V.A.Degtyarev Plant
Open Joint Stock Company "V.A.Degtyarev Plant" [Degtyaryov Zavod, Zavod imeni Degrtyaryova] is one of the largest enterprises of Russia and the largest enterprise of Kovrov, Vladimirskaya Oblast. According to the results of 1998 OJSC "V.A.Degtyarev Plant" is on the 127th place in sales volume and on the 5th place in profit volume in Russia.
Founded in Kovrov in 1917 as the first machine-gun plant in Russia, the plant has been providing the Armed Forces of the country with infantry and gun weapons for over 80 years. Such remarkable samples of weapon as Degtyarev antitank rifle (PTRD), Degtyarev infantry machine-gun (DP), Shpagin machine pistol (PPSh), Goryunov heavy machine-gun (SG) were created at the plant. Many famous weapon-designers such as V.G.Fedorov, V.A.Degtyarev, G.S.Shpagin, S.G. Simonov, S.V. Vladimirov worked at the plant. They designed many well-known weapons such as Fedorov automat (1919), Degtyarev infantry machine-gun and its modifications for aircraft (1928) and tanks (1929), Degtyarev antitank rifle (1941) and Shpagin machine pistol (1941).
The plant arose on the basis of the first machine-gun plant in Russia during the Great War. The construction of the machine-gun plant began on August 14 (27), 1916 by the construction office of the Russian-Danish joint-stock company in Petrograd. A group of specialists from Denmark took part in its construction. On January 18, 1917, the plant was put into operation, the production of Madsen assault rifles, a representative of the Swedish-Danish arms syndicate, began.
After the October Socialist Revolution, the Danish administration, with the consent of the shareholders, decided to close the plant and send the equipment to Denmark, the plant was in distress. The trade union organization headed by A. M. Burukhin developed measures for the further development of the enterprise. In March 1918, on the instructions of the Council of People's Commissars, talented designers V. G. Fedorov and V. A. Degtyarev arrived at the plant from the Sestroretsk gun factory . Under their leadership, for the first time in the country, the plant developed and mastered the production of automatic small arms.
On October 11, 1919, the Kovrov Machine Gun Plant was nationalized. In 1919-1921. a pilot workshop and a design bureau (PKB) headed by V. A. Degtyarev were founded at the plant. In 1921-1924. the plant developed and mastered several types of unified automatic weapons based on the V. G. Fedorov assault rifle of the 1916 model. The production of V. G. Fedorov assault rifles was carried out until October 1925. In the late 1920s, the plant produced peaceful products: spirit levels for carpentry and joinery, water rings for textile factories, and cutting tools.
In 1927, the machine gun plant was renamed the Kovrov Tool Plant. During the years of the first five-year plan, the plant began to grow and develop rapidly. A number of buildings of production facilities for tool production, a residential workers' settlement, a metal workers' club, a technical school, and a stadium were built. On December 22, 1931, by decision of the Supreme Council of National Economy, the plant was asked to immediately organize the production of the Bendix automobile starter for Nizhny Novgorod automakers. On August 3, 1932, the country's automobile and tractor plants received 10,250 starters.
For success in fulfilling the tasks of the first five-year plan, the plant staff were awarded the challenge Red Banner of the Central Committee of Trade Unions and the challenge Red Banner of the Ivanovo Regional Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks. In July 1932, the Kovrov Tool Plant was named after K. O. Kirkizh, chairman of the Central Committee of the All-Russian Union of Mechanical Engineering Workers (VSRM), who tragically died during the presentation of the Red Banner of the Central Committee of Trade Unions to the plant.
At the end of 1939, on the instructions of the People's Commissariat for Armaments, the plant transferred the automatic machine from secret to disk power, which made it possible to increase the power of the weapon.
An invaluable contribution to the defense of the country was made by Kovrov gunsmiths in the prewar years. From 1921 to 1941 about 200 different machines and installations were designed and manufactured at the plant, of which over 40 samples were put into service with the troops. These are Degtyarev machine guns, Simonov automatic rifle , turret wing and motor heavy machine guns, and guns of Shpitalny and Vladimirov, submachine guns PPD Degtyarev and PPSh Shpagin , machine tools and installations of Kolesnikov and Bezrukov, Kladov magazines, Blum’s gun sighting devices, Ananiev’s anti-aircraft sights Vasiliev.
During the Great Patriotic War, the plant switched to fulfilling a special task for arming the Red Army. The inventors and innovators of the plant transferred more than three million rubles to the defense fund. In September 1941, together with the Kovrov Excavator Plant, the construction of the Kovrov Bolshevik armored train began, which was sent to the front on December 15, 1941.
In the autumn of 1941, on the instructions of the State Defense Committee, V.A. Degtyarev designed anti-tank weapons (PTRD) and developed some of its components at the plant for the first time in the country. For the invention of the PTRD, V. A. Degtyarev was awarded the State Prize of the 1st degree in 1942. In 1941, 17,688 PTRDs were delivered to the front, in 1942 - 184,800 PTRDs. In the middle of 1943, the production of easel machine guns by P. M. Goryunov (SG-43) was organized at the plant; in 1942-1944 - production of three modifications of aircraft guns Shpitalny and Vladimirov (ShVAK); in 1944 - the production of rapid-fire anti-aircraft machine guns by I. S. Leshchinsky.
For the exemplary performance of the tasks of the Soviet government for the production and development of new types of weapons during the Great Patriotic War, the plant was awarded the Order of the Red Labor Replacement in 1942 and the Order of Lenin in 1945. In April 1945, the Banner of the State defense committee. The first post-war years of the plant were associated with the name of M. T. Kalashnikov , under whose leadership a group of designers was formed and a new type of automatic small arms was created.
On January 18, 1949, the Kovrov plant was named after V. A. Degtyarev. In the post-war period, the plant developed motor production, mastered the production of new types of products for the needs of the national economy. In the first post-war five-year plan, the national economy of the country received 10,900 K-125 road motorcycles. In June 1954, a design bureau was organized at the plant to modernize products, design modern domestic models of motorcycles, headed by I.V. Dolgushev.
An outstanding achievement of the Kovrov school of designers was the development of the K-58 and K-175 models. In 1957, they were awarded a 2nd degree diploma and a small silver medal at the All-Union Industrial Exhibition. At the end of the 50s, sports motorcycle production was developing at the plant. In 1957-1954. sports motorcycles of the following models were mastered: K-55S2, K-175SK, K-175SKU, K-175SMU, K-250SKU, Kovrovets K-175A, Kovrovets-125SK and others.
Since 1957, traditional all-Union winter motocross races have been held in Kovrov for comprehensive testing of various models. During the years of the 8th, 9th and 10th five-year plans, work was carried out to systematically update and improve the quality of products. Over the years, the mass production of new models of motorcycles "Voskhod" and "Voskhod-2" has been mastered.
For the successful development of new technology in the 6th five-year plan in 1971, the plant was awarded the Order of the October Revolution. During the years of the 11th and 12th five-year plans, the plant mastered the production of motorcycle models Voskhod-ZM-Lux, Voskhod-ZM-Sport, Voskhod-3M-01, Voskhod-175ZDK, Voskhod 200- 4 ShPI", "Voskhod-Tourist-175", "Voskhod 175-4 PCS".
In 1992, the state enterprise Plant named after V.A. Degtyarev received the status of the Open Joint Stock Company “Plant named after V.A. Degtyarev. Today, the plant produces products whose level is widely known and appreciated in many countries of the world. JSC "ZiD" produces weapons for the Air Force, Navy and ground forces of the armies of 17 countries of the world. The plant also continues to produce motorcycle products and packaging equipment.
During recent years OJSC "V.A.Degtyarev Plant" has been producing revolver "UDAR" , machine-gun "KORD", aircraft guns "GSh-23" and "GSh-30", mount "98U" for fight with underwater diversioners, antitank system "KORNET-E", portable anti-aircraft missile system "IGLA", etc.
The nomenclature of civil production includes the wide scale of motor products (mini mopeds "ZiD-36 Ptakha", moped "ZiD-50 Pilot", road motorcycles "Sova-175" and "Sova-200", "ZiD-200", three-wheeler "Fermer", four-wheeler "ZDK-175-4ShP", a motor unit and a number of attachments and platforms for motorcycles), sewing machines of 0810 class for sewing leather and fur items, automatic curds packer M6-AR2T, storage batteries 6CT55 and 6CT60.
The military export program of the Vladimir region for 1999 was defined to make up US$ 700 million, according to the export plan approved by Chief of the Regional Administration. The program approved was based on the products of the Plant named after Degtyaryov (Zavod imeni Degrtyaryova) joint stock company, the Kirov Electric-Mechanical Plant, the Kovrov Mechanical Plant, the Signal Scientific Research Institute (Kovrov), the Muromteplovoz joint stock company (Murom) and All-Russia Scientific Research Institute of Synthesis of Mineral Raw Materials (Aleksandrov).
Machinery for packaging of cottage cheese into briquettes is produced by Degtyaryov plant (Kovrov, Vladimir Oblast). Comparatively inexpensive domestically produced milk processing equipment has appeared on the Russian market. There are a large number of domestic manufacturers producing processing and packaging equipment for the dairy industry. As a rule, this equipment is being produced in the framework of defense conversion programs by former defense enterprises, and has comparatively higher quality than previously domestically produced equipment.
