Some History

The group of nonferrous metals foundries within Melitopol Mechanical Engineering Works was split off to become a stand-alone nonferrous casting enterprise for tractor and agricultural machinery industry named Avtotsvetlit by the USSR Council of Ministers decree no. 873 of 27 June 1964. Giprotraktorselkhozmash Kharkiv Institute for Tractor and Agricultural Machinery Factories Engineering was assigned to be responsible for the would-be factory design.

The following shops and lines were to be launched:

• 22 thousand tone aluminium casting foundry;
• 7.2 thousand tone magnesium casting foundry;
• 5.1 thousand tone bronze, zinc and copper/zinc alloy casting foundry;
• 2 thousand tone steel lost-wax casting foundry;
• block of ancillary shops (tool shop, mechanical and electrical maintenance shops);
• storage facility, power and utility unit (heat supply, compressor station, 35/10 kV substation, water supply and sewerage system, and water treatment facility), administrative unit, central lab, and canteen.

October 2, 1965, USSR Supreme Council resolved to subordinate Avtotsvetlit Factory to Chief Directorate for Automobile Motors Production under the Automobile Industry Ministry.

In January 1965, steel lost-wax casting workshop was commissioned within the ancillary shops unit.

In August 1966, the first heat was delivered at the new magnesium casting foundry. In November, the USSR Ministry for Automobile Industry resolved to organise a temporary aluminium casting line at the factory.

In January 1967, the government acceptance commission approved the first stage of the 1.5 thousand tone/year magnesium foundry.

In 1968, the factory mastered 46 new titles of cast products made of magnesium, aluminium and steel alloys and aimed for ZAZ-968 car components.

In December 1970, the first phase of the 1 thousand tone/year steel casting foundry was officially launched.

In March 1973, the third phase of the 4.65 thousand tone/year aluminium casting foundry was officially commissioned. A stand-alone specialised consumer products centre was started.

In 1974, 8 aluminium product titles and 38 titles of steel lost-wax cast articles for KAMAZ trucks were mastered.

In 1975, a 2.5 thousand tone magnesium casting line was launched.

In 1976, the factory was acquired by AvtoZAZ. 4 thousand tone/year magnesium casting foundry was commissioned.

In 1980, Avtotsvetlit acquired 16.3 thousand tone/year iron casting foundry from AvtoZAZ-Motor.

1984-1986, 53 new cast articles were mastered for ZAZ-1102 car, including 9 magnesium alloy products, 13 aluminium alloy articles, 15 steel products, and 16 iron cast products.

THE MAIN PURPOSE OF FACTORY FOUNDATION

The Main Purpose of Factory Foundation was to supply MeMZ power units with cast half-finished products, ZAZ automobiles with car bodies and chassis as well as to supply the automobile, tractor, mobile- and cycle-mobile plants of USSR Minavtoprom with cast half-finished products.

Geographical Position

OJSC Melitopol Factory Avtotsvetlit is located in the south-western industrial district of Melitopol town, Zaporizhzhya region. Factory’s area is 40.0 hectares which has convenient access, including a 6.8 km railway access to Melitopol station and automobile access ways of 4.2 km to Moscow-Simferopol motorway and of 6.4 km to Melitopol.

As for utilities the plant owns the autonomous system for life support:

• water is supplied from 3 artesian wells and, to the extent required, from the town main;
• in-house biological sewage treatment facility with further discharge of treated sewage into the Tashchenak river;
• electrical power is supplied by 16 feeders running through a cable tunnel from ML-300 PES substation;
• telephone communication is available through 43 cable pairs; the factory also owns an in-house telephone exchange.

Ownership Form

The factory was converted into an open joint-stock company under Ukrainian President’s Decree No. 210/93 of 15 June 1993 On Corporatisation of Enterprises. Incorporation of OJSC Melito­pol Factory Avtotsvetlit as a legal entity took place on 6 Septem­ber 1994 (incorporation certificate no. 924) and was effected by Melitopol Town Council. The factory remains in state ownership: 100% of its equity is held by the Ukrainian state through the State Property Fund of Ukraine, being an authorised agency for state property control.

PRODUCTS

Avtotsvetlit Factory is a specialised production facility dealing in aluminium, mag­nesium, iron casting and steel lost-wax casting for the needs of automobile, tractor, and agricultural machinery industries. Factory’s casting lines have for many years catered to the needs of AvtoZAZ-Motor and OJSC ZAZ, as well as of many other members of automobile and tractor industries of the CIS. During the transition period the factory had to face drop in production output; sometimes partners stopped production entirely. There was a significant reduction in the overall number of orders for cast products. The varying market profile and grow­ing customer expectations as to quality and cost encouraged Avtotsvetlit Factory to commence casting production optimisation programme in 2008, aimed to achieve higher flexibility and efficiency, as well as to secure fast response to demand consider­ing frequent variations of product ranges and the need to come up with small ship­ments within tight schedules.

It was only for the last two years when:

• section for spare parts manufacturing (pins) for harvesters and combines has been created;
• small-size melting furnace ИЧТ-1М1 has been introduced for small-scale orders;
• separate section on the basis of consumers goods shop for small-scale production of molding batches has been created;
• the project on re-melting non-ferrous alloys wastes has been worked out and introduced in the magnesium shop;
• reconstruction of the furnace ИЧТ-10 for re-melting copper alloys wastes has been conducted in the cast iron molding shop;
• the system for supplying with compressed air ТНП shops for their own consumption has been mechanized.

INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITY

The factory develops its international business contacts. At the moment we are considering some appealing offers:

• from “Fanada” firm (Greece) for manufacturing fittings «Fence décor elements»;
• from “Askiol” firm (Germany) for manufacturing water post coverings;
• from “Fridrih” firm (Germany) for organizing manufacture “steering wheel” casting from magnesium alloy and magnesium wastes re-melting;
• there are as well firm proposals from Germany and France for manufacturing clutch disks? Brake drums.

CERTIFICATION

SOCIAL SECTOR

The Factorybuilt at the expense of its own funds and transferred to the town property:

• three preschool children’s care centers;
• polyclinic;
• infectious diseases hospital;
• sewage pumping station насосная in Krupskaya street;
• automobile bridge in Krupskaya street;
• water supply system with diameter of 1 meter and the length 0f 6 km.

The Factory has at its balance:

• health improving children’s sanitary center “Raduga” in the village of Kirilovka for 360 persons;
• canteens for 670 persons.

Being at the market for over 45 years, Avtotsvetlit Factory has qualified staff and state-of-art equipment, including induction furnaces, automatic bucket casters, high and low pressure casters, Georg- Fisher and Diza, automatic moulders, core machines, trimming and thermal treatment equipment, and is able to offer its clients reliable products designed and made with a future outlook.