We remember

● What would you call industry who manufactures machines? ● What minerals and what raw materials are needed to produce machines? ● What vehicles are used to transport passengers, goods, industry and agriculture?

Keywords

mechanical engineering; machine tool building; shipbuilding; automotive industry.

1. The concept of mechanical engineering. mechanical engineering- this is the most difficult branch of industry, which is engaged in the production of machines, machine tools, equipment, instruments. (Fig. 151). It originated about 200 years ago in England and currently includes about 70 sub-sectors. Mechanical engineering ranks first in the production of products among all branches of the world industry.

The production of any machine consists of three stages: the preparation of parts (casting, stamping), their processing on machine tools and assembly.

Each machine consists of a large number of different parts (details). In an airplane, for example, there are more than 120 thousand of them, and in an electric locomotive - more than 210 thousand. The machine-building plant does not produce many of them, but receives them from other plants. This explains the close ties between machine-building plants among themselves, as well as with other industries: chemical, construction, woodworking.

2. The main branches and products of mechanical engineering. Metal is the main raw material for mechanical engineering. Almost all machines and equipment are made of steel or steel alloys with non-ferrous metals. Therefore, mechanical engineering is closely connected with ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy.

Each branch of engineering produces a certain type of machine. Depending on the products manufactured, it is divided into machine tool building, transport and agricultural engineering, electronics, instrument making and many other industries (Fig. 152).

Machine tool industry- a branch of mechanical engineering that produces metal-cutting and woodworking machines. The latest machine tool industry is focused on the production of robotics. Japan occupies the first place in the world in the production, use of robots and their sale on the world market.

In many countries of the world (Japan, USA, Germany) industrial robots are widely used in hot shops of metallurgical plants, perform welding, painting, loading and unloading. For human safety, radioactive substances are moved with the help of robots.

Countries with developed machine tool industry - Germany, USA, Japan. They produce especially complex expensive machines. Specialization in the production of simpler, but mass machine equipment is typical for China and India.

Shipbuilding- the oldest branch of transport engineering (Fig. 153). The role of maritime transport in world cargo transportation is especially great. For this purpose, specialized cargo ships (tankers) are being created for the transportation of oil and oil products, dry cargo ships, and refrigerator ships. Great importance have tourist (cruise) passenger liners, as well as research vessels, offshore drilling platforms, military vessels, etc.

Before the Second World War, shipbuilding was developed in the countries Western Europe especially the UK. In 1970, Japan came out on top. At the present stage, changes are taking place in the world shipbuilding. Thus, the Republic of Korea took second place in the production of ships, overtaking Germany. Shipbuilding is actively developing in Brazil, Singapore, and China. The US shipbuilding industry, once the largest in the world, now specializes in building military vessels.

plays an important role in transport engineering automotive industry. There are more than 30 countries in the world in which the automotive industry is developed. More than 60 million cars, trucks and buses are produced annually, including more than 35 million cars (Fig. 154). In terms of their production, the United States (Fig. 155) and Japan stand out.

Currently, three regions are leading in the development of the automotive industry: Western Europe (Germany, France, Spain), Asia (Japan and the Republic of Korea), North America (USA and Canada). In addition, the automotive industry is developing in South America (Brazil and Argentina), Australia, China and Russia.

Of the other branches of transport engineering, the aviation (Fig. 156) and rocket and space industries are developed, which are closely related to the development of the military industry (combat aircraft, helicopters, missiles, military ships), as well as the production of nuclear power engineering.

The fastest growing branch of modern mechanical engineering is the electrical and electronic industry. It is also the most knowledge-intensive and dynamic industry. The United States accounts for 3/4 of the produced rocket and space and 2/3 of electronic computing (especially military) equipment.

In general, in the world only in the USA, Japan and Germany, almost all branches of engineering are developed.

It is difficult to imagine the life and work modern man without products of the electronic industry - computers, television and radio equipment. It is even more difficult to imagine airplanes and spacecraft without electronic devices, ultra-sensitive equipment and robotics. The development of this industry is determined by the presence of research institutes, laboratories, and highly qualified specialists.

3. Connection of mechanical engineering with other sectors of the economy. Modern mechanical engineering consists of a large number of industries that are closely related to each other, as well as to enterprises in other sectors of the economy. Mechanical engineering manufactures mining equipment for the mining industry (oil, gas, coal), equipment for nuclear power, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, chemical, light and food industries.

Mechanical engineering is closely related to agriculture: supplies him with tractors, agricultural machines, cars. Particularly close connection between mechanical engineering and transport. In this area, cars, diesel locomotives, electric locomotives, wagons, including those for the subway, sea and river vessels, airplanes and helicopters are used.

Check yourself

What raw materials are used in mechanical engineering?

What are the branches of engineering?

What industries are included in the transport engineering?

What products are produced by machine-building enterprises?

What is the relationship between mechanical engineering and other sectors of the economy?

*What branches of mechanical engineering are developed in the Republic of Belarus? What products do they produce?

Practical task

*Rewrite the table "Industries of mechanical engineering" and fill it out using the text of the textbook.

It is interesting

In Japan, there are several "deserted" factories, where almost all production is provided by robots. Robots are also used in places with high air pollution, noisy equipment dangerous to humans - for mine clearance, space and underwater research. A geologist robot has been created that can work in the ocean at depths of up to 6000 m. In the United States, marine robots are replacing divers. In Germany and other countries, robots even work in the police: they are “instructed” to open cars if they suspect they are loaded with explosives. Robots-teachers and robots that replace musicians, waiters, cleaners have already been created. Robots perform many tasks much faster and more accurately than humans. This applies to control and complex assembly operations that require high precision. With the introduction of robots, it will be possible to eliminate some low-skilled professions and free people from monotonous and sometimes hard work.

Connoisseur Contest

Which countries are the leaders in export cars? What is called "automobile wars"? Between which countries do they most often travel? Why?

Heavy engineering is a material-intensive industry with high metal consumption and relatively low labor intensity. Heavy engineering includes the production of metallurgical, mining, large-scale power, lifting and transport equipment, heavy machine tools, large sea and river vessels, locomotives and wagons. heavy engineering primarily depends on the raw material base and areas of consumption.

For example, the production of metallurgical and mining equipment is located, as a rule, near metallurgical bases and in areas where finished products are consumed.

One of the most important branches of heavy engineering is the production of equipment for the metallurgical industry. The high metal consumption of the products of these industries, the complexity of transportation led to the location of these enterprises near the centers of development of metallurgy and the consumption of these products: Yekaterinburg, Orsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Komsomolsk-on-Amur.

Large centers for the production of mining equipment have been created in Western Siberia - Novokuznetsk, Prokopyevsk, Kemerovo. One of the largest plants for the production of heavy excavators has been built in Krasnoyarsk, which are used in the development of brown coal deposits in the Kansk-Achinsk basin.

The production of equipment for the oil industry has developed in oil and gas producing regions - the Urals, the Volga region, North Caucasus, in Western Siberia.

Power engineering is represented by the production of powerful steam turbines and generators, hydro turbines and steam boilers. It is located mainly in large centers of developed mechanical engineering with highly qualified personnel. The largest centers for the production of turbines for hydroelectric power plants are St. Petersburg and Taganrog (the Krasny Kotelshchik plant, which produces half of all steam boilers in the country). High-performance boilers are produced in Podolsk and Belgorod. St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg specialize in the production of gas turbines. The development of nuclear energy determined the production of equipment for nuclear power plants. Nuclear reactors are produced in St. Petersburg; a large center of nuclear power engineering was formed in Volgodonsk.

Enterprises for the production of heavy machine tools and forging and pressing equipment operate in Kolomna, Voronezh, Novosibirsk.

The main centers of marine shipbuilding were formed on the coasts of the Baltic Sea (St. Petersburg, Vyborg), which specialize in the production of passenger, passenger-and-freight, nuclear-powered icebreakers. On the White Sea, the main center of shipbuilding is Arkhangelsk, on the Barents Sea - Murmansk. Timber trucks are produced in these centers.

River shipbuilding is represented by shipyards on the largest river routes: Volga, Ob, Yenisei, Amur. One of the largest centers of shipbuilding is Nizhny Novgorod, where JSC "Krasnoye Sormovo" produces vessels of various classes: modern passenger liners, motor ships of the "river - sea" type, etc. Riverboats are manufactured in Volgograd, Tyumen, Tobolsk, Blagoveshchensk.

Railway engineering: Kolomna, Novocherkassk (North Caucasian region), Murom (Nizhny Novgorod region), Medinovo (Kaluga region), Demidovo.

Car building (wood raw materials are also needed for the production of cars): Nizhny Tagil, Kaliningrad, Novoaltaisk, Bryansk, Tver, Mytishchi, Abakan Carriage Building Plant (Khakassia).

General mechanical engineering

Includes a group of industries characterized by average consumption of metal, energy, low labor intensity. General engineering enterprises produce technological equipment for the oil refining, timber, pulp and paper, construction, light and food industries.

As a rule, the enterprises of these industries are located in the areas of consumption of products. However, factors such as the availability of qualified personnel and the proximity of the raw material base are also taken into account. The enterprises of this group are widely located on the territory of Russia.

Secondary engineering

Secondary engineering unites enterprises of low metal consumption, but increased labor intensity and energy intensity - this is instrument making, the production of computer equipment, and the electrical industry. It is located where qualified personnel are available. It includes a group of machine-building enterprises that are distinguished by a narrow specialization, broad connections in cooperative deliveries: automotive, aircraft, machine tool (production of small and medium-sized metal-cutting machines), production of technological equipment for the food, light and printing industries.

One of the main branches of medium engineering is automotive industry, where specialization is most pronounced and extensive cooperation links can be traced. Automotive industry enterprises have been built in many regions of Russia. Medium-duty trucks (3-6 tons) are produced by the Moscow (ZIL) and Nizhny Novgorod plants, light-duty trucks are produced by the Ulyanovsk plant (UAZ). A center for the production of heavy vehicles was created in Tatarstan: KAMAZ - Naberezhnye Chelny.

High-class cars are produced in Moscow, middle class - in Nizhny Novgorod; small cars - in Moscow, Tolyatti, Izhevsk; minicars - in Serpukhov. A wide network of bus factories has been created (Likino, Pavlovo, Kurgan).

The automotive industry also includes the production of motors, electrical equipment, bearings, etc.

Among the factors influencing the location of machine tool enterprises, the industry is mainly provided with qualified labor resources, engineering and technical personnel. The machine-tool industry has received great development in many regions. Along with the old, established areas of machine tool building in the Center, Moscow and the North-West (St. Petersburg), machine tool building has been developed in the Volga and Ural regions.

Instrumentation products are characterized by low material and energy consumption, but their production requires a highly skilled workforce and research personnel. Therefore, about 80% of the output of marketable products is concentrated in the European part of Russia, in large cities (Moscow and the Moscow region, St. Petersburg).

Mechanical engineering as a branch of industry originated in the 18th century. The invention of the spinning machine, the loom, the steam engine as a universal engine and other machines led to the creation of machines for the production of machines. This was due to the invention of the caliper, the improvement of metal-cutting machines and the emergence of other metal-working machines. The transition from manufactory to machine production opened the era of large-scale machine industry, industrial capitalism, marked a complete technical revolution and a general breakdown public relations production.

Mechanical engineering in Ukraine emerged in the middle of the 19th century. The presence of metal, favorable transport and geographical position, high concentration of agricultural production contributed to the development of heavy, transport and agricultural engineering.

The main elements of the development of modern mechanical engineering are the improvement of means of production, methods of organizing production (for example, the use of serial and mass production technologies), the transition to standardization, automation and information support of processes.

Production facilities

The object of engineering production is a product, which is called the product of the final stage of production. It can be any item, or a set of items of production that are produced at the enterprise. For an automobile plant, the product is a car, for a motor plant it is a motor, for a blank production plant it is a casting, Forging, etc. The standards provide for the following types of products: blanks, parts, assembly units, complexes and kits.

blank- a product from which, due to a change in shape, dimensions, surface rigidity and material properties, a part or a solid assembly unit is obtained. A part is a product that is made without assembly operations, for example, a shaft, a gear, a chrome-plated nut, a tube welded from one piece of metal and etc..

assembly unit- a product, the components of which are interconnected as a result of assembly operations (screwing, gluing, welding, for example, a car, machine tool, gearbox, welded truss or body.

Complex- two or more assembly units interconnected at the factory, manufactured by assembly operations and designed to perform interrelated operational functions.

Set- two or more products that are not connected to each other and are intended to perform the same type of auxiliary functions (spare parts, tools, fixtures, a set of measuring equipment).

Types of engineering production

In engineering production, there are three main types: mass, serial and single.

The belonging of production to one or another type is determined by the degree of specialization of jobs, the range of production objects, the form of movement of these objects through jobs.

Mass production characterized by the continuous production of a limited range of products at highly specialized workplaces. This type of production allows you to mechanize and automate the entire process and organize it more economically.

Mass production characterized by the manufacture of a limited range of products (parts are made in batches and assemblies - in series), repeating at certain intervals, and a wide specialization of jobs. The division of serial production into large-, medium-, and small-scale production is conditional, since in various branches of engineering, with the same number of products in a series, but with a significant difference in their size, complexity and labor intensity, production can be classified into different types. In terms of the level of mechanization and automation, large-scale production is approaching mass production, and small-scale production is approaching a single one.

Single production- marked by the manufacture of a wide range of products in single quantities, repeated at indefinite intervals or not repeated at all. At the same time, jobs do not have a specific specialization. A significant percentage of technological operations are performed manually.

One of the signs of production is the coefficient of consolidation of operations, which is understood as the ratio of the number of all operations performed during a unit of time (month), with the number of jobs:

where O- the number of various operations performed at the workplaces of the site or workshop during the month; R- the number of jobs on the site or in the shop.

Branches of mechanical engineering by groups

Traditional engineering is divided into the following groups of industries: heavy engineering; general engineering; secondary engineering; precision engineering, production of metal products and blanks; repair of machinery and equipment.

heavy engineering

Heavy engineering includes industries producing equipment for the mining and metallurgical industries, power units (power engineering), and handling equipment.

• Mining engineering
• Metallurgical engineering
• Power engineering

General mechanical engineering

General engineering is represented by such industries as transport engineering (railway, shipbuilding, aviation, rocket and space industries, but without automotive), agricultural, production of technological equipment for various industries industry (except light and food).

• Railway engineering
• Shipbuilding
• Aviation industry
• Rocket and space industry
• Production of technological equipment by industry
  • Construction and municipal engineering
  • Agricultural engineering
  • Chemical engineering
  • Forestry engineering

Secondary engineering

The structure of medium mechanical engineering includes the automotive industry, tractor building, machine tool building, the tool industry, and the production of technological equipment for the light and food industries.

• Automotive industry
• Tractor building
• Machine tool industry
• Robotics
• Tool industry
• Equipment light industry
• Food industry equipment
• Household appliances and machinery industry

precision engineering

The leading branches of precision engineering are instrument making, radio engineering and electronic engineering, and the electrical industry.
The products of this group of industries are extremely diverse - these are optical devices, personal computers, radio-electronic equipment, aviation devices, fiber optics, lasers and components, watches.

• Instrumentation
• Radio engineering and electronic industry
• Electrical industry

Production of metal products and blanks

• Manufacture of cutlery, cutlery, locks and hardware, accessories
• Production of mass metal products (hardware) - wire, ropes, nails, fasteners.

Industry structure and features of the location of mechanical engineering

Heavy engineering produces mining, handling, metallurgical equipment, equipment for the chemical and construction complexes, track machines (bulldozers, excavators, rollers, graders) and others. It is metal-intensive, therefore it gravitates towards metallurgical bases; at the same time it is cumbersome, therefore it gravitates towards the consumer. The products of this industry are produced in small batches or even single samples (steam boilers, turbines, rolling mills) and are labor intensive.

The level of development of heavy engineering distinguishes the previously developed countries where there is heavy industry. Among countries, heavy engineering focuses on the mining industry (oil, gas, ore, coal) or the metallurgical industry (India, Brazil, Argentina).

Transport engineering consists of the production of cars, sea and river vessels, locomotives, wagons, trams, trolleybuses, etc. It focuses mainly on developed countries, where there is a significant demand for these products, as well as on the raw material base.

The automotive industry is marked by high capital intensity, and intense competition causes high level monopolization. The largest monopolies in the production of passenger cars are Volvo, Daimler-Benz, FIAT, BMW, General Motors, Ford Motor, Toyota, Nissan, and Opel. Among the regions, North America holds the lead. The United States, Japan and France stand out among the countries.

AvtoZAZ-Daewoo in Ukraine launched the production of improved quality Tavria and three Daewoo models. In Ilyichevsk, the compilation of Leganza, Nubira, Lanos models has begun.

General Motors has invested $100 million in the automotive industry as part of the AvtoZAZ-Daewoo joint venture. for assembly of Opel Astra and Vectra. In Lutsk, a joint venture was created to assemble the sixth VAZ model, and in Melitopol, on the basis of a recently built engine plant, the production of Renault engines was launched, including for the Renault-LAZ joint venture for the production of new buses.

The production of cars in Russia has decreased, in 1998 Ukraine produced 25.7 thousand cars. The truck industry is concentrated in such countries as the USA, Canada, Japan, Germany, Russia, the Czech Republic, and Belarus. It produces trucks of large and medium capacity. The largest centers: Moscow, Naberezhnye Chelny, Nizhny Novgorod in Russia, Minsk and Zhodino in Belarus, Dearborn in the USA, Nagoya in Japan, Koprshivnitsa in the Czech Republic (Tatra trucks), Japan (Mitsubishi, Nissan, Hino), Italy (Iveco), Sweden (Volvo), France (Renault), Germany and the USA (Daimler-Chrysler, Mercedes, MAN), as well as Scania and DAF models. Russia and Ukraine formed 4 joint ventures for the assembly of small Gazel trucks in Simferopol, Ilyichevsk, Kremenchug and the Kyiv region.

Bus production is concentrated in Germany (Mercedes), Hungary (Ikarus), Ukraine (LAZ), Russia (PAZ, LIAZ), USA, Japan, Sweden (Volvo), France (Renault).

Motorcycle production is concentrated in Japan (Suzuki, Jawa, Jamaha, Kawasaki, Honda); Germany (BMW), France (Pegeout), USA and Italy.

Locomotive building has historically developed where the network was developed railways: in Western Europe, Russia, Ukraine, USA, Japan. In most developed countries, electric locomotives are produced and used (with the exception of the United States, where the proportion of diesel locomotives is high), and in developing countries, diesel locomotives and steam locomotives are used. The latest types of locomotives are introduced by Japan, the speed of movement on its special high-speed railways along the Pacific belt is the highest. Developed in the USA new type high-speed train, which will move at a speed of 240 km / h and will become one of the most reliable in terms of traffic safety. In Ukraine, diesel locomotives and electric locomotives are produced in Lugansk, Kharkov and Dnepropetrovsk, trams - in Lugansk, trolleybuses - in Dnepropetrovsk.

Marine engineering is concentrated in Japan; this country provides 38% of the tonnage under construction. The United States is the leader in terms of military shipbuilding. Since the mid-seventies, rapidly - with the active participation of Japanese monopolies and using Japanese ship equipment - marine shipbuilding has been developing in South Korea (20% of the world volume), Singapore, and Brazil. In Western Europe, the highest rates of shipbuilding development are in Germany and Italy (5.4% and 4.3%, respectively). China has recently ousted Germany from third place and its share is 6.1%.

In some countries, a certain specialization has been formed: Japan makes ships for the transport of liquid and bulk cargo, France - liquefied gases and chemicals, Finland - icebreakers and passenger ships, the USA - barge-carriers and gas tankers.

A new trend is the transfer of shipbuilding capacities to developing countries. In addition to the Republic of Korea, Brazil entered the top ten. This is due to the availability of raw materials and cheap labor resources.

In the world production of ships, the share of Ukraine in 1995 was 0.8%, and in 1998 it fell to 0.3%. The leading buyers of Ukrainian ships are Greece (41% of the total value of ships sold), Russia (30%), Denmark, Liberia, and the Netherlands.

Machine tool building is an industry that determines scientific and technological progress in the world. It requires the involvement of highly qualified labor resources, therefore it is located mainly in economically developed countries. It is no coincidence that six of them - Japan, Germany, USA, Italy, Switzerland and France - account for 75% of the production of machine tools. The same countries are leading in the export of machine tools.

Machine tool building in the countries of the world has a narrow specialization. So, the USA and Germany are the first to produce machine tools with program control; Japan and Germany - machine tools; USA, Japan and Germany - forging and pressing machines; Switzerland - precision machine tools.

Agricultural engineering includes the production of combines, harvesters, seeders, mowers, livestock equipment, etc. All these machines are consumer-oriented and are produced in those countries where they are needed. Many developing ones have workshops for assembling agricultural machinery, and components are imported from Western Europe, Japan and the USA. The United States is the leader in terms of production of agricultural machinery, they are also the main consumers of this equipment. Combine harvesters are produced in Rostov-on-Don, Taganrog, Syzran, Krasnoyarsk (Russia) Lugansk and Kirovograd (Ukraine); corn harvesters - in Kherson (Ukraine); flax harvesters - Bezhetsky, Lyubertsy (Russia); cotton harvesting - Tashkent (Uzbekistan); potato harvesters - Gomel (Belarus), Ryazan, Tula (Russia).

Aviation and rocket science is typical for economically developed countries. The USA produces the "Shuttle", France - "Orion", Russia - artificial satellites, space stations, modules; Ukraine - Zenit and Proton launch vehicles. Ukraine also takes part in the Sea Launch comic program. The largest aircraft manufacturers in the world are Boeing (USA) and Airbus (a Western European consortium). Also different types aircraft are produced by France, Italy, Canada, Sweden and others. Russia produces military and civil aircraft and helicopters: MIG, SU, AN, IL, TU and others. Aircraft engines are produced in Ukraine (Motor Sich plant in Zaporozhye). Aircraft factories in Kyiv and Kharkov are launching the production of TU-334, AN-140, AN-74, AN-74 TK.

An important area of ​​mechanical engineering is the production of weapons. In the world, developed countries stand out among arms manufacturers, and among buyers, both developed and developing countries.

Instrumentation is the production of electrical and radio optical instruments, time instruments, communications equipment, etc. The largest manufacturers of electrical equipment in the world are ABB (Switzerland and Sweden), Siemens (Germany), General Electric (USA), GEC- Alsthom (France and UK).

These branches of production first appeared in Europe, the USA and Japan, and then were also transferred to the New Industrial Countries (NICs) of Eastern, South-East Asia and Latin America in terms of cheap labor.

One of the areas of instrumentation is the electronics industry. It originated in the United States, then moved to Europe and Japan, and now it has shifted to NIK. Now NIKs such as the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Brazil are among the top ten countries, second only to the USA, Japan, Germany, Great Britain and France. At first, these countries only made consumer electronics from American, European and Japanese parts; now they are introducing their own integrated production, which contains all the main stages. Personal computers, large integrated circuits, peripheral systems, equipment for electronic design, communications, fiber optics, etc. are produced. In 1997, 80 million personal computers were produced in the world. The leader is Compag (USA).

In Ukraine, this industry is also widely represented: most of the products are produced at enterprises of the military-industrial complex. Among the centers stand out Kyiv, Dnepropetrovsk, Lvov, Odessa, Kharkov, Simferopol.

whose products are various machines and mechanisms. Moreover, this formation is characterized by very complex connections.

The machine-building complex, the structure of which is extensive, includes directly mechanical engineering, as well as metalworking. The products of the enterprises of this complex play a major role in the process of implementing the latest achievements of modern scientific and technological progress. And this is true for all areas of the national economy.

The structure of the field of mechanical engineering

This largest complex industry provides the entire national economy of the country with instruments and equipment. For the population, it produces a variety of consumer goods. This includes the repair of equipment and machinery, as well as metalworking. Characteristic for it is the deepening of the specialization of production and the constant expansion of the scale of activities.

The machine-building complex includes more than seventy industries. Moreover, all of them are combined into groups according to the purpose of the products, the similarity of technological processes and the types of raw materials used.

The machine-building complex includes:

1. Energy and heavy engineering. This includes production of power, handling and mining, printing and nuclear equipment, car, turbine and diesel locomotive building.
2. Machine tool industry responsible for the production of various types of machine tools.
3. Transport engineering, which includes the industries for the production of cars and ships, as well as those related to aviation and the rocket and space sphere.
4. Tractor and agricultural engineering.
5. Instrumentation, production of electrical engineering and electronics, considered precision engineering.
6. Production of machine tools and equipment for the food and light industries.

In addition to the above divisions, the machine-building complex includes small metallurgy, which is engaged in the production of rolled products and steel. This technological process is carried out in foundries. Such areas are located in machine-building or specialized enterprises. Stamping, casting, forgings and welded structures are produced here.

heavy engineering

All plants in this industry are characterized by high metal consumption. At the same time, they provide the enterprises related to the mining and chemical, mining, fuel and energy and metallurgical complex with the necessary machinery and equipment.

The products of heavy engineering plants are components, parts (for example, rolls for metallurgical and finished equipment (turbines and steam boilers, excavators, mining equipment). This industry includes ten sub-sectors. Among them are hoisting and transport, track, nuclear , printing, mining and metallurgical engineering, as well as diesel, car, turbo and boiler building.

The highest cost products in the heavy engineering industry are produced by the production of metallurgical equipment. They are equipped with electrosmelting and sintering plants. Equipment for crushing and grinding and rolling industries is also distinguished by high cost.

The products of mining engineering enterprises are units used for exploration, as well as mining (open and closed method), enrichment and crushing of minerals with a solid structure. These include shearers and tunneling machines, walking and rotary excavators. Such equipment is used at enterprises of non-ferrous and ferrous metallurgy, coal and chemical industries, as well as in the manufacture of building materials.

Of great economic importance for the national economy of the country are products manufactured by hoisting and transport engineering. After all, about five million people work with such equipment in Russia. This sub-sector produces electric and overhead cranes, belt and stationary conveyors, as well as equipment designed for the complex mechanization of storage facilities.

The products of car and diesel locomotive building are designed to provide the railway sector with the transport it needs. This sub-sector also produces track mechanisms necessary for rail welding, laying, snow removal and other works.

As for turbine building, its main task is to equip the energy sector of the national economy with the necessary equipment. The plants of this sub-sector produce units for nuclear and hydraulic, gas turbine and thermal power plants. It is also responsible for equipping main gas pipelines and supplying injection, compressor and disposal units used in the oil refining and chemical industries, as well as non-ferrous and ferrous metallurgy.

Nuclear engineering plants specialize in the production of various equipment for nuclear power plants. This list also includes vessel reactors.
The minimum volume of production differs in printing engineering. His enterprises produce conveyors for printing houses, printing presses, etc.

Machine tool industry

This branch of the machine-building complex produces:

Metalworking tool;
- forging and pressing equipment;
- metal-cutting machines;
- woodworking equipment.

In addition to the production of finished products, this industry is also responsible for the centralized repair of units used for metalworking.

Transport engineering

One of its industries is the aviation industry. For the manufacture of products, materials and a variety of equipment are used, which are produced at enterprises of almost all branches of the machine-building complex. Aviation industry plants employ highly qualified engineers and workers who produce cargo and passenger aircraft. Helicopters of various modifications also descend from the conveyors of these enterprises.

The products of the rocket and space industry are orbital rockets and manned and cargo ships. In these vehicles match perfectly high tech and broad intersectoral complexity of production.

Enterprises of the shipbuilding industry use a large amount of metal in the production of their products. But, despite this, their placement is carried out outside the regions with large metallurgical bases. This is due to the great difficulties in transporting finished ships. Enterprises of the shipbuilding industry have numerous cooperative ties with factories in many sectors of the national economy. This allows the installation of a variety of equipment on water transport vehicles.

The largest branch of the machine-building complex is the automotive industry. Its products are used in all spheres of the national economy. Cars are also in demand in retail trade.

Tractor and agricultural engineering

This industry is characterized by detailed specialization. In the production process of its products, a small number of factories are involved, producing components and parts for various stages of the technological process.

Tractor and agricultural machine building produce combines of various types. These include flax and grain harvesters, cotton and corn harvesters, potato harvesters and other machines. Various modifications of wheeled and caterpillar tractors are also produced at the factories of this industry.

Instrumentation and electrical industry

The products manufactured by enterprises in these industries are characterized by low energy and material consumption. However, its release requires the selection of highly qualified workers and research personnel.

Plants for instrumentation carry out adjustment and installation of automation equipment. Their tasks include software development, design and production of medical devices, watches, office equipment and measuring equipment. Such products are high technology and are used for automatic control technological processes and information systems.

At present, more than one hundred thousand items of various products are produced at Russian factories that are part of the electrical engineering industry of mechanical engineering.

These products find their application in almost all areas of the national economy. The volume of products manufactured by the electrical engineering industry exceeds the number of products that are manufactured by all branches of heavy engineering in the aggregate. The main range of such products is represented by generators for hydraulic, gas and steam turbines, as well as electric motors, electric machines, converters and transformers, electrothermal, electric welding and lighting equipment.

Mechanical engineering for food and light industry

This sphere of production includes sub-sectors that produce equipment for knitwear and textile, footwear and clothing, fur and leather, food industry. The geography of location of such plants depends on the proximity to the consumer.

Role in the national economy

The importance of the machine-building complex cannot be overestimated. After all, this industry is one of the leading in the heavy industry of the Russian Federation. At the enterprises of this sphere, the main and most active mass of fixed assets is created, which include tools. In addition, the machine-building complex has a significant impact on the direction and pace of development of scientific and technological progress, on the magnitude of labor productivity growth, as well as on many other indicators that affect the efficiency of production development.

The entire volume of products that the machine-building complex of Russia produces is more than one third of all marketable products manufactured in the country. Two-fifths of the total number of industrial and production workers work at enterprises in this sphere of the national economy. Almost a quarter of all fixed assets of an industrial-production nature available in the country are also installed here.

The importance of the machine-building complex in the life of large regions of Russia is important. Moreover, the development of all spheres of the national economy depends on the level of development of these enterprises. The role of the machine-building complex in ensuring the defense capability of Russia is also great.

Distinctive features affecting the location of enterprises

The machine-building complex of Russia has wide intersectoral ties. But besides this given education has a number characteristic features. They must be kept in mind when locating various industries in a particular region.

First of all, the branches of the machine-building complex have a developed specialization. In other words, their enterprises are focused on the production of one, or, in extreme cases, several types of products. In this case, a high concentration is observed. This is such a factor in mechanical engineering, when several enterprises are simultaneously engaged in the production of finished products. Take, for example, a car factory. Its products are only vehicles.

Such a plant receives the components and parts necessary for the manufacture of automobiles in finished form from other enterprises, the number of which can be quite large. This factor has a significant impact on the location of the machine-building complex, which needs good transport links. That is why many branches of this sphere of the national economy are located in the Volga region and Central Russia. After all, these areas have a well-developed transport network.

The geography of the machine-building complex of Russia, which focuses on the production of the most complex and progressive goods (electronics and radio engineering), is associated with the science-intensive factor. That is why such industries are located near Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, etc. That is, close to those places where the scientific base is well developed.

The machine-building complex, whose products are associated with the military-strategic factor, as a rule, is located in "closed" cities. These are Snezhinsk, Novouralsk, Sarov, etc. Sometimes such production facilities are located near military bases.

The factors of the machine-building complex that influence its development include the presence of a significant number of qualified personnel. So, the most labor-intensive industries are machine-tool and instrument making. That is why such production facilities are located in regions with the highest concentration of the population, that is, in Moscow, Voronezh, Penza, Ryazan, etc.

During the construction of heavy engineering enterprises, their high material consumption is taken into account. A lot of metal is required to produce products in these industries. Only if it is available, it is possible to produce metallurgical and power equipment. Similar enterprises are located in the regions of the Urals (Yekaterinburg), Siberia (Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk). This is due to the presence in these regions of a large metallurgical base. Sometimes heavy engineering enterprises are guided by imported raw materials. Those are available in St. Petersburg.

There are such types of machines, the need for which is experienced only by some regions. This applies, for example, to timber hauling tractors and flax harvesters. Such equipment is not easy to transport, which means that it is best to produce it where there is a need for it.

Difficulties experienced

The development of the machine-building complex has significantly slowed down since the 90s of the last century. Some of these enterprises were simply closed, others significantly reduced the volume of their products. The number of products at factories producing machine tools, as well as products of precision engineering, has especially decreased. What was the main reason for this process? It lay in the low quality of our products, which could not compete with imported products. Moreover, after the collapse Soviet Union there was a break in all production ties that previously existed between the republics of the country.

The problems of the machine-building complex lie in the high wear and tear of equipment. According to statistics, it reaches almost 70%. This state of affairs exists in helicopter and shipbuilding, as well as in radio electronics. The average age of machine tools in machine-building plants is approximately 20 years. This does not allow the use of new technologies in the production of products. Today, many branches of mechanical engineering require a radical modernization of equipment. Only in this case, their products will become competitive in the sales market.

Many foreign companies contribute to the aggravation of the situation. Penetrating into our market, such corporations significantly increase the level of competition.

Another acute problem of the machine-building industry is the shortage of personnel. The system of training labor resources that existed in the USSR was simply destroyed. To date, the age of skilled workers is already approaching retirement age. Due to the acute shortage of young personnel, the process of modernization of machine-building production is significantly slowed down. But this deplorable situation is slightly improving thanks to investment projects. New factories are being built and have already been built, old enterprises are being reconstructed, new ones are being established, and pre-existing production ties are being restored.

And a very important component of the country's economy. Most of the largest enterprises in this industry were built in Soviet period. According to available official data, at the moment in Russia there are about two thousand medium and large engineering enterprises, which include metalworking enterprises.

Mechanical Engineering Centers in Russia

One of the most significant segments of the country's machine-building industry is the military-industrial complex, whose annual revenue exceeds sixteen billion dollars.

However, the importance of this sector of the economy is associated not only with the volume of annual revenue, but also with the number of political and scientific ties that are created through military-technical cooperation. Today Russia has agreements on cooperation with more than eighty countries. The largest partners are China, India, Argentina, Venezuela, Indonesia and Vietnam.

The largest engineering centers in Russia that are involved in the production of military equipment are Nizhny Tagil, where Uralvagonzavod is located; which produces the famous Kalashnikov assault rifles; Nizhny Novgorod Machine-Building Plant, which produces different kinds ammunition.

Heavy engineering in Russia

Heavy engineering also includes the shipbuilding industry, which is considered one of the most technologically advanced and science-intensive. At more than a thousand enterprises involved in the production of ships, a full production cycle is provided from the development of prototypes to the implementation of the most modern electronics and radio intelligence systems.

If we slightly expand the circle of enterprises involved in varying degrees in the production of products for shipbuilding, then their number will grow to four thousand. This increase in number is due to the inclusion design bureaus engaged in the development of high-tech components and sophisticated dual-use electronics.

The largest centers of heavy engineering in Russia are such maritime cities as St. Petersburg, Severodvinsk and Kaliningrad. In addition, enterprises important for the industry are located in the Nizhny Novgorod region.

Automotive industry

But engineering in the country has not only a military purpose, but also civilian automotive industry, which is represented by the three largest enterprises in the industry: AvtoVAZ, KAMAZ and the large engineering concern GAZ, which includes twelve enterprises, with one of the widest geography of engineering in Russia, also occupies an important place.

However, most of the enterprises belonging to these corporations have experienced a prolonged crisis over the past ten years, caused by a drop in demand for their products. In turn, the fall in demand for domestic automotive products was caused by increased competition in this market.

Between 2000 and 2010, numerous factories were built in the country, producing products under brands such as Nissan, Opel, Kia, Volvo Truc and Ford.

However, foreign manufacturers enter the Russian market not only through the construction of their own plants, but also through investments in existing enterprises and the purchase of shares. For example, Daimler is a major shareholder of KAMAZ.

Aviation industry of Russia

The branches of mechanical engineering in Russia are also represented by the aviation industry, which, like shipbuilding, requires serious scientific, human resources and a strong production tradition.

All capacities of the country's aircraft industry are divided between two state corporations: the United Aircraft Corporation and Oboronprom.

The first one concentrates the resources and enterprises involved in the production of aircraft, including all the necessary components, as well as avionics. This joint-stock company includes twenty enterprises producing both military and civilian products, as well as dual-use products, and its largest enterprise is the Sukhoi Company.

Oboronprom includes enterprises that develop and manufacture helicopters and components. The main office is located in Moscow, but given that it owns the Russian Helicopters corporation, we can safely talk about the all-Russian significance of the company.

Rocketry and space industry

AT modern world it's hard to imagine any economy doing without such means of communication as high-speed Internet and stable cellular connection. Many processes in the world economy are based on the rapid exchange of data between economic entities located at a great distance from each other.

Rocket engineering in Russia provides it with a leading position in the international space market and allows annually launching dozens of satellites into orbit for international customers.

The largest enterprises in the industry are RSC Energia and GKNPTs im. M. V. Khrunichev, engaged in the development and production of launch vehicles, with the help of which uninterrupted supply of the ISS and delivery of cosmonauts to it is ensured.

Agricultural engineering

Heavy engineering in Russia is also represented by production, without which it is impossible to imagine the effective use of the vast land and climatic resources of the country.

Rostselmash, located in Rostov-on-Don, is considered one of the leaders not only in Russia, but also in the world of agricultural engineering.

In addition, Russia's mechanical engineering industries are located in Chelyabinsk and Cheboksary. Another important enterprise engaged in the production of equipment for storing, cleaning and sorting grain is located in Voronezh and is called Voronezhselmash.