The Governor of the Kaluga Region, Vladislav Shapsha, stated at the InRussia exhibition that the new owner of the Volvo plant in Kaluga plans to produce approximately 10,000 vehicles annually. The first 50 trucks are expected to roll off the assembly line by the end of 2023.
According to him, 650 Volvo plant employees will work under the new owner, which is the "Industrial Investments" group of companies.
The Volvo Group enterprise began operating in Kaluga in 2009 with a design capacity of 15,000 vehicles. In 2022, the Western company curtailed its operations in the Russian market, and the production lines were idle. The Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation announced that production would be restarted this year.
According to information from a presentation shown at a meeting of the labor collective, the plant will produce three-axle Ural Next trucks. By 2026, it is planned to increase production to 2,000 trucks per year. It is expected that with the introduction of assembly in two shifts, it is planned to reach a volume of 10,000 trucks per year.
Chinese companies will become technological partners of the plant. They will assist with the production of cabover cabins. The production volume of cabins is estimated at 15,000 per year. It is possible that the Kaluga enterprise will receive support from the Chinese Chenglong (a subsidiary of Dongfeng) in terms of components and technologies.
It is expected that employees of the former Volvo plant may enter into a labor agreement with the new owner from November 1. They are promised a salary increase of 15.6%.