VULKO CHERVENKOV AUTOMOBILE FACTORY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A005501050015-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 1, 2007
• Sequence Number: 15
• Publication Date: December 14, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL- -INTELLIGENCE:.AGENCY_ -:: ,
INFORMATION' REPORT
This material contains information affecting the Na-
tional Defense of the United States within the mean-
Ing of the lepionage laws. Title 18, . US.C. Secs. 793
and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in
any manner to an unauthorized person Is prohibited
bylaw.
SECRET-U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY
COUNTRY Bulgaria
SUBJECT V&ko Chervenkov Automobile Factory
DATE OF INFO.
This is UNEVALUATED
Information
REPORT
DATE DISTR. 14 December 1954
NO. OF PAGES 6
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
REFERENCES
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN MIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
1. The V lko Chervenkov Avtoremonten Zavod, a plant for the repair, of trucks and 25X1
production of spare parts, is located one kilometer west of Gera Iskur.
Planned and constructed by Soviet experts, it was established in 1951 to carry
out basic repairs of automobiles of Soviet make and to produce spare parts for
these automobiles. The plant was under the control of the Ministry of
Transport until January 1952, at which time it was transferred to the Ministry
of National Defense. In January 1953 it was placed under the supervision of
the Ministry for Heavy Industry. The plant site is surrounded by a concrete
wall about two meters high. All structures of the plant are within this area
except for two 1-story buildings, one housing the administration and the
other a dining hall, buffet, and other services.
2. The central workshops are about 300 meters long, 150-200 meters wide, and 10
meters high. The walls are of reinforced concrete 50-60 centimeters thick.
The iron roof is covered with some unidentified material of black color. All
other buildings within the compound have red tiled roofs. Most of the
production departments are located in the central workshops, including:
a. Tools department (Instrumentalni Tseh);
be Mechanical department (Mehanicheski Tseh);
c. Forge (Kuznietski Tseh);
d.. Dismantling and assembly department (Demontazhni i Montazhni Tseh);
e."Manufacture of truck bodies (Karuserien Tseh); and
f. Chief mechanic's department.(Tseh na Glavni Mehanik),
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3. The tools department, employing about 35 workers, produces tools and parts
used mainly by the plant itself, such as lathe and milling machine cutters.
This department is equipped with the following:
a. Four lathes, two of Soviet make, one of Hungarian make, and one of Czech
make. One of the Soviet lathes, a product of Krasnni Proletar, is two
meters long; the other lathes are of smaller types. One of the Soviet
lathes is designed for the production of cutters for milling machines,
b. One milling machine of Soviet make.
c. Two drilling machines of Soviet make.
d. Three grinding machines of Soviet make, and four or five small grinding
machines.
e. One large shaping machine of Soviet make.
4. The mechanical department, employing about 120 workers, is one of the largest
and most important. It turns out all spare parts for trucks of Soviet make
such as ZIS.?150, ZIS.?5, GAZ.ZA, GAZ-111, and GAZ-51, for the Soviet jeep
GAZ..67B, and others. This department also repairs the following items:
Cylinder blocks, pistons, connecting rods, clutches, radiators, gear boxes,
carburetors, front and rear axles, chassis, and electrical parts. This
department has at its disposal the following machine tools:
a. Ten Soviet lathes from Krasni Proletar, model 1949, each about two
meters long, with a maximum rotation of 2200 RPM.
b. Ten all Soviet lathes from Kuybishev, each about one meter long.
e. One Soviet DIP-300 lathe, very heavy, three meters long,
d. One German Magdeburg lathe, for the processing of heavy parts.
e. Two or three large Soviet turret lathes.
f. One large Czech turret lathe.
g. Four or five high-speed small Soviet turret lathes.
h. Four medium-size Soviet universal milling machines4
i. One Soviet vertical milling machine.
J. Three Soviet milling machines, produced by the Komsomolets plant, used
especially for the production of toothed wheels; two are No. 512 and one
is No--513-
k. A machine the only one of its
kind in Bulgaria. On this machine are processed special toothed tw.*heels,
namely Crown wheels and Pinions including Crown wheels and Pinions for
T-34 tanks, This machine is the only one in the plant which is also used
for the production of parts for trucks of other than Soviet make.
Two machines (Obkatovachni T.achini) for the processing of toothed wheels.
One of them, of Soviet make, is used for the processing of cylinder
toothed wheels; the other, of German make, is used for the processing of
cylindrical and spiral toothed wheels.
m. Several grinding machines, two of which are Soviet machines for horizontal
grinding, two are Soviet machines for cylindrical grinding, and one is an
Italian machine for the horizontal grinding of segments.
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no Three large and three small Soviet drilling machines.
o. One Mechanical press of Soviet make, of about 30 tons.
p. One hydraulic press, of Czech make, about 100 tons.
q. A Gilotina press for the cutting of metals, operated by two powerful
electric motors.
5. The forge, employing about 20 workers, contains the following items of
equipments
a. A 150?,200 ton compressed air hammer, of Soviet make.
b. A ama.33 electric hammer made in Bulgaria.
c. Five furnaces, four fed by crude oil and the fifth electrical.
d? Electrical and o:rgen welding equipment.
e. --~Mftchine for the cleaning of parts by means of sand jets.
6. The dismantling and assembly department, the largest, employs about 200
workers divided into brigades. This department has two separate section.s,
one for dismantling of trucks to be repaired and one for reassembly. It
has at its disposal facilities to test engines and parts, a number of
electrically operated 1-1.5 ton cranes, and a machine which rinses stripped
parts with a solution containing caustic soda, and then with steam.
7. The department manufacturing truck bodies, employing about 50 workers, also
reconditions used bodies. It is equipped with machines used for carpentry.
There are also electrical cranes similar to the ones in the dismantling
and assembly department. Three pairs of rails fastened to the ceiling run
through the whole shed occupied by the department.
S. The chief mechanic's department, employing between 15 and 20 workers, is
responsible for all machinery in the plant, and in addition, produces some
minor spare parts. This department is equipped with three lathes, one
drilling machine, one milling machine, and some additional machinery.
9. The following storage facilities are at the disposal of departments located
in the central workshops: A tool shed; a shed for now snare parts, produced
locally as well as imported; and a shed holding used but still serviceable
spare parts.
10. The foundry, employing between 30 and 35 workers, is able to cast most metal
parts with the a::contion of ones for which steel must be used. It is equipped
with a Vagrianka furnace and three or four small furnaces for the casting of
parts of nonferrous metals. Other important machinery includes a machine
for the preparation of sand casting molds, a machine for the preparation of
sand casting molds for segments, and a machine for centrifugal casting.
no The plant employs approximately 750 workers, of which 500 are skilled laboreret
150 are soldiers of the labor battalions, and the remainder ate technicians
and employees of the technical and planning departments. In 1952 when the
plant was controlled by the Ministry of National Defense, the number of
soldiers employed in the plant was much larger. The plant works on a one
shift basis with the exception of the foundry, which works in three shifts.
129 All*the production departments were headed by Soviet experts until 1952, at
which time they were relieved by Bulgarians. The only remaining Soviet is
Smohukin (sic), who acts as adviser to the general manager.
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13. The management, of the plant consists of a general manager, an administrative
manager, a personnel manager, a chief engineer, a chief accountant, a chief
coordinator, and a secretary of the Party cell. Kiril Bochkov is the
general manager. He is a mechanical engineer who graduated in CyenhosInva.kira
prior to World War II.
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14. The technical department, headed by the chief engineer, consists of one
supervising technical engineer, five technical engineers, a chief construction
engineer, five construction engineers, and ten draftsmen. In addition one
technical engineer and one technician are attached to each production
department.
15. The accounts department employs ten accountants, and in addition two accountants
are assigned to each production department and store. The planning department
has five clerks; one. additional planner is assigned to each production depart.
ment. The norms department employs four clerks and in addition has one clerk
in each production department, with the exception of the mechanical department
where it has four persons. The supply department employs six or seven persons.
16. The department for technical supervision has one official in each production
department, with the exception of the dismantling and assembly department
where it has 20 officials, ten in each section.
17. Due to gross inefficiency on the part of the administrative and technical
staff, production and output of the plant are far below capacity. A
considerable number of machines which were new at the time the plant was
established broke down after a very short time and stood idle. A number of
other new machines were kept idle for a very long time because of lack of
specialists to operate them. Among these were three machines for the
production of toothed wheels, which were inactive from 1950 until the end of
1951. Excessive planning and bureaucracy are additional reasons for the
inefficiency. For instance, the plant has to deliver all spare parts
produced to the Diu'zhaven Rezerv enterprise in Aleksandir Stamboliyski Street, Sofia,
the only Central Distribution Agency for spare parts for trucks and tractors.
At the same time all the parts required by the plant itself for repairs must
be ordered from this Agency and are then shipped back to the plant.
18. In 1953 the mechanical department fulfilled its quota as regards quantity
only but did not produce the full quota of the various types of parts. For
instance, pistons and segments were not produced according to the quota
because the correct combination of metals was not known.
19. In 1953 the monthly plan for overhauling engines provided for 75 general
overhauls, but only 40 to 50 were completed. With better utilization of the
mechanical equipment, the goal of 75 overhauls could easily be reached.
20. Prior to 1952 the workers were graded into eight wage categories, the eighth
grade being the highest. During 1952 the three lowest grades were abolished.
Daily wages of Grade 8 workers fulfilling their norms are 23 lava;
Grade 7, 22 leva; Grade 4, 11 to 12 leva.
21. In 1951 a worker could easily fulfill the nouns and even overstep them by
200, to 300 per cent. But in September 1953 the norms were fixed so high
that even a very industrious worker had to make every physical effort to
fulfill them. The following instance may serve as an example: In
September 1951 the norm for a Grade 8 worker was one cylindrical-spiral
toothed wheel for the ZIS-150 truck in 60 minutes, Two months later the
time limit was lowered to 50 minutes, later to 40 and 30 minutes, until it
reached 20 minutes in September 1953.
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Legend to Vulko Chervenkov Automobile Factory
1. Gara Isktr.
2. Dining hall, buffet, service rooms.
3. Office of the Management.
4. Entrance for vehicles.
5. nployeee' entrance.
6. Department for manufacture of truck bodies.
7. Dismantling and assembly department.
8. Offices of the managers of the production departments.
9. Mechanical department.
10. Tools department.
11. Forge.
12. Chief mechanic's department.
13. Stores.
14. Technical school (metal branch), a 1-story structure.
15. Store No. 2, for tools, metal and timber.
16. Underground fuel storage.
17. Steam power plant.
18. Electricity control.
19. Upholstery.
20. Department for the checking of repaired trucks.
21. Truck paint shed.
22. Parking lot for three or four trucks belong to the plant and
for the car of the general manager.
23. Parking shed for trucks in repair,
24. Foundry.
25. Three timber stores.
26. Barracks of Trudovaks.
27. Parking space for trucks after repair, and spare parts store.
28. Concrete wall surrounding plant.
29. Sofia-Plovdiv main road.
30. Lane leading to Gara Isk&r.
31. Guard room and fire brigade station.
32. Water tower and pumping installation.
33. Underground tank for fuel oil.
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Vu]ko ChervenkoT uutcmobile Factor~-
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