KrAZ (, ''Kremenchutskyi Avtomobilnyi Zavod'', Kremenchuk Automobile Plant, АвтоКрА́З or AvtoKrAZ) is a factory in

Kremenchuk Kremenchuk (; , , also spelt Kremenchug, ) is an industrial city in central Ukraine which stands on the banks of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. The city serves as the administrative center of Kremenchuk Raion and Kremenchuk urban hromada within ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

, that produces

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport freight, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construct ...

s and other special-purpose vehicles, particularly heavy-duty off-road models. The factory was incorporated as a

holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the Security (finance), securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own Share ...

combining several other factories nationwide and becoming the industrial wing of the finance-industrial group Finance and Credit, which also held the Finance and Credit bank.

History

Soviet era

KrAZ was founded on 31 August 1945 when the People's Commissariat for Transportation Routes issued a warrant to build a mechanical bridge plant in Kremenchuk. The first brick was laid in the plant foundation in 1946 and during the next eight years it produced about 600 bridges with the total length of about 27 km for use on the

Dnieper The Dnieper or Dnepr ( ), also called Dnipro ( ), is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. Approximately long, with ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

Dniester The Dniester ( ) is a transboundary river in Eastern Europe. It runs first through Ukraine and then through Moldova (from which it more or less separates the breakaway territory of Transnistria), finally discharging into the Black Sea on Uk ...

Volga The Volga (, ) is the longest river in Europe and the longest endorheic basin river in the world. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchment ...

and

Daugava The Daugava ( ), also known as the Western Dvina or the Väina River, is a large river rising in the Valdai Hills of Russia that flows through Belarus and Latvia into the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea. The Daugava rises close to the source of ...

rivers etc. In 1956 the plant has manufactured

combine harvester The modern combine harvester, also called a combine, is a machine designed to harvest a variety of cultivated seeds. Combine harvesters are one of the most economically important labour-saving inventions, significantly reducing the fraction of ...

s and other farming machines. The Kremenchuk Combine Plant has produced 11,000 agricultural machines in the first two years of its existence. On April 17, 1958, the

Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the Central committee, highest organ of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) between Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Congresses. Elected by the ...

decided to rebuild a plant for heavy-duty vehicle production.Кременчугский автомобильный завод имени 50-летия Советской Украины // Большая Советская Энциклопедия. / под ред. А. М. Прохорова. 3-е изд. том 13. М., «Советская энциклопедия», 1973. стр.373 Heavy-duty truck manufacture was transferred from the Yaroslavl Motor Plant (YaAZ). The first two KrAZ-222 dump trucks were assembled from imported units and components on 10 April 1959,Кременчугский автозавод им. 50-летия Советской Украины // журнал «Автомобильная промышленность», № 8, 1984. стр.29-30 and by 1961 the plant exported over 500 vehicles in 26 countries of the world such as

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

etc. On December 30, 1968, 100,000th truck was assembled at the KrAZ main assembly plant On January 26, 1971, KrAZ was awarded the

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

for completion of the five-year plan ahead of schedule and successful developments of new truck models. On January 15, 1976, the plant became "AvtoKrAZ". On April 30, 1984, 500,000th truck was assembled at the KrAZ main assembly plant. By 1986 the KrAZ's yearly production output totalled 30655 vehicles. 1990 the KrAZ's yearly production output totalled 27667 trucks. 1991 the KrAZ's yearly production output totalled 25094 trucks.

Ukrainian era

In March 1993 750,000th truck was assembled at the KrAZ main assembly plant. KrAZ was registered as a

Holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the Security (finance), securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own Share ...

in June 1996. 1996 the company's yearly production output totalled 1919 trucks. In 1999, the privatization of KrAZ began. 1999 the company's yearly production output totalled 827 trucks In 2001, a block of stock being purchased by a joint Ukrainian-German enterprise called Mega-Motors. In 2003, KrAZ opened vehicle assembly plants in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and

. In 2004 KrAZ was awarded an order for 2200 KrAZ vehicles to be delivered to Iraq. KrAZ received an ISO 9001:2000 for quality control. On January 27, 2006, the 800,000th truck was assembled at the KrAZ main assembly plant. In October of the same year KrAZ won first prize among 100 Ukrainian companies with the best rate of development according to the net profit growth pursuant to the results of rating "Top 100 Most dynamic companies" In 2007, the company's yearly production output totalled 4206 trucks After the

2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...

, orders for vehicles declined drastically as Ukraine was severely affected by the event, the factory worked at minimal capacity. 2009 the company's yearly production output totalled 280 trucks In 2010, the company's yearly production output totalled 1002 trucks On August 23, 2011, the KrAZ-5233 "Spetsnaz" entered into service with the Ukrainian Army. In 2013, the company's yearly production output totalled 891 trucks. The government of

placed large orders for new military vehicles. The Border Guards, National Guard, and Army of Ukraine have all been scheduled to receive new KrAZ armored trucks. Moreover, KrAZ partnered with the Canadian defense firm Streit Group to produce the Cougar and Spartan armored vehicles. A total of 21 Spartans were ordered with the Ministry of Defense having an option for an additional 40, 20 Cougars were also ordered. Several

Streit Group Spartan APC The STREIT Group Spartan is an Infantry mobility vehicle designed and built by STREIT Group; it is also license produced by KrAZ (Kremenchuk Automobile Plant) in Kremenchuk, Ukraine. The Spartan can be used in a wide variety of applications, incl ...

's were seen at the Kyiv independence day parade indicating that the order was at least partially complete. In November 2014, the Ukrainian government placed an order for 1200 vehicles and 200 armored personnel carriers. The contract was worth ₴1 billion ($64,267,360.00). On 19 May 2021, KrAZ signed a three-year contract to supply the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

Contracting Command with KrAZ 4x4 heavy-duty vehicles and spare parts.

2022 Nationalisation

On November 6, 2022, the government of President

Volodymyr Zelenskyy Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...

used martial law to nationalise the company. “Such steps, which are necessary for our country in conditions of war, are carried out in accordance with current laws and will help meet the urgent needs of our defense sector.” The government of Ukraine also took control of engine maker Motor Sich, energy companies Ukrnafta and Ukrtatnafta and transformer maker Zaporozhtransformator at the same time.

Products

Civil vehicles

KrAZ-214 The KrAZ-214 is an off-road truck 6x6 for extreme operations.Н. Чистов. Модернизированный КрАЗ // "За рулём", № 10, октябрь 1961. стр.14 It was manufactured in the Soviet Union at the Yaroslavl Motor ...

– 6×6 cargo truck, two-stroke diesel engine * KrAZ-219 – 6×4, two-stroke diesel engine * KrAZ-222 – 6×4 dump truck, two-stroke diesel engine * KrAZ-250 – 6×4 * KrAZ-255 – 6×6 cargo truck, four-stroke diesel * KrAZ-256 – 6×4 dump truck, four-stroke diesel * KrAZ-260 – 6×6 * KrAZ-5133B2 – 4×2 – * KrAZ-5401 – 4×2 – * KrAZ-6510 – 4×4 or 6×4 – engine * KrAZ-65055 – 6×6 – engine * KrAZ-65032 – all-wheel drive 6×6 dump trucks – * KrAZ-6130С4 – all-wheel drive 6×6 dump trucks – * KrAZ-7133С4 – 4-axle (8×4) dump trucks * KrAZ-7140 – 4-axle (8×6) * KrAZ-65053 – * KrAZ-7634 – all-wheel drive 8×8 – * KrAZ V12.2MEH – 6×6 – ?

Chassis

These are designed to be fitted with various body equipment for paved and dirt road use. * KrAZ-257 – 6×4, four-stroke diesel * KrAZ-5133H2 – 4×2 – * KrAZ-5233H2 – 4×2 – * KrAZ-5233HE type 1 and 2 – 4×4 (off-road use) * KrAZ-6322 type 1, 2 and 3 – 6×6 – ** KrAZ-63221 type 2 – 6×6 – (off-road use) ** KrAZ-63221 type 3 – 6×6 – * KrAZ-65053 – 6×4 – * KrAZ-65101 – 6×4 – * KrAZ-7133H4 – 8×4 – * KrAZ-7140H6 – 8×6 – (off-road use) * KrAZ H12.2 – 4×2 – * KrAZ Н23.2 – 6×4 – ** KrAZ Н23.2M – 6×4 – ** KrAZ Н23.2R – 6×4 –

Semi-tractors

* KrAZ-221 – 6×4, two-stroke diesel engine * KrAZ-250V * KrAZ-255V * KrAZ-258 – 6×4, four-stroke diesel * KrAZ-5444 – 2-axle – * KrAZ-6140TE – 3-axle – * KrAZ-6443 – 3-axle * KrAZ-6444 – 3-axle * KrAZ-64431 – 3-axle

Military vehicles

* KrAZ-5233BE 4×4 – * KrAZ-6322 6×6 – * KrAZ-6135B6 6×6 – * KrAZ-6446 6×6 –

Special-purpose vehicles

* KrAZ-255L – timber truck * KrAZ-256B1-030 - Chernobyl liquidator vehicle * KrAZ-6133M6 – timber truck * KrAZ-64372 – timber truck * KrAZ-6233R4 – concrete mixer truck * KrAZ-6333R4 – concrete mixer truck * KrAZ-7133R4 – concrete mixer truck * KrAZ-65055DM – dump truck/snow plow (municipal)

Armored vehicles

* KrAZ Spartan (Спартан) – 4×4, based on Ford F550 * KrAZ Cougar (Кугар)«''Как сообщил генеральный директор ХК „АвтоКрАЗ“ Роман Черняк в бронеавтомобиле KrAZ Shrek доля украинской составляющей достигает 70 %. В то же время, в Kraz Coguar и Kraz Spartan этот показатель 10-15 %''»
Почему KrAZ Shrek востребован за рубежом, а в Украине его пока не закупают?
// «AUTO-Consulting.UA» (December 15, 2014) – 4×4, based on Toyota Land Cruiser 79 * KrAZ-ASV Panther (Пантер) –

MRAP Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle (MRAPV), also known as MRAP vehicle, is a type of armoured personnel carrier that is designed specifically to withstand land mines, improvised explosive device (IED) attacks, and ambushes to save troops' li ...

based on KrAZ-5233 or KrAZ-6322 * KrAZ-MPV Shrek One (Шрек) – MRAP based on KrAZ-5233 * KrAZ Feona (Фіона) – 6×6 MRAP based on KrAZ-6322 * KrAZ-6322 Raptor (Раптор) – 6×6 * KrAZ Hurricane (Ураган) – 8×8 MRAP based on KrAZ H27.3 (KrAZ-7634) * KrAZ Convoy (Конвой) – 4×4/6×6/8×8 armored chassis cab/flatbed

Generations

Gallery

Trucks Image:KrAZ-214 in Technical museum Togliatti.jpg, KrAZ-214 Image:PMP-Pontoon-Bridge-latrun-2.jpg, KrAZ-214 with a PMP Pontoon bridge Image:Finnish Artillery Museum 009 - KrAZ-255 PMP (26792351279).jpg, KrAZ-255 with a TMM folding bridge Image:FinalTraining2018-01.jpg, KrAZ-255 with a TMM folding bridge Image:Kraz255b.jpg, KrAZ-255B showing its undercarriage File:790th_Fighter_Order_of_Kutuzov_3rd_class_Aviation_Regiment,_Khotilovo_airbase_(356-27).jpg, KrAZ-255B File:Three KrAZ 256 trucks, Putbus Station, East Germany Jan 1990.jpg, KrAZ-256 Image:Kraz260.jpg, The follow-on to the KrAZ-255, the KrAZ-260. This is a former NVA of DDR. File:790th Fighter Order of Kutuzov 3rd class Aviation Regiment, Khotilovo airbase (356-28).jpg, KrAZ-260 File:A KrAZ-258 tractor truck and transport trailer.JPEG, KrAZ-258-semi-trailer truck File:Iraqi_KrAZ_trucks.jpg,

Iraqi Army The Iraqi Ground Forces (Arabic: القوات البرية العراقية), also referred to as the Iraqi Army (Arabic: الجيش العراقي), is the ground force component of the Iraqi Armed Forces. It was formerly known as the Royal Iraq ...

KrAZ-6322 trucks File:Командно-штабне навчання ВМС ЗС України “Шторм – 2018” (45133462231).jpg, KrAZ-6446 in Ukrainian military service Armored vehicles File:Гвардійський спецназ взяв нову висоту - наодинці з небом 7216 (21514334409).jpg, KrAZ Spartan File:Діяльність НГУ (21) (16749299979).jpg, KrAZ Cougar File:KrAZ Cougar 2016 1.jpg, KrAZ Cobra

S File:KrAZ Shrek One.jpg, KrAZ Shrek One File:KrAZ Shrek-M 4.jpg, KrAZ Shrek-M

References

External links

* * * * * {{Authority control Truck manufacturers of the Soviet Union Truck manufacturers of Ukraine Ukrainian brands Defence companies of Ukraine Economy of Kremenchuk Buildings and structures in Poltava Oblast Manufacturing companies of the Soviet Union Manufacturing plants in Ukraine