On March 25, within the framework of the Tashkent International Investment Forum, a panel discussion “Innovations in the field of mechanical engineering” was held.
The moderator was Deputy Chairman of the Board of JSC Uzavtosanoat Azizbek Shukurov. The gathered representatives of the economic sector had the opportunity to consider modern approaches to the direction of mechanical engineering, to explore opportunities for growth.
First Deputy Director of the Investment Projects Development Center under the Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade Murat Mirzaev spoke about the potential in the engineering sector. Only innovative products that are accepted by the market can sell well, he said. Developments and projects in Uzbekistan are supported at the state level, including through tax incentives and other preferences. The speaker also spoke about measures to train personnel, increase the turnover of exports of technological products and localize their production at domestic industrial sites.
“Due to the production of equipment and components, we can ensure high export rates at low logistics costs, as well as create new jobs,” the speaker emphasized. – The recent crisis has shown that so many supply chains have been disrupted, so we had to create our own supply chains within the country. We also plan to develop relations with other countries involved in engineering and logistics.
Tom Cargill, director of government relations and public policy at General Motors International, in response to a moderator’s question, said that significant changes had taken place in the automotive market. Today, for example, it is necessary to take into account, among other things, the issues of adaptation to climate change in relation to the production of cars, Tom Cargill emphasized.
An example of innovation is autonomous cars, taxis, controlled by cameras and radars, without human intervention. This will completely change the sphere of passenger transportation. Without compliance with norms and standards, you will not be able to use cars on electric batteries, the speaker emphasized. He also noted the importance of taking into account the peculiarities of the use of vehicles in different countries. For example, in Europe, there is now a large increase in purchases of electric vehicles. The EU is developing new regulations for electric cars, charging stations. In this regard, there is a big role for the government in these states, where they encourage the use of transport that does not pollute the environment.
– General Motors is proud to work in Uzbekistan. Here is the production of the company, whose specialists produce products not only for the local market, but also for the external one. We heard the president’s speech yesterday and got acquainted with his vision. I think that reforms are needed in such an industry as mechanical engineering, it is necessary to increase localization and the production of spare parts.
In turn, the General Director of UzAuto Motors Bo Andersson said that he had already been in Uzbekistan for seven months, got acquainted with the production in Asaka. He noted the peculiarity of the population of Uzbekistan, most of which are young people – 60 per cent.
“I am impressed that young specialists work here, a young team,” emphasized Bo Andersson. – We are going to create a new tracker with an improved turbo system that helps save fuel. The production of machines requires about two thousand parts.
He spoke about plans to increase the production of cars, localize the production of necessary components for the automotive industry. Some consumers complain that they have to wait in line for a long time. This is because we not only focus on the local market, but also try to improve our production.
Alexei Kuznetsov, director for the CIS of John Deere, spoke about the plans of a foreign company in Uzbekistan.
– We focus on technology and innovation. The agricultural sector is no longer the same as before, it uses machine labor, the digitalization of the sphere is taking place. The boycott for Uzbek cotton was recently lifted. I think this will be a good opportunity to develop this direction. At the same time, speaking of development, we must understand that localization cannot be cost-free. In addition, the quality of goods is important.
The participants of the sections agreed that the priority is the production of competitive, high-quality, export-oriented products.
Representative in Uzbekistan Deutsche Bahn Engineering & Consulting G Innokentiy Belyakov-Zagumennov highlighted the growing turnover of Uzbekistan’s freight traffic and said that it is necessary to work on exporting products as much as possible. This requires not only investments, but also cooperation with partner countries on issues of transit, the creation of transport corridors and the “green” agenda, in which railway communication also plays an important role.
“Uzbekistan is a strategic partner for us,” said Innokentiy Belyakov-Zagumennov. – We are also working on the development of the railway infrastructure. We see how the country is changing. This can be observed by taking advantage of the possibilities of railway communication. We also took part in the expansion of the Tashkent subway. I want to note that Uzbekistan is located in the heart of Central Asia and in the center of ongoing events. We see a special role not only in the development of the trans-afghan route, but also in the trans-kyrgyz one. There is also potential for Uzbekistan to become a logistics hub.
The participants discussed not only the current situation in this market, but also the prospects for training new personnel, the introduction of innovative approaches and the use of modern solutions for the development of this promising industry.