From Metalist to ZKMK

American journalist Mike Davidow, who visited the Soviet Union in the 1970s, wrote the book "Cities without Crises". In the book and subsequent interviews after its release, he noted an important feature of Soviet cities: the enterprises located in them develop not only production itself, great attention is paid to the social sphere, the development of local, micro-district infrastructure - "cities within cities" arise.

Machine gunners

One of the major city-forming enterprises of Uralsk was the Metalist plant. The resolution on its design and construction was adopted in March 1970. Since April 1971, in the south-eastern part of Uralsk, where the village of Starokishechny was located, the builders of the Uralsk-Promstroy trust began laying the plant.

His future team had the main task-to master the production of a large-caliber machine gun NSVT 12.7. The Uralians were helped to master new products by the Kuibyshev Metalist Plant, whose branch was then the Ural enterprise.

In different years, the Ural Metalist Plant was headed by Mikhail Lysevich (1971-1973), Boris Uvarov (1973-1975), Ivan Rudik (1975-1977), Rem Bokarev (1977-1979), Vitaly Levko (1979-1985), Mikhail Stepanenko (1985-1987, 1995-1997), Alexey Malakeev (1987-1995), Askar Gabdullin (1997-1999), Sergey Kanashevich (1999-2002).

Under Ivan Rudik, heat treatment and electroplating production were mastered, the production of barrels was started. The plant made the greatest leap forward from 1979 to 1985, when it was headed by Vitaly Alekseevich Levko.

He was born on November 19, 1941 in the Zhytomyr region in Ukraine. After graduating from the Tula Polytechnic Institute in 1965, he worked at the Tula Arms Factory as a foreman, senior foreman, deputy head of the shop, chief production dispatcher, head of the shop. Levko proved to be a highly professional, proactive specialist.

In December 1979, by order of the Minister of Defense Industry of the USSR, he was appointed director of the Ural plant "Metalist". Due to the fact that by 1979 this enterprise had become independent, the new director was tasked with ensuring the manufacture of all the parts necessary for the production of a large-caliber machine gun at his own factory.

By this time, the foundry and blacksmith shop was already operating. It was necessary to adjust its work on the production of its own blanks, so as not to depend on supplies from other enterprises. Under the leadership of Levko and with the help of related enterprises of the Soviet Union, the engineering and technical services of Metalist successfully coped with this task.

Factory workers – Uralsk

Vitaly Levko paid special attention to the housing and social sphere, increasing the housing stock of the plant. In 1972, to expand the site for its construction, new houses were erected, in which not only factory workers, but also residents of Starokishechny settled. It is thanks to the "Metallist" that the village has been transformed, its infrastructure has improved, it has become more comfortable.

For 30 years, Metallist has built 32 houses, commissioned 2,850 well-arranged apartments. Dormitories for 450 places, a polyclinic for 600 visits a day, 3 kindergartens for 900 places, a dining room for 530 places, a garage have been put into operation. Residential buildings were also erected with shared financing of their construction by the plant. On Chagan, Metalist had its own pioneer camp.

Under the leadership of Levko, an administrative and design building, a polyclinic, THEN TRANSFERRED to URALSK, a garage for 25 cars and an auxiliary building to it, kindergartens "Ivushka" and "Ryabinushka" (its factory workers also transferred to the city), two small-family houses on Urdinskaya Street, 5 residential buildings and a 14-storey residential building on Yuri Gagarin Street were also built.

In 1987, Metalist was headed by Alexey Petrovich Malakeev, who had previously worked as the chief engineer of the Voroshilov Plant (now the Zenit plant).

Under Malakeyev, the 11th building, a basic warehouse and 3 kilometers of road to it in the village were built. Brand new, residential buildings on Zhdanov Street, construction of the TNP building has begun.

The collapse of the Union and the economic crisis led to the fact that the products of the Metalist plant did not find sales. By 2000, the enterprise had become one of the hotbeds of social tension in Uralsk.

The then akim of the West Kazakhstan region, Krymbek Kusherbayev, and other leaders of the region invited a team of experienced specialists led by Alibi Akhmedzhanov to withdraw the Metalist plant from the crisis situation. As a result, JSC "West Kazakhstan Machine-Building Company" was created, the first director of which was Dauren Sisenov.

Then ZKMK became one of the leading machine-building enterprises in Kazakhstan, it produces oil heating furnaces, equipment for gas compressor stations, mobile buildings, modular shift complexes, drilling equipment, agricultural machinery and other products. In any case, when using the materials of the site, a hyperlink to ibirzha.kz is required.

Based on the materials of ""Infobirzha novosti""