MOSCOW. March 3 (Interfax-AVN) - The Izhevsk Machnine- Building Plant (Izhmash) increased exports four times USD100m in 2002, the Izhmash press service told Interfax-Military News Agency Monday.
"The recent session of the board of the Russian Conventional Weapons Agency appreciated Izhmash as a leader in the industry. It is the second in output among the agency's enterprises (the first is Uralvagonzavod, Nizhny Tagil, Perm region, a major MBT producer - Interfax-AVN). In 2002, the industrial output of Izhmash increased on 2001 by 50 percent to RUB10bn (USD316.5m), the labor efficiency increased during the same period by 42 percent to RUB350,200 (USD11,086) per worker, and the exports volume increased four times to USD100m," the press service said.
The press service also said that these characteristics put Izhmash above the average of the industry. In particular, Conventional Weapons Agency Director General Alexander Nozdrachev said at the session dedicated to summing up for 2002 and planning for 2003 that the growth in output of all the enterprises in the agency was 23 percent, the industrial output increased by 14.1 percent, while the exports output in 2002 became two times as high as in the previous year.
A number of directors of Udmurtia-based industry defense enterprises were awarded Defense Ministry medals. In particular, Vladimir Grodetsky, Izhmash CEO, Nikolai Parfenov, CEO of the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant, and Andrei Zorin, CEO of the Progress research institute, were awarded Defense Ministry jubilee medals for their contribution to the defense of the country, successful fulfillment of the state defense order, and able leadership of their enterprises.