electronics.
A modular platform for a mass passenger car, a class C hatchback (like Volkswagen Golf) should be developed. And on its universal base to produce a car of class D (Volkswagen Passat), further - even of class E (with an improved complete set of class D). On this base, and a line of crossovers to produce. And then the finished platform can be transferred to all Russian car plants for rework, setting characteristics, developing your own style, design - northern, Russian, with sportiness in appearance, with a slight intelligent anger. And without glamor.
What do you think, officials, deputies, ministers? Will you do it? Will you find money for the construction of a new pipeline not abroad - but new plants in Russia? Expensive? Trouble? Reluctance? Then let me ask you: whose goods do you want, ours or because of the cordon?
