Head of “MIKA PROGRASSTECH”: Hi-tech companies of Armenia - a basis of the export-oriented economy

 The big engineering
enterprises are a black swan for the present Armenia.  “MIKA PROGRESSTECH” Ltd.
Is
one of them.  The company  has been
functioning since 2008.  Its founding
parties are: the Armenian company "Mika Limited" and the Russian
engineering company "Progresstech". The company renders engineering
and consulting services in the branches of general engineering, aircraft
engineering and motor industry  as well
as robotics industry and medical equipment. 
The company analyses structural solidity in statistics, fatigue limit
and vitality, as well as technological support of industry. It also implements
design of constructions, aggregates and machineries, draws out the construction
documentation and hold the accompanying calculations. At present engineers of
"MIKA PROGRESSTECH" have been involved in the projects of such
companies like "Civil airplanes of Sukhoy", "Boeing Design
Centre" and "AvtoVaz" and have been consulting within the frames
of such projects like Sukhoy Superjet 100, Boeing 737, 747 and 787.  The stuff of the company consists of 75
engineer-designers and strength engineers.

Mr Begijanov, what
way did “MIKA PROGRESSTECH” pass for 5 years of its activity? What are the directions of its activity?

“MIKA PROGRESSTECH”
will become 5 years old in summer of the current year. I think that over that
period of time the company was developing rather dynamically, we did not have down
time. On the contrary, the volume of work was gradually growing. We started working
with 15 engineers, but we have been conducting purposeful work for gathering
and training of the highly qualified specialists, and at present 75 engineers
have been working at the company.

 The key pledge of our success is the non-stop
work for raising of quality of the rendered services. It is very much important
to us to built the long-lasting relations with our customers. For this reason,
professionalism of our specialists and the quality of our work are the top
priorities. 

The work on improvement
of the quality of management system has been always implemented in the company,
which was certified by the international standard ISO 9001:2008. At present we are
going to pass audit by the international standard АS 9100.

 One of the most important events of the company for the last year was
its entering the design market of motor-car industry through joining the joint
projects of the Renault-Nissan alliance and OJSC  "AvtoVAS" on optimization of the
construction of the conceptual models of the motor-cars. Incidentally, first
(December 2011), 2 designers of our company joined the project, which after
working in Tolyatti for six months became the “core” of a group of 16 designers
from “MIKA PROGRESSTECH”, 11 of which have been working in Yerevan at present
and 5 – in Tolyatti. We are happy that we have managed to diversify directions
of our activity in such a way, using the knowledge, skills and experience
accumulated by us in the sphere of motor-car industry. At present “MIKA
PROGRESSTECH” has been developing plans on rendering engineering and consulting
services in the sphere of robot technology and medical equipment.  

The given
directions were chosen by us like the closest to the activity of the company
and the most prospective ones within the frames of the world development of
these sectors of engineering. Certainly, the availability of experienced specialists
is one of the most important factors. Today the company managed to accumulate such
specialists, even with a help of repatriation, as it employed our
compatriot-specialists which used to work in abroad for the Western projects.

 "MIKA PROGRESSTECH" has
been actively working for establishment of cooperation with Armenian
engineering companies, as the company will take measures on further moving to
external markets like a participant in the outsourcing and partner projects. But
we would also like to work for prosperity of Armenia and to take part in
creation of the Armenian final product. The engineering companies have been
already developing in Armenia
and cooperating with foreign partners as much as they can, and I think that the
cooperation between them will extend in future.  

Can the state help establishment
of cooperation between “MIKA PROGRESSTECH” and other Armenian engineering companies?

Of course, it can! Moreover, the NGOs may also help us. I think that PR of
potential of the Armenian companies in abroad, the organization of exhibitions,
business-meetings and other events should become their key task. IT is one of
the priority directions of development of the country.

I don’t want to blame
the state for weak PR of the above-mentioned potential of Armenia, as certain work has been implemented within
the frames of the memorandum on development of specific engineering signed
between the government of Armenia
and the companies of this sphere. And I hope that IT companies of the country will
be seriously supported  for entering local
and external markets, as just these companies should become the basis for development
of the export-oriented economy.

May involvement of “MIKA
PROGRESSTECH” in design projects of Renault-AutoVAZ be considered like a
start-up? Did you have cases when the start-up “left” the company?

Yes, it may, in a
certain sense in case of  Renault-AutoVAZ,
as this is our first project in the motor-car industry.

However, nobody
left us with his own plans of fulfillment of ideas. One should take into
account that we have got certain obligations against our customers on
confidential information protection. And if somebody wants to fulfill the idea connected
with using of the confidential information, he will be liable to the law.

Is it possible for
“MIKA PROGRESSTECH” to cooperate with other aircraft engineering companies?

Certainly, we have been
working to be involved in the projects of other aircraft engineering companies
so that to use potential in this direction. I should say that this is a hard
process that requires much time and permanent contact with representatives of
aircraft engineering companies. We go on acting in this direction.

They start
exhibiting at Yerevan
DigiTec technological
exhibitions the prototype products of the Armenian robot planes and robot mine
detecting sets. Is “MIKA PROGRESSTECH” going to take part in their design?

These ideas were also revised in
the company. But the point is that the design teams for construction of the
robot planes are rather self-sufficient and can implement the work with their
own forces. Perhaps, in this direction we shall be able to establish the
partner relations within the frames of the robot equipment programme
development in the company.

As for the idea of creation of the robot- mine detector, we have got our
own projects. This idea  may be fulfilled
at the level of the working project, as we understand what the fitting and
mechanical elements it should consist of. The task of the new device is to scan
the bottom to find mines, and to create the ways for secure passing the field.

Can Armenian IT
companies create software for engineering?

The engineering companies
are obliged to implement their calculation and design works using the certified
software approved by the customer. In that case it does not matter if an Armenian
or foreign company has drawn out the software. But if an engineering company
deals with drawing out its own design and needs special software, I think that
Armenian specialists will deal successfully with a task just the same way as
their foreign counterparts.

Is it possible for young
Armenian engineers to have a worthy salary in Armenia? What about “MIKA PROGRESSTECH”?

First, any specialist which is employed by our company, is on a
job training for three months and does not get a salary but a scholarship
70 thsd drams (about $175). I think this is a normal sum taking into account the fact
that the man creates no value, as he will do that in a year after the employment
in the company. After ending of the job training period and certification, a
newcomer starts working at the typical design. All our employees pass certification
once or twice in a year with a purpose to examine their knowledge, assess the
work of a specialist and his growth in a professional sense. On the basis of
certification, we adopt decision on a salary growth which is in line with
experience and knowledge of a given specialist. As a result, the take-home
salary of an engineer which works in our company for a year, may reach 150 thsd
drams.    

How do you assess
the possibility of further growth of the company?

At present the key task of the company is to meet the Western customer
from the  aircraft engineering, at the
same time without losing positions at the Russian market, as it is very close
to us. Let us have small projects at the Western market for the first period of
time, but they will give us an opportunity to accumulate experience at this
market and with a foreign customer.  

How do you manage
to return Armenian engineers from abroad?

There are many affiliated
relations in Armenia,
and if 75 specialists work in any company, I can say for sure that a great part
of the population of the country is connected with the company through the
friendly relations in the country and in abroad. Moreover, modern communication
technologies give an opportunity to exchange information in all over the world.
We shall be happy if the information about our company will drive our compatriots
with a relevant experience in the design projects in abroad to go on working in
our company in Armenia.

Are there any
international internet-floors for all the aviation designers to meet?

There is no such an internet-floor. But there are many high quality internet
portals on aviation which cover all the news linked with the aviation world,
and they offer useful information.

There are also professional groups functioning in Internet, for instance
LinkedIn, as well as web
sites on job search in this sphere. This makes it possible to establish relations
and watch the possibility of fulfillment of the design projects.

 There was a good scientific and technical and engineering
potential in the Soviet Armenia, but it fell down at the period of public
relations transformation. It is very good that this potential has started developing
at present. For instance, the history of “MIKA PROGRESSTECH” development. Many
people thought it was a bold idea to establish an engineering company in Armenia,
involved in aircraft and motor-car industry projects. But this bold idea turned
into reality thanks to the founding parties – “Progresstech” and “MIKA
Limited”.

Thank you,  for an interesting interview!