— Alexey, your design bureau develops various technical devices. For example, your site contains information about a courier robot, an autoinjector project, including where you develop electrical circuits and printed circuit boards. Some orders for device design come to you from abroad. What has changed in your work with the implementation of the sanctions?
– On the one hand, there were some experiences and concerns in the early days. However, we are a private company and we have had international projects with customers from Germany and Austria, among other things. These are orders for the development of certain types of devices for the design of new electronic devices. The general spectrum there is quite broad. Let’s say the same SalatOmat project [аппарат, который готовит блюда «правильного» питания за 30-60 секунд. — Прим. ред.] It was originally made for a foreign customer from Germany. We also design automotive electronics units and new devices for virtual and augmented reality.
Are the orders gone?
— We were able to maintain a good relationship and continue to work together.
— Have new orders come from Russia?
– Yes, after all, many ties with foreign engineering companies were broken, and we began to approach with the task of designing various types of devices – from equipment cases to mechanisms for the manufacture of shoes.
We realized that we could not do worse in terms of quality, time and price. Moreover, in terms of time, we can ensure that the customer receives this product in seven days, not seven months. Also, our product will cost 20% less than interest, provided it is still profitable for us.
Also, orders for electronics began to come to us, for example, to manufacture a sensor. On the assumption that it allows it to be slightly heavier, larger, less accurate than its foreign counterpart. But there is such a sensor that it can be produced in 2-3 weeks compared to a few months.
– You had a division in the USA, how are things going there?
Long closed, two years. It wasn’t exactly a profitable venture. We decided to focus on our market and develop it. This was due to the difficulties of doing business in another country – we have a day, they have a night. Also, we decided to develop gradually and not to capture all the markets at once.
– In your opinion, what is the current state of Russian instrumentation?
— It seems to me that in a situation historically we cannot always say that we are satisfied with it. But we clearly understand the directions in which we need to act and evolve in order to be successful and competitive in the market.
All the necessary grounds and grounds have now been created to move in the right direction. It seems to me that we have not yet had such a chance for the maximum development of Russian instrumentation, as we have now. It is up to us to make the most of this opportunity.
– What do you think are the weakest points of our instrumentation?
– This is, first of all, elemental base, microelectronics. These are the technologies that emerged and developed in the world in the late 80’s and 90’s. Unfortunately, such a development does not exist in our country. IT should become, in my understanding, the point of almost maximum application of forces in terms of import substitution.
— How did the sanctions affect robotics?
– Here the problem arose on the basis of a certain element: machine vision systems, processors, lidars, screens, etc. Such products were supplied from European and American markets. A significant part of motors, steppers and drivers are produced in China.
Now the situation motivates us to make our own stereo cameras, machine vision systems, which will be implemented with maximum use in the native configuration. The same goes for different types of sensors, processors and other things.
How many years could such an import substitution take?
– From the point of view of traders, the maturity will be maximum up to 5-7 years. It’s easier with lidars because they make their own lasers in the Russian Federation, we are quite strong in this area. I think such a product can be imported in a year and a half.
We’re already pretty good in our own mechanics and hulls. The only thing he needs to specialize now is more precise processing of products to enable import substitution of certain types of equipment. In terms of electronics, we have been making our printed circuit boards for quite some time.
Now, the question of revising the element base is still raised separately. Usually, some blocks are used, purchased in the form of a mechanical bracket as part of the product, and it turns out that it was made in Germany. The same applies to various locks, latches and other things. There are products that no one has thought about import substitution before.
– How long will it take to arrange the production of these parts?
– If we are talking about relatively simple mechanical units, then these are months. If these are some kind of electromechanical unit, then it is already from three to six months to a year. If these are more complex technical units with most of the scientific and technical components, additional time is still required for testing to verify indicators. It may already be two or three years.
– Your company is also into 3D printing, can home and production 3D printers handle the parts shortage?
– Yes, of course. These are our real facts, I do some things myself, for example, I print the details. It’s a common thing, the kid’s scooter broke down, you printed the right part and fixed everything.
– Will you sell on an industrial scale?
– Currently under discussion. Because it is difficult to localize some imported printer components at the same level of engines and drivers. Therefore, while examining such opportunities, we also evaluate the market.
– Will there not be a shortage of materials used for such prints?
— No, most of these materials are either already localized or produced in Russia since the times of the USSR.
– How dependent are we on foreign manufacturers in the field of medical instrumentation?
— In principle, we make such products quite actively, as we are already quite good at solving the problems of producing our own mechanical, packaging and electronic components.
But it is important to take into account that the world did not stand still in the previous 20-30 years, and new types of devices were created, new materials and new technologies were used. For example, dental practices are now equipped with a scanner for a three-dimensional view of the jaw. I believe we can create this whole product quite well in Russia.
But two difficulties may arise – the development of the software necessary for processing such images and materials. Developing software will take a lot of time, and not all of our internal needs are met by domestic enterprises in terms of material usage. This also applies to plastics and some special alloys.
– What are your plans for the near future?
— We are completing the R&D phase [научно-исследовательские и опытно-конструкторские работы. — Прим. ред.] For a certain number of products. It seems that we will either turn to independent production or support the production of these products. We now have a courier robot in the active stage, a robot for automatic harvesting, boxes and shells for various devices for tomography and radiation therapy, and autoinjectors.
We are actively developing our own capabilities for pilot and serial production, because we feel the increase in demand for these services. If we feel an additional need, we will increase the number of our designers and electronics engineers. But for now, we are focusing on improving the efficiency of our internal procedures as much as possible, we are also developing production capacities, for this we purchase some additional types of equipment, including some furnaces, so that we can melt metal and cast.
— You have recently been appointed as the Head of Industrial Equipment Engineering Department at NUST MISIS. What are you currently doing in your new role?
— We are restructuring the self-education process. It used to be 90% theory and 10% technique. We now shift our focus to practice. Ideally, I want practice and theory to be 50/50. To do this, we made some adjustments in the department, we did student workshops, we bought equipment for printers, workbenches, robotics, for example. We also launched a new graduate program “Technological support of innovation”.
— Which experts will you train?
– Some time ago I started to feel very keen that we know how to design and create a device, but when it comes to mass production, then our technicians do not have enough competence.
We want to train talented new specialists at the project manager level to enable cost-effective and technically efficient mass production of new product types. We focus on instrumentation and robotics.
– Will you still open the programs?
— Yes, we are preparing other programs in parallel. We introduce new disciplines related to mechatronics as well as the use of virtual and augmented reality in product design. We are trying to deal with the parts of electronics and programming a little more actively, because we clearly understand that any new product always has a certain disciplinary complex.
— Do you have a department-based laboratory?
– In the last few months, two laboratories have been created in the department from scratch. One deals with 3D printing, the other with rendering and 3D scanning. We are also building a bridge between the department and my design office, Karfidov Lab. This is necessary so that students can operate their prototype devices on equipment not presented in the department.
– How many people do you currently work in the company? Do you feel a shortage of experts?
– About 40 people. These are the design department, the electronics department, the pilot production and the industrial design department. Also a customer service department. For the most part, these are design engineers and technologists. Still, the company currently mainly operates in instrumentation, robotics and medicine. Therefore, we have the appropriate specialists.
The technician shortage is even more severe now than a year ago. Because the number of tasks related to import substitution and localization of production is increasing. From this perspective, the workload is growing very strongly and the demand for personnel in many technical areas is huge.