History

Lozovsky Forging-Mechanical Plant, ltd is the largest forging-and-stamping enterprise in Ukraine and CIS. The plant was established in 1966 for providing Kharkov group of agricultural engineering enterprises with hot-forged billets. The present plant location was chosen because of presence of large railway junction and nearness of metallurgical plants of Eastern Ukraine. The initiator and organizer of LKMZ building was F. Suprun, its first director, distinguished machine builder of Ukraine.

The current image of the enterprise was forming very actively in the middle of 1970s and the first half of 1980s. So, at the beginning of 1974, the first fully mechanized crank shaft forging line was put into operation, the same year, energy-maintenance shop was established. In 1979, the press shop was put into operation, year later – shop for slide production. In 1982, machine-assemble department and shop for consumer goods production were established.

In 2002, LKMZ became a part of the industrial group UPEC; it develops actively new, demanded by the market, directions of activities and always widens its nomenclature of produced items. Being enterprise forming a company town, LKMZ takes an active part in solution of social problems, which appear in Lozovaya that is situated in Kharkov oblast’ (region).

The plant occupies territory in 274,29 acres, 3,3 thousand people work at the enterprise.

Specialization

LKMZ is specialized on mass large-scale production of forged pieces (300 different names), the given capacity – up to 180 thousand tons forged pieces a year. Being the diversified enterprise, the plant is also the leader in production of axles for tractors, road-building equipment, axles for buses, and details for railway stock.

In particular, it covers more than 80% of CIS market in the sphere of production of axles for automotive equipment (load-carrying ability – up to 3,5 tons).

Currently, LKMZ is the single enterprise in Ukraine that produces the wide assortment of forgings for motor building (forged pieces of cranks shafts). It provides assembling of driving axles for road-building automobiles, tractors T-150 and their modifications (also spare parts for them), and also main and cardan gears, slides of travel direction system, hookup and traction-hitch devices etc. The part of plant nomenclature is unique and is not produced at any Ukrainian enterprise.

The company takes active measures as for widening of outlet, mastering new types of product oriented on consumer (production leaders of the sector) needs.

Production facilities

The full range of forging-and-stamping equipment gives possibility to produce hot-forged billets of complicated form. Capacity of forging-and-stamping production is about 180 thousand tons forged pieces a year. The forged pieces are produced heat treated and cleared from scale. Maximum overall dimensions are as follows: with elongated spindle – up to 1600 mm, round – diameter up to 600 mm, weight up to 160 kg.

Forging-and-stamping production consists of Hot Die Shop and two forging shops. In the forging press ą1, forging of product for large automotive plants is realized at the area of lights presses. The shop is equipped with presses, pressure of which is from 1000 and 6300 ton-forces. Here, horizontal forging machines with pressure form 400 up to 2000 ton-forces, where production of forged pieces with elongated spindle (type shafts and shafts with flanges), are installed. There is possibility to roll off forged pieces of gears with inner tooth for planetary gear reducers and circular forged pieces of exterior rings for railway bearings on ring-rolling mill (ĘĎŃ – 250). Forging of fastening caps of these bearings is made on the press with force applied in 6300 ton-forces.

In forging shop ą2, the technological lines are implemented on the basis of hammers with weight of falling parts from 1 to 16 tons. Here, the forging process of crank shafts for automobile and tractor engines is realized. Gas-flame billet heating with repeated heating between preliminary and final forging is made. All technological limits of forging using hammers are mechanized.

In blank production press shop automatic forging line with induction heating of bars (on the basis of presses, pressure – 2500 and 4000 tons of drive axles of road-building equipment, buses, and tractors) was installed.

Mechanical assembly production numbers 1200 items of metal-cutting equipment, including 27 automatic lines. Mechanical assembly production consists of the following technological procedures: mechanical treatment, assembly, painting, electroplates, cold forging, cold and hot upsetting, preservation and packaging of finished product.

In production process, combined production systems, special and multi-spindle machines, automatic machines and semiautomatic machines, and also means of mechanization of technological processes are widely used. Testing and delivery of axles are carried out: running-in on test benches under excessive pressure, noise, heat, and air-tightness tests.

Lozovsky Forging-Mechanical Plant is also a producer of progressive soil cultivating equipment compatible with equipment of the leaders of tractor construction.

LKMZ has up-to-date repair and engineering production with unique equipment that allows repairing industrial equipment and carrying out machining process of large-size units and details.

Recognition of quality

LKMZ is the leader on Ukrainian market in quality-price ratio of product.

In 2005, the plant obtained the certificate of quality management system according to international standard ISO 9001.

LKMZ is the single enterprise in Ukraine and the second one in CIS, to which SKF (the world leader in bearing production) issued the certificate that proves the status of the approved supplier of components.

Investment projects

LKMZ strives for developing new outlets and becoming the reliable partner for the enterprises-leaders in different industries. In order to achieve this goal, continuous work as for working out and mastering production of details and units, and also increasing quality of produced products is carried out.

Since 2007, one of the main directions of joint investment activity of UPEC and LKMZ is work for mastering product for agricultural, special and railway engineering enterprises of Belarus and Russia, and also Ukrainian and Russian automobile industry enterprises.

The project “Preparation of production of forward drive axle for tractors of Minsk Tractor Plant” is being completed. Mastering production of details for railway application is continued: LKMZ, together with other enterprises of the industrial group UPEC (Ukrainian Casting Company and “HARP-Trading”), is involved in projects aimed at developing new up-to-date railway carriages for “Ukrzaliznytsya” (Ukrainian Railway System).

One of new projects is production of items for the largest producers of tower cranes in CIS. In addition to this project, preparation of production of new nomenclature of forged pieces for SKF, the world producer of bearings, is at the final stage of development.

Simultaneously according to the plan of technical re-equipment, the complex of the actions aimed at energy saving and increasing quality and efficiency of the product is being carried out.