The quality of products from AO Elektromash, the largest domestic manufacturer of materials for printed circuit boards (PCBs), has prompted a new appeal to the FAS. Market participants claim that the actual characteristics of the foil-clad laminate supplied by the company differ from those declared. On August 14, the FAS sent a letter to PCB manufacturers requesting documents regarding possible violations of public procurement procedures and abuse of dominant market position since 2023. Kommersant reviewed copies of correspondence between PCB manufacturers, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the FAS, and the ANO "Consortium of Printed Circuit Boards".
AO Elektromash is the largest domestic manufacturer and supplier of foil-clad laminates. This material is used to make printed circuit boards, including those used in critical industries. The company's production capacity is 1.25 million square meters per year.
Among Elektromash's main customers are the Yadro Fab Dubna, RezoniT, AO NPTSAP (a subsidiary of Roscosmos), Mikrolit plants, and other enterprises.
This is not the first time product quality has been questioned. In July, the ANO "Consortium of Printed Circuit Boards" appealed to the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the FAS with a request to re-examine Elektromash. In a letter to Ivan Markov, Director of the Department of Metallurgy and Materials at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the consortium reported the results of an inspection. According to the organization, the products showed "critical discrepancies" between the declared and actual quality of the foil-clad laminate.
In addition, the ANO KPP stated that Elektromash refuses partners access to its production facilities and delays material deliveries. At the same time, the appeal states that a subordinate structure of the Ministry of Industry and Trade recommended using Elektromash's products, despite the company having previously been included in the register of unscrupulous suppliers.
The story with this register began in 2025. After lengthy legal proceedings between AO NPTSAP and Elektromash, the company was included in the FAS register of unscrupulous suppliers. In April 2026, Elektromash was removed from it.
Now, the issue of possible violations may once again come under the scrutiny of the antimonopoly service. However, the Russian market for foil-clad dielectrics does not depend solely on Elektromash, the Ministry of Industry and Trade emphasized. According to the agency, at least five other enterprises produce such products.
For the final equipment, the problem may be more serious than ordinary manufacturing defects. Sergey Sazonov, an NTI expert in microelectronics and the electronics industry, notes that material quality can deteriorate due to incorrect composition, moisture, uneven thickness, and other defects.
The consequences can range from an increase in the number of defects directly in production to hidden failures in already finished equipment.
According to the manufacturer RezoniT, the share of Russian printed circuit boards in the total capacity of the Russian market in 2025 was 24%.
At the same time, domestic alternatives to Elektromash's materials already exist. Manufacturers include Vintekh, ElektroResurs, NTC Elifom, TekhnOtekh, Lamplex Kompozit, and Bobrovsky Izolyatsionny Zavod. In addition, materials are supplied by Asian manufacturers.
Complaints from procurement participants, appeals from customers, and industry associations can serve as grounds for initiating an antimonopoly case, believes Vladislav Gates, senior lawyer at Rustam Kurmaev and Partners. For Elektromash, in his opinion, the main consequence may not be fines, but reputational risks. If violations are confirmed, the company may again be included in the register of unscrupulous suppliers for two years. This means a ban on participation in procurement. In addition, the FAS may issue an order to eliminate violations.