The Irbit Motorcycle Plant has denied rumors of an exit from Russia. At the same time, there will also be assembly in Kazakhstan: motorcycles will be assembled there for countries to which it is impossible to supply equipment from Russia.
“The Irbit motorcycle factory remains in Russia and will continue producing motorcycles. The information, which the day before was widely circulated in the media at the federal and regional levels, was in fact denied today by the plant’s executive director Vladimir Kurmachev. According to him, the plant will continue to produce and manufacture motorcycles at its site, just as it worked in Irbit. Only the second assembly will be opened in Kazakhstan for the countries where it is impossible to supply motorcycles from Russia today”, Irbit Mayor’s Office told journalists after the meeting with the plant’s management.
The Irbit administration added that there are no plans to significantly reduce the staff of the plant in Irbit, which employs about 120 people. “At the moment, only five people, whose professions are not in demand at the motorcycle plant, are announced to be laid off. As for the rest of the staff, the task is to preserve it. So, because of the temporary reduction in production, some of the employees are on planned leave, some are transferred to two-thirds employment, while almost half of the team is working in normal mode, “- clarified in the administration of Irbit.
According to the city authorities, motorcycle assembly at the plant also continues and there are no plans to stop it completely. For example, last week a container with the equipment was shipped to China. At present, preparations are underway to assemble a new batch of motorcycles.
“We’ve wanted to open such a unit for a long time. This is a common scheme among car and motorcycle manufacturers. No one questions the information that a car company has opened an assembly plant in Kaluga or somewhere else. So it is the same here. Since today there are problems associated with the supply of our products in some countries, we want to try to create our assembly in Kazakhstan,” the press service quotes the executive director of the plant Vladimir Kurmaev.
Irbit’s administration added that due to “known events,” production for 2022 will be reduced. In 2021, 1,150 vehicles were assembled; this year, the plan was to produce 1,300 motorcycles. “Nevertheless, the management of the company plans to make up for them after the launch of assembly in Petropavlovsk, Kazakhstan,” the mayor’s office summarized.
Most of the products are exported to the United States. Ural motorcycles are also supplied to Europe, Southeast Asia, Australia, and Africa.