Published on: 2026-09-30
Source: KAMAZ – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
In September, the welding and assembly shop No. 35 of PJSC “NEFAZ”, a subsidiary of “KAMAZ” in Bashkortostan, celebrated its 45th anniversary. During this time, the shop has come a long way, producing equipment that performs effectively in harsh climatic conditions.
The history of Shop No. 35 began back in 1977, when the Soviet government tasked the Neftekamsk Auto Dump Truck Plant with starting production of special equipment for the development of oil and gas fields in Western Siberia. Construction of the dedicated building began in 1979. On September 16, 1981, Yuri Antipov was appointed head of the assembly shop for shift buses. This date is considered the official birthday of Shop No. 35. The first NZAS-4947 shift buses hit the city streets in 1982, and by 1986, production volumes had reached 4,000 vehicles per year.
In the following decades, the workshop actively developed. In 1987, it merged with an adjacent production unit, and in 1997, the bus manufacturing division “Toros” based on KAMAZ joined the workshop. From the late 1990s, the product range increased significantly: besides shift buses, they began assembling trailers, semi-trailers, retail kiosks, SPM (stationary police posts), and others. In 2007, a large-scale reconstruction began, enabling the production of new equipment, including combines.
Over the years of its existence, the workshop has evolved from a narrowly specialized to a multi-profile production. During 45 years of operation (from 1982 to September 1, 2026), the division produced 62,249 shift buses. These vehicles have become reliable companions for geologists, oil workers, and gas workers, ensuring the delivery of work crews to the most inaccessible corners of the country.
The workshop’s history is inextricably linked with the development of Russia’s extractive industry. For a long time, demand for “shift camps” steadily increased due to the development of new fields and the need to renew transport companies’ vehicle fleets. Currently, the workshop has a significant reserve of ready production capacities, which guarantees one hundred percent readiness to fulfill increased orders for automotive equipment.
Today, workshop No. 35 is a multiprofile production consisting of four sections: welding of shift bus cabins; welding of small parts, including components for KAMAZ-4290-30-5M buses, NEFAZ-5299, and frames for gas cylinder equipment; assembly and delivery of shift vehicles; upgrading and delivery of modern equipment: KAMAZ-5222 buses and KAMAZ-6250 all-terrain vehicles (including modifications equipped as workshops).
The core of the production program continues to be composed of the time-tested models NEFAZ-4208 and NEFAZ-42111 on a KAMAZ chassis. The entire assembly cycle of crew buses is concentrated in workshop No. 35: here specialists weld the frame, perform cladding and lining, install the cabin, fit glazing and seats, carry out interior finishing, and conduct the final airtightness check. The only exception is painting – this stage takes place in the specialized painting workshop No. 26. These vehicles are valued for their durability and ability to operate in extreme conditions while also ensuring passenger comfort.
In the finishing and delivery area, each vehicle undergoes strict inspections: testing in a rain chamber, running-in, and checking all systems in the presence of quality control inspectors. After that, the equipment is handed over to the KAMAZ Trading and Financial Company and awaits deployment in various regions of the country.
In recent years, the bus assembly process has undergone significant changes. The emergence of modern electronics, internal video surveillance systems, and satellite monitoring equipment in technology has required adaptation of production technologies. The assembly algorithms for shift buses and standard buses have been revised in production to ensure quality installation and uninterrupted operation of all digital systems.
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