Phantom tractor

GAZ does not buy the Kharkov plant

The GAZ Group yesterday commented on rumors surrounding cooperation with the Kharkov Tractor Plant. The company's press secretary, Vladimir Torin, categorically denied information that since February, the actual management of the enterprise allegedly came under the control of GAZ representatives. Information about this was disseminated the day before by Russian and Ukrainian news agencies. “We have not taken anything under management,” Mr. Thorin told Vremya Novostey, “and we are not conducting any negotiations on the purchase of this enterprise.”

It was also reported the day before that the current owners of the Kharkov Tractor Plant could sell the enterprise to the Russian group, although negotiations on this were unsuccessful. “Perhaps they did not agree on the price, or perhaps the Russian side is waiting for the privatization of the state stake in KhTZ, which should take place this year,” says an Interfax source.

Vladimir Torin responded to this: “We do not deny that we are negotiating with the enterprise, but they relate to our intentions for interaction - in interaction we could achieve a colossal synergistic effect.” He explained that we are talking about the possibility of equipping Kharkov tractors with special equipment produced by GAZ group enterprises, in particular graders, loaders, etc. In addition, GAZ does not rule out the possibility of transferring a number of licenses to the Kharkov Tractor Plant and placing orders on its site from GAZ. “Our capacities are now fully loaded, we already have a queue for some orders, and the Kharkov plant is operating at only a few percent of its capacity. We might be interested in cooperation,” says Mr. Thorin. At the same time, he emphasized: “We have not taken control of this plant and are not planning to do so yet and have not discussed options for purchasing it.”

The GAZ group has a very impressive division for the production of tractors and special agricultural and road construction equipment. The Special Equipment division includes the Tverskoy Excavator, Kovrovets excavator, Bryansk Arsenal, and Chelyabinsk Road Construction Machines plants. Military and special equipment is produced by the Arzamas Machine-Building Plant, the Vyksa Hull Plant and the Zavolzhsky Crawler Tractor Plant.

In general, the GAZ group, perhaps more than any other company, is lucky in “matchmaking” assets. Just the other day, the press services of all divisions of Oleg Deripaska’s holding denied the businessman’s intentions to buy unprofitable Chrysler from Daimler. Last fall, the company denied the alleged purchase of Jaguar from Ford.

Anna LANDER