MINSK, 23 May (BelTA) – The BelGee factory, which is under construction now, is supposed to make the first industrial batch of cars in late June 2017, BelTA learned from Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Vladimir Semashko during the opening ceremony of the Belarusian Industrial Forum on 23 May.
The official noted: “We will have to commission and test the first industrial batch of cars made by the new BelGee factory by the end of June at the latest.”
The deputy prime minister told media that 99.3% of the construction and installation work the factory needed had been completed. Plant and equipment for the main manufacturing facility and auxiliary facilities have been delivered, installed, and virtually tuned. “There are three basic shops over there: welding, painting and final assembly, and testing. We estimate that these shops will be ready for the so-called test run by 15 June,” noted Vladimir Semashko. He specified that 222 cars will have to be assembled over the course of 72 hours of non-stop work. The test run will allow checking the performance of all the shops and the quality of assembly work across the board.
“By the end of the year we need an enterprise capable of making 60,000 automobiles per annum. If sales are okay, the factory can potentially make 120,000 cars per annum,” said the deputy prime minister.
Vladimir Semashko underlined there are plans to raise localization to at least 50% in the future. “It is a task both for Belarusian enterprises and foreign guests. You are free to join the endeavor,” said the official. “It is a complicated business but a profitable one. By coming here and making components, you reach the market of not only the small country of Belarus but the market of the Eurasian Economic Union as well.”
