Titran-Express

Titran-Express (Russian: Титран-Экспресс) is a company based in Tikhvin in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. Throughout the plants history it has been associated with metal mechanical engineering, and manufacture of components for large-scale transportation equipment such as bogies for rail vehicles, tank tracks or tractor parts.

In 1963 the Centrolit (Центролит) casting plant was founded, further developments in the 1960s included a subsidiary supply factory of the Kirov factory; both concerns were merged as a subsidiary of the Kirov plant in the 1970s.

The company was privatised as JSC Transmash in 1993; after financial difficulties and severe jobs losses in the post-Soviet era, the whole site was acquired by the ICT Group in 2001, renamed Titran and redeveloped. Poor demand led to an end to tractor production in 2003.

The plant is collocated on the same industrial site as the Tikhvin Ferroalloy Plant (operational 2007) and the Tikhvin Freight Car Building Plant (opened 2012).

History

1963–2000

An industrial plant was constructed in Tikhvin in the 1960s, an example of large-scale soviet projects of the time. Construction led to a substantial expansion of the town, with an influx of workers requiring the construction of new housing estates. The population of Tikhvin was expected to rise from about 20000 to ~50000 by 1970 according to the architects of the development.[1][2]

In 1967 the first casting was made, starting production at the site which continued for another 30 years;[3] in 1968 another factory was constructed at the site as a branch of the St. Petersburg Kirov Plant (Putilov factory) producing parts. In 1973 'Centrolit', the Kirov subsidiary, and Litprom were merged, becoming the Tikhvin branch of the Kirov works. In 1974 production of parts for the К-700Т tractor began.[4]

In 1993 the entity was privatised as a closed corporation as the Transmash plant, and began production of railway parts;[4] the Tikhvin plant produced ferrous and ferrous alloy castings, machinery, and rail transportation equipment and spare parts.[5][6] In 1995 the complex employed over 22,000, a third of the Tkhvin population.[7]

In the mid-1990s the plant was involved in the production of the prototypes of the indigenous Russian high-speed trainset "Sokol" (VSM-250),[4][8][9] and was expected to manufacture the main series.[10][11] Funding for the project was withdrawn in 2002.[12]

After the collapse of the Soviet Union the plant was negatively affected,[1] Reduced federal budgets and the inability to quickly change production to new products were both factors in the plants economic crisis. From 1998 to 1999 production fell by 25%; only production of rail vehicle parts was increased, jobs losses of 2000 had reduced the number of employees to 6000 in 1999; a plan to reorganise the entity's structure was not initially successful,[13] and bankruptcy proceedings began in 2000.[14]

Titran (2002-)
New housing development by ICT Group in Tikhvin for workers (2010). Source: ICT Group

In 2001 the assets of Transmash in Tikhvin were acquired by the ICT Group

The Titran (formerly 'Transmash') plant dated to the developments in the 1960s; it was acquired by ICT Group in 2001, and renamed in 2002. The Titran entity consisted of five subsidiary companies: JSC Titran-Centrolit (ЗАО Титран-Центролит), JSC Titran-Express, JSC Titran-Medokon, (ЗАО Титран-Медекон) and JSC Titran-Hammer (ЗАО Титран-Молот) and the 'Titran Tractor Works' (ЗАО «Тихвинский тракторный завод «Титран – Вепс» or ЗАО «ТЗТМ «Титран»). Combined facilities included manufacture of rail vehicle parts, caterpillar tracks, and tractor and tractor parts, as well as casting, forging, and other metal engineering. Before privatisation the plant had supplied 60% of its output to the Kirov Plant in Leningrad.[15][16][17][18]

In 2002 Титран – Вепс began production of tractors type К-700Т.[19] Although investment was made into the enterprise, the plants economic problems continued in 2003 - turnover was only $20million compared to $750million in the soviet period - with only 30% of the plant area actively utilised, job losses of over 800 were made from January to September; the enterprise made a significant loss in 2003 and a lack of demand for agricultural tractors caused the company to refocus on railway vehicle equipment as part of a three-year restructuring and modernisation plan - tractor production ceased in 2003.[20][21][22][23]

2000 workers were laid off in June 2004,[24] by 2005 the number of full-time employees remaining was reduced to 1000.[7]

The Titran-Express (Титран-Экспресс) factory was restructured and modernised between 2007 and 2008, with manufacturing re-focused on rail vehicle components and caterpillar tracks.[25][26][27] As of 2012 the factory produces tank tracks, bogies for electric trains and freight wagons, other railway vehicle components, and welded structures.[28]

In 2016 United Wagon Company (ICT Group subsidiary) became the sole owner of Titran-Express.[29]

References
  1. Евгений КУЛЕШОВ (2005), А Тихвин тогда маленький был..., Первое сентября (in Russian) (12)
  2. А Тихвин тогда маленький был..., www.litmir.net (in Russian), pp. 29–32
  3. Дмитрий БАГРОВ (10 November 2003), `Титран` недолго искал свою нишу на рынке, ev.spb.ru (in Russian), archived from the original on 3 February 2016, retrieved 4 February 2012
  4. "History of the company", www.tihvin-titran.ru, CJSC Titran-Express, archived from the original on 23 December 2008, retrieved 1 February 2012
  5. Business Profile of the St. Petersburg Region of Russia: Economical and Social Indicators from 1990 To 2005, The Planetinform International Analytical Yearbooks 2007, Business Information Agency / PlanetInform, 2006, pp. 165–166, 426. TRANSMASH OSC, ISBN 9781418745592
  6. Jonathan A. Grant (1999), Big Business in Russia: The Putilov Company in Late Imperial Russia, 1868-1917, University of Pittsburgh Press, p. 156, ISBN 9780822977315
  7. Сокращенные работники тихвинского завода "Трансмаш" за первый год открыли семь новых бизнесов и будут открывать новые, www.stockmap.ru (in Russian), 22 February 2005, В 1995 г. на этом предприятии работали более 22 тыс. человек, то есть почти каждый третий житель Тихвина, сейчас численность штатных сотрудников завода насчитывает не более 1 тыс. человек.
  9. Murray Hughes (1 September 1999), "Sokol prototype rolled out in Tikhvin", www.railwaygazette.com, Railway Gazette International
  10. "Sokol tested on Shcherbinka loop", www.railwaygazette.com, Railway Gazette International, 1 April 2001
  11. "Russia's first high speed rail line - between Moscow and St. Petersburg is under construction", Railway Age, October 1993, archived from the original on 7 July 2007
  12. Андрей Гурьев (2009), Андрей Гурьев И какие же русские не любили быстрой езды? История обреченного проекта (PDF) (in Russian), p. 352, 2002, март — прекращение со стороны МПС по инициативе министра Г.М. Фадеева финансирования проекта «Сокол»
  13. Тихвинский "Трансмаш" породил "дочек", www.dp.ru (in Russian), 3 November 1999, archived from the original on 1 August 2012
  14. ""Заводу Трансмаш" грозит банкротство", www.dp.ru, 5 December 2000, archived from the original on 24 July 2012
  15. На базе завода "Трансмаш" создан машиностроительный холдинг "Титран", www.stockmap.ru (in Russian), Прайм-ТАСС, 22 March 2002
  17. ЗАО Тихвинский тракторный завод "Титран – Вепс", www.vpole.ru (in Russian), retrieved 1 February 2012
  18. ЗАО "Тихвинский тракторный завод "Титран-Вепс", www.avtomash.ru (in Russian), retrieved 1 February 2012
  19. ТИХВИНСКИЙ ТРАКТОРНЫЙ ЗАВОД "ТИТРАН-ВЕПС" ЗАКЛЮЧИЛ КОНТРАКТ С "РОСАГРОЛИЗИНГ", www.stockmap.ru (in Russian), Агентство Бизнес Новостей, 7 July 2002
  20. Тихвинский завод транспортного машиностроения "Титран" планирует в 2003г., www.stockmap.ru (in Russian), 28 July 2003, retrieved 1 February 2012
  21. Убытки от хозяйственной деятельности завода ЗАО ТЗТМ "Титран" (Ленинградская обл.) за 9 месяцев 2003г., www.stockmap.ru (in Russian), 4 December 2003, retrieved 1 February 2012
  22. Губернатор Ленобласти подверг резкой критике руководство ЗАО "Тихвинский завод транспортного машиностроения "Титран" за низкие экономические показатели, www.stockmap.ru (in Russian), 5 December 2003, retrieved 1 February 2012
  23. Убытки ЗАО "Тихвинский завод транспортного машиностроения "Титран" (Ленинградская обл.) в 2003г. составили 12 млн долл., www.stockmap.ru (in Russian), 8 April 2004, retrieved 1 February 2012
  24. ЗАО "ТЗТМ "Титран" (Ленобласть) сократило 2 тыс. сотрудников вместо планируемых сокращений в 2,7 тыс. человек., www.stockmap.ru (in Russian), 28 June 2004, retrieved 1 February 2012
  25. Компания "ИСТ-строй" приступила к реконструкции производственных площадей Тихвинского сборочного завода "Титран-Экспресс", в результате которой будет проведена передислокация нескольких цехов предприятия, www.stockmap.ru (in Russian), 17 May 2007
  26. В Ленобласти открылось модернизированное производство гусеничных лент для оборонной промышленности, объем инвестиций - 100 млн руб, www.stockmap.ru (in Russian), 18 April 2008
  27. "Титран-Экспресс" – будни нового производства, www.pro-rzd.com (in Russian), 31 July 2008
  28. "Line of activity", www.tihvin-titran.ru, Tihvin Assembly Plant - Titran Express, archived from the original on 23 December 2008, retrieved 1 February 2012, also see section For Our Clients Archived 21 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  29. "United Wagon Co takes 100% ownership of Titran Express", www.railwaygazette.com, 30 March 2016

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