Business news
Effect of UNIDO project to support Belarusian automakers past Br18m
MINSK, 16 May (BelTA) – The economic effect from implementing the international technical aid project designed to support the modernization of Belarusian manufacturers of automobile components has exceeded Br18 million. The figure was mentioned during the international conference on UNIDO’s experience, potential and advantages of Belarus’ transition to Industry 4.0 in Minsk on 16 May, BelTA has learned.
The project was launched by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in July 2015 within the framework of financing Russia. The project is supposed to end in June 2019. The main goal of the project was to enhance the competitive ability of automobile industry companies by optimizing manufacturing processes.
Speaking during the opening ceremony of the forum, Belarusian Deputy Economy Minister Yuri Chebotar remarked upon the project’s importance. “Today the entire world looks for ways to increase competitive ability. Every country thinks about ways to increase the living standards of its people. But every country is unique in its own way. There are no universal solutions for raising the competitive ability. Nevertheless, the world is getting globalized: one cannot improve its competitive ability on one’s one while staying outside manufacturing cooperation chains, service chains,” the official said. “This is why experience sharing and the introduction of modern technologies, manufacturing methods are very important for us.”
Yuri Chebotar thanked the organizers for giving Belarus an opportunity to participate in such a project and gain certain experience. “Today we discuss digitization among other things. Many describe digitization as some panacea for raising the competitive ability of any country. But it is not a good idea to digitize suboptimal processes. The project implemented in Belarus thanks to UNIDO was the first step on our way to raising our effectiveness and optimizing our business processes,” the deputy economy minister noted.
Belarusian companies have already achieved concrete results. Yuri Chebotar described the establishment of the manufacturing modernization center – the body destined to become a center of competences to optimize manufacturing and enable transition to Industry 4.0 in Belarus – as the key result of the project.
In the course of the project 44 companies received assistance, including companies belonging to the holding companies BelAZ, Amkodor, Automotive Components, and MTZ. Over 500 specialists of the companies were taught how to use manufacturing optimization tools. Unique UNIDO methods based on lean manufacturing were worked out and adapted to the country’s context. Over 25 educational events were held for executives and specialists of Belarusian industrial companies. Five educational trips were organized to Austria, Turkey, India, Slovenia, and Russia for the sake of studying the experience of optimizing manufacturing costs. A support center was established to help the companies embrace lean manufacturing and make transition to Industry 4.0.
Leading experts of the association Industry 4.0 (Austria), EFS Consulting (Austria), the Institute for Emerging Market Studies (Russia), representatives of government agencies, state-owned and private industrial companies, non-governmental organizations, scientific circles, and business associations are taking part in the conference.
print version
make home page
add to bookmarks
