Siemens logistics system to support Kama truck tire expansion

Nizhnekamsk, Tatarstan - Siemens AG and Russian tire manufacturer Kama Tyres have signed an agreement to expand the logistics system at Kama’s truck tire factory in Nizhnekamsk, as part of a bigger expansion project underway at the site.

Already a logistics partner to Kama since 2007, Siemens will bolster Kama’s production process and its production execution system (MES) which bridges manufacturing and management within the factory.

The agreement with Siemens, announced 18 Sept, is part of Kama’s major expansion project at the Nizhnekamsk site.

Phase 1 of the project, said Kama’s parent company Tatneft in a statement, was completed in 2019, increasing production of solid-steel cord truck tires at the site by 300,000 units per year.

Phase 2 of the project will see the addition of 1.2 million units per year, raising total production capacity to 2.8 million pieces annually. 

Tatneft’s statement did not provide further details on the investment size, but according to local press, phase 1 included the installation of 18 presses and an investment of Rub4.6 billion (€51 million). Phase 2, reported local Devon News website earlier this year, is estimated to cost Rub19.3 billion.

Under the new agreement with Siemens, the Russian division of the German technology group will take over the equipment supply, engineering and general management of the processes at the truck tire factory. 

Siemens-Russia will provide for "the performance of installation supervision, commissioning and consulting services," the Tatneft statement added.

Among other features, the logistics system will include a WMS warehouse management system, a transport system, networking equipment, as well as autonomous robotic transport for moving semi-finished products.

The main task of the project, according to Tatneft, is to “ensure the timely delivery and storage of raw and finished tires,” as production capacity increases.

In production since 2009, the Kama truck tire plant had a nameplate capacity to manufacture 1.2 million units of tire per year before the expansion projects. Siemens provided the logistics system of the initial construction of the plant.

Commenting on the new agreement, executive director of Nizhnekamsk truck tire factory Tsalik Portnoy, said the extended partnership was based on the Kama's "positive long-term experience" with Siemens logistics system.