China National Heavy Duty Truck Group (Sinotruk), a Chinese state-owned truck manufacturer, and Kazakhstan’s Saran Machinery have established a joint venture for the production of commercial and specialized vehicles in Kazakhstan.
The founding agreement was signed on August 12 in attendance of Kazakhstan’s First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar.
The new plant will be located in the city of Saran in the Karaganda region. It will have a production capacity of up to 10,000 vehicles per year, including Howo heavy trucks. The plant will be equipped with a state-of-the-art technological complex, including the first cataphoretic metal processing line in Kazakhstan. This installation will provide high protection of truck bodies from corrosion and significantly increase their service life.
At the signing ceremony, Sklyar noted the importance of the project for production localization in Kazakhstan. “The joint company plans to use body parts made of galvanized steel produced at the domestic metallurgical enterprise Qarmet. This will allow maximum use of Kazakhstani raw materials and establish a full production cycle within the country,” he said.
It is expected that after reaching its design capacity, the new plant will employ up to a thousand people.
A phased delivery of manufacturing equipment to the plant is planned in 2025-2026. In October 2025, the first batch of equipment for assembling chassis and cabins is expected, followed by equipment for painting and welding in the second quarter of 2026.
