OJSC Yaroslavl Tire Plant, without exaggeration, is the leader in the country's tire industry. Every year, the company produces about 3 million units of high-quality products for various types of equipment. The company is part of the Cordiant holding structure.
Prerequisites for creating
By the end of the 1920s, the Soviet Union had overcome the stagnation and devastation caused by the revolution and the Civil War. The new economic policy and the course towards industrialization contributed to a qualitatively new development of the country's industry. One of the most important areas was increasing the production of mechanized vehicles: cars, trucks, buses, military equipment.
However, mass production of vehicles is impossible without such a seemingly simple thing as tires. Cameras and tires were not produced in the USSR, and buying from foreign companies for currency was too expensive. In 1928, the government made a fundamental decision to establish its own tire production. And since there were no domestic technologies and equipment, it was decided to connect US partners to the construction of the new enterprise.
The first in the USSR
The city of Yaroslavl was chosen as the site for the construction of an asbestos rubber plant. The development of the Yaroslavl tire plant, the subsequent installation of equipment and commissioning was carried out by the American company Seiberling. According to plans, the enterprise was destined to become the first in the Soviet Union, and the fourth most powerful in the world.
The first batch of tires was received November 6, 1932. In 1933, the tires of the Yaroslavl tire factory began to be made from a revolutionary new material developed by Soviet scientists - synthetic rubber. It was obtained from oil, much cheaper than natural rubber. For labor achievements and the introduction of innovative technologies, the collective of the plant was awarded the Order of Lenin.
War
In World War II, the Yaroslavl Tire Plant increased many times over. In fact, it was the only enterprise where large-scale production of tire products was carried out. YaShZ manufactured cameras and tires for vehicles, aircraft, artillery, and armored vehicles.
To disrupt the operation of a strategically important enterprise, the Wehrmacht aviation launched a massive airstrike on industrial facilities on June 10, turning the plant into ruins. However, in a matter of months, the townspeople restored their main production, and by the end of the war his work was continued.
Post-war development
In 1946, a large-scale reconstruction began at the Yaroslavl Tire Plant. The main goal was to maximize the mechanization of technological processes in order to increase productivity and facilitate the work of workers. After the introduction of direct flow technology, the company began to produce new types of products: breakers, bracelets, protectors.
Factory workers were the first in the USSR to replace the manual docking of cameras with a mechanical one, for which purpose they developed special docking machines. A little later, units were introduced for crimping the edges of the bracelets and pulling the bracelets on the drum. These and other inventions began to be applied at other profile enterprises of the country.
On the cutting edge of progress
The 50s were marked by innovation. Again at YaShZ the first in the Union mastered the production of tubeless tires. They were intended for representative passenger cars “Volga”, ZIM, “Pobeda”. A breakthrough was the development of the production of large-sized tires of increased strength for giant dump trucks, in particular, 25-ton MAZ-525. For ZIL-150 all-terrain vehicles, unique arched tubeless tires designed by P. A. Sharkevich were manufactured.
In the early 50s, the Belarus tractor was launched into the series at the Minsk Tractor Plant, which became the most popular tractor in the vast expanses of the USSR. The administration of the Yaroslavl Tire Plant was instructed to supply cameras and tires to such a large production. The team provided the necessary volume of products. In addition, YaShZ agricultural tires were the first in the country to which the highest quality category was assigned.
Work days
By this time, the number of vehicles and military equipment produced in the Soviet Union had increased significantly. However, there were not many tire manufacturers . The so-called “tire crisis” broke out in the country. Rubber products became a real shortage, a lot of equipment was idle.
In these conditions, the company set a goal to increase productivity. However, it was impossible to achieve drastic changes using old methods. At the plant, they decided to go another way - to improve product quality (to reduce wear), introduce new tire designs and automate technological operations as much as possible. Designers have created new tires of the RS series (with removable treads) and P (radially arranged cord threads).
Since 1969, the Yaroslavl Tire has been producing products for VAZ. Two years later, the work of factory workers was awarded the Order of the October Revolution. In 1981, the company produced a 200 millionth tire.
From plan to market
Unlike many chemistry giants of the Soviet era, YaShZ survived the competition and today is a model of a successful high-tech enterprise. The company produces popular products under the brand name Cordiant. Thanks to an extensive network of dealers, the Yaroslavl tire factory is widely represented in the domestic and foreign markets.
In 2013, management decided to abandon certain areas of activity and focus on the manufacture of tires for automobiles. In this connection, the production of aircraft tires was moved to Barnaul.
Products
Yaroslavl tire factory today produces over 70 models and tire sizes in four directions:
- for off-road vehicles;
- cars;
- light freight;
- trucks.
Cordiant tires of the following series are made for passenger cars and crossovers:
- Snow cross.
- Winter Drive.
- Polar
- Sport.
- Sno-Max.
- Road runner.
- Off-road.
- All-Terrain.
For trucks, tires of the following series are produced:
Reviews
Yaroslavl Tire Plant, according to consumers, produces quite high-quality products that can compete with foreign brands. Modern technologies used in production allow keeping up with world market leaders. We must not forget that Yaroslavl tires are optimized for Russian roads. They retain their performance in various climatic zones, whether it be the Kuban or Siberia. Of course, an important component is the affordable price of products and a wide range of products.
Among the advantages of products, drivers note wear resistance, good grip on wet pavement, lack of aquaplaning, cornering stability, low noise, affordable cost. Among the drawbacks is a noticeable deterioration in grip during tire wear. In general, brand loyalty is high.