Vitebsk Radio Components Plant "Monolit" – on the Republican Board of Honor
On April 24, Alexander Lukashenko signed Decree No. 174 on inscribing the winners of the competition on the Republican Board of Honor. For the best performance in socio-economic development for 2023, 11 administrative-territorial units and 53 organizations have been recognized. Among the leaders is the only manufacturer of multilayer ceramic capacitors in the country, OJSC "VZR D "Monolit". By the way, this is not the first victory – three years ago, the Vitebsk radio components plant was also inscribed on the Republican Board of Honor. Irina Azarchenko, a workshop supervisor for measurement and rejection at the enterprise, expresses the general opinion:
— Our enterprise is unique for Belarus. Years of uncertainty and doubt have passed, and now we are moving forward at a rapid pace, production is developing, and our products are in demand both in our home country and abroad. The awareness of the significance and support from the state is the best incentive for us, the plant workers.
…A huge, bright workshop, divided into numerous separate sections, is a complex production mechanism that allows for competitive products. Today, Monolit's multilayer ceramic capacitors are used in a wide variety of industries. This includes the production of radio equipment, kitchen appliances, televisions, computers, telephones, in mechanical engineering, and even for the aviation, space, and nuclear industries. The growth rates of production volumes are truly impressive. The plant director, Alexander Shumakher, says:
— If at the beginning of last year we produced about 2.5 million capacitors per month, then by the end of the year – almost 4 million. Demand dictates supply. Our products are actively used by Belarusian enterprises. There are constant shipments to large factories in Minsk, Vitebsk, Brest, Gomel, Mogilev, and other cities… We export about 90 percent of our supplies – to Russia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan. This year, the geography has expanded due to Azerbaijan.
During the USSR, "Monolit" was a plant of all-Union importance. Currently, in addition to it, two more similar enterprises operate in the CIS, located in St. Petersburg. Therefore, it is not surprising that all of "Monolit's" products have the status of import substitution.
The assortment includes ten basic models of capacitors. They form the basis for a wide range of products in various designs.
— This is the initial operations section, — Alexander Schumacher introduces the production. — Here we metallize ceramic plates for future capacitors. The production is sterile — all parameters are under round-the-clock control: temperature, humidity, dust content. And the new technological equipment you see represents new opportunities. If earlier we could use film 30 microns thick, now, thanks to production modernization, it is twice as thin.
For a layman, it is explained: the smaller the capacitor and the greater its capacitance, the better. Therefore, constant renewal of the enterprise is a mandatory requirement for maintaining competitiveness in the global market.
Sixth-grade metallizer Marina Gornak understands this: she has been working at the enterprise for over 30 years. She is one of the most experienced employees, as there is no higher grade. A versatile specialist, she has learned all operations. She is sincerely happy about the news of another victory of her native plant in a republican competition. Marina Alexandrovna shares her thoughts:
— Like all my colleagues, I listened attentively to the President's speech at the All-Belarusian People's Assembly. I really liked his words that Belarusians are a strong nation. And to maintain this status, we need to become even stronger. This can only be done through the development of industry, because a strong economy has always been and remains paramount.
Marina Gornak is confident that the future of the plant depends on every worker of "Monolit" today, and the fate of the country depends on every enterprise:
— Great achievements are definitely born from small victories. We survived the difficult 90s, the collapse of the USSR. The rupture of economic ties, uncertainty... We thought our plant would never be revived, but everything passed. And today, about 600 people successfully work at the enterprise, we produce in-demand products, we are updating and improving. The news about another inscription on the Republican Honor Board is confirmation of this.
Other workers of the section join the conversation. The main conclusion: given the difficult situation in the world, Belarusians should appreciate, protect, and multiply what they have. Therefore, the adoption of the Concept of National Security and the Military Doctrine at the All-Belarusian People's Assembly, in their unanimous opinion, is a very important step towards further maintaining peace and strengthening the security of our country.
Work at "Monolit" is in full swing... Both literally and figuratively. For example, on the firing section, special furnaces can heat up to 1300 degrees! Then comes the silvering operation, where the outer electrode is applied to the capacitor. Lead process engineer Mikhail Yatsuta closely monitors the equipment operation — during subsequent connection to the circuit, the small capacitors must reliably accumulate and transmit energy. This will be meticulously checked by specialists in the measurement section.
Amazing: the smallest capacitors from "Monolit" resemble grains of sand. Their size is from 1.6 by 0.8 millimeters! But they are capable of powering the most complex and large mechanisms.
Next year, the Vitebsk Radio Components Plant "Monolit" will celebrate its 70th anniversary. And it will meet its юбилей with dignity and new strategic plans. The consistently progressive development dynamics of the enterprise are important - year after year, "Monolit" employees strengthen their position in the market. The plant workers are also working with a significant lead in 2024. They have already produced products worth more than 20 million rubles - significantly more than in the same period last year. So the history of victories continues.
FIGURES
Last year, the growth rate of production volumes at OJSC "VRZD "Monolit" was almost 150 percent, goods worth more than 20 million dollars were exported, and revenue from sales increased by 48 percent. Despite all this, it was possible to reduce production and sales costs. Labor productivity growth rates exceeded 109 percent. Investments in fixed production assets (these are exclusively the plant's own funds) amounted to more than 2.5 million rubles, which is almost 4.5 times more than the previous year.