Leu Marholin: Half a year more, and MAZ will stop

Amalgamation of the plant with KamAz is a least-evil solution.

Otherwise the Belarusian enterprise faces shutdown. Leu Marholin, an economist, has informed about that in an interview to ucpb.org website.

- It would seem that the negotiations about amalgamation of MAZ and KamAZ, which had lasted for almost 2 years, have finally come to a dead end. And the question has become of vital importance again. To your mind, what is the reason of the initiative of the Belarusian side?

- It means that the question of MAZ future has become of a great current interest again. Recently there were reports that MAZ has moved to a three-day week now, and that in fact only bus production line is working in full. And if no measures are adopted now, the days of the enterprise are numbered.

I do not think that a merger with KamAZ in the best variant, but at least it is an attempt to solve the current situation. Due to unification of aggregates and details of a vehicle, production could be boosted, the problem of sales could be solved. The other thing is, that it is unlikely to make MAZ competitive in the Western markets. However, at least the markets of Russia, African countries, Asian markets are to become easier to enter. The question of amalgamation is a compulsory measure, there is no other way out, and this problem is to be solved in some way.

- Considering the current critical situation at MAZ, is it possible that the united company will have a 50/50 balance of forces?

- I do not know what the situation at KamAZ is. It could be almost the same, but as for MAZ today – beggars can't be choosers – as people say. So the balance of power is a matter of negotiations. Certainly it would be preferable to have parity, and our side had never concealed that. But I think everything is to depend on the good will of the Russian side. If they do not agree to parity, the Belarusian side would have to make concessions. Otherwise, in half a year the plant can stop altogether.