PRODUCTION OF MACHINE PLANT NO 17

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600050333-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 25, 2011
• Sequence Number: 333
• Publication Date: March 26, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/27: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600050333-7
COUNTRY China
SUBJECT production of Machine Plant No 17
INFORMATION REPORT
bridge crania
steam winches of three to five tons, could make electric ones
but did not
vulcanization equipment for tires
various machines for the chemical industry (gas cleaners, etc)
mire tip-wagons (which included anti-friction roller bearings)
iron pontoons (capable of taking a T-34 tank)
aviation gasoline storage tanks
water pipes and appliances
spare parts for automobiles and trucks
hooks, insulator caps, and sticks for high voltage lines (zinc
plated)
electric bulb caps
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/27: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600050333-7
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE
ACQUIRED
DATE (of Info)
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
CLASSIFICATION C0i&IDErl?
1. Machine Plant No 17 in Dairen was referred to in Russian as "Hekhaniehiski
Zavod No 17". It had been called "I D" (Mekhanichiski 8avod Delay) when
it was part of DALI! (the electric complex of Dalny or Dairen). Then,
in about 1951, when the Chinese authorities took over, various plants
were removed from DAL!N GO'B jurisdiction and grouped by type of
production and equipment. No 17 was one of the factories transferred
rom DALEL'ERQO, which retained only electric power stations and other
installations. No 1i was placed under the Machine Buildi o
(Machine Btraitelni Departament) of the Northeastern IndustriaDepartment
ll Administration
(Upravienie Promiehlenesti 8evero-Vostoko) in Mukden. No 17 was one
of at least 25 plants similar in type. It was initially intended that
the plant should specialize in mass production of bridge cranes. However,
orders came in for miscellaneous products.
7 P1 - ta.
-. ares of products actually produced by Machine Plant No 17 since 1946
were:
'T?u!c IS ';N 1 U T ;N 25X1
~~', ~. F~,FiiyiNTGP3
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/27: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600050333-7 ` m
(1) iron bedotands
(m) nuts and bolts
(n) many types of drills and cutters
(e) small infantry shovels
(p) parts for "fault-patron" (a small bazooka-type weapon)
(q) parts of railroad car knuckle couplers
"(r) wooden furniture for military barracks
(s) oxygen and nitrogen (ae No 17 included a gas plant)
(t) coated electrodes, and
(u) stern rollers.
--p ui Pruducis which Aachine Plant No 17 1e capable of manufacturing
but generally did not, at least until l(arch1952,are:
17'8 ceaalete production in tones ant snmmts
MM
100 (ins .1tion
20 or 14
caqFlete
bridge crows
were produced)
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/27: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600050333-7
(a) any type o ntetal~conetruction based. on the electric welding process,
(b) any products made by the hot pressing method from round or
angular rods) also rivets, nuts and bolts.
(c) iron ~nsting up to about two tons.
3UL dges..rameacrks for buildings, tanks, metal barrels,
machine bodies for dynamos and electric motors, etc. No 17 had an
excellent electric welding department, as well as a hot bending
department, with experienced personnel. In general, engineers
were emigre' Eusslaas and workers were Chinese. Construction
personnel ware also 1004 AM >pldnt psrserwel built sm of 10 WO
shops themselves.
castinx of special iron for piston rings and cylinder sleeves.
casting of malleable iron up to 30 kilograms.
aluminum casting, mainly for pistons.
any type of cold pressed products, with sheet thicknumn of not
over- one me and area of not more than two square feet.
any kind of hot bending products made by the blacksmith process,
as there were no hydraulic presses for this.
(i) railroad freight cars of metal or wood (flatcars, bouars, gondolas,
tank ears), if sae other plant provided the sales. Bo 17 time
capable ~f producing railroad "griffin" wheels (solid, of cast iron).
However, there we no hydraulic egmipswt to fit wheels onto stiles.
In late 1951 high plant officials discussed the possibility of
manufacturing railroad ears.
any kind of steel part details which are turned on lathes, milling
machines, planing oachines, sod boring and turning lathes.
(k) wood work such as tisple furniture, coffins, etc. to 17 bad a eavaill
and woodworking machines. There were four band saws.
M
(a) Bridge craws - bridges only without carriyss
for this first year of prodeotieai without
sours and without eleotrie egalpasat. Zn
type they core 20 a open, five tea lifting
capacity, an book, three asters, throe sets of
reducing gears, control cebia alder the berms.
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/27: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600050333-7
25X1
with a flat boiler, welded from two "U" shaped
beemme, and cirv.i stew containers in which the
tires were vulcanized,
f , . ~ . . ~,t.?.. .t,,.q. +1,ne. v.ro .nwAR of c gt irnn,~i(10 1.000
(b) Movable tire vulcanizers - a set contained
Iron sheets of six and eight mm thickness
were used in manufacture; welded, no rivets;
all sides of beams were solid. The cranes
were made according to standard printed
drawings made at the Moscow Crane Factory.
(d) Ce iron pipes - with a 75 mm diameter and
a 3 m length.
mm diameter, four m length; included angles,
crossings, etc. The pipes had the usual
profile, but the walls were thicker, up'to
14 or 15 mm. Control pressure was 15
atmospheres. Vertical casting method used,
no centrifugal installation. Length was
limited to only four m as the ground under
the casting shop was unsuitable - gravel with
water very near the surface. A deeper
excavation would have endangered the building.
(e) Sta :.onary aviation gasoline storage tanks - 300
25m ; 20 tons capacity. Iron sheets of six mm
were used; bottoms had inside reinforcement.
(f) Iron framework for own factory shops (included 400-500 tons
^utting,velding, and fixing in position) -
different types of framework were produced,
dependant primarily upon the kind of iron avail-
?ble in the plant.
(g) Rehabilitation of soda factory - consisting
primarily of changing the piping system.
(h) C?_wer.__1 re,-air of the piping ayetem of a
10 thousand ton Soviet oil tanker at
ilaircn Dc k, mostly welding and fitting.
60-100 son work-
ing one year
50 sen working
six months
(~) Electric bulb caps - In 1949 and 1950 these 2,000,000
were made from used "tin cam.", mostly
condensed milk cans. Chinese contractors
cut the cans and pressed than am or less
flat. The factory pressed the metal into cavs,
14 or 15 aachines in the process. The glass
points were added and the prodaet we than coated
by the cold plvasisimg method. In late 1950 or
early 1951, ^o 17 bspa to received fret the ~
thin irofn sheets of abort .3 an (sic) thioiinsss fae this
purpose - E=
Small enamelled bowls - the fact that the
factory made such items is a further indication
that it was a conglo.sration of several plants.
The enamelling was done elsewhere. The hollow
ware sectice was later separated iron the
factory.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/27: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600050333-7
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/27: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600050333-7
25X1
i'P&M ' T
for about
40,000 spherical
t?akp of 6m3 each
for about 1,000
coataintre of
the sac type
At the and of 1949 there were also aaW unfinished items. abet important of
these were 34 brides cranes which Mere 606 cc.ei.*.a_
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/27: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600050333-7
Na i7 s cap section was small, employing only
about 30 workers.
(k) Jacks and other tools fat jUtootflre "M6168
to the electric bulb plant (fabrika elektrichiskikh
lamp) in Dairen. Perhaps this was done in 1952.
that the cap section was to be transferred
111 Spare parts for automotive vehicles.
they, were not of very good quality because the
orders usually were limited to several hundred
pieces (never more than one thousand) and the
factory could neither obtain proper materials
nor create a production line specifically fore
this purpose. Not much attention was paid to
this production.
1. Pistons - in 1949 pistons were of poor
quality because of the lack of pure aluminum.
The factory often used metal obtained from
aircraft which had crashed. Beginning in
1950, the plant received aluminum from the'USSR.
The melting process was changed in order to avoid
iron ingredients and the piston$ greatly improved
in quality.
2. Piston rings - produced separately and also
by the block process (casting by centrifugal method).
The latter process called for cutting into separate
rings. The block process was introduced in 1951.
The rings passed teats which met Soviet standards,
3. Cylinder sleeves - beginning in 1951 these
were also cast by the centrifugal method, the
sleeves were made from special casting metal.
4. !',ears and shafts - orders for these parts
were not very large and the raw materials were
often not of the proper composition and shape.
It was necessary at times to cast special steel
using No 17's ova electric furnace, with the
attendant difficulty of obtaining the proper
ingredients. The products were considered to
be of good quality by a-..i et _t.. a...;e k s
and shafts were not favorite products with the
administrators of the plant because of the
difficulties described above.
#Zas 1"0 and M1, o p action of out 20-23$. On the other baud, the eamealled
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/27: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600050333-7
25X1
CONFID WrIAL
-5-
during the following years. Bridge cranes were made in 12 or more
6. A summary of No 17's tentative production program?for 1952 may be of
interest. It was drawn up by plant officials on the basis of what
they considered to be the most practical utilization of the plant's
production potential as of that time. The plan, as regards major
difficulties. The cranes were ordered for old Japanese-built shops
and the span was calculated in ';shatcu" (a Japanese 'foot" which cannot
be converted to round metric figures). The shop walls near the crane
rails did not have the same dimensions and shapes as specified by
Soviet standards. Therefore, the ends of the bridges had to he
reconstructed to correspond to the shop space, as the crane., on
initial delivery did not fit the space and had to be rebuilt on the
spot by factor personnel sent there.
capacities of 10 and 15 tons. In 195'-orders or cranes arrived
from the Chinese Communist authorities in Mukden which caused
items, was approximately as follows:
(b) Cranes of 10 tons (to be produced for the 10 or 15
In practise, however, the Chinese Coounist authorities placed orders in
early.1952 for *.iscellansovs its s and even divided sows of the orders
among various factories. There were no orderi for winches or water pipes.
Machine Plant No 17 engsOsd in sunitioms production only once. In 1951
the Chinese Northeastern Industrial Administration in *ikden ordered the
Complete bridge cranes of five tons lifting
capacity 100
first time)
Cranes of 15 tons (experimental production; one or two
1n ha to use ~-earz of diff? 't "1z
(d)
=_c,cm those of other cranes)
Steam winches of three tone
15-25
(e)
Storage tanks for aviation gas
300-400
Water pipes of two or three different sizes
1,000-1,500 tons
~d)
Insulator caps
3,000-4,000
(h)
Nuts, bolts, rivets, hooks, etc
500-600 tons
2,000-3,000
(k)
Automotive spare parts and tools (pistons,
rings. and cylinder sleeves could be made
easily by the plant in large quantities)
Some woodwork
(1)
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/27: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600050333-7
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/27: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600050333-7
manufacture of four thousand pieces for "fault-patron." (a type of
anti-tank weapon similar to a wail UL S006). Ths places were
Made of hi&h auality'steelmmially sunnlied to the plant.
production of nanitions andtbsrsfore vas incapable of this type
of manufacture, except for sow parts of veipons to be made in
limited quantity.
784.9
441L/C
784.5
441L,&
4-5/79.95
441 L/C
4-5/7145.53
441 L/C
743.23
441 L/C
741,988
441 L/C
745.4 '
441L/C
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/27: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600050333-7