Rostselmash, the well-known manufacturer of combines, self-propelled foragers and tractors, is building a new state-of-the-art tractor plant at a 14ha site on the outskirts of the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.
Costing an estimated £30 million, the new plant is described as one of the most ambitious Russian farm machine building projects for many years. Expected to be up and running by 2023, the facility will manufacture 10 to 15 machines per shift on different assembly lines with a total production area of 42,000m².
The reason for the expansion is easily explained. Rostselmash is keen to increase the number of tractor ranges and annual production, something that is not possible with the current facilities.
Rostselmash’s entry into the tractor market began in 2007 when it bought Canadian firm Buhler Versatile. The assembly of semi knocked-down Versatile tractors began at Rostov-on-Don in 2009, and since 2016 have been manufactured at a dedicated site.
The initial focus was to produce the articulated Versatile 2375 using domestic components, and a tractor that has since evolved into the RSM 2400 shown at the 2019 Agritechnica.
Sales are growing at an average of 15-20% per year and the company’s current production facilities are capable of producing a maximum of 1,000 tractors a year. The Russian tractor maker claims to have delivered 2,000+ RSM 2000 Series (380hp-405hp) tractors in Russia, CIS states, and a number of European and African countries.
The 3000 Series (442-583hp) was launched last year. Tracked versions of these models are in the pipeline, and Rostselmash is also planning to start making the recently-launched Versatile Nemesis (170-250hp) at a Russian site. Currently produced in Winnipeg for both Versatile and Kubota, the Rostselmash versions will be called the RSM 1000 Series. The company sees export possibilities for the new models in Europe.
