History

History of the company dates back from May 5, 1736. By that time Her Majesty Empress Anna Ioanovna and Vasily Tatishchev, Head of the Ural factories, laid a foundation stone of the government copper-smeltery on the Motovilikha river. Two and a half years later the enterprise was put into operation and started to smelt high-quality copper, which is also called pig copper.

125 years later steel and cannon producing plant was founded close to the copper smeltery. A year after followed the foundation of the cast-iron producing plant. In the year 1871 both plants were merged into «Perm Cannon Works». Until the end of the 19^th century the factory has been producing cannons considered ones of the best in Russia. By the way the famous Perm Tsar Cannon was moulded at the Perm Cannon Works. Unlike the Tsar Cannon in the Moscow Kremlin, the Perm Tsar cannon made 314 shots with 28 pood (about 470 kg) cannonballs.

Perm Cannon Works successfully exhibited its products at the International Fair in Vienna. By the year 1875 Perm gunsmiths came out on the leading positions in European large-caliber artillery manufacturing.

Back then the newest technologies were one of the highest priorities of Motovilikha Works. 1876 the first in Ural Region open-hearth furnace was put into operation.

1893 Nikolay G. Slavyanov introduced his invention: arc-welding technique developed on the Motovilikha Works. His famous invention — 5 kg 330 g (about 9.5 lb) and 210 mm (0.7 ft) high dodecahedral prism — was announced during the World’s Fair in Chicago.

Having welded nickel, steel, bell metal, tombac (copper and zinc alloy), cast iron, copper, German silver (copper-zinc-nickel alloys) and bronze Slavyanov proved that his invention allows welding both ferrous and nonferrous metals.

Other Slavyanovs inventions also contributed to fame of the Motovilikha Works. For example the first in the Ural Region industrial power plant was based on the electrical machine invented by Slavyanov.

Motovilikha Works always gave support to our country during complicated historical periods. 1/5 of the artillery armament for the Russian forces during the World War I was supplied by the Motovilikha Works.

During the period between the World Wars a Modernization plan of the Motovilikha Works was developed. New workshops were built, and the factory narrow-gage railroad was replaced by the full-gage one. While manufacturing military equipment, Motovilikha Works started to manufacture equipment for the «peaceful» purposes, e.g. turbodrills and pumps for oil industry, jack hammers for coal industry and nonferrous metallurgy and harpoon guns for whaling flotilla. Manufacturing of the diggers was started.

During the World War II ј of all the artillery systems for the Soviet Armed Forces was manufactured at Motovilikha Works. Cannons made here often took part in the important historical events. August 2, 1944 the 152 mm (about 6 in) howitzer gun ML—20 #3922 manufactured here made the first shot against Nazi Germany. And later 122 mm (4,8 in) corps gun A-19 #501 made the first shot in Berlin in August 20, 1945.

In the year 1957 the plant was named after Vladimir Lenin. Besides the plant was awarded with five orders for adoption of new technologies and serving the state. During the war and after-war period Motovilikha Works formed a unique constructor school. Many great constructors got here a chance to reveal their talents. Among them M. Tsirulnikov, who had constructed many artillery systems, and Y. Kalachnikov — one of the constructors of today’s legend — The BM—30 «Smerch» multiple rocket launcher.

1992 is the year when the new life of Motovilikha Works started. This year according to the decree of the Russian Federation government the plant was reorganized into OJSC Motovilikhinskiye Zavody. Companies and workshops united under the name Motovilikha Works (Motovilikhinskiye Zavody) started to operate in new conditions, they became economically independent from each other. Military equipment wasn’t the main area of activity, so Motovilikha Works was looking for its niche at the civil market. Over more than two and a half centuries the enterprise created a unique production and intellectual base for modern engineering industry. That is why fields of activities created in the nineties make today a good name of Motovilikha Works. 1991 we started to manufacture oil pumpers and this marked the beginning of oil-field equipment manufacturing. 1994 we started to produce truck cranes, 1998 we established a design office for the road-building equipment construction.

We came into the 21^st century with an idea of re-equipment of our production facilities. 2001 electric arc furnace DSP-60 was out into operation. Today this furnace is the core of our metallurgic production.

2006 we fired our 270^th birthday and in the same year modernization program was launched at all of the enterprises. Having completed the program we will strengthen out positions at the domestic and international market and make fresh gains.