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Orange Reshuffles Ukrainian Industry
Six months since the victory of the so-called “Orange Revolution” in the Ukraine, the new government has announced its intention to consolidate its aerospace companies — Antonov Design Bureau, the Kiev-based Aviant plant, Kharkov State Aircraft Manufacturing Co. and the Ukrainian Research Institute of Aviation Technologies — into a single corporation. News on the possible merger already has split key players in two warlike camps.
The dispute started in April, as the government said it would prepare a draft plan on creation of a state corporation that would unite major aircraft producers. A final decision and terms of such a merger will be defined this summer, say officials.
Though a final plan remains to be approved, officials give some hints. The merger would be run in three stages. First would be creation of a holding structure, with all companies keeping their financial and legal independence. Then, one to two years later, the second phase would begin, consisting of transit to "a more efficient form of integration.” A state concern would be formed by merging the industry’s major enterprises into a single entity. A third phase would see the national concern seeking a place in an international aerospace grouping.
The creation of a single company means all players would be unified in one entity with a strict vertical control system. This plan is welcomed by Kharkov, whose officials hope the integrated company will be able to effectively run R&D, marketing, serial production and after-sales support of the Antonov-branded aircraft. But Antonov Design Bureau and the Aviant plant say the participants of this unified structure should keep financial and legal independence. The disputes have already resulted in several legal counterclaims and have hampered delivery of some aircraft by Kharkov (as Antonov is in charge of their final certification).
For years the Ukrainian aerospace industry was regarded as the most effective aspect of the Soviet civil legacy, mostly thanks to Kharkov’s activity in promoting An-140 turboprops and An-74 jets, while Antonov Design Bureau excels as an efficient civil aircraft developer. And even though the production rate is well under the capacity of its workforce and production facilities, it still surpasses the pace of its Russian counterparts. The current reshuffle has hampered it, but Ukrainian officials say the issue will be resolved "with tolerance," and relations between the two firms will be stabilized. -- Artem Fetisov
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