Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov took part in the XII Forum of Machine Builders of Kazakhstan and got acquainted with the achievements of industry leaders at the VI International Specialised Exhibition on Machine Building and Metalworking.

At the opening of the forum the Prime Minister read out a welcoming speech on behalf of the Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Special attention was paid to the role of mechanical engineering in sustainable economic growth of the country.

"The share of the machine-building sector in Kazakhstan's manufacturing industry has increased from 13 to 19 per cent over the past five years. Last year the volume of production reached 4.6 trillion tenge. New types of products were introduced, exports of goods increased significantly. New companies producing agricultural machinery, buses, cars and lorries have entered the country's market. This year, high-tech enterprises of the world's largest companies will be launched in Kazakhstan. All this is the result of systematic government measures to support domestic production. For further development of the machine-building industry, it is necessary to increase the share of local production and mass introduction of advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence. In addition, it is important to create comfortable and safe working conditions for employees, pay due attention to the training of qualified specialists and their professional development. In conditions of economic volatility, new opportunities are opening up for the development of promising industries and areas. I am confident that the country's machine-building industry will be able to fully realise its potential to give a new impetus to the prosperity of our entire economy," the address says.

According to the results of 2024, the volume of production in the machine-building industry increased by 10%. In the first quarter of this year, this indicator exceeded 17%, which confirms the high potential of the sector and the effectiveness of the measures taken.

The plenary session discussed measures to support machine-building enterprises, deepening of localisation, development of new technological processes, as well as the prospects of international cooperation in the machine-building industry.

Olzhas Bektenov emphasised that the Government pays special attention to the introduction of modern technologies. One of the priorities is the development of domestic competences: for this purpose the Road Map for the development of robotics is being implemented. Incentives, including tax deductions, similar to R&D, are also being considered.

A number of topical issues were raised by the participants of the plenary session. General Director of Karlskrona LC AB Talgat Alpysbaev noted the main aspects requiring changes in the industry such as access to domestic raw materials and long-term financing. Proposals to revise the mechanisms of raw materials distribution with a priority on domestic processing and expansion of preferential lending opportunities for enterprises implementing modern and technological projects were voiced.

General Manager of Hyundai Motor Company Ahn Junmo spoke about the company's plans for further development of localisation in Kazakhstan.

Zhou Haiming, Vice President of the Mechanical Engineering Committee of the China Committee for the Promotion of International Trade, shared the plans of Chinese companies to invest in the creation of joint ventures to produce high-tech engineering products with localisation of key components.

The Minister of Industry and Construction Yersaiyn Nagaspayev, Chairman of the Board of the Union of Machine Builders of Kazakhstan Meiram Przembayev, Senior Vice President of KUKA AG Dmitry Kapishnikov also made comments during the plenary session of the forum.