Electronics manufacturer GS Group intends to launch production of printed circuit boards up to class 7 accuracy by 2026

According to Kommersant, electronics manufacturer GS Group intends to launch production of printed circuit boards up to class 7 accuracy by 2026 with a capacity of up to 5 million square meters. dm per year. Market participants estimate the cost of the project at €60 million. Currently, about 26 million square meters are being produced in the Russian Federation. dm of printed circuit boards per year, and a number of players are also planning to create new production facilities.

According to a Kommersant source in the electronics market, the Kaliningrad computer equipment manufacturer GS Group expects to launch production of its own printed circuit boards up to class 7 accuracy by 2026 (used in the most advanced electronics). The production capacity will be 5 million square meters. dm per year. An interlocutor close to one of the specialized associations, a source in the software market and a top manager of a large electronics distributor also heard about the company’s plans to launch the production of printed circuit boards. A GS Group representative declined to comment.

“The printed circuit board market in Russia has grown significantly over the past two years,” says the Ministry of Industry and Trade. “The demand for the production and supply of printed circuit boards is expected to increase. By 2025, we expect the production capacity of Russian manufacturers to increase by no less than 25% of current capabilities.” The latest known study on the Russian printed circuit board market was conducted at the end of 2018 by the Association of Electronics Developers and Manufacturers (ARPE). At that time, the market volume was estimated at $282 million. Among the largest manufacturers were Technotech, Rezonit and Elektrokonnekt. Judging by the data from the Printed Circuit Board Consortium, current as of the end of 2023, the current annual output of printed circuit boards in Russia is 26.6 million square meters. dm. By 2025, as the consortium expects, it will grow to 29.2 million square meters. dm by modernizing current and launching new production facilities.

Since the beginning of 2023, a number of Russian electronics manufacturers have announced plans to start producing printed circuit boards both for their own needs and for sale. “GK Yadro” – the company is launching a line of boards at the plant in Dubna, the capacity of which can reach up to 4 million square meters. dm per year. The Rostov electronics manufacturer Beshtau also spoke about the intention to start producing boards. In addition, the auto electronics manufacturer NPP Itelma announced plans to invest up to 2 billion rubles in October. in the production of printed circuit boards up to the 6th accuracy class.

The increased interest of Russian companies in launching printed circuit board production may be caused, among other things, by tightening regulation. Starting from 2024, the point system for determining the level of domesticity of radio electronics (regulated by Government Resolution 719) assumes that electronics that contain Russian printed circuit boards will be recognized as Russian (see “Kommersant” dated September 4, 2023).

Rezonit CEO Andrey Kucheryavyi found it difficult to estimate the cost of launching the production of printed circuit boards by GS Group, but emphasized that in recent years two plants of similar capacity have been built in Russia: “The cost of the Svyaz Engineering plant was estimated at €60 million, and the company’s plant” Rezonit cost approximately $45–50 million.” Kommersant’s interlocutor on the market clarifies that in current conditions, launching and setting up production “takes a long time”: the delivery time for equipment, according to him, reaches up to a year, and installation and production of the technological process is still about six months.

Nikita Korolev