Neftekamsk Automotive Plant
Neftekamsk Automotive Plant is a Russian manufacturer of buses and machinery on KamAZ chassis located in Neftekamsk in Bashkortostan.
History
On 25 December 1970, the Council of Ministers of Construction issued an order that a "plant for the production of dump trucks and winches" would be built in Neftekamsk. The USSR's Minister of the Automotive Industry approved a similar resolution on 8 January 1971 and constructions started on 13 July 1972. The first KamAZ-5511 ten-ton dump truck was assembled on 15 April 1977 and mass production began on 11 October. The State Commission approved the plant to produce trucks on 31 October. Bus production began in 1981. The 100,000th KamAZ-5511 was finished on 19 May 1982. The factory became the Open Joint Stock Company NefAZ in 1993. The plant began developing large capacity city buses in August 2000 and presented the first large urban bus, the NefAZ-5299, on 6 December. A restyled version was produced in 2004 and a low-entry version was released in 2007. In 2005, NefAZ sold 1,156 buses. Since January 2007, the company has worked with Dutch firms DAF Trucks and VDL Groep on bus production. The company was affected by the Great Recession and had to reduce production technology. They began downsizing the number of employees, going from 11,399 on 18 July 2008 to 9,588 on 13 July 2009. Before this, NefAZ occupied about 30% of the Russian bus market.In 2009, NefAZ and AGCO signed a joint venture agreement to manufacture Challenger Equipment combine harvesters under the AGCO-NEFAZ-Challenger brand. Products included the Challenger 647. By 2010, NEFAZ was the largest automobile corporation in the Russian Federation. In 2012, NefAZ brought to market the Marcopolo SA bus, produced on a KamAZ chassis in a joint venture with a Brazilian manufacturer. The electric bus NefAZ-5262 was released in August of that year and NefAZ continued the development and production of Euro-4 and Euro-5 class cars with a combo drive. In 2013, the company began production of the second generation of the NefAZ-5299 bus.
In 2012, revenue amounted to 10.059 billion rubles. Operating profit was 509.5 million rubles, more than 1.5 million more than anticipated, and net income sat at 52.5 million rubles. In 2018, KAMAZ owned 50.02% of the company and the Republic of Bashkortostan held 28.5%.
NefAZ's manufactures dump trucks, shift buses, trucks, trailers, semi-tank, city and inter-urban buses, midibuses, and agricultural machines, among other vehicles. The NefAZ-5299 is perhaps the company's best-known vehicle. Its first generation took place between 2001 and 2004 and had a front similar to that of the MAZ-103 bus. It was a high-floor vehicle with headlights on its bumper and two sets of rectangular rear lights. The second generation had a flat front with a false radiator grille flanked by two rectangular headlights. The design maintained its rear lights, but added a circular parking light and turn signal to the front bumper. In 2007, the low-entry version was first produced, with a second version in 2012. The third generation has circular vertical headlights and rear lights and a new body style.
Awards
| Year | Award | Model | Notes | Ref |
| 2001 | Best Goods of Bashkortostan | NEFAZ-5299 | Urban bus | |
| 2001 | 100 best goods of Russia | NEFAZ-5299 | Urban bus | |
| 2001 | State Prize of the Republic of Bashkortostan | - | Company CEO, technical director and chief pilot awarded prize in Science and Technology for the creation of design, technology and organization of production of passenger buses | |
| 2002 | Best Goods of Bashkortostan | NEFAZ-5299-01 | Shuttle bus | |
| 2002 | 100 best goods of Russia | NEFAZ-5299-01 | Shuttle bus | |
| 2003 | Best Goods of Bashkortostan | NEFAZ-5299-10 | Intercity bus | |
| 2003 | 100 best goods of Russia | NEFAZ-5299-10 | Intercity bus | |
| 2003 | Diploma and the Government of the Republic of Belarus Cup | - | "For the contribution to the economic development of the Republic of Bashkortostan" | |
| 2004 | Diploma and the Government of the Republic of Belarus Cup | - | "For the contribution to the economic development of the Republic of Bashkortostan" | |
| 2004 | 1000 Best of enterprises and organizations of Russia | - | "For efficient operation, high achievements and stable operation" | |
| 2004 | Best Russian Exporter | - | Honorary Diploma from the Ministry of [Economic Development (Russia)|Ministry of Economic Development] | |
| 2005 | Best Goods of Bashkortostan | NEFAZ-52991 | Tourist bus | |
| 2005 | 100 best goods of Russia | NEFAZ-52991 | Tourist bus | |
| 2005 | 1000 Best of enterprises and organizations of Russia | - | "For efficient operation, high achievements and stable operation" | |
| 2005 | Diploma and the Government of the Republic of Belarus Cup | - | "For the contribution to the economic development of the Republic of Bashkortostan" | |
| 2006 | Diploma and the Government of the Republic of Belarus Cup | - | "For the contribution to the economic development of the Republic of Bashkortostan" | |
| 2006 | Best Industrial Company of the Republic of Bashkortostan | - | ||
| 2006 | 100 best goods of Russia | NEFAZ-52-99-10-15 | Bus transportation for disabled people | |
| 2007 | Best Industrial Company of the Republic of Bashkortostan | - | ||
| 2007 | Diploma and the Government of the Republic of Belarus Cup | - | "For the contribution to the economic development of the Republic of Bashkortostan" | |
| 2007 | 100 best goods of Russia | NEFAZ-VDL-52997 | Low-entry city bus | |
| 2008 | 100 best goods of Russia | NEFAZ-VDL-52999 | Tourist bus | |
| 2009 | 100 best goods of Russia | NEFAZ-VDL-52996 | Intercity bus | |
| 2010 | 100 best goods of Russia | NEFAZ-VDL-52998 | 15-meter bus | |
| 2011 | 100 best goods of Russia | NEFAZ-5299-30-31 | Passenger bus |