Vitebsk machine builders have developed the first Belarusian truck-mounted aerial platform made of high-strength steel

January 14, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. Vitebsk machine builders have become the first in Belarus to develop an aerial platform made of high-strength structural steel. An experimental model has been created at the private production and trading unitary enterprise "Vitstroytekmash" and has already found its buyer, the enterprise director Andrey Sidorov told a BELTA correspondent. The technical characteristics of the aerial platform, capable of lifting workers and tools with materials to a height of almost 20 m, are not inferior to foreign counterparts, and thanks to the use of high-strength steels, its metal consumption is 40% lower than that of competitors, while the load-bearing capacity remains the same. The lifting mechanism is controlled by an electro-hydraulic console. The Vitebsk aerial platform is half the price. Based on the experimental model, the enterprise intends to start mass production of aerial platforms with lifting heights of 20 m, 25 m, and 32 m under the "Vipo" trademark in May of the current year. The enterprise's marketing strategy provides for the development of new types of products, the creation of service centers for their maintenance, as well as training and preparation of specialists for working with them. Speaking about the sales potential of the new product, Andrey Sidorov noted that the niche for aerial platforms in the domestic market is still vacant. The main suppliers of aerial platforms to Belarus are Russian and Ukrainian enterprises, as well as Italian and Finnish manufacturers. The development of production of lifting mechanisms will not only replace imported equipment with domestic ones but also allow for export, the head is confident. According to him, the enterprise has already received an offer from Russian partners to open a trading house in Moscow. The enterprise intends to invest over Br4.5 billion in the project implementation and complete it in 2013. The project envisages the creation of one hundred jobs. Tax revenues to the local budget for the period 2010-2013, according to preliminary estimates, will amount to more than Br8.5 billion. The private production and trading unitary enterprise "Vitstroytekmash" was established in 2004. The enterprise specializes in the technical maintenance and repair of all types of aerial platforms and lifts, the manufacture of critical metal structures and components, and the production of construction equipment. According to preliminary data, based on the results of operations in 2009, revenue from product sales amounted to Br2.6 billion, which is 3% more than in 2008; profit from sold products increased by 6% compared to 2008; the profitability of sold products was 16%. -0-