On the last Sunday of September, the Republic of Belarus celebrates Machine Building Day — a professional holiday for workers and engineers in one of the key industries of the national economy. "Mechanical engineering" is the hallmark of Belarus: the products of JSC "Minsk Automobile Plant" — the management company of the holding "BELAVTOMAZ", JSC "BELAZ" — the management company of the holding "BELAZ-HOLDING", CJSC "Atlant" and other large machine-building enterprises are known far beyond the borders of the country, and the industry itself has remained leading in the industrial sector for decades. the republic's complex.
Rector of the Belarusian National Technical University Sergey Kharitonchik congratulated the employees and students of BNTU, whose activities are related to mechanical engineering.
Dear teachers, staff, students, and graduates of the Belarusian National Technical University! I sincerely congratulate you on Machine Building Day!
This holiday unites everyone who, through their work, creates the foundation of our country’s industrial power — from workers at machine tools and design engineers to scientists and production managers.
Machine building is the foundation on which the economy of Belarus rests. New machines, machine tools, and equipment are born in production facilities — they work for the benefit of our homeland and are exported to dozens of countries around the world. The Belarusian National Technical University is proud that it has been training specialists for this strategically important field of activity for over a century. BNTU fosters engineering thinking and develops professionals capable of working with the most modern equipment.
Scientific and innovative developments, methods, and the daily, painstaking work of BNTU scientists and teachers form an elite engineering school that is now known far beyond the borders of Belarus.
BNTU graduates today work at the country’s largest enterprises. They design, construct, establish production, and implement new technologies that make Belarusian equipment competitive. Their work is reflected in every new machine tool, tractor, and automobile.
For students at BNTU, the professional journey is just beginning, but they are already part of the broader engineering community. Ahead of them lies study, practical training, and their first independent decisions, on which the technological development of the state will depend. May this path prove fruitful for them, and may the knowledge acquired at the university become a solid foundation for future achievements.
I wish you good health, well‑being, new professional achievements, and confidence in the future! May your work always bring satisfaction, and may your achievements make a real contribution to the development of your native Belarus!
Rector
S. Kharitonchik”
Mechanical Engineer’s Day was established in the USSR in 1966, when the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR signed a decree dated September 15, 1966, No. 139‑VII “On Establishing the Annual Holiday ‘Mechanical Engineer’s Day’”. In 1980, by a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated October 1, 1980, No. 3018‑X “On Holidays and Memorial Days”, the date of celebration was officially fixed — the last Sunday of September.
After gaining independence, Belarus preserved this tradition: in the sovereign Republic, the holiday became official thanks to the decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus dated March 26, 1998, “On State Holidays, Public Holidays, and Memorial Days in the Republic of Belarus.” Today, Machine Building Day is celebrated not only in Belarus but also in Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan — countries where mechanical engineering has traditionally been one of the key sectors of the economy.
The traditions of celebrating Machine Building Day in Belarus have deep roots. Back in Soviet times, this day was one of the most significant professional holidays: solemn meetings were held at enterprises, leading production workers were honoured, awards were presented, and festive concerts were held. Many factories had a good tradition of labour dynasties — when experienced workers brought their children and grandchildren to the workshops, passing on to them the secrets of their craft. This continuity of generations remains one of the main values of the Belarusian machine‑building industry today.
Belarusian National Technical University is proud of its role as a training ground for the mechanical engineering industry. The mechanical engineering and automotive and tractor faculties of the country’s leading technical university train specialists without whom it is impossible to imagine the country’s modern industrial complex.
The mechanical engineering faculty is the oldest at the university; its history began in 1920. Today, it trains engineers in the most in‑demand fields: mechanical engineering technology, technological equipment, and intelligent and mechatronic systems. The contribution of the faculty’s staff to building a workforce for the real sector of the economy in 2011 was recognized with an Honorary Certificate from the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus. Based on the faculty, the “Digital Mechanical Engineering” competence centre was established; its grand opening took place on December 11, 2025. This is a unique platform where students master 3D modelling, CNC machine programming, industrial robotics, and working with virtual equipment twins. Here, future engineers acquire exactly the skills required by modern production.
The tractor and automotive faculty plays an equally important role in training personnel for the machine‑building industry — it is the only one in Belarus and in the post‑Soviet space that trains a full range of specialists for the automotive and tractor industries: from designers of multifunctional equipment to workers in the transport and logistics sector. Students complete internships at large machine‑building enterprises in Belarus. In 2025, the faculty opened a student design bureau called “Promising Vehicle Designs,” and its participants have already achieved success: the project “Universal Electric Platform” won the republican competition “100 Ideas for Belarus.” Another significant project undertaken by the bureau was a roadster — a mid-engine sports car created in collaboration with colleagues from Bauman Moscow State Technical University. The car is already starting and moving under its own power: the assembly of the main systems has been completed, and initial tests have been carried out.
Students and faculty members of BNTU annually demonstrate a high level of training at prestigious competitions and scientific forums. In 2025, the team from the mechanical engineering faculty took second place at the Profskills Belarus — 2025 professional skills championship in the “Mobile Robotics” competency.
Also in 2025, students from the mechanical engineering faculty, Ilya Baimler and Ivan Sheiko, won first place at the international festival “Future SCO Engineers” in Tashkent, where they demonstrated the operation of an autonomous robot and outperformed teams from Belarus, Russia, China, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. A postgraduate student from the mechanical engineering faculty, Andrey Rudnitsky, was awarded a scholarship by the President of the Republic of Belarus for developing a method for producing wear‑resistant coatings.
Students of the Automobile and Tractor Faculty also represented the university with dignity at international Olympiads: in 2026, Timofey Kovalchuk was awarded a second‑degree diploma at the 5th Open International Internet Olympiad on Strength of Materials. In addition, this year the Automobile and Tractor Faculty’s project “Quiet Road: Safe Means of Personal Mobility for Everyone” became the winner of the final stage of the republican competition “The Experience of the Best ‘Belarus’ – the Heritage of Society.”
This is just a part of the achievements in research activities, but each of them shows that the Belarusian engineering school is alive and developing, and its graduates are ready to solve problems of any complexity.
We congratulate all scientists, teachers, students and graduates of BNTU, whose knowledge, work and dedication strengthen the foundation of our country’s industrial power! May the Belarusian machine‑building industry continue to develop successfully, and may BNTU graduates remain in demand in the real sector of the economy!
