But the good times have come again. The price for petroleum since August remains above 27 dollars per barrel. With a market capacity of the oil-and-gas equipment from 4 up to 8 billion dollars per year machine-building factories have a chance to enter a new technological level and to invest in new manufacture. During the last years when there was observed the rise of the market, industrial enterprises had resources, but not all spent them on improvement of the equipment and technologies. In order to receive a maximum profit, some factories increased volumes of production which damaged the quality, therefore now it will be difficult for them to cope with the big size of orders. It?s almost impossible for the machine-building enterprises to master the new equipment independently in short terms and to move on to new technologies.
Factories unite in association to provide more effective work and problem solving. For example, there is the Association of the machine-building enterprises consisting of 24 factories in the Tyumen region (from 51 existing in the region). The total amount of production exceeds 60 million dollars. There is an exchange of technologies among the members of association and mutual help with spare parts. There is also a plan to organise joint production according to the principle of assembly line. The association protects its members from the dangers of the market. Generally, such associations are possible only in case of absence of the competitive enterprises on the same territory. Economic expediency of the association is a gradual growth of production, increase of employment of local population and deductions to the budgets of different levels, in a word, improvement of social and economic parameters. The administration of the region is interested in it and supports the manufacturers, for example, the members of association pay for the electric power under a fixed single-rated tariff. A year ago the Tyumen governor authorized the regional five years' development program for the mechanical engineering and metal processing enterprises. It is planned to transfer 633 million rubles in this brunch. This sum comes from the following sources: regional and federal budgets, investments, own capital of the enterprises. The program provides creation of the innovational center of mechanical engineering and the branch leasing company in Tyumen region. One of the main purposes of the program is the growth of production for the needs of the oil and gas extraction companies. Within this program works the 8% compensation for the tax on extraction of minerals to the oil-and-gas companies purchasing the production from the enterprises of the region. Also money from the budget under the low interest is allocated for leasing operations, millions are provided as a compensation for two thirds of refinancing rate of the Central Bank under credits given to the enterprises of this branch in 2002-2003. The Fund of industrial development was created in the region to solve these problems by the summer of the current year. Participation of local authorities in regulation of the market of the oil-and-gas equipment is justified, as the enterprises independently can?t survive in the competition.
Author: Sergei Zanin
