In just two months — starting January 1, 2026 — new rules for confirming the status of domestic manufacturers are set to take effect: the so-called Register of Kazakhstani Manufacturers will be introduced.

But businesses in North Kazakhstan insist: the IT system is not ready for this change, and there is a critical lack of clarification from the relevant authorities.

At a working meeting between representatives of the Regional Chamber of Entrepreneurs’ Mechanical Engineering Council and the regional akim’s deputy, Kanat Duzelbayev, representatives of the region’s largest enterprises — ZMO LLP, VF “Poisk,” "PetroMashZavod," and AVAGRO— stated that the upcoming cancellation of industrial certificates and ST-KZ without a transition period would jeopardize the participation of hundreds of manufacturers in government procurement. In their view, this could lead to the shutdown of production facilities and the furloughing of workers without pay.

“It is necessary to extend the validity of the certificates through 2026 and conduct a full test of the registry with the participation of small and medium-sized businesses,” emphasized Elena Balyarikhina, chair of the machinery engineering council of the regional chamber of entrepreneurs.

Manufacturers were particularly outraged by the requirement set forth by the drafters of the new rules to install video cameras on production lines—in the entrepreneurs’ view, this risks violating trade secrets.

Deputy Akim Kanat Duzelbaev agreed with the machine builders’ arguments and promised to raise the issue at the national level.

Meanwhile, the topic sparked a real storm on social media. For example, Yulia Krestyaninova, deputy director of ZMO LLP, stated that the IT system’s lack of readiness is a fact. Actual testing was conducted at only 36 large enterprises; small and medium-sized businesses were left out. And the requirement for video cameras poses a threat to technological secrets.

Her colleague from Poisk VF LLP, Denis Pytiev, added that without a transition period, existing production operations could simply be shut down. Alexandra Rusina, CEO of Region 715 LLP, offered a rational perspective. In her view, the registry could serve as a tool to protect against counterfeit manufacturers. But for now, the industry is in limbo: it is unclear who will be included on the list and when, or how to verify the status of a domestic manufacturer…

“We may simply run out of time and lose contracts that are already in effect,” the CEO expressed her reasonable concerns.

Market participants agree that the introduction of the registry should serve as a tool for developing and supporting domestic manufacturers, not as a factor destabilizing the market. Everyone is waiting for prompt and clear answers from the Ministry of Industry and Construction and Qazindustry to ensure a smooth transition and prevent losses among domestic manufacturers.

Source: kazpravda.kz