OREANDA-NEWS. February 16, 2011. On 16 February 1976, 6 years and 2 months after the official commencement of construction of KAMAZ facilities, the first trucks of the now world-known brand came off the only line of the mother assembly conveyor of the automobile plant. At once they were delivered to Moscow to be presented to delegates of a regular congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. After several years of operation in one of the fleets of Bashkortostan, KAMAZ Truck No 000001 of the first model KAMAZ-

5320 was purchased by its manufacturers, and now it is kept in the R&D Center as a museum piece being used only on the days of its jubilee or in other ceremonial events. Powered by a 210hp diesel engine, it could carry up to 8 tonnes of freight.

By the end of 1976, 5 thousand heavy-duty trucks of 4 models had been assembled, and some of them had the same number – №1. Many drivers arrived in Naberezhnye Chelny to take their long-awaited trucks and asked to draw this number on bonnets of their new vehicles.

In the second year of mass production of KAMAZ vehicles (1978), the plant became a paying concern. A year before (in 1977), KAMAZ began exporting its vehicles to the far abroad. 5 years passed, and when its second line was launched, the plant mastered production of 8 models, including, for instance, the KAMAZ-5410 truck tractor, the KAMAZ-5511 dump truck, and the first all-wheel-drive vehicle branded KAMAZ-4310. Almost 250 thousand units were added to the fleet of KAMAZ trucks in the USSR and importing countries for these years.

The first 11 years of KAMAZ’s history are usually named “Lev Vasilyev’s epoch” – in honor of the first director general, Hero of Socialist Labor, now a personal pensioner of Russia. The first director general of KAMAZ celebrated his 86th birthday on the 7th of February. In addition to this unforgettable name, KAMAZ workers always remember another name – Fikryat Tabeev, then the first secretary of the oblast committee, who wrung a decision on placement of KAMAZ’s main production facilities in Naberezhnye Chelny from superior bodies of the state. A legendary “KAMAZ spirit” which still distinguishes KAMAZ workers came into being in “Vasilyev’s epoch”.

In 1981-87, under the second director general Vasiliy Faustov, production and creative power advanced with seven-league strides at KAMAZ. Every year new models were developed, designed and produced. Three basic models of a “Mustang” family of military vehicles were created, now they are used by the RF Ministry of Defense. Many advanced and breakthrough ideas of KAMAZ designers of those years couldn’t be realized then because there were no appropriate technical feasibilities in the country, and some of them couldn’t be implemented even for political reasons. Those ideas were realized at the beginning of the new century – with KAMAZ’s improved and developed technical capacities and know-how. During the passed 35 years, three generations of KAMAZ designers headed by Vladimir Barun, Ramil Azamatov, and Danis Valeev, have developed over 1,500 models, modifications, and kits in all.

The third director general Nikolay Bekh became the head of the enterprise when it prepared production of its millionth vehicle. It happened in 1988 when the plant produced almost 128 thousand units. During 12 years of its operation, the enterprise completely covered all the means which were spent on its creation. In the last decade of the century, KAMAZ was one of the first largest state-owned enterprises in the country which made an about-turn on the market economy having officially established a joint-stock company in 1990. In April 1993, a fire seized an engine plant and destroyed this KAMAZ’s production department. The 1.5-millionth vehicle produced that August passed unnoticed. The country experienced the deepest economic crisis…

In 1997, a team under the leadership of Ivan Kostin came to manage the enterprise. In 1998, they even had to stop production for long 9 months. “Kamikaze”, as these crisis managers were called, saved KAMAZ’s life. And KAMAZ workers themselves preserved production facilities and equipment at that difficult time.

KAMAZ started developing in 2002. “The team of development and growth” formed by director general Sergey Kogogin achieved many goals during the first years of their work: they completely restructured the company’s multibillion debt, renewed engine production facilities, streamlined a product market, reformed and arranged a brand-name dealer and service network, introduced leasing schemes of realization of vehicles “from a manufacturer”, organized cooperation with the state organs of Russia and importing countries in all aspects of the company’s activity, strengthened relations with domestic financial circles, business structures and investors.

KAMAZ became a leader of technological progress in Russia’s truck industry, an initiator, lobbyist and pioneer in implementation of all stages of international Euro standards introduced in the country and technical regulations based on them. KAMAZ became a full-fledged participant of cooperation and integration processes in the international automobile business. Naberezhnye Chelny adopted state-of-the-art technologies of the leading producers with which joint ventures were created on KAMAZ’s production base. The company found a strategic partner – Daimler.

Seven of ten victories at Dakar international rally raids were won by the KAMAZ-master team in “Kogogin’s epoch”.

Today’s KAMAZ trucks radically differ from those first vehicles which came off the conveyor in the 70-ies. They are perfect, of high quality, powerful and reliable, of higher carrying capacity and with a longer operation life. The best components by many world-known companies are used in their construction. Vehicles of model range 2010 are called “real products of new quality”. They will be produced till the end of 2013. The two-millionth KAMAZ will be one of the members of this family. According to current prognoses and production plans, it will be manufactured at the end of the current year or at the beginning of the next year.

At the same time, it is evident that the company’s designers develop KAMAZ vehicles of the new generation which will feature different technical characteristics and customer properties. They will stay recognizable as before, though. “Practical High-Tech” is a new term originated with regard to KAMAZ vehicles the production of which will be launched in 2014.