In Naberezhnye Chelny, personnel policy, R&D, and the special machinery market were discussed

At the production facilities of IKran and “Construction Lifting Machines” (SPM), which are part of the MAST Group of Companies, an off-site meeting of the industry committee “Agricultural and Road Construction Machinery Engineering” of the Business Association of Russian Clusters was held.
Representatives of industrial businesses, government authorities, and the industry expert community took part in the event.

Production Facilities as an Environment for Professional Dialogue

The business program was organized directly in the IKran production workshop, where participants were presented with equipment based on the KAMAZ K5 generation chassis fitted with the IKran 1966 RS loader crane.
This format made it possible to discuss industry development not in theory, but in the context of a real operating production environment, where every statement could be correlated with actual technological processes and product quality requirements.
Special attention was paid to cooperation within the MAST Group of Companies, where a full-cycle product creation process is implemented — from chassis modification to loader crane installation, testing, and delivery of the equipment to the customer.

Human Resources Policy: Demand for Practical Experience
During the discussion of workforce development issues, participants noted that the current system of managerial training does not fully take into account the specifics of industry, where practical experience is of key importance.
As a solution, a model involving industrial internships for state and municipal employees with immersion into real enterprise processes was proposed. Business representatives, including IKran, confirmed their readiness to participate in such initiatives and provide their facilities for practical training.

The Loader Crane Market and the Problem of “Black Assemblers”

One of the most practical discussion topics was the situation in the special equipment market, including the loader crane segment.
Participants noted that a stable segment of illegal assembly operations has emerged in the market, where equipment is installed on serial chassis without proper engineering development and confirmed manufacturing standards. According to experts, such equipment poses direct operational risks, since miscalculations of loads and the use of uncertified components may lead to hydraulic failures, structural destruction, and threats to personnel safety.
Against this background, the importance of industrial manufacturing was emphasized separately, where each unit of equipment undergoes a full cycle of design, calculations, and factory testing. At IKran, these processes are integrated into a unified system that includes quality control at all stages of production, as well as subsequent service support and the supply of genuine spare parts through the official network.

R&D: The Need for Systemic Solutions

The issue of financing research and development work became the third key topic of discussion.
Participants drew attention to the existing gap between customers’ demand for new technical solutions and the lack of established financing mechanisms. Under current conditions, this limits the development of new products and slows down the technological modernization of the industry, including the loader crane segment.

IKran as an Example of Local Loader Crane Manufacturing Development

As part of the event, participants were introduced to the IKran production facility in Naberezhnye Chelny, where the loader crane direction is being actively developed.
The company assembles and integrates loader cranes onto various chassis types, conducts equipment testing, and develops its own engineering competencies while providing service support for the equipment throughout its entire life cycle.

The IKran production facility is located at: Republic of Tatarstan, Naberezhnye Chelny, Industrialny Proezd, 33.

Results

The meeting confirmed that the key factors for sustainable industry development remain production quality, the availability of an engineering base, and a well-established system of interaction between business, government, and educational institutions.

In this case, the IKran facility served not only as the venue for the event, but also as an example of a production approach in which the development, manufacturing, and servicing of loader cranes are integrated into a unified system focused on market requirements and end-customer needs.