On August 29, a meeting with more than 20 representatives of regional machine-building enterprises was held in Aktau at the premises of the Atameken Regional Chamber of Entrepreneurs of the Mangistau region. During the meeting, the activities of the Association were presented and key issues of the industry's development were discussed, including the supply of domestic raw materials and supplies to enterprises, personnel training, the conclusion of long-term off-take contracts, the localization of production, and the prospects for cooperation with large companies and subsoil users.
A working meeting was also held with Yedige Mamash, Deputy Head of the Department of Industry and Industrial-Innovative Development of the Mangistau Region, and Assylbek Dossanov, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Aktau Sea Port Special Economic Zone. Following the negotiations, an agreement was reached to sign a memorandum of cooperation between the Union and the SEZ “Aktau Sea Port,” which currently has 28 enterprises operating on its territory.
The Mangistau region is one of the country's strategic regions, where mechanical engineering plays an important role in supporting the oil and gas sector and industry as a whole.
Today, Kazakhstan's machine-building industry has more than 4,000 operating enterprises, employing over 120,000 specialists. To provide the industry with qualified personnel, a roadmap for training personnel with technical and vocational education has been developed and approved, under which three pilot projects are being implemented in the Akmola, Kostanay, and North Kazakhstan regions.
Particular attention is paid to the implementation of state support measures aimed at increasing the competitiveness of domestic producers. In particular, increasing the Kazakh content in regulated procurement to 60% and expanding the practice of concluding off-take contracts to 10%.
To date, the Association, in active cooperation with state authorities, has implemented a number of significant initiatives: deferral of VAT payments in the new Tax Code, establishment of exemptions from the national regime, provision of raw materials to enterprises, exclusion of the possibility of purchasing non-standardized goods, and development of programs to increase domestic value.
Talgat Bazarbekov, Director of the Association's Executive Directorate, emphasized that such regional meetings allow enterprises to be heard “firsthand” and to jointly develop solutions:
“Our task is to build a systematic dialogue with local enterprises. It is in the regions that the main production capacities are formed, and the Union is ready to be a link between business and the state,” said Talgat Bazarbekov.
Deputy Director of the Association's Executive Directorate Makhambet Mendigaliyev added that the proposals of Mangistau region enterprises will be taken into account in the Association's future work and forwarded to the relevant government agencies.
Following the meetings, an understanding was reached on the need for systematic work to support the region's machine-building enterprises and promote the interests of the industry at the national level.
The Association's immediate plans include organizing and holding the 13th Forum of Machine Builders of Kazakhstan, implementing initiatives within the framework of the working group of the Project Office under the Senate, and continuing work on the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan for the Development of Machine Building for 2024-2028.
It should be noted that the Association has already held similar meetings with enterprises in Almaty, Karaganda, Kostanay, Pavlodar, and other regions.
