The delegation was met by Interim President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov and Deputy CEO of Russian Helicopters, CEO of Kazan Helicopters Vadim Ligai. In his welcome address, he said “Russian Helicopters and Kazan Helicopters are continuously seeking to expand cooperation between Russia and Indonesia in the delivery of helicopters via Rosoboronexport. Indonesia has been a key strategic partner for many years, and I am confident that our cooperation will continue to strengthen.”
The delegation toured the production facility and an exhibition at the plant showcasing the new multirole Mi-17V-5 helicopters. Vadim Ligai told members of the delegation about the phased upgrade program for this model, its technological and functional capabilities, and its diverse range of possible uses.
At the small series production facility, delegation members were able to see various different models of Ansat – the VIP, medevac, and passenger variants. They also saw an exhibition of ground-based equipment for the maintenance of Ansat and Mi-8/17 helicopters.
The Russian-Indonesian delegation toured the new painting and finishing workshop, which opened in August 2014, and the assembly production facility currently under construction and scheduled for completion by year end. The new workshop is fitted with the latest equipment: seven paint ovens built by Russian company Novatek, a pre-painting processing chamber, and equipment to regulate temperature and humidity during adhesion operations. Upgrading production capacities is a key aim of Russian Helicopters’ ongoing drive to create a dynamic and globally competitive helicopter industry. Russian Helicopters launched this extensive program in 2008, and today the comprehensive investment program at Kazan Helicopters to 2018 comprises a series of projects.
Since this work started, the machining production has been completely renovated – two automated production lines to produce components, each of which is manned by one operator per shift, have been launched. These lines can operate for 8 hours unattended, delivering round-the-clock production capacity. Labor productivity is 2-2.5 times higher than for traditional machining centers, and more than 20 times greater than using general-purpose equipment. Modernization work on warehousing facilities and logistics is nearing completion, and the reconstruction of assembly, galvanizing and other production lines is underway. A total of about 12.2 billion roubles will be spent on renovating and upgrading production.
The Ministers arrived at the plant after concluding the 10th meeting of the joint Russian-Indonesian intergovernmental commission on trade, economic, and technical cooperation. Participants discussed a series of possible projects, including the possibility of supplying Russian-made passenger aircraft to Indonesia.
