The Minsk Engine Plant and Navistar International Corp. are planning to set up the joint diesel engine production, it was learnt from the Industry Ministry press service.

The goal of the project is to create the production of modern 350hp diesel engines for MAZ trucks and buses and also 300hp engines for Belarus tractors, Gomselmash and Lida harvesters.The project was presented at Belarus’ Investment and Economic Forum on 12-13 November in Minsk. The sides already signed an agreement on the project. All in all, the companies subordinate to the Industry Ministry presented ten investment projects and proposals and signed agreements regarding some of them.

Among them is the project of the Minsk Tractor Plant (MTZ trademark) to create new productions and upgrade existing ones. MTZ seeks to increase the capacity from 43,700 vehicles in 2009 to 75,000 in 2015.

The Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ trademark) is carrying out two projects. One of them will be implemented with ArvinMeritor Inc. from the Untied States. The sides signed an agreement to set up the production of driving axels and braking gear. The second project is the launching of the production of cabins for a MAZ new family of trucks.

Cooperation with ArvinMeritor will allow MAZ make its products more competitive, enhance the level of reliability of transmissions and brake gear.

The production of the up-to-date truck cabs will help the company upgrade quality and reduce the production cost due to the innovation technologies and optimization of the logistics network. The new project will strengthen the position of the Minsk Automobile Plant on the trucks market, create new working places.

The Belarusian Steel Works (BMZ trademark) is selecting an investor for the construction of a sheet products plant with the capacity of up to 1.2 million tonnes of hot-rolled sheet per year.

According to the Industry Ministry, the Belarusian machine tool industry has interesting projects as well. The unitary enterprise MZOR would like to promote technological and innovation cooperation of Belarusian companies with Russian PO Sevmash. The Belarusian companies are expected to participate in renovation and modernization of Russian and foreign heavy-duty machine tools for PO Sevmash. The sides have already signed the agreement on implementation of this project.

The Planar research and production association has developed three projects including the creation of the precision equipment to produce widescreen LCD-panels using laser and optical technologies of the 6th, 8th and 10th generations and also the production of laser and optical pattern generators.

Integral has developed an investment project to construct a plant to produce 0.18 micron integrated microcircuits.

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