Published on: 2026-07-09
Source: KAMAZ – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
KAMAZ CEO Sergey Kogogin on the first half of the year, personnel decisions, improving company efficiency, cautious market recovery, and the future of Kamaz trucks.
– Sergey Anatolyevich, how did KAMAZ finish the first half of 2026? In your opinion, which results are the most important and indicative right now?
– Indeed, the first half of the year turned out quite successful for the company. We are strengthening our positions in the heavy truck market, increasing our share, according to the analytical agency “AutoStat,” to 39%.
I can confidently say that KAMAZ is the largest manufacturer of heavy-duty trucks in Russia and the CIS. It has been and remains the leader in the Russian heavy truck market. According to the results of the first half of the year, KAMAZ sold more vehicles than our four largest competitors combined.
In 2026, we promptly responded to the influx of new orders and adjusted our production plans. Scheduled summer downtime was canceled to accelerate production and meet delivery deadlines.
The duration of the corporate summer vacation has been reduced. This will allow the extension of the active production period and the release of an additional volume without compromising quality.
– There is currently a lot of informational speculation about production downtime and layoffs…
– There are no staff reductions planned, nor are any envisaged. People are the main asset of our company. Therefore, together with the trade union organization and within the framework of fulfilling the obligations under the Collective Agreement, we have decided to index employees’ salaries starting from October 1, 2026. They will increase by an average of 10%.
Cost reduction measures, business process optimization, increased labor productivity, work with the product range, with customers, and our focus on rapid response to market and customer demands give us cautious optimism about such a decision.
It compensates for inflation risks and will strengthen the material stability of the team. I am confident this will improve people’s engagement, and the company will retain qualified personnel whose efforts are at the core of successful transformations and overcoming the difficulties facing our entire economy as a whole.
– What allows the company to raise salaries today?
– Since the beginning of the year, labor productivity in the company has increased by 5.5% compared to the same period last year. We planned growth at the level of 5.2% and even slightly exceeded this plan.
We have done a thorough job improving the efficiency of internal processes. In the first half of the year, it was the key focus of our work. We reviewed operational structures and business processes. A truly large-scale transformation was carried out. It is aimed not merely at mechanical cost-cutting. It lays a sustainable foundation for long-term growth. And the company directs the freed-up resources towards fulfilling social commitments.
Time is the most scarce resource. That is why we focus on increasing labor productivity. This is not just a business metric; it is the foundation of sustainable growth, the company’s competitiveness, and employee comfort.
– You mentioned structural changes. How serious are they?
– Working on organizational structure and debureaucratization is another one of the priority tasks. We have set requirements for structures and management standards, and today we are actively eliminating all discrepancies.
An example of this is the regulation of interaction between factories and the corporate center. We are reducing bureaucratic barriers, leaving only the necessary and sufficient procedures for effective activity. Next, we will similarly clarify and formalize the functions of departments and officials. In this way, we establish business motivation and responsibility of divisions for profit. This is important in today’s conditions.
– In Tatarstan, there is strong competition between enterprises for specialists, especially for skilled workers. Does this currently affect the “KAMAZ” factories?
– We place great emphasis on preserving and strengthening the personnel. There is a comprehensive set of measures to retain key staff and attract young people. For example, the system for training and adapting newcomers is being improved, training and mentoring programs are being developed, and a wide range of social guarantees is offered—benefits that not every employer provides—including housing programs. In 2025 alone, such programs covered almost a quarter of the company’s employees, especially those under 35 years old.
The average salary of employees at PJSC KAMAZ as of June was 94 thousand rubles, which corresponds to the city average. But the salary of highly qualified and efficient specialists is even higher. For example, the salary of a CNC machine and manipulator operator in June was up to 195 thousand rubles, a foreman up to 185 thousand, and a shop manager up to 200 thousand.
A separate matter is the seniority bonus in the company and the support of Kamaz dynasties, as well as payment for travel and meals.
– Immediately after coming back from vacation, Kamaz employees will face changes in the meal system. What tasks are set for the new lunch provider?
– A new operator is starting work – the company “OMS.”
She offered us a comprehensive program to modernize the enterprise’s catering system and is ready to invest in it. The key will be the quality of the dishes, their variety, and appetizing presentation. Many processes of providing meals for employees will be digitized. For example, workers will be able to select and reserve meals through electronic services, which should reduce waiting time during lunch breaks. New vending machines and “to-go” style display cases will appear. Everything is being done to improve the quality of food for our employees.
Our partner announced compliments from the chef in the first week. We hope for positive feedback from employees and rapid noticeable improvements in the nutrition system.
– Have the issues related to the replacement of component base and suppliers been resolved at the production sites?
– In recent years, KAMAZ, for obvious reasons, had to make significant changes to the production cycle and manufacturing technologies. Such decisions, when we quickly change our suppliers, caused certain problems. It was not easy, but we overcame them. And importantly, we were able to ensure the necessary characteristics and quality requirements.
– Changes are also taking place in the technological lineup. For example, the Press-frame plant is implementing several such projects at once. What results can already be seen?
– Indeed, at the PRZ, at the welding and painting plant, the implementation of a number of major projects continues, including the modification of the technological flows of the chassis workshop. In particular, sections for the production of tube benders and air intakes have been organized, and the welding area for original parts is zoned in accordance with the applied technological methods.
A project is being implemented to improve the efficiency of manufacturing steel fuel tanks, which will increase the productivity of the site by up to 40%.
The enterprise implements advanced technologies and digitizes production processes, trains personnel in highly efficient methods of performing technological operations, and improves working conditions. Integration of accounting for blanks, finished products, and their storage locations into the MES (Manufacturing Execution System) is underway. The use of scanners for data collection has already helped optimize the time expenditure of operators at the production control center (PCC).
At the press plant, the functions of production preparation, equipment maintenance, and repair of welding and stamping tooling were centralized. The introduction of a new planning scheme and synchronization of repair work have already helped reduce downtime of the press equipment and increase labor productivity. All target indicators for production volumes and product quality have been successfully met.
As part of the reengineering program, three laser systems have been put into operation, a new metal longitudinal cutting line has been prepared for launch, and logistics processes have been optimized.
The company’s personnel is actively being replenished with graduates from the automobile mechanical technical school and other specialized partner colleges.
At the cabin frame plant, the welding and painting processes of the model range have been successfully standardized. Rebalancing the cabin frame assembly-welding conveyor has increased production efficiency by up to 25%.
The frame plant fully met the needs of KAMAZ’s main assembly line, producing 33.2 thousand units of products. As a result of 2025, labor productivity here increased by 9%, quality indicators improved by 35%, and equipment downtime was reduced by 47%. The plant’s task for the current year is to implement a system of end-to-end traceability for each product throughout the technological process and to create “smart workplaces,” which will instrumentally eliminate errors in the operation execution algorithms.
– Last year, the heavy truck market in Russia nearly halved, but in this declining demand, KAMAZ’s share grew. How was it possible to withstand competition with Chinese brands? Is the trend of strengthening market positions continuing now?
– This result was achieved thanks to our internal decisions and the ability to adapt to the situation. The main factor was the growth of the order portfolio for K5 generation vehicles. If you look at K5 registrations, they have increased by one and a half times in the first five months of the year!
Currently, the market shows some signs of stabilization. March-April fluctuated within -2% compared to the previous year, May was 5% higher than May 2025. We also expect June results to be slightly better than June 2025. Therefore, the current increase in orders should be viewed not as a one-time sales boost, but as a positive trend. This gives us grounds for cautious optimism regarding sales dynamics in the second half of 2026.
The K3 generation remains in demand in traditional segments: special equipment, utilities, agriculture. Customers value it for its proven reliability, service accessibility, and availability of spare parts.
The K5 generation is the foundation of the future. We are actively expanding the range: introducing tractor trucks, chassis, and heavy all-wheel-drive trucks to the market. Together with partners, we are mastering the production of new types of special equipment on the K5 chassis: garbage trucks, log trucks, concrete mixers, fire-fighting equipment, and others.
– The heavy commercial vehicle market is oversupplied. According to various estimates, more than 55,000 trucks have accumulated in the warehouses of leasing and foreign companies. How much pressure does this currently put on manufacturers and on KAMAZ in particular?
– In 2023-2024, there was a surge in demand for trucks. Over two years, customers purchased as many vehicles as they normally would in 3 to 3.5 years.
According to our data for the first half of 2026, the volume of unsold vehicles of various brands is still colossal. This is comparable to the sales volume for an entire year. The top 10 leasing companies alone have accumulated about 15 thousand units of equipment returned by bankrupt carriers. At the current pace, selling off these stocks could take from three months to six months.
It is clear that manufacturers have no incentive to increase production under such conditions. Moreover, overstocking puts pressure on prices – dealers are forced to sell cars at a significant discount.
– When, according to your forecasts, will the demand for trucks return to previous levels?
– According to our forecasts, the market will remain at the current level throughout 2026. In 2027-2028, growth may be triggered by a reduction in the key interest rate to 12-13% and the depletion of stocks.
It is important that even taking into account the current market oversupply, the average age of trucks in the country remains high – about 15 years. Therefore, the need to update the fleet remains. And this is a powerful long-term demand factor.
At the same time, we see that demand for freight transportation is recovering. The e-commerce sector, domestic transportation, and cross-border logistics are developing actively.
But the main barrier to purchasing equipment so far remains financial reasons. High leasing rates and rising costs of transport companies force carriers to get the most out of their current fleet.
The gradual reduction of the central bank’s key rate should gradually ease financing for the purchase of new equipment, but this will not happen quickly.
Therefore, in 2026, we have not yet observed a significant increase in sales. The deferred demand in the truck market will only manifest itself after a sustained easing of financial conditions.
– What are the development prospects for “KAMAZ” based on the situation in the truck market and the economy?
– The modern heavy truck market is developing under the influence of two simultaneous trends. In the long term, the strategic vector is aimed at the complication of technologies and increasing the environmental friendliness of equipment, which makes it more expensive. Buyers today are paying more and more attention to the technological advancement and quality of vehicles. And we offer products in line with growing requirements and expectations.
On the other hand, currently, in the short term, financial conditions become the key factor for buyers. Businesses are more careful with resources and adopt a savings mode. We see that against the backdrop of increased costs of financial resources, borrowed capital, and growing operating expenses, some clients postpone updating their fleet or save money by purchasing cheaper equipment.
We have adapted to these two trends and offer customers equipment in various price segments.
And in the future, KAMAZ, focusing on the long-term trend, will introduce a new product line to the market and offer high-tech services.
Customers are also now demanding more in terms of efficiency, fuel economy, and vehicle maintenance intervals. We see that our car is quite competitive by this overall indicator.
– The “KAMAZ” structure also includes a manufacturer of passenger transport. How is “NEFAZ” coping with market demands and the shortage of specialized professions?
– In the second half of last year, the number of orders for our capital and Saint Petersburg increased. We developed optimization measures for the bus assembly line, and we managed to fulfill all orders on time.
Understanding that the demand in the passenger transportation market will grow, since January of this year we have begun developing measures to increase production output at all input stages of manufacturing up to the main process of bus assembly on the assembly line.
In less than three months, a new conveyor for assembling bus chassis was built and the chassis assembly process was switched from stationary to conveyor-based. This resulted in an almost 20% increase in production volume. And this is just the beginning. We are gradually optimizing and modernizing the configurations of our buses and seeking solutions for component unification. We are developing and gradually implementing our own digital production management system, which will enable complete traceability of the entire production chain, the completeness of component installation, and will show the efficiency of employee working time utilization.
This is also related to the issue of personnel shortages. Our own specialists train colleagues in teams so that employees become versatile and possess competencies not only for one operation but for several. This will allow rotation where needed. Accordingly, with highly qualified employees, the number required to meet plans decreases. And thanks to savings in the payroll fund, there is an opportunity to pay more to these key versatile employees.
– Starting next week, some Kamaz workers will go on their traditional company vacation. What would you like to wish your colleagues?
– Due to the increased number of orders, we now need to work actively, so the vacation will be the traditional two weeks instead of the previously planned three weeks. I believe all Kamaz employees understand that in such difficult economic times, additional orders are a blessing.
Part of the staff involved in product implementation, building and facility maintenance, equipment repair, personnel work, contract coordination, etc., will continue to work as usual.
I want to wish everyone a good rest and a true recharge. After the corporate vacation, we will meet with renewed energy and ideas. New victories for the benefit of our beloved KAMAZ, Tatarstan, and all of Russia!
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.