The enterprise “Tekhnika” was organized in 1945 in the city of Sarapul, Republic of Udmurtia. Its uniqueness lay in its orientation towards employees with different groups of visual disabilities. After the end of the war, the issue of adaptation of people who received disability during the war time was acute. The All-Union Society of the Blind began to send the first employees with different disability groups to work here. The factory with the area of 11 thousand square meters became a new place of work for more than 1000 workers. At the production peak in the 70s, the plant worked in 3 shifts, producing parts for one of the most popular radio receivers “Cosmos”. The factory developed and implemented many technical developments that allowed to open a new direction in rational labor devices for visually impaired or blind people. The machines had additional parts that facilitated the assembly of complex radio components. The volume of output increased, and the percentage of rejects was reduced to zero.
A lot of social work was carried out on labor adaptation and improvement of living conditions of workers. 930 apartments were built, where former and current employees still live. A creative house with a library and a recreation center were designed and built.
Now the capacity of the enterprise has fallen. Orders have become less, volumes have decreased, and the plant works at 30% of its capacity. This is due to the bankruptcy of large enterprises, which were the main customers of the products manufactured by the plant. Now, most of the territory of the plant is leased or closed. The enterprise produces simple components. Many employees have retired or have been reduced. But about 20 people with various groups of visual disabilities continue to work. Daily work and friendly atmosphere in the team supports them outside the plant.
Historical information about the enterprise from the website of the Association of industrial enterprises of the Republic of Udmurti → https://appu.udm.ru/members/27.
Rifat in his youth was fond of cycling. After several falls, he began to have problems with his eyesight. Already in a year he lost his vision completely and received the first group of disability. He got a job at the Sarapul «Tekhnika» company in 1982. He worked as an assembly fitter. In 1992 he was offered the position of senior instructor and methodologist for physical education and sports at the All-Russian Society of the Blind in the city of Sarapul. In 2008 he retired. For the last few years he has been developing tennis for the blind in the region. With his help, a special tennis table was installed at the plant, at which now preparations for all-Russian competitions are underway.
09/03/2023
Nina and Natalya have been working together since 1999. They are very friendly. They are engaged in cultivation of flowers at the plant. In their free time, they go to the movies and visit each other. They both enjoy working with metal at the stamping shop. In the winter time, it can be cold in the shop, but their love for the business and passion allow them to stay in high spirits and fulfill all their plans.
16/03/2023
The ventilation system on the mechanical belt in the assembly shop. Ventilation allows employees to air out fine metal chips and dust. This greatly speeds up the assembly process and makes it safer.
09/03/2023
Alexander is visually impaired for the second time. Alexander had an injury, after which there were complications and his vision went down. He came to the plant by invitation from Transbaikalia. He worked for a few years and stayed for a permanent job, got an apartment. Now he has a large family and is waiting to retire. He remembers the wonderful times and the people who surrounded him during his time at the plant.
07/03/2023
Nikolay worked at «Tekhnika» from 1980 to 2017. Now he is retired, but he actively communicates with his colleagues. While working at the plant, Nikolay participated in amateur artistic activities: he sang in the choir, helped make scenery for plays. His big hobby is engineering inventions. So he introduced a dryer for work uniforms at the factory, made of plastic pipes.
Now Nikolay has several inventions gathering dust, which he still believes to put to work and patent.
12/03/2023
Natalia was born in Glazov, Republic of Udmurtia. Natalia is visually impaired for the second time. She works in the machine shop. It is a difficult job with metal, which Natalia performs with great professionalism. Natalya has worn glasses all her life, and just recently had an eye surgery at her own expense. Her eyesight has greatly improved and she is able to help her blind father more.
03/03/2023
Olga has been working at the plant since 1991. She was born in Sarapul. She studied in the settlement of Fakel, in a special boarding school for the visually impaired and blind. Completed 8 classes and returned to Sarapul, to work at the plant. My main hobby is sport, running. Last year she was at the republican competitions in running.
10/03/2023
Vladimir came to Sarapul from Vologda in 1971 at the invitation of the factory.
He worked at the factory, when the enterprise worked in cooperation with the radio factory and produced complex parts for radio. They made the charger for the first «Cosmos» receiver. The parts were as small as millet.
Vladimir was the first foreman of a complex brigade – 60 people and a whole conveyor belt.
09/03/2023
Elena came to Sarapul from Irkutsk together with her mother. Both of them are visually impaired. At first her mother worked at the plant, and later Elena herself got a job in the radio components assembly shop.
Her brother also worked at the plant. Elena remembers a time when those who worked at the plant were given free apartments, and there were several specialized schools for the visually impaired and blind in the region. Now the situation has not changed for the better.
16/03/2023
Homemade plastic palm tree from bottles. The palm tree is located in front of one of the apartment buildings. This house, like many others in the area, was built by factory workers, and it is inhabited by them. People here are especially friendly. They work together, raise their children, and support each other.
15/03/2023
