Bearing Plant, First State

(also GPZ-1). Located in Moscow, the First State Bearing Plant was constructed during the first five-year plan (1929–32). It produces bearings having external diameters of 32 mm to 2 m and weighing 40 g to 6.5 tons in almost every variety of design and all grades of precision— 2,000 different types annually. The plant is set up for mass production and for lot production on any scale.

At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War (1941–45), some of the plant’s equipment and personnel were relocated in the eastern part of the country. During the war, the plant produced defense products in addition to bearings. During the 1960’s the plant underwent technological renovation to automate and mechanize production. Three completely automated shops were built, which now produce 40 percent of the plant’s output. Two hundred automated and mechanized assembly lines were installed. A fully automated computer center and an automatic control system were created.

A highly automated and mechanized enterprise, GPZ-1 has skilled production workers and a skilled engineering and technical staff. The spirit of innovation and of socialist emulation is well developed at the plant, as are movement for communist labor and the work of production engineers and inventors. By the end of 1973, 12,600 foremost workers had achieved the title of Shock Worker of Communist Labor. In 1973 production was 6.7 times greater than in 1940. Since 1970 the technological proficiency of the enterprise has been upgraded.

The First State Bearing Plant was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1966 and the Order of the October Revolution in 1971.