Automobile plant "Ural": history, production, products

Automobile plant "Ural" (OJSC "UralAZ") is the leader in the production of off-road trucks in Russia. The enterprise produces ready-made equipment and chassis with all-wheel drive 4x4, 6x6 and 8x8. The cars have won respect due to the unique patency, worthy of quality and simplicity of management.

Pages of History

Automobile plant "Ural" was formed in the Chelyabinsk region on the basis of one of the divisions of the Moscow Automobile Plant during the war. Evacuated to Miass, the foundry and motor-car manufacturing workshops with heroic efforts of the enterprise workers were converted into a full-fledged automobile plant, where the legendary ZIS trucks were manufactured so necessary to the front and the post-war economy.

The produced models ZIS- 5B, UralZIS-355M, UralZIS-355B though gained the status of the legendary due to their widespread use, but they did not differ in advanced technologies and ease of operation. The government considered that it was unacceptable to produce such obsolete models, while the country had already successfully launched spacecraft. The designers were commissioned to accelerate the design of a modern all-wheel-drive truck. Engineers brilliantly coped with a difficult task. In 1961, the Miass Automobile Plant "Ural" launched into the series "Ural-375", which won the diploma of the Exhibition of Economic Achievements and became the base model for the next decades.

Off-road king

The truck "Ural-375" differs unsurpassed cross-country ability and is actively maintained to the present. It became the base car in the Soviet, and then in the Russian army. The model has a lot of modifications for the transportation of personnel, transportation of goods and weapons, it is used as a chassis for communication systems, rocket launchers, mobile stations, road tankers, truck cranes, etc. Over the years, the Ural automobile plant has produced over 110,000 Units.

In the economy "Ural-375" was used no less actively, especially in remote areas. If the military models use a gasoline engine, which is characterized by high fuel consumption, the economical powerful units YaMZ-238 and YaMZ-236 are installed in civil modifications.

Modern production

Automobile plant "Ural" (OJSC "UralAZ") with honor overcame the difficult for the economy 90-ies. After 75 years from the date of foundation, he remains the leader in the segment of all-wheel drive trucks. This is facilitated by regular modernization programs, the use of high-performance equipment, and competent guidance. Since 2004, UralAZ has been introducing a new production system based on three pillars:

1. The maximum quality.
2. Minimum execution time.
3. Minimum costs.

When developing new products in the Urals, a "quality gate" system is used: it allows to rationally manage the planning, development and production of products. Quality control is carried out by randomly selecting a finished car. All its systems and mechanisms are thoroughly tested. Automobile plant "Ural" cares about consumers and after the sale of cars. In the regions of Russia and the CIS, a dealer network and service centers operate.

New technologies

Last years Automobile factory "Ural" (Miass) pays special attention to design of trucks. In particular, the cab of the boneless layout is developed. It allows to increase the smoothness of the stroke, improves visibility and controllability by shifting the center of mass of the body to the center of mass of the chassis. The cab with four-point suspension using spring-mechanical shock absorbers is placed above the motor. The driver's seat is equipped with air suspension, the steering column is adjustable. The dispenser has an electropneumatic control, which reduces the level of vibrations and noise. In particular, the cockpit cab is used in new families of trucks "Ural-5323" and "Ural-63/65".

Production

UralAZ produces trucks of several directions. The army family is represented by various modifications of unarmored and armored vehicles. Cars of the civil family are widely used for construction, development of resource-extracting industries, and in agriculture. Special equipment on the basis of "Ural" has more than 200 items.

Since 2015, the Automobile Plant "Ural" produces a brand new family of civilian trucks "Ural-Next". The cars received an updated design on the basis of the GAZ-Next cabins, developed by the Joint Engineering Center of the GAZ Group of Companies. This allowed us to unify the production base and significantly reduce costs. In general, Ural-Next received more than 50 technological changes. On all modifications, the YaMZ-536 engine is put.

The Ural Automobile Plant looks confidently into the future. As the leader in the production of army trucks, the enterprise is gradually mastering the niche of civilian models and special equipment. Export accounts for one third of the total sales.