Points are requested to be printed – Newspaper Kommersant No. 54 (7499) dated 03/30/2023

Market participants are asking the government to finalize the scoring system for evaluating the “domesticity” of electronics in terms of printers and other printing devices. Now such equipment is recognized as domestic only if it works on Russian processors, which simply do not exist. Because of this, government customers buy foreign equipment. Officials are working on changing the system, but experts note that even formally, Russian equipment is mainly produced from foreign components through SKD.

Electronics manufacturers, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Digital Transformation are discussing the finalization of the scoring system of “domestic” radio electronics, said the interlocutor of Kommersant in the market and a top manager of one of the vendors. According to them, manufacturers are asking regulators to include requirements for printing equipment – printers and multifunctional devices (MFPs) in the system. In particular, according to Kommersant, representatives of Aquarius and Katyusha IT participate in the meetings.

“Now such equipment, in order to be recognized as domestic, must have a Russian processor, which does not physically exist,” explains one of Kommersant’s sources. He believes that the officials themselves are also interested in the points system: “Departments have KPIs for the purchase of Russian electronics. But now Russian printers and MFPs are not in the register of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and therefore departments are buying foreign equipment. From January 1, 2025, the share of Russian equipment in the infrastructure of state-owned companies should exceed 40%, this is enshrined in the guidelines for the digital transformation strategy of state-owned companies, the Ministry of Digital Transformation specified.

Ministries and manufacturers determine for which operations a point system can be introduced, the Ministry of Digital Development explained. They admit that there are no printers with Russian chips in the Russian Federation, the first batches of such equipment are expected only in 2024. “Upon completion of the formation of the requirements, the draft resolution will be sent for approval to the executive authorities,” the Ministry of Industry and Trade added.

At the end of 2022, the volume of the printing equipment market in the Russian Federation (excluding consumables) decreased by 50%, to $310 million, according to F + tech. “The fall was due to the departure of all the largest vendors. The search and formation of new supply chains, which are under pressure due to the risk of secondary sanctions and are constantly changing, have increased the delivery time and cost of equipment,” said Dmitry Kuptsov, Director of the F+ tech Peripheral Equipment Department.

A top manager of a Russian electronics manufacturer adds that state customers form a large share of demand in the segment: “Departments account for 25% of the market, state-owned companies for 35-40%.” The share of the public sector in the market of printing devices in 2022 was about 55%, although a year earlier it was 45%, Mr. Kuptsov adds.

The point system for determining the “domesticity” of radio electronics is regulated by amendments to the 719th government decree. Manufacturers of equipment that is recognized as domestic and included in the relevant register receive preferences for public procurement under the “second extra” rule and a number of subsidies. The amendments were adopted in the fall of 2022, and their development dragged on for several years. The main discussion was just around whether the technology should be considered domestic if the processor is not Russian (see Kommersant dated September 15, 2022).

Aquarius confirmed that the introduction of a scoring system for MFPs and printers is “actively discussed” and the company supports the idea: “It will be easier for manufacturers to plan investments, calculate return on investment, start new projects. And the Ministry of Industry and Trade will receive a flexible regulatory tool.” Katyusha IT declined to comment.

But the printing equipment produced in the Russian Federation can hardly be called Russian, emphasizes Promobit CEO Maxim Koposov: manufacturers mostly assemble it from ready-made components that they receive from Chinese or Taiwanese companies under ODM contracts.

Nikita Korolev