Churaev Vladimir Mikhailovich (August 24, 1939 – December 6, 2022) was a manufacturing executive and, for many years, head of the metallurgical and technical division of the Gorky Automobile Plant. He was a laureate of the USSR State Prize and of the Russian Federation Government Prize in Science and Technology, and a holder of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 4th class. He lived in Nizhny Novgorod and is buried there.[2]
Career at GAZ
Nearly 25 years of Churaev's working life were tied to the metallurgical production of the Gorky Automobile Plant, and for six of them he headed it as its manager. He successively held the posts of foundry shop superintendent, manager of metallurgical production, and technical director (1995–1997), and later served as deputy general director of GAZ.[2][1]
Among his notable technical achievements was equipping the foundry shops with universal automatic molding lines, developed jointly by plant specialists and machine-tool builders. Similar lines were installed at enterprises in Saransk, Kanibadam, and several other cities. After modernization, these lines continued to operate decades later.[1] Other important chapters of his career include launching production of the "GAZelle" and the "Tigr" special-purpose vehicle, equipping production with automated body-welding complexes for the GAZ-31105 and cab-welding complexes for the GAZ-3307, and preparing the diesel engine plant for launch — a project that required installing 254 automatic lines and an extensive laboratory base.[1]
The State Prize and Its Backstory
In 1985, GAZ nominated for the USSR State Prize its work on the creation and introduction of universal automatic molding lines for producing cast blanks. The work passed three rounds of selection, was approved, and was sent up for signature, yet the automobile workers did not appear in the list of laureates published in Pravda. According to Churaev's recollections, shortly before publication he, as head of the project, was asked to strike two participants from the list and add in their place employees of the Council of Ministers and the Party Central Committee; he refused. The Minister of the Automotive Industry, Viktor Nikolayevich Polyakov, resubmitted the materials to the State Prize Committee on behalf of the ministry and the plant. In 1986, a group of automobile workers, including Churaev, was awarded the USSR State Prize.[1][2]
Awards and Recognition
The honorary title "Honored Autozavodets" was awarded to him in 1992.[2] He was a laureate of the 1996 Russian Federation Government Prize for the creation and introduction of waste-free technological processes of plastic deformation and a range of specialized equipment for forming gear profiles, splines, and threads.[2] He was awarded the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland," 4th class (1997), the Order of the Red Banner of Labor (1977), and the Order of the "Badge of Honor" (1991), as well as medals.[2]
He is buried at the Old Avtozavodsky Cemetery in Nizhny Novgorod.[2]
Sources
- lib-avt.ru — A Hot Heart of a Metallurgist — Centralized Library System of the Avtozavodsky District of the City of Nizhny Novgorod (archive)
- names52.ru — Churaev Vladimir Mikhailovich (archive)