Miracles of import substitution: our machines, cars, robots

Technological sovereignty is the most important factor of national security, which consists in the fact that our state is able to solve its key tasks based on its own technological solutions. This aspect is extremely important – both from the point of view of the need to resolve defense and security issues, and, for example, in terms of developing the national economy or, say, modernizing one’s own infrastructure.

If everyone agrees with the importance of ensuring technological sovereignty in the field of national security issues, then when we raise these problems in the so-called civilian spheres, then, frankly speaking, a strange discussion begins. We constantly hear conversations about how “there is no need to dictate to the market”, “if Western is cheaper, then we should buy Western”, “business knows better”, etc. All this talk is from the evil one, and the approach here should be exactly the same as in the fields of defense, security and military-industrial complex: we must solve all our technological problems on the basis of our own developments, on our own domestic equipment, with the help of our specialists.

For example, the same recent crisis in the market for poultry meat and chicken eggs on the eve of the New Year also has its origin mainly in the sphere of technological sovereignty. Our producers are in fact unable to quickly increase production of almost any agricultural product due to the dependence of the agro-industrial complex on the import of necessary materials and equipment. If we are talking about poultry farming, then there is a dependence in at least three directions: 1) crosses of birds (roughly speaking, “young animals” of the corresponding breeds); 2) veterinary pharmaceuticals; 3) technological equipment, in fact, for the production itself. So far, alas, there is no 100% solution based on technological sovereignty in any of the identified areas. I am sure that work is being done on all fronts, but the emergence of the recent crisis in the food market suggests that problems nevertheless remain.

And here we remember the topic in the title of this article. The fact is that mechanical engineering, that is, the production of machines and mechanisms, engineering equipment and any other technical systems and devices, is becoming a basic element of any area of ​​technological development, from intensive agro-industrial complex to the work of supercomputers and space exploration. Mechanical engineering includes dozens and hundreds of areas that are not limited to, say, cars, machine tools or robots. Mechanical engineering is everything where there is, roughly speaking, working hardware. And here we can say with confidence that today there is no activity or industry where there is no technological equipment. Machines and mechanisms surround us everywhere, and their work is also a factor of national security.

By and large, mechanical engineering is the pinnacle of industrial development. The production of means of production is a twisted spiral that allows not only to create material wealth, but also to develop the world around us. The increasing complexity of technical systems is the most important factor in scientific and technological progress, searching and finding solutions to problems in a variety of areas. Complexity is generally an extremely important characteristic in the development of civilization. Simplification in life and production often leads to degradation, and ways of finding solutions to problems of extreme complexity form the basis for the emergence of great states and civilizations.

The Soviet Union was an advanced technological power. In many areas of scientific and industrial development, we were in the lead – and we still use many technological advances. Unfortunately, the last thirty-plus years have led to a loss of achievements and breakthroughs in many technological areas. We will have to restore entire branches of mechanical engineering or even create them anew.

For example, we can already say with complete confidence that support for the domestic aircraft industry is beginning to produce results. Domestic civil aviation is replenished with Russian aircraft, and this is already a factor in the manifestation of technological sovereignty. Starting from the new year, 2024, deputies of the State Duma, as well as officials of a number of regions and departments, are served by vehicle fleets based on domestic passenger cars. Some will say that these are just beautiful gestures, but I will answer that these are measures to create a stable domestic market.

Why did Western analogues often win price competition on the Russian market over domestic machinery and equipment? Leaving aside the often deliberate intent, the answer lies in the size and scale of the market. If a large foreign manufacturer has many orders in different regions of the world, then it is quite capable of “playing” with price indicators and can enter it with attractive price offers, discounts and bonuses to conquer one or another promising market. In this situation, the Russian manufacturer, which a priori had fewer orders, inevitably found itself in a disadvantageous situation and, as a rule, lost the price war.

You can talk about conspiracy theories as much as you like, but at the moment we have a situation where our own markets are controlled by foreign manufacturers of tens and hundreds of items in the range of machines, mechanisms and technological equipment. This applies not only to foreign cars on our roads, Boeings and Airbuses on our airlines, imported computers, printers, copiers, etc. The market for technological equipment, for example, in the coal mining industry alone, amounts to hundreds of billions of rubles, which are allocated annually as as a rule, alas, not for domestic machine-building enterprises.

Why is dependence on foreign mechanical engineering dangerous and why is it important to have our own developed mechanical engineering production?

Firstly, a foreign manufacturer can simply “turn everything off”. This sounds somewhat naive and even far-fetched, since not all equipment is controlled from there, but nevertheless there is some truth in this fear. Any machinery and equipment requires maintenance, updating, repair and service, as well as spare parts, replacement of components, etc. With the majority of foreign corporations leaving the Russian market, interaction with manufacturing companies becomes problematic. Of course, these problems are being solved one way or another, but the longer we are in the mode of severing relations with suppliers from unfriendly countries, the more obvious the need to replace them with domestically produced products becomes.

And here we remember the second factor: cars, mechanisms, equipment purchased in the so-called West for Russian money for the Russian consumer are hundreds of billions and even trillions of rubles not invested in the domestic economy. In fact, without creating technological equipment for industries and spheres of the national economy and life, we have been killing our own economy and strengthening the economies of competitors for decades.

The third most important factor: mechanical engineering synergistically contributes to the development of education (in a variety of fields), promotes the development of small and medium-sized (including innovative) businesses, creates a creative environment in the regions, creates the basis for the development of a wide variety of cities and territories, which ensures the strategic development of the entire countries. In fact, the engineering industries, with all new technological structures, are the core of industrial and economic development. Of course, you won’t be satisfied with hardware alone, and no one belittles the value of other, especially technological, industries, but without hardware any movement is impossible, and economic development is extremely vulnerable.

Fortunately, all is not lost. The potential for the development of mechanical engineering in our country is enormous. At the same time, right now, enormous importance is being given to training personnel in technical areas and specialties.

These measures, of course, need to be supported at the level of strategic government planning. Manufacturers of technological equipment must understand what machines, devices and mechanisms the market will need in the foreseeable future. At the same time, it is extremely important that the engineering industries move away from piece orders and move on to complex orders, collected, say, across the entire industry or macro-region. It is in this part that the digital “Gosplan 2.0” implemented at a high technological level can help our domestic producers.

It is important that support for domestic mechanical engineering moves from the level of state orders (which, of course, is extremely important, especially in the military-industrial complex) to the level of the national task of ensuring technological sovereignty. In any case, we must give priority to products of domestic engineering production – regardless of the customer’s form of ownership. Private business is also obliged to support domestic production, and all talk about how “business will decide everything itself” and “the market will put everything in its place” must be left in the past. If you do not support your economy with your order, then you are supporting an enemy or a competitor – there cannot be any other formulas in the conditions of an actual sanctions and hybrid war against our country.

Russia has every reason to become a leading technological power. We have leading positions not only in the military-industrial complex, but also in many civil sectors, from digitalization to urban transport. We also have significant resources for further victories and achievements. It is important to combine issues of economic development and national security. The revival of domestic mechanical engineering is the most important task. Why not implement this approach when solving it?