The Ministry of Industry and Trade did not agree to ease the import substitution of electronics

According to Kommersant, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, despite requests from electronics manufacturers, did not soften the point system for determining the domesticity of computer technology. Because of this, in 2024, some electronics may be excluded from the ministry’s register. Manufacturers, experts believe, will have to resort to tricks in order to score a sufficient number of points and maintain preferences in the government procurement market.

Russian electronics manufacturers failed to reach an agreement with the Ministry of Industry and Trade on freezing requirements for the use of Russian printed circuit boards – these requirements will come into force next year as part of government decree 719 (regulates the point system in various industries, including radio electronics, and involves annual tightening of requirements by localization). A top manager of a large Russian computer hardware vendor told Kommersant about this and was confirmed by an interlocutor in the market of printed circuit board manufacturers.

One of Kommersant’s sources clarified that the last meetings on the issue were held in the Ministry of Digital Development and the Ministry of Industry and Trade in November-December: “A number of manufacturers were made to understand: since they agreed on the point system in its current form, they should adhere to it.” Kommersant’s interlocutor, familiar with the discussion, added that the Ministry of Industry and Trade intends to stimulate the launch of new production of printed circuit boards for the civilian segment in 2024.

The ministry explained to Kommersant that it “constantly monitors the achieved technological level,” adding that “the point system was designed taking into account the industry’s plans to develop the production of all components and is an incentive for Russian manufacturers to increase the level of localization.” The largest manufacturers did not answer Kommersant.

Manufacturers and regulators are discussing the possibility of easing the requirements of the decree at least from September – otherwise companies will lose preferences in government procurement. In November, electronics manufacturers also proposed to the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Digital Development to freeze the minimum threshold of points for recognizing SSD drives as domestic at the 2023 level (see Kommersant on September 4 and November 7).

Kommersant’s source in one of the manufacturers believes that without relaxing the rules in 2024, “a noticeable amount of equipment” will fall out of the register, but the equipment that will still remain “will in fact not be Russian.” “The scheme is simple: an electronics vendor goes to pilot production, buys 100 units of the required boards, installs them in its equipment and enters it into the register as Russian,” says Kommersant’s interlocutor. “Once on the register, the manufacturer buys cheap Chinese components. Regulators and supervisory authorities are unable to really monitor the situation and identify all such cases.”

However, there are supporters of the new rules. Thus, the general director of Beshtau (produces mice, monitors, keyboards, etc.) Oleg Osipov assured that the company is ready to fulfill the requirements: “Starting next year we will launch a line for the production of printed circuit boards for our own needs.” Yadro also intends to create its own production of printed circuit boards. According to Kommersant’s interlocutors close to the company, production was supposed to begin this year at the plant in Dubna, but was postponed to the spring of 2024.

The shortage of printed circuit boards, both in technological and quantitative terms, is not a reason to refuse to comply with Resolution No. 719, Fplus Holding is confident. The point system was aimed at stimulating the use of Russian processors, but in fact they are not enough for all market participants, the holding admits. Therefore, they believe, it is necessary, “without changing the course towards deepening localization and without reducing the number of points, change their ratio – reduce for the processor, but increase for the use of the Russian component base, which affects the manufacturability of devices.”

Nikita Korolev