The present-day State Obukhovsky Factory is the successor of the „Obukhovsky Foundry Company", founded on May 16, 1863 by the Russian businessmen P. Obukhov, N. Putilov and S. Kudryavtsev.
   The Russian metallurgist Pavel Matveyevich Obukhov is known as the inventor of crucible steel. Guns made of it excelled foreign analogues in quality, including the famous „Krupp's" guns. In 1862 P.M. Obukhov's invention brought him the gold medal at the World exhibition in London. His successor Dmitry Konstantinovich Chernov, the chief metallurgist of the plant, was the author of many famous works on physical metallurgy.
   By the beginning of the 20th century, the excellent quality of the steel made it possible at the Obukhovsky Foundry to begin the industrial production of wheels, tyres, axes for railway train cars, reinforced vessel plates, firearms and gun magazines, surgical and draftsman's instruments and metalworking tools. Owners of plants and factories, railway associations and shipping companies bombarded the plant with orders. The famous chemist Mendeleyev, and the founder of Russia's quick-firing artillery Baranovsky placed their orders at the Obukhovsky Foundry; two engines for Mozhaisky's airplane were also made here.
   By 1872 the plant was the first in Russia to go into the production of Bessemer and, later, of open-hearth steel, and in 1905 it started the industrial production of optical instruments.
   In 1888 the plant became a state enterprise.
   In 1911, for the first time in Russia, acetylene welding and metal cutting (and pneumatic riveting, a year later) were organized at the plant.
   The plant got numerous awards at international and domestic exhibitions. By estimation of the government, it was developing extremely successfully, obtained a good reputation in Europe and great importance in Russia, and became a real national pride.
   The State Obukhovsky Factory is one of the most important enterprises of the Russian defense complex. The plant carries out the orders of the country's chemical, oil-extracting and electric power industries and agriculture. It also produces consumer goods.
   An essential share of the industrial output has been traditionally given to metallurgical production. About 70 percent of steel are melted in open-hearth furnaces by the method of duplex process. The latter is now rarely used due to its low productivity and high labor input, but it provides very high quality of the produced steel. The open-hearth furnaces are equipped with automatized control systems.
   The forgings are delivered both in rough condition and in heat-treated condition, after preliminary mechanical processing.
   The plant has the equipment needed for the production of carbon, alloyed and stainless steel castings.
   On the whole, the industrial equipment of the plant is suitable for research and small-lot production.
   The plant has a large machine stock for the mechanical treatment of machinery parts and units.
   The plant specializes in the production of hydraulic power cylinders of different structure and purpose. There is large-lot production of drive cylinders of lift actuators for the „Belarus" tractor that are in stable demand both in Russia and abroad.
   The plant is Russia's biggest producer of electric irons, producing two million of these annually.
   The company possesses a modern electroplating production with effective purification works.
   The plant is one of the founders of a joint Russian-American venture for the production of rehabilitation equipment. Ecologically safe technology allows the production of modern wheelchairs for handicapped persons, corresponding to the best world standards, with the total production volume of 50 pieces a year.
   Due to the plant's large stock of unique equipment, to its use of high-quality materials produced by the plant itself and to the high qualification of its personnel, the plant's team was able to take part in the realization of such national programs as „Energiya-Buran", „Mir" and „Phobos" space systems.
   Anatoly Feodorovich Vaschenko has been General Director of the State Obukhovsky Factory since 1988.

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