The domestic machinery manufacturing industry is reaching a new level. Over the past ten years, production volume has grown from 670 billion to a record 5.7 trillion tenge—an 8.5-fold increase. Today, the sector accounts for about 20% of the country’s entire manufacturing industry and is gradually strengthening Kazakhstan’s position in the global market by increasing exports and transitioning to more technologically advanced production.

Currently, more than 5,000 enterprises, grouped into 37 subsectors, operate in the machine-building sector in our country. In this sector of the economy, the product range is actively expanding and industrial cooperation is strengthening. In the automotive industry alone, recent years have seen a trend toward shifting from large-component assembly to small-component assembly, as well as toward the localization of component production, which significantly increases domestic value added.

Talgat Bazarbekov, Director of the Executive Directorate of the Association of Kazakhstan Machinery Industry (a private legal entity):

- Many people have the impression that machine building is limited to automobile production, but it is a large, comprehensive industry that includes railway engineering, electrical engineering, oil and gas, and other sectors. It is one of the sectors that attracts investment. While production volume stood at 670 billion tenge in 2015, by 2025—10 years later—it had already reached 5.7 trillion tenge.

Despite the increase in productivity, systemic constraints remain. Kazakhstan still lags significantly behind in terms of automation: there are about 9 industrial robots per 10,000 workers, compared to the global average of 162. At the same time, imports of machinery and equipment account for 44% of the country’s total imports—approximately $25.5 billion—which indicates significant potential for import substitution.

Toreadil Abdrakhmanov, Head of the Electrical Engineering and Heavy Machinery Division of the Industry Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Republic of Kazakhstan:

- The government has already launched a program to increase the share of Kazakhstani content in regulated procurement by large enterprises and subsoil users over the next three years, with an emphasis on localization and support for SMEs. This will enable domestic machine-building enterprises to enter into off-take contracts and long-term agreements with large enterprises, thereby increasing their localization rates and production capacity utilization. As of January 1, 2026, the Register of Kazakhstani Manufacturers with automatic verification became operational, replacing industrial certificates and ST-KZ certificates.

Stable demand remains one of the key factors driving the industry’s development. Companies need long-term orders and clear rules of the game. 

Companies need long-term orders and clear rules of the game. Today, off-take contracts, preferential financing, and modernization programs are of particular importance. At the same time, the industry is facing a labor shortage: there is a lack of engineers, CNC operators, and skilled workers—without whom further growth is impossible.

Talgat Bazarbekov, Director of the Executive Directorate of the Association of Kazakhstan Machinery Industry:

- It is important for companies to enter into off-take contracts. These are orders for new products—which have not yet been manufactured—at a fixed price for a long period. If a company enters into such contracts, it knows that it is guaranteed orders at a specific price for a specific long-term period. They can purchase equipment knowing that they have a guaranteed order and guaranteed sales.

The industry’s export potential has already been proven in practice. Kazakhstan supplies railway products, oil and gas equipment, and electrical equipment to countries in Central Asia, Azerbaijan, and Vietnam. New projects are also strengthening the industry’s position: for example, the launch of household appliance production facilities with a capacity of up to 750,000 units per year and the creation of more than 1,200 jobs are opening up additional opportunities to enter foreign markets.

Sourse: khabar.kz