Automobile factories are an essential part of the state self-sufficiency of any more or less large country. Of course, in our state there are many similar enterprises, one of which is the ZIL plant. The history of his appearance and a description of the current state are set forth in this material.
How it all began
In 1915, it finally became clear that the technical backwardness of the Russian Empire was too expensive for her at the front. One of the reasons for the gigantic losses in manpower and equipment at the front was that simple circumstance that shells and cartridges did not have time to deliver to the first line of defense. There were no trucks, and horse traction was not effective enough.
That is why in 1916 the first building of the AMO plant was laid on the territory of the Tyffel Grove . Its construction was fraught with enormous difficulties, as the country simply did not have a single machine for the production of necessary parts. There were no opportunities to produce machines in Russia themselves either, and therefore they ordered everything necessary in the USA.
After Red October
In 1918, after the October Revolution, workers had to find ways to make spare parts, since there were no more supplies from abroad. On November 1, 1924, the first Soviet AMO truck was made, which was entirely built from domestic components. This date is considered to be the day of the start of modern Russian automotive industry.
In 1927, I.A. was approved for the post of director. Likhachev. He took office in the midst of a dire crisis, when the country had neither skilled workers nor the capacity to produce at least any sufficient amount of quality steel. Production under such conditions was so expensive that trucks delivered from the USA were 30% (!) Cheaper!
To cope with this, in 1931 a large-scale reconstruction of the plant was carried out. The scale of the work was just as large as the phrase of Likhachev himself testifies: "In fact, we sewed a coat on the buttons ...". At that time, the ZIL plant was still called ZIS. Until 1939, the company was able to produce about 40 thousand only AMO trucks, not to mention about the same number of American cars that were produced at that time under license. Recall that from 1917 to 1920, less than two thousand cars left the gate. By 1939, 39,747 people were already working at the plant.
1941-45 years
The war was a difficult test both for the whole country and for the plant staff. Since the enterprise produced the most important products (not only trucks, but also regimental guns, shells, etc.), its workers were not called to the front. However, they worked in such difficult conditions that young people preferred to get to the forefront.
Huge difficulties were added by the fact that in 1941 the plant had to be evacuated to other cities, in parts. In 1942, due to the dire situation at the front and the threat of the seizure of the production base by the Nazis, an order was issued to completely destroy the enterprise. Only the winter counterattack near Moscow saved the ZIL plant, as a result of which the order was withdrawn.
Of course, soon the oldest employees, women and adolescents remained at the enterprise. Half-starved, in unheated workshops, they had to collect front-line norms. And they did it. Only trucks over these terrible four years were released more than 100 thousand!
Post-war period
At this time , the ZIL plant began to be actively rebuilt and reconstructed. Around the same years, the USSR began active cooperation with the PRC. As a result of negotiations in China, a factory was rebuilt, and Soviet documentation was used during the construction. In addition, Chinese specialists were invited to the USSR for training.
The entire subsequent period, up to the end of the 80s, the ZIL plant in Moscow increased production volumes. The company's specialists participated in all large-scale projects of the country: medicine and space, the army and the automotive industry - all this was done, including with their hands.
Heavy 90s
The plant still held on to the first half of the gloomy 90s. At the very least, the contracts that remained from the Soviet era came to the rescue, and wide-spread businessmen nevertheless bought cars. In 1994, the conveyor belt produced the “last of the Mohicans”, the ZIL-130. It seemed that the Likhachev plant (ZIL) was living out its last days.
Since 1995, everything has become very bad. More than half of the workshops fell into disrepair; the workers quit en masse, since they had nothing to feed their families with. Partially helped out orders of small industries, under which in other production rooms sometimes small batches of products were collected. By 2011, the situation was so aggravated that the abandoned factory territory in size was already comparable with the area of the entire All-Russian Exhibition Center.
1996-2011
In 1996, Dmitry Zelenin and Alexander Efanov became the owners of the rapidly collapsing enterprise. I must say that they never saw themselves at such a post, but could not pass by the shares of the plant, which in those years were worth literally a penny.
First of all, they installed a normal security system, patched giant holes in the fences (even stole machines), and also introduced new passes, since the old system had long been out of operation. In the first month, theft of about a million dollars was prevented. It seemed that things went smoothly, buyers of ZIL cars appeared again. Likhachev plant gradually acquired new customers even abroad.
New failure
Alas, Luzhkov thought differently. Since the plant, which began to be profitable, became a tidbit for “domestic businessmen,” Efanova and Zelenin were quickly forced to sell a controlling stake. The company again became the property of Moscow, which until then, the dying auto giant was completely unnecessary.
Officially, millions of dollars poured into production, the value of stocks grew ... But things went worse and worse, workers again did not receive wages for months. So things went until 2010. By that time, the plant was already almost abandoned. Where almost 40 thousand people worked in 1939, 7 thousand remained in the “age of democracy”. In 2010, they collected 1258 (!) Trucks. The conveyor stood up.
The only thing that saves the factory is that there are workshops in huge areas where funds are actually invested, and therefore they produce something tangible. Money comes even from Japan.
2011
This year was remembered for the fact that Sobyanin came. He dismissed it incomprehensibly on the director’s account, rejected offers to sell the plant, and began to pour money into the company again. Will there be success? Nothing is known yet. However, on August 30, 2011, the production process was finally restarted, and a more or less stable assembly of cars began. One can only hope that the Likhachev plant will nevertheless overcome this crisis.
New trends
Considering that an active re-equipment of the army is being carried out today, the enterprise management has considerable hope that state orders will be placed at its facilities. Given the history and the gradually reviving class of designers, they have every reason for this. In any case, the government has repeatedly stated that the final looting of the enterprise should never be allowed.
In particular, the company was finally approved as a city-forming. This means that they will be supported regardless of economic justification. In this state today is the ZIL plant. Company address - 115280, Moscow, st. Avtozavodskaya, d.23.