Miory Regional Executive Committee
The growth rate of production volumes compared to 2023 is about 140 percent. Over five months, exports grew by 20 percent, and wages by almost a third. The Vitebsk-based JSC "Vityaz" consistently demonstrates positive growth in these economic indicators year after year. And to a large extent, new innovative developments are driving progress, which we had the opportunity to review during our visit to the plant.
From schedules to landmarks
The Design Bureau of Non-standard Solutions, a subdivision of "Vityaz", knows how to surprise. Thousands of guests and participants of the international arts forum "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" will soon be able to personally verify this. Equipment has already been installed at the public transport stop closest to the Summer Amphitheatre, and the commissioning of a complex information system is underway.
— This will be the first smart stop in the Vitebsk region, — explains the General Director of the JSC, Gennady Azarov. — Our designers developed the idea together with specialists from Beltelecom. I hope the result will please both Vitebsk residents and the city's guests. And in the future — residents of other cities in the country.
Gennady Azarov.
What services will this unusual IT facility offer to users? First, the screen will display in real time a diagram of public transport routes — schedules, times, and routes. Second, the "My City" application will indicate the location of all city landmarks and possible ways to get there. Third, visitors will be able to watch promotional videos about Belarus as a whole and Vitebsk in particular. Additionally, the stop will be able to charge mobile phones. As developers note, the universal software capability system of the smart stop is designed such that this functionality can be updated and expanded as needed.
Capital put to work
Television sets still account for approximately 75 percent of "Vityaz"'s production structure. How to maintain a position in the market? Gennady Azarov cites a figure: in 2023, the plant produced 946 thousand television sets. This is an absolute record throughout its entire history. Almost 95 percent of the products were exported.
— Currently, our assortment already exceeds 150 product lines manufactured under various brands, — the director provides an update. — Consumer preferences are evolving, and we strive to keep pace, staying ahead of the curve and anticipating demand. A few years ago, the most popular models were compact televisions with 32-inch screens. Today, 43–50-inch models are leading the market, and we have significantly expanded their production. This includes OLED-screen models, where the ultra-thin panel measures just 4 millimeters in thickness.
Indeed, five years ago, the prospect of manufacturing 85–90-inch screens was merely a dream for the plant staff. Today, however, it has become standard practice. Notably, these large displays are purchased not only by businesses and institutions for presentation purposes, but also by private consumers looking to furnish spacious homes and apartments.
From kitchen sets to presentation displays — Vityaz manufactures televisions across a wide range of models.
Regardless of screen dimensions, the industry trend remains consistent: televisions must deliver comprehensive functionality, including internet connectivity, smart TV systems, and application-based platforms with intuitive interfaces. In essence, they combine three devices in one — a television receiver, a computer, and a smartphone.
To meet consumer expectations and maintain competitiveness in the global market, JSC Vityaz is implementing a comprehensive production modernization program. Its next crucial phase is planned for the coming years and will require substantial investment.
— The project is already under development, the General Director reports. — It will establish a new, state-of-the-art television manufacturing facility based on advanced software-information complexes and cutting-edge technologies. Several workshops and highly efficient production lines will be integrated into a streamlined operational framework featuring optimized workflows, logistics, quality control, and warehousing capabilities. We plan to realize this initiative with foreign capital investment. While it will entail significant expenditures, it will lay a solid foundation for the plant's long-term stability, expand the geographic reach of our supply chains, and create new jobs.
In support of medical personnel and rescue teams
Currently, JSC "Vityaz" is actively working for the country's healthcare sector. The production line features several dozen models of equipment and their variations for healthcare facilities. Chief designer of engineering and industrial complexes Leonid Karpov presents a new product whose clinical trials were completed in May. The equipment has undergone registration procedures, and the tandem consisting of a disinfectant unit and a medical waste destructor is now being put into mass production. The specialist explains:
— Previously, hospitals and polyclinics accumulated waste from used jars, syringes, ampoules, and intravenous infusion systems. They would then hand them over to commercial companies for disposal or purchase expensive containers for this purpose themselves. It is costly and inconvenient... Our complex makes it possible to reduce expenses, simplify the procedure, and ensure 100% ecological protection.
Igor Aleksandrovich demonstrates the operation of the equipment, which has already been highly appreciated by the staff of the Vitebsk City Emergency Medical Hospital during testing.
All waste is loaded into a special 100-liter box of the disinfectant unit in bags. At a temperature of 134 degrees Celsius under atmospheric pressure, they undergo a half-hour treatment, after which they are transferred to the destructor and ground. The output is a carefully packaged, harmless fine fraction that can be disposed of using standard methods at municipal landfills.
Incidentally, following experimental testing, the BSMP decided to purchase this equipment — daily medical staff performed 5–6 loads into the disinfectant and appreciated its convenience of use.
In the same workshop of the plant, we are shown new sterilizers for the healthcare, veterinary, and pharmaceutical industries, as well as a mobile irradiator.
— Remember the wall-mounted ultraviolet emitters installed in wards and other areas of medical facilities? Now there is an opportunity to do away with stationary equipment — our mobile unit can easily be moved to the required location at the required time — explains Leonid Evgenyevich. It can be used not only in medical institutions but also in kindergartens, schools, and food preenterprises… Everywhere there is a need for thorough disinfection of premises.
These developments are far from being the only ones. Annually, JSC "Vityaz" introduces into production new products demanded in various sectors of the national economy of both Belarus and the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Moldova. For example, more than 3.5 thousand units of medical devices were produced in 2023 alone.
Heating equipment for "electric" houses also proved to be highly in demand, the production of which was mastered at "Vityaz" at the end of last year. Several hundred boilers have already been supplied to consumers. Currently, plant employees together with the Ministry of Emergency Situations are conducting research work and preparing for the release of innovative products — compressed-air breathing apparatuses capable of saving people's lives in emergency situations. Their mass production within the framework of an import substitution project will begin in approximately one year.