The Chelyabinsk region supplies up to 80% of the Russian market for industrial robots.
According to Governor Alexey Texler, the share of the region's factories in the local segment reaches 60-80% depending on the model, and the production capacities allow to increase the output several times. At the same time, the payback period for robots from the South Urals when they are implemented in factories and with state support is between 12 and 24 months only.
Texler pointed out that the main limiting factors remain a lack of investment and competition against subsidized Chinese manufacturers. A special cluster has already been created in the region: the department of robotics and mechatronics, a skill center and a robotics center operate on the basis of SUSU. The regional authorities do not rely on job cuts, but on retraining employees and moving to more complex tasks and higher wages.