subscribe to news The First Forum for Industrial Cooperation and System Engineering took place at Metalloobrabotka 2023

The conference programme of Metalloobrabotka 2023 hosted the 1^st Forum for Industrial Cooperation and System Engineering.

The forum is organised by the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry jointly with several Russian regional chambers of commerce and industry, the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Council on Industrial Development and Competitiveness of the Russian Economy, the National Partnership for Subcontracting Development, the Association of Metalworking Enterprises, and EXPOCENTRE AO.

The plenary session of the 1^st Forum of Industrial Cooperation and System Engineering was chaired by Vice-President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation Dmitry Kurochkin. He read out a welcome address from the Camber’s President Sergey Katyrin.

The welcome address states, in particular, that today, the tasks of expanding and strengthening production and technological cooperation between industrial enterprises at the regional, national and interstate levels are becoming a priority in the activities of the Russian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

“The Chamber was one of the initiators of the creation of a system to support industrial cooperation projects of enterprises in the EAEU member states. For several years, we have been carrying out this work in cooperation with colleagues from business associations in the EAEU countries and the Eurasian Economic Commission. We are now very close to the implementation stage of this project, which will begin in 2024.

“We hope that the National Forum of Industrial Cooperation and System Engineering, as an important project of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, will be held annually at EXPOCENTRE Fairgrounds.

“Proposals and initiatives from the Forum will be included in a resolution for further promotion on behalf of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry to the Russian authorities and EAEU management bodies.”

Russian Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Alexey Besprozvannykh welcomed the Forum participants.

He talked about what his Ministry is doing in terms of improving industrial cooperation, which in recent years has managed to create quite a few tools to move from manual management of cooperative links to systemic management.

“Today, building ties is especially important as the country is facing new challenges,” said the deputy minister. “We need to identify the development trends and find partners who are able to strengthen Russia's position on the global stage. Here we are talking about both internal cooperation between regions and cooperation between partner countries. Industrial cooperation ties within the EAEU are one of the key factors in this work.”

First Deputy Director General at EXPOCENTRE AO Sergey Selivanov noted in his welcome speech that the best platform for a comprehensive solution of the tasks set for the industry is a major exhibition.

“We are glad that Metalloobrabotka has become such an anchor exhibition for the Forum," stressed Mr. Selivanov. “This year's exhibition is showing exceptionally high growth rates. Compared to last year, the number of exhibitors has increased by more than 80%. We have returned to the pre-pandemic level of 2019, despite the fact that all the Western European manufacturers have left us. More than 1,000 companies from 13 countries are exhibiting, and more than 70% are domestic manufacturers. On the first day alone, 50% more professionals attended the exhibition than in 2022.”

The discussion at the Forum was opened by First Deputy Chair at the State Duma Committee on Regional Policy and Local Self-Government Sergey Morozov.

“We are facing the challenge related to a new model of economic growth,” he said. “We are talking, first and foremost, about improving the efficiency of our economy, achieving technological sovereignty, abandoning import dependence, talking about rapid growth of infrastructure, about new approaches in training personnel, especially engineers. Speaking of the new economic model, we are also talking about industrial cooperation.”

In the speaker's view, this task can only be solved systematically through digitalisation, by optimising business processes with the transfer of all types of industrial cooperation online and the use of remote specialists and production facilities.

“The State Duma will lead a discussion with the Ministry of Industry and Trade on how to find an opportunity to establish an experimental regime in the field of digital innovation to develop industrial cooperation. Today we are ready for such bold decisions, including changing the Russian legislation,” stressed Mr. Morozov.

President at the New Commonwealth Industrial Union, President at the Rosspetsmash Association and Chair at the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Council on Industrial Development and Competitiveness of the Russian Economy Konstantin Babkin addressed practical problems of industrial cooperation in the current Russian context.

President at the Tomsk Chamber of Commerce and Industry Maksim Kostarev shared his experience of systematic work to develop industrial cooperation and system engineering in Tomsk Region.  

Director General at the Institute for Public-Private Planning Elena Antipina and Vice-President at the Yaroslavl Chamber of Commerce and Industry and President at the National Partnership for Subcontracting Development Alexander Fedorov spoke about public-private planning in the field of industrial cooperation and development of the subcontracting system in Russia.

The Forum's sections discussed the role of systems engineering in achieving the goals of rapid technological growth of the Russian economy, the problems of building inter-regional cooperation infrastructure, and sectoral and technological aspects of building interstate cooperation links within the EAEU.

The Russian Subcontract Exchange and the Contact Fair were separate events on the programme of the 1^st Forum of Industrial Cooperation and System Engineering.

Prior to the opening of the Subcontract Exchange, EXPOCENTRE AO and the Yaroslavl Chamber of Commerce and Industry concluded a cooperation agreement, signed by Director General at EXPOCENTRE AO Alexey Vyalkin and President at the Yaroslavl Chamber of Commerce and Industry Natalya Rogotskaya.

The agreement provides for joint work to promote the products of the Yaroslavl region's leading industries at EXPOCENTRE's exhibitions, cooperation in forming group stands at leading exhibitions, the implementation of business missions of the region's representatives at various events, as well as other areas of cooperation in the interests of the regional business community.

The Russian Subcontract Exchange welcomed 18 customers from 13 Russian regions and 48 suppliers from 36 Russian regions. A total of 240 business negotiations on concluding agreements under the subcontracting system were held. The Exchange will continue its work at the next edition of Metalloobrabotka in 2024.  

The 1^st Forum of Industrial Cooperation and Systems Engineering also hosted the first nationwide and cross-industry Networking Fair.

The programme of the Networking Fair included presentations of manufacturers from Russia and the EAEU, as well as business talks in the format of Business Speed-Dating and B2B negotiations. The participants of the Networking Fair from many regions of Russia not only presented their products and services, but also voiced their needs and found business partners and customers.

Press Service, EXPOCENTRE AO