The stories of almost all of Siberia's military-industrial enterprises are somewhat similar. This is not surprising, as the Great Patriotic War provided the impetus for their development. During the war, most of the country's military and technical capabilities were concentrated in the eastern regions. In July-November 1941 alone, 1.5 million wagons carrying factory equipment were sent to Western Siberia, and a total of 322 major factories were relocated there at the beginning of the war. Many of them were unloaded literally on the spot, and some of them set up their facilities on the premises of other enterprises that had been intensively rebuilt since the beginning of the war.

The production association, now called "Sibselmash", by 1941 was considered (by the standards of those years) a powerful industrial enterprise. It began in 1929 as the Sibkombine plant, a manufacturer of agricultural machinery. Since then, the names of the plant have changed several times ("Sibtekstilmash", "Sibmetallstroy", " Kombinat ? 179"), and the product profile also changed. Combine harvesters, lathes, textile machines, spare parts for tractors, and tools are just a few of the products that came out of the factory's workshops. Looking ahead, I can say that this ability to quickly adapt production and switch to completely new products would play a positive role for Sibselmash in the future.

This was especially noticeable during the Great Patriotic War, when evacuated factories from Taganrog, Tula, and other cities arrived at the "Combine No. 179." Despite the significant outflow of people from the factory to the front, the production of ammunition was accelerated. Over the course of four years, approximately fifteen thousand Sibselmash workers joined the military. They were replaced by women and teenagers. The following facts highlight the heroic efforts of the Sibselmash workers in the rear. There is reliable information that every third shell fired at the front from a gun was made at the " Combine ? 179". It was here that the "thousand-man" movement emerged: when workers performed a thousand percent of the plan per shift. Its founder was Pavel Yefimovich Shirshov, an advanced turner.

The labor feats of the Sibselmash workers were complemented by the military feats of those who went to the front from the factory. It was here that the legendary fighter pilot Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin, who was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union three times for his heroic deeds, began his career. From here, ten brave soldiers went to fight the enemy, earning fame at the Nameless Heights as part of the "Eighteen Boys" who inspired the famous song. This is where Guard Senior Lieutenant Viktor Ivanovich Burchak worked, whose battery was attacked by 17 Nazi tanks near Olkhovatka, seven of which he personally destroyed. N. Plakhotny, I. Osinny, A. Benevolensky, and E. Perminov, all employees of Sibselmash, became Heroes of the Soviet Union. Sibselmash was awarded the Order of Lenin and the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st Class. Later, it was also awarded the Order of the October Revolution.

General Director of the Sibselmash Production Association, V.Ya. Kuleshov:

"Today, when we talk about defense enterprises, it is important to know their history. The history of Sibselmash is somewhat typical. However, there is a significant difference. While our factory initially produced only agricultural machinery and later began manufacturing ammunition, other giants of the military-industrial complex, such as the well-known Chkalov Novosibirsk Aviation Plant, produced military aircraft and only later began producing some consumer goods. But the share of these goods did not overshadow the main defense order, which was a priority. In our case, the opposite happened. The main product was agricultural machinery, but its production volume decreased, and defense orders, in our case, ammunition, took precedence. After the war, we did not fully return to civilian production, but significantly reduced its output. This disproportion also occurred in other factories in Western Siberia. In the 1940s, when the country was on a "war footing," the factories continued to produce goods for the military and for the civilian economy. This would prove to be a fatal mistake in the 1990s.

The extent of this disproportion at Sibselmash is illustrated by the following fact: in 1990, 70% of the company's output was dedicated to military production, while only 30% was allocated to civilian sectors. However, the production of agricultural machinery was not merely a "cover" for the industrial giant, which employed approximately 30,000 people. The volume of agricultural machinery production in the USSR was so large that it was only a matter of speculation what the defense orders for Sibselmash were. Here are some examples to illustrate this. For the national economy, the production association produced seed drills, disc harrows, and heavy harrows. Every year, the production of the SZP-3.6 seed drills alone reached 25,000, and they were eagerly purchased by 12 foreign countries, including Canada, which has always been known for its expertise in agricultural machinery.

The Sibselmash trademark stood for high quality

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The quality of the products was widely known. It was also influenced by the fact that the defense and agricultural design bureaus could not exist separately, even though they belonged to different ministries. The interpenetration of technologies benefited the "peaceful" products.

The emergence of modern weapons also required new types of ammunition. Along with the production of "traditional" products, Sibselmash began to produce rocket-propelled shells for multiple-launch rocket systems. Repeated tests confirmed the high quality of the production association. In the late 1980s, Sibselmash entered a period of prosperity. However, the economic crisis struck the factory in 1992, causing a rapid and severe decline.

General Director of the Sibselmash Production Association, V.Ya. Kuleshov:

"I disagree with those who say that everything at Sibselmash collapsed overnight. This is similar to what happened with other defense-related industrial enterprises. However, with large-scale organizations like ours, the consequences were particularly severe due to the involvement of a large number of people. This is my personal opinion.

As early as 1991, the plant's management became concerned about the deteriorating economic situation. As the year came to a close, we had no plan for the following year. Consequently, we lacked the necessary funds. In 1991, we had planned to produce 70% of our military products, but in 1992, this figure dropped to zero. Despite this, we continued to operate on a residual basis. It lasted for about six months, and we even managed to produce 15 percent of our products in finished form. Then we stopped. The situation was exacerbated by Gaidar's pricing policies and the fact that no one needed our agricultural machinery. Well, they did need it, but no one was ordering it because they couldn't afford it. As a result, we faced wage arrears and mass layoffs. This was particularly painful because we were losing our unique specialists. The production association was facing the threat of bankruptcy...

It was a time when the media was euphorically discussing the bright prospects of conversion. Unfortunately, these discussions were not supported by government regulations, a legislative framework, or financial support. The Conversion Act, which would be enacted later, would only serve as a slap in the face and, as the directors of defense industries would later admit, would do absolutely nothing to change the situation on a national scale. However, it cannot be said that the conversion processes were completely ineffective. No, they were progressing. But spontaneously, on its own. Once again, a typical example illustrating this phenomenon is the Sibselmash production association.

How to restructure the work when huge workshops are idle, production is barely keeping afloat, debts for wages, energy resources, and the maintenance of the household sector are astronomical, when there is no foreseeable defense order and most likely the "defense industry" will have to say goodbye to hope for the best? The only solution was to reorganize production and find the only niche in the economic market, to find the economically viable product that only Sibselmash could produce. And the management of the association found such a niche.

General Director of the Sibselmash Production Association, V.Ya. Kuleshov:

"Having narrowly avoided bankruptcy in 1995, in 1997 we decided to reconstruct the production association by distributing its facilities among the following state-owned unitary enterprises: the Machine-Building Plant of the Sibselmash Production Association, the Tool-Making Plant of the Sibselmash Production Association, and the Parus Medical and Health Center, a subsidiary of Sibselmash.

In a painful search, we also found the "main product", the release of which would allow us to conquer the market, Such know-how for us was mining equipment, 80 percent of which was previously produced in Ukraine. Using our state-of-the-art, proven technologies, we began to produce belt conveyors that were in high demand among the miners of Kuzbass, Chelyabinsk, and Vorkuta. Now we are, in fact, monopolists in this area.

Those who are engaged in large-scale production know that the main product of the factory is the most important. Everything else, as they say, is attached to it and "dances" around it. The factory started breathing again, economic growth began, and people started being hired back at the factory. In the past year, 1999, five hundred people were hired at once.

A thorough study of the market has allowed us to introduce new, popular products more confidently. We are currently experiencing a high demand for 250- and 750-kilogram hay pressers. A joint Hungarian-Russian enterprise established with our direct involvement has mastered the production of sunflower harvesters. We are confident that in a year or two, we will dominate the market with these products. We are also confident that we will soon return to the mass production of our traditional products, the renowned Sibselmash seeders. After all, their fleet in the villages has been worn out in recent years. In 1998, we were ordered 800 seeders, but in 1999, this number increased to 1,340. There are also other interesting projects and ideas. Unfortunately, we no longer have a "defense" factory. All that remains is its former glory. In the past, we produced excellent shells and missiles...

As for whether the army needs fresh ammunition, I remember Chechnya, where artillerymen sometimes complain that not all of the shells they fire explode.

They say that a former artilleryman recently returned to Sibselmash after serving in Chechnya. At home, he told his grandfather, "You won't believe it, Grandpa, but I fired your shells during the war. They have your factory stamp. That's amazing!"

Unfortunately, this optimism is difficult to share.