One of the oldest enterprises in the region ACP-20 celebrated its 45th anniversary. In 2014 the plant joined the Group of Companies "Kursk Bearing Company". First Deputy Governor of Kursk region Alexander Zubarev took part in the jubilee events.

According to Alexander Zubarev's assessment, last year the industry of the region as a whole showed good results. The growth to the level of 2015 was 103.3 percent. Positive rates have been maintained in January as well. It is quite possible to expect growth of more than 104 per cent compared to the same period of 2016. The manufacturing and processing industries are developing successfully.

- The year started steadily at MGOK. This is facilitated by the launch of the third firing machine, which is scheduled to reach its design capacity in 2017. Demand for pellets is and continues to grow. Sugar factories are working, and until February they will be busy producing sugar, - said the First Deputy Governor.

The jubilee is also making a contribution. Alexander Zubarev drew attention to the fact that in the 90s, the most difficult situation was first of all those enterprises that worked in conditions of cooperative supplies. Such enterprises were KZTZ and APZ-20. The demand for their products was dropping, neighbors and cooperation partners were reducing production volumes, curtailing their activities, which had an extremely negative impact on the financial situation of Kursk machine builders. KZTZ did not survive in this critical situation, while AZZ-20 survived. And not only in the form of a well-known brand.

I believe that the plant has good prospects for preservation and further development. At least 2015 and 2016 the plant finished with a 15 percent growth. Today its staff is engaged in diversification of production and development of new units. It is the merit of the managers of the plant that they have preserved production capacities, process chains, and specialists," Alexander Zubarev noted.

Sergey Kolesnikov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Kursk Bearing Company Group, is also confident in the future.

- We are mastering new types of products that we have never dealt with before. We ship our products to Kazakhstan and Belarus in addition to Russian plants engaged in automotive and agricultural engineering. We produce our own products for 25 million rubles a month," said Sergei Kolesnikov.

Georgy F. Lutotsky, a veteran of the AFP-20, is sure that the plant has every chance to increase its production if investors start investing in the machine-building industry, which is the main consumer of bearings. And, one should suppose, the veteran's hopes are not groundless. So are the managers' plans. The saved capacities of the plant, its technical and intellectual potential allow to accept orders for non-standard sizes of bearings, to manufacture and put into production new sizes, thus to expand assortment that is actual in the conditions of market economy. Increasing assortment while maintaining all quality standards is one of the tasks that the jubilee team has set itself.