The 4th Inter-Industry Conference on Industrial Equipment Maintenance was successfully held in St. Petersburg.

On September 25-26, 2025, the 4th Inter-Industry Practical Conference “Practical Issues of Industrial Equipment Maintenance. Electronics. Mechanics. Software” was held at the LENPOLIGRAFMASH Congress Center. The event brought together over 200 specialists from leading Russian industrial companies, demonstrating a high level of interest in the maintenance, repair, and digital transformation of industrial infrastructure.

Conference participants—technical directors, chief engineers, and automation department managers from the metallurgy, oil and gas, chemical, mining, energy, and mechanical engineering industries—spend two days discussing current challenges, sharing practical experiences, and seeking solutions to ensure trouble-free production operations.

Key topics of the conference:

• Digitalization and AI: Implementation of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and digital twins for predictive maintenance and process optimization. Representatives from Kola MMC, VizorLabs, and the Federal State Autonomous Institution CIT presented case studies of using computer vision and predictive models to increase mineral extraction and improve industrial safety.

• Import Substitution: Successful examples of replacing imported equipment and software with domestic equivalents, including frequency converters (INSTART), gearboxes (NTC REDUKTOR), battery monitoring systems (Baltic Energy Company), and robotic systems (VALDAI ROBOTS).

• Practical Case Studies: Particular attention was paid to real-world implementation experiences. Specialists from MMK, TVEL, RBI CONCEPT, and Mir 555 provided a detailed analysis of solutions in the areas of diagnostics, risk management, and predictive analytics.

• Personnel Issues: For the first time, a separate session, “Personnel,” was organized, where Valery Pilyavsky, Rector of the Institute of Biological Sciences, and Dmitry Bolshakov, representative of AVTOZAVOD SAINT PETERSBURG, discussed strategies for training and motivating a new generation of engineering and technical specialists.

• Intersectoral Dialogue: The blurring of boundaries between electronics, mechanics, and software has become a key trend. The presentations demonstrated that modern solutions require an integrated approach, where hardware and software are inseparable.

“For the fourth year, the main goal of the conference remains the creation of an intersectoral platform for developing solutions, finding reliable partners, and relevant ideas for the stable operation of industrial production in modern conditions,” noted Dmitry Vasilyevich Dmitriev, CEO of Engineering Company 555, in his opening remarks.

The event was supported by the Inter-Industry Industrial Automation Working Group “Automated Process Control Systems,” created at the initiative of the Industrial Competence Centers (ICC) “Metallurgy” and “Chemistry,” the ANO “Digital Economy,” and the ANO “Open Automation Systems”; the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry; the St. Petersburg Center for Entrepreneurship Development and Support; itSMF Russia; the Neurolab Center for Technical and Innovative Development; the RUSSOFT Association; the Additive Manufacturing Development Association; the St. Petersburg Institute of Business and Innovation (ANO DPO IBIN); the Zhigulevskaya Dolina Technopark; the National Academy of Commerce and Industry of Russia; the Federal State Autonomous Institution “Digital Industrial Technologies”; the Avangard Special Economic Zone; the “ya-IT-y” IT Directors Club; the Association of Digital Technologies in Industry; and the St. Petersburg Technopark.
Conference operator: Market Skipper.