Mantrac Vostok employees look back on the past 20 years

Sergey Azabin, Machine Sales Representative, Ukhta

I joined Mantrac Vostok in 2007 as a Service Engineer. It was unusual to see a company where everyone smiled, and everyone was kind-hearted and ready to help and advise. The first Mantrac Vostok office in Ukhta consisted of two attached rooms with 20 people working there. Just a couple of years later in 2009, the company purchased their headquarters, which is where we work now. I was extremely surprised that after only a week of employment I was sent to Bor for a month of training. The company had decided to invest in my abilities without even knowing how long I would be working for them. In that moment, I couldn’t have imagined that Mantrac Vostok would be a part of my life for so many years. I believe that work is all about the customers. These are the people who come to our company – whether they’re buying spare parts, services, or vehicles – believing that we will help their business grow successfully. Looking back, I see that our company was still very young at the time I joined. We had yet to survive the two financial crises of 2009 and 2015, and then learn to live and work in the 2020 pandemic. However, we’ve grown immensely over the last 20 years and have overcome all these challenges honourably and continue to work and make plans for the future.

Nikolay Mylnikov, Equipment Management Supervisor, Bor

I joined Mantrac Vostok in 2007. There was a teaching vacancy in the service department. After doing a few interviews and not receiving any kind of concrete information, I had gone on a walk around St. Petersburg with my wife. Imagine my surprise when, standing next to the Aurora, my telephone rang and the voice on the other end asked when I could start work. My first day was September 20th. The first thing that caught my attention was how freely employees talked to one another, no matter what level they were. 

In this unstable world, I would like to describe our company with the following three words, which I believe should truly be valued: 

• Stable. For as long as I can remember and, as far as I know, even before that, the company has never once withheld wages and even tries to index earnings every year.  

• Friendly. We have a friendly sense of camaraderie both within each branch and within the company as a whole. People here are always ready to help or just meet up as a friend.  

• Client-oriented. I’m using this buzzword on purpose, but I don’t mean it in the formal western sense. I mean it in our own, Russian, sense. I mean that every person I know does everything possible – and sometimes the impossible too – to help our clients solve their most pressing issues. They do this every day, not to check a box and not for the money, but for their own conscience and for the enjoyment of knowing that they’ve done something good for someone.  

20 years isn’t 1000, and I don’t think that things can change significantly over that period. Yes, technological progress takes its course and the way we do business changes, work tools, new buildings are built, and new people arrive, but in the words of the hero of my favourite novel, “Ordinary people... remind me very much of their predecessors”. 

Olga Nikolayeva, HR Supervisor, Bor

I’ve been working at Mantrac Vostok since January 9th, 2007. I was anxious at the time of my interview, but I still got a very good and positive impression of the company, which was confirmed when I started to work in the Bor office. The team was small, but tight-knit. Everyone supported each other and helped one another with work-related issues. It didn’t take long for me to fit in with the rest of the team; it was easy and comfortable to work. I joined the company during a period of rapid growth. We were opening new regions, and since I started working here, our employee numbers have increased by five times, which I think is a significant development for the company. It shows that the company has serious intentions, high standards of business, and impressive, high-quality products. Mantrac Vostok has really changed over the years. I would say that the company started as a little stream rising somewhere far away in the north and has since transformed into a fierce and mighty river that flows into regions throughout the Russian Federation without changing course. Now, the company holds a stable position on the Russian market. If I were to describe the company in three words, I would say: power, strength, and energy! And in 10 years, I think there will be competition over every position at Mantrac Vostok and all the construction and mining sites in Russia will be equipped with Cat machines and equipment, of course!

Mikhail Frizen, Product Support Sales Supervisor, Surgut

I’ve been working in the company since November, 2007. When I first joined, I didn’t really understand the magnitude of it all, but once I realised the power of the Mantrac Vostok brand, I was happy and proud to have ended up in such a big and powerful company. By the time I joined the company in 2007, the branches in Surgut, Novy Urengoy, and Nizhny Novgorod had already opened. That’s where most of the business was concentrated. The company were actively recruiting energetic professionals, so it was really cool to become a part of the team. Like any young company, 20 years ago, Mantrac Vostok was ambitious, optimistic, and fearless. Mantrac Vostok has overcome a number of challenges and our team has changed as people come and go. But I’m glad to have a few colleagues that have stayed committed to this company year in and year out. The opening of our new service centres in Yekaterinburg and Surgut were big changes for the company. It was a powerful step in developing the business, occurring during a period of difficult economic conditions in the market. My team and my surroundings are what make my job most enjoyable. When you’re part of a good team and you like what you do, then it’s impossible not to enjoy your work. I’m proud of my team, my management, and my company. I feel the support of my colleagues across the board, and I have no doubt that they will always be there to help me with advice and deed. It’s very heartening. Describe the company in three words? Strong, stable, developing. I’m certain that in 10 years Mantrac Vostok will be an even stronger company in the market, with unique products and business solutions. I hope we develop smoothly, maintain our strong team, and confidently overcome all difficulties and challenges.