Ответы на вопросы с Анатолием Юницким. Спецвыпуск.
I am Pyotr Ivanovich Sinichkin. I joined as an investor back in 2015. I am originally from Volgograd. I traveled to Belarus to ask Anatoli Eduardovich several questions about the company’s development – what awaits it ahead and what has been accomplished until now. I hope that we will make clear particular issues and get comprehensive answers. The reason for my visit is to gain a deeper understanding of the company and its development.
In other words, I want to see and experience it firsthand. I also look forward to meeting the engineering team. In addition, the primary purpose of my visit is to dispel any negative speculation and to demonstrate that the company is developing and growing. Anatoli Eduardovich, Petr Ivanovich. I will probably take on the role of moderator today and introduce this format, this meeting to those who will be watching it. Today we are having a talk in a close and friendly circle.
In the circle of investors, in the circle of enthusiasts. In the circle of those who have long been dedicated to and have done much for the development of string transport. First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge the contribution of Anatoli Eduardovich Unitsky.
Also, here is Petr Ivanovich Sinichkin, an investor in string transport since 2015, as we have come to know. He was at our EcoFest. Yes, he was also at our EcoFest back in 2017 Why made us meet like this? Petr Ivanovich wanted to come and he came. He reached out to me and texted me on Telegram.
We have been in touch for a long time, as Petr Ivanovich is really into string transport. He doesn’t only support the project passively, but he is also actively involved in supporting it. He runs his own channel on YouTube, and he has launched a Telegram channel that centers around string transport. And Petr Ivanovich raised an important question: why are there meetings held only with officials, government representatives, businesses, and large investors? Well, we didn't have to think twice about it - I passed his question to Anatoli Eduardovich. And Anatoli Eduardovich actually invited Petr Ivanovich to come. Today we visited the EcoTechnoPark, yesterday Petr Ivanovich visited our office and the production facility.
But he has made a number of questions. They may be answered either in writing or discussed in the context of live face-to-face communication. Nevertheless, it seems to me that right now Petr Ivanovich represents a significant number of people as an investor. Since he’s connected with other investors and can voice and address the concerns that many share and ask questions without any bias.
Let's start with you, Anatoli Eduardovich. So, I should also clarify that here the investor came to the investor. Not everyone knows that I am the primary investor. I am not just the author, I am not just the General Designer. It is not only that I have transferred intellectual property worth 400 billion dollars to the Unitsky Group of Companies for free. Over these past years, since 2014, I have invested over 10 million dollars of my own money in string technologies. That is why I would like the conversation to be structured exactly like this. An investor speaking with a colleague investor who is in the thick of things.
I am also the one who manages the project. But not as someone who has attracted investments. I have not attracted investments. And investments do not come directly to me. There is no money from investors in my accounts. Investments flow through investment platforms. And such platforms are independent legal entities.
Each with its own management, including directors, accountants, lawyers, and so on. They are not accountable to me. They are accountable to the jurisdictions of the countries where they are registered. And they submit their reports to the tax authorities, and where it is required, and so on.
Therefore, we are partners in this sense. And then again, these investment funds do not come to me. We live in such difficult times that even the simple operation of transferring investors’ money poses a serious challenge due to sanctions and restrictions everywhere. Therefore, it is with great difficulty that we manage to transfer this money to the parent company - GTI - Global Transport Investment, which is owned by investors. And then, this money, also with great difficulty – due to sanctions and other factors existing at present, goes to the companies implementing the technology.
Both you, as investors, and I have invested in the technology. Not in Unitsky himself, but in the technology. In the technology which only bears my name as I created it. And this money is already distributed to those actively working on the technology. Including Unitsky String Technologies Inc. That is the venue where we are now. And yesterday you were in our office.
Yes. So, since Unitsky String Technologies Inc. was founded by GTI, owned by all investors, it means that the company is also the property of such investors. Therefore, investments are again received by the company, which is controlled by investors, and not somewhere else. This is their company. And mine. And then this money is spent here on the purposes for which it was given.
And this money and resources were given specifically for Unitsky’s string technologies. And not for anything else. To draw a comparison - consider the investment scenario similar to that of a farmer. Imagine the farmer grows a crop of apples. He doesn't sell the apples himself, though. Instead, he sells them wholesale to a retail chain or store. Wholesale. That is, at a reduced price. And the retail chain store makes a markup and sells the apples. In order to make money as well. Otherwise, what's the point? And how to support the sellers? And what about the store director? And how to pay for the office? And so on. They have to make money.
Therefore, it is only natural that not all the money generated from the sale of apples goes to the farmer. It is understood and accepted. But it suits the farmer. Because the apples were sold. And he earned his share. And it would be odd to walk into the store and ask the seller: how many apples did the farmer collect? The seller would say: how do I know? Indeed, how would he know? Similarly, when I am asked the question - how much money have the investment funds raised? I say: I don’t know. How can I know? I only know how much we receive. And we live in the world of capitalism, where profit, revenue is essential as well as all the companies. And in the charter of any company, the first line of such charter, says: created with the purpose to make profit for the company. It is stated right there in the first lines of any charter. That's why it's normal for everyone to be making money.
But what really matters is what is done with the money received. Look at what's been done! You've seen, Pyotr Ivanovich, how much has been done! No one in the world has ever done anything like this for the same amount of investments. We are building an industry. To put it into perspective, take the hyperloop project, which was undertaken with the backing of Elon Musk, who himself claimed, 'I give it on to the people; it's not mine.' Just recently.
Yes. But there was nothing to give except the idea. And these ideas are worth nothing in reality. And under this premise, all these companies raised about 2 billion dollars. As a result, they began their operations before we established Unitsky String Technologies Inc. They started earlier. They raised 2 billion. But what was the outcome? What do the investors actually own? And where are they now? They all went bankrupt. And the investors lost their money.
They literally threw money down the drain. Yes, but only into another pipe. Not into this one. The technology simply failed, right? No, I'm talking about an investment scheme. And it doesn't matter whether all the money came or not. The key issue is that they had no tangible results. And now let's consider our outcomes. Here we are, in the station building. This is the property of our investors.
This uBus is the property of our investors. This route is the property of our investors. This land is the property of our investors. In our case the outcome is... Office, production… The area of the office is over 12 thousand square meters, it is a 9-story building. It is the property of our investors. We have a few thousand computers. This is also the property of our investors. We have a very powerful production, where individual CNC machines cost 3 million euros.
Like Okuma, Japanese one. Yes. This is a 5-coordinate, 5-axis machine that automatically changes tools and can produce complex parts with micron precision. And I’m not sure if anyone in Belarus has such a machine park. This is also the property of our investors. Just look at what we have!
For some reason, the focus seems to be exclusively on dividends. That's the only concern. The main point is that dividends should be accrued even when there is nothing to support them. But if there is nothing, no dividends are possible. We are not IT specialists who bought a laptop for a thousand dollars and then worked on it to create something.... I wrote a program, yes. And then he sold it for a billion dollars. Did he build roads, create production, hire engineers, train them? No!
He didn't do any of that. We are in a different field, one rooted in industry. Look at how products are developed, for example, in the automobile industry. Or in aviation, or in aerospace. It's not an easy task. And things we do are even more complex. Because they don't create industry. But we do, we build it from scratch and right away, and that's it. It's is incredibly challenging. And look at the ridiculous amount of money it costs us.
It doesn't matter how big the amount is; it's clear that we are not speaking about billions. It is exactly what the Arab sheikh mentioned when he was here. Yes, he says: you did it for about 200-250 million dollars. Well, somewhere around that. That is the amount we received in investments, and nothing more.
Did you actually do it? There simply has never been anything like this in history! Indeed, there has never been anything like this. So much has been done that, well, just think that there were 15 stages completed. There is simply nothing comparable to what has been achieved. I believe, it means that I can properly restructure this money, optimize it, organize as appropriate. We must judge by the results. So, I will repeat once again: we should not focus on these investors.
It does not matter who they are, how much they have earned, or what they are discussing. Or on whether we received all the money raised. And so on…. You should look at what has been accomplished with these investments. It turns out that we are talking as an investor to investors. As investors we are speaking about what concerns other investors. We are discussing issues that are significant to us here and now. Yes. To me too.
The investor will simply ask a larger investor questions that reflect their concerns. Well, and a large investor will tell a small investor about issues that are relevant in this context. You mentioned that we have a whole line of transportation options. Some of our investors are interested in this question. Why couldn't we, for example, let's say, devote all our attention to one particular module? For example, launch it, bring it to commercial production, and then somehow scale it up. And introduce some new modules only after having successfully launched a specific targeted project. his will facilitate bringing the next models to fruition by possible funding out of the profit from the launched project.
This perspective stems from a misunderstanding common among those who have never engaged in such endeavors and do not grasp the complexities of an industry. Elon Musk followed a similar path. However, he didn't build the automobile industry; he developed a single car model - one among a hundred thousand of others. Because before that, probably no less than 100 thousand cars were made in 100 years.
And he didn’t even develop it from scratch; he purchased an existing design. Yes. Now let’s go back to the 19th century. Suppose, you make a car, but no one needs it. Because it doesn't meet customer needs. Maybe it lacks space, is too noisy, consumes too much fuel, is overly expensive, or has some other drawback. If that's the case, your venture will fail. So, we can say, Anatoli Eduardovich, that you foresaw the varying demands customers might have.
Absolutely. They not only might have them, they actually do have them. The concept of a customer is... After all, if we were making a simple thing. Let's say, we were producing toothpaste. We would have had IPO a long time ago. And we would have already been selling. Because it's all simple. And you can go and ask: listen, what kind of toothpaste do you need? Something like this? Well, let's produce it. Here, buy it. It costs 3 dollars. And the customer will buy it. And business will take off. But in our case, we are talking about the industry. And the consumer means people. And every person is different.
That is why there are urban transportations. There are intercity transportations. There are high-speed transportations. There are freight transportations. There are bulk cargoes, and there are piece goods. And so on. And look, if someone had made, for example, a minibus, for example, at the beginning of the 19th or 20th century, who would have bought it? And who would have needed it, a minibus? And now it exists, it is needed. Because it is part of the industry. That is why, look at what runs around the cities.
And taxis, and personal cars. And two-seaters, and single-seaters, and 5-seaters, and 8-seaters, and 12-seaters, and 30-seaters. And buses for 100, 150, 200 people. And what about trolleybuses, and trams? This is all urban transport. This is all urban transport. So, we create similar things.
If you make one product, you will 100% fail. You can never guess what will hit it big. Well, by the way, Pyotr Ivanovich had a question about uCont. I think we have discussed it quite recently. So maybe Pyotr Ivanovich will ask a formulated question? So, I remember the question, I can say... When will uCont arrive in the UAE? Yes, there is such a question from investors. “You promised, after all”, right.
Even with uCont... It's not as simple a thing as it seems at first glance. uCont is designed for transporting containers. And this means a narrow field of logistics. And when we made different versions of uCont - we have them in work - both suspended and mounted. But a suspended one is a simpler and cheaper option. Therefore, we're working on implementing this version. And here the investor may have a question, Anatoli Eduardovich: it turns out that these funds, so to speak, were not used? How can it be that they unused?! We have built… I mean there is no certain return, so to speak? Is that right? It is not the case like when we tightened the nut and broke the bolt, so the bolt is broken and the money paid for it is lost. Here you should look at what's been done!
The investor invests in the development of the technology. Into the technology, not into some element of the technology! This means that you can’t judge the return on investment by technology elements! This is part of the development of technology. Nothing has been lost. It's just that the demand has changed. Why? The answer became evident when we began working with customers. And we had two uCont.
And during the work with customers that the mounted one, which, as we expected at that time, would be less in demand, turned out to be more in demand. There is no need to rebuild the port logistics. And it became clear when we started working with the port workers. We were surprised: what’s the difference? Just install another crane. And he says: no, I don't want it, I don't need it. The thing is that in order to access the port, you have to negotiate for a year. So, we do have a uCont. And there should be one to popularize the technology.
And now we have started production of a mounted one at an accelerated rate. But there are no tracks for the mounted one. The second line is in Sharjah. At one time, I slowed down its construction, having understood that the market was far more complex than it appeared. And we will build the required line and install the necessary vehicle. And we will deal with all the concerns that the customers have. And they are already standing in line, roughly speaking. We are even already designing the route...
Yes, they are ready. Because they see that we are making the necessary machinery and making it properly. And that is why, everything we made, worked. And it works. But now this is more for demonstration. Still what we want to sell is not a demonstration, but real products. Real products which are in high demand. Did I put it clear? Yes. And which sell without problems. Imagine if we were to rebuild the port. Where would we get the money for that?
And who would even agree to that? Should we suspend port activities? I believe that the suspended ones will also be used, but later. So, this vehicle is not a waste. And the solutions we already have - they will also be used. And all this will happen. This will probably be the 15th or 16th model of the vehicle. A cargo model? Or a model in the general line? In the general line. But this is not enough. In the automobile industry there are thousands, tens of thousands of models. In aviation there are hundreds of thousands of airplane models. And imagine if everyone did….
Look, the Wright brothers, they also made a mistake. They were the first to fly. Although many were involved in aviation developments. What was the mistake? The mistake was not that they flew, but in something else. They didn't understand the business side of things. But I do.
Well, inventors, enthusiasts. So, I am an inventor too. So what? It means you need to have some other qualities besides this. And, by the way, they did something that no one believed in, even defying the great Lord Kelvin - the Kelvin degree is named after him, who was then the head of the London Academy, the British Academy of Sciences and who declared that no object heavier than air could fly.
Therefore, aviation was thought to be impossible. Airplanes were thought to be impossible. But the Wright brothers proved that flights were possible. And they thought that the fact that they had flown would help them make business. They got patents and went around selling that air stack. But no one bought it. No, there were purchases. But very few. No. No. Nobody bought that air stack. But that's not the point.
And the first planes, naturally, were primitive. Well, like our first cars. But primitive only from the perspective of the present-day level of civilization development. Because for the beginning of the 20th century it was a breakthrough.
Of course, yes. At that level - it was a game-changer - the air stack took off. But in reality, for aviation, it's pretty basic and rough. They were like, okay, our business is all set - the industry is up and running. And 14 years later, I think, after the flight of the Wright brothers, Boeing, who was a wood industrialist - they made stools, benches, cabinets - thought: listen, airplanes are wooden, let me also work on airplanes.
And so, it was him who created the industry. But he quickly realized - well, actually his employees as he was not a designer himself, but a leader, a manager - wood is not the right material. And they were the first to make a metal airplane and so on. And they created the industry. And where were the Wright brothers? They made the only machine. So what? They missed the chance. Do you know how many Boeings were made, how many models? A huge number, not just one model - that's a big no-no.
Otherwise, we'll be left in the dust. This whole idea of creating an industry isn't so obvious to most people, especially those who invested $100. I have invested not $100. I ask myself: why does it take so long? And I know the answer: because we are building the industry. It's super complicated. And no one has ever done anything like this before. Yes, Anatoli Eduardovich , the thing is that our technology is cutting-edge. And again, it is aimed at the future…. It is an industry-forming one! It's all about moving forward. And most of us just can't comprehend your philosophy.
If I make another spoon, I will it with no problem. I'll jazz it up a bit, slap a diamond on it, and then price it $10,000. People will buy it! It's a simple thing! There are a lot of parts like this spoon in this machine, and they're much more complex. If just one part is messed up, the whole thing won't work. No one will want it. You get how tricky this is, right? The same is true for the track structure. It’s different. It's not your typical bridge...
Or the station we are at now. Or the anchor unit. This is where a force of about 1,500 tons comes into play. Can you even imagine that weight? Picture taking a heavy tank weighing 50 tons and hanging it on a cable. Now picture hanging a bunch of 50 heavy tanks on a cable. That's the kind of force we're talking about here.
Do you think it was easy? But we made it happen. It works. Do you understand? Everywhere you look, it's all new, super complex stuff. And we're doing it despite all the setbacks - the force majeure events, which we had in abundance, the underfunding, the fact that not all investment money reaches us. And I said that this is normal. Look how much has been done, look at this. And since we are doing this and have done it, you can be sure that we will continue to do so. And I will fulfill my commitment. And it is as follows: as I said in the first video - in 2014 - we are building the largest business in the history of civilization. And we will do it.
And we are already entering the market with targeted projects. So, we can say, Anatoli Eduardovich , Unitsky is not only a successful general designer, a successful businessman, but also a strategist who foresees... Absolutely. Can't make moves without a solid strategy.
And he's making all the right moves to keep things on track. Exactly. But let me tell you, it's very difficult. I'd also add that he's got some serious tactical skills as well. The thing is, Anatoli Eduardovich , investors not only differ in the amount of money they put in, but also in their level of experience, especially in the field of transportation, even in string transport. Believe me, no one has the experience I have. That's what I'm talking about. That in fact, different investors ask different questions,
have different interests, and view technology development through their own unique experiences. And Anatoli Eduardovich , for example, has his own perspective based on his experience. So, when it comes to evaluating the same projects you mentioned... And risks involved...
And risks involved. Of course, it happens completely differently... Or underfunding, or raising investments, schemes, etc. I have different knowledge and experience. What's important and what's not important. And yes, and I know what is important, what is not important. And what is critical, and what is not critical. And here I can probably also mention my motto.
I paraphrased it - Churchill said something similar, but mine sounds different. How I define real success. Real success is moving forward from failure to failure with ever-increasing enthusiasm.
Believe, and you will achieve. . And it will come. And if you lose your enthusiasm during one of the falls, then nothing good will happen. And, as you have said, it is important to move forward. Exactly, not backwards or sideways. From one fall to another, from failure to failure.
But I will do it anyway. And I will achieve the goal. We have already achieved it there. We are already on the market. We are entering. We are already doing projects. And we have already become a scientific organization. Furthermore, we have become leaders among private companies in Belarus, which... We have become a scientific organization just recently, and we are already number one when it comes to the number of scientific articles, inventions, R&D - scientific research works. And so on. We are leaders. We are overtaking such large companies as, for example - they are state-owned, but they are not academic, not the Academy of Sciences, as, for example, MAZ... Yes, we have more patents, we have more scientific articles… We are ahead of them. Can you imagine? A scientific school has been created. An engineering school has been created.
Moreover, everyone already recognizes it, even here we have many engineering schools. We have MAZ trucks - they are good vehicles, we have BELAZ trucks, we have wheeled tractors that transport rockets. Imagine, they can carry a 100-ton rocket. They have 16 wheels and all of them are drive wheels. The tractor plant – Belarus has a very strong machine-building school. And they all know about us and say: you have the strongest school. Stronger than theirs. And they admit it themselves. I’m talking about the engineering school.
In addition to engineering activities we are also engaged in design ones. And these are completely different things. Constructing something, for example, designing a building. Or designing a road. That's not constructing or engineering. That's designing.
For example, making a foundation on different types of soils, which can be different. They can be heaving, permafrost, or maybe it's in a swamp, so that the anchor support does not collapse. It's very difficult. Or laying out the reinforcement correctly. Or calculating correctly...
Here is a slab. Imagine, it experiences a load of one and a half thousand tons. It shouldn't break. And our design school is so powerful. That's why we can handle the most complex projects. Up to skyscrapers if necessary, we can design them.
Any bridge. Not only string roads. That is, the project that does not relate to... Yes, including making money on it... And we are already receiving orders, including for some housing and civil construction work. Also in this area, yes. But if we do it, it doesn’t mean that it belongs to the investors.
The facilities no, but the money we received for the work, yes. Because it is an asset. And the most powerful asset. And I am proud that I managed to create it. Not everyone managed to create such schools in a relatively short period of time. And not just one schools. But several schools at the same time. So we also had to take much effort to build the team which was required. I mean the design and engineering and scientific team for our schools. And we have all of this.
And our investors own it, naturally. So we talked about a number of projects that were carried out by the efforts of the divisions of Unitsky String Technologies Inc., by the efforts of SW Plant... For a consideration. For a consideration, yes. And it was publicized as a common success of investors, as a common achievement of investors. And it really is, but the success is not in creating a product or technology owned by investors and for investors' money. The success is that thanks to investors and their money, these competencies were formed...
The school remained the property of the investors. And the competencies remained the property of the investors. So, they are owned by investors, yes. At the same time, not just one school was created, but several engineering schools. First of all, a scientific… Equipment, software as well... No, I’m talking about the school – it’s knowledge, experience… We have a main question that concerns space. Because to me this is also very…
And why is it the main one? Investors didn’t invest their money in this… Just a moment, Anatoli Eduardovich. Yes, investors have nothing to do with it, because… But they will be interested in the future... I will still take advantage of my position to ask this question that concerns space.
Because this is your main goal, which I fully share. Because I was inspired by your space developments, your mission to do something for humanity. Your main goal is to bring industry into space. I also believe that this is the future that will definitely be realized. Of course, for any civilization, technocratic... Yes, and some investors probably don’t know that, after all, our string transport actually came from the developments of Anatoli Eduardovich - space technologies.
Yes, from the overpass of the general planetary vehicle... Yes, the overpass that will be used is the one that will be laid along the equator, as I understand it? Yes Along the planet's equator, which will be used for the takeoff and landing of the general planetary vehicle. Yes, you can see it here in the book - could you show the book, please. We have books lying around. Here it is, Anatoli Eduardovich. Yes, right here. There's just a drawing of the transport overpass.
Yes, this is exactly how the takeoff happens. And this is the most difficult part of the sea. he most difficult. Because everyone is surprised how we can operate there where the ocean is 4 km deep… Using pontoons… Special ones. It's not a pontoon in its direct meaning, because on the surface, there will be waves and rolling. So it’s submerged. Well, there's a system of anchors and so on. And these are not just pictures, this is engineering study. This is already engineering study and exercise. And at the last conference I presented the project of the overpass, which has already been worked out to the drawings.
And I got very unique results. As an engineer, I found very simple solutions how to go through the ocean 4 km deep. Very complex structures. Not just for some vehicle to drive there But for a 40 million ton flying apparatus to land and take off. And the length is 40 thousand 75 km. And it turned out that if you optimize it properly, you can actually invest 40 million dollars per kilometer. Which is half the price of the Dubai monorail. An ordinary overpass costs that much.
I took into account not only the cost of the runway itself, but also the infrastructure element such as: two string transport lines, as the all these need to be serviced. It’s, by the way, 40 thousand km. And the cargo needs to be evenly distributed in order to reach space - otherwise the system will not make it to space. So, the cargo should be distributed lengthwise, including across the ocean, and the same is true for passengers.
This means that in addition to this, there should also be ground-based systems, and high-speed ones. Therefore, one of the projects where we will use string technologies, include high-speed uBuses on this overpass. So, the cost of the overpass includes string roads. And what's more, there will also be stations there.
And they are also included in the cost. That is, the infrastructure too. And elements of the linear city, which will also be here. A kilometer of GPV should be constantly maintained and serviced by about 20 people: dispatchers, engineers, repairmen, and so on.
These people need housing. Including in the ocean. At takeoff and landing? Or what? Should they be there all the time? All the time. After all, the thing is that it's like a baby is born and its heart doesn't stop when he sleeps - the body works and you need to control the body's work. The same is here: once it's started, it won't stop. Flywheels are accelerated to a speed of, say, 12 km per second. You can’t stop them, because you need a huge amount of energy to accelerate them. But what could be done with the energy to stop them - why? Well, there's no point. There's a vacuum tunnel there.
Yes, that's why the system operates all the time in a sleep mode - no matter what, but it will still be operating. It should be maintained and serviced. Safely. That's why housing and recreation areas should also be there. And that's also included in the cost.
That's why the string system once branched off from there, from this overpass. Let's move on to the question, Anatoli Eduardovich . The question is worded by another investor. And now I will divide it into two parts. What agreements do you have with the countries located, situated, on the equator, respectively, where the overpass of the General Planetary Vehicle will be built? And considering that this is still a very global project that requires a lot of effort, a very large amount of finances, and time, one can assume, well, not assume but one can be sure that a very large team of engineers will be required - likely and international team, as I see it, who will also participate in the project. nd the key sub-question of this question is: who will be the leader of this team throughout the project, which will also zealously defend your ideas, which will also be carrying them forward? Or maybe there will be some specific team that will share your values and which will bring the project to its logical practical conclusion? Well, the team is being formed. And that's why I hold conferences.
And I fund them, actually, I have been funding then up to now. For the past 40 years, I have been practically the only investor in conferences, which are also quite costly. I also invest in the publication of conference proceedings. Take a look at how well they are done. Even the Academy of Sciences does not have publications of such level and quality. By the way, this is done by Unitsky String Technologies Inc. The team is formed from among the conference participants, among those who prepare reports.
Because without immersing yourself in this issue, how can one manage it later on? Actually, this is where the future leaders of this area are growing. So, this space area also raises the competencies, the level of all our specialists, and, again, no money of our investors is spent on it. This is done out of enthusiasm in non-working hours - just like I devote my non-working time - both weekends and holidays. I have neither weekends nor holidays. I can confirm this. Anyone at Unitsky String Technologies Inc. can confirm it - day and night, weekends and on New Year's.
At any time of the year in any country. When Anatoli Eduardovich goes on a business trip or is on vacation, yes, when he comes back, he brings colossal solutions with him... Therefore, even those enthusiasts, working of non-working hours... Just like I started too. I was working at the Institute of Polymers and at the same time I was developing this program.
It doesn't mean I did my job poorly at the Institute of Polymers. I was rated the best inventor three times, in spite of the fact that I was just an engineer, while there were academicians, doctors of science... I was rated the best inventor of the Institute of Polymers three times. I did this work at my leisure time and grew as an enthusiast. And the Institute of Polymers, Pyotr Ivanovich, was focused on inventions. That is, it was one of its main functions.
There was simply a competent director there - Beliy. Who also worked his way up from a lab manager to become an institute director and became an academician. I learned many things from him. But what we do now is even more challenging And back then I was amazed: what a big institute! And now i look and I see such a small institute – only 200 employees. And we have – you visited it – 600 employees, even more.. And that’s only in the office. There was a small building there. And we have a huge, nine-story one.
We have more space, more capacity, and production. Well, the level of specialists is completely different. I witnessed his way, Beliy’s, and I was not afraid to start what I’m doing now. And I have achieved great results. You had your own teachers. Of course. Well, indirectly. He didn't teach me in the direct meaning of “teaching”. Well, who was I at that time? An engineer. And he was an academician.
We all have role models, torch-bearers. Yes. That is why I started to work on and implement, develop this space project back then. And you see, I grew as a specialist. And the whole field emerged. In the same way our employees, for example, those of Unitsky String Technologies Inc., promote this field in their free time. And those who are successful, who offer the right solutions, will grow in this competence and then will head industry sub-divisions of this super complex structure.
There has never been such a project, such a scale in the entire history of civilization and probably never will be. Never been That is why I have got, you see, such a number of specialists who will then continue my work - answering this question. You need, once again, the same kind of motivated and ideological people who share your values and philosophy. Naturally, only they can grow. It’s obvious. And again, so that they stay committed at every stage… Well, we can't force them. It's either there or it isn't. No one can make them stay... This is exactly the kind of followers that should be there, who also share all your values, who are also passionate about these ideas.
They are growing in a group of companies. We have them. And they will become leaders. That's why I have the school and that's why I... This is part of the school. Representatives from other regions, other countries. We have people working for us from many countries. For example, I see that we have a lot of delegations from Brazil. Are they familiar with this development?
Because Brazil, it’s the largest... that land where the overpass will be built... Will it be in Brazil? The largest equatorial country is Brazil. There is development, and there is construction. And these are different things. So, it is premature to talk about construction now. Why? Because we have not yet gained the critical mass to announce it and negotiate with the governments of the countries. But this time will come soon. Because we are now beginning to actively collaborate with the BRICS countries. There was also a forum recently.
Yes. And the BRICS countries - they are also near the equator. Yes, Brazil is first on the list. The same Brazil, for example. But not as Brazil, but as a member of BRICS. And we even spoke at the BRICS forum. By the way, we intended to speak on space, but the relevant section didn’t form. And it turned out that they didn’t have a sub-panel on space. And we were not able to make a report.
Because there's was no sub-panel. There simply weren't enough people, speakers. There was no one else but us. There weren't even any rocket scientists for some reason. That's just how it turned out. Very strange.
We were unable to give our presentation. So, at the next BRICS meeting, we'll set up our own sub-panel. And we'll start talking about this project right from there, from that sub-panel. And they will start to hear us. Do you understand? And then we will go to the governments of these countries and say: you have land. Join the project with the land. Let's create an international consortium. It's worth pennies now. And then, imagine, on your land space exploration, all these technologies will be implemented.
Imagine, this is the future of civilization, how much it will be worth! This has a colossal economic effect! "Wow, can you believe the cost of it all!” It's all about capitalization. But it's not just about giving money, join us with your land, give us permission to build, and so on. You could go to all the countries and create a consortium, at the level of the United Nations. That's the kind of level we're talking about. Because the program is universal, it's large-scale. It's not just about the countries being discussed, it's about everyone who's interested.
If someone doesn't want to join, that's their choice. Not all countries are members of the UN either. Anatoli Eduardovich, probably, it is worth saying that the conference is becoming more and more representative every year. Yes. And if it hadn't been held, there would not be any growth. The first one was held in 1988. The second one was in 2018. I don't remember. Probably.
Look at the gap. Exactly how much time has passed there - 50-40 years? 1988 and 2018. 30 years have passed. Thirty years, yes. A whole generation, you could say. And now every year - just compare the second conference or the first - it's like night and day. Of course, we are growing.
The level of reports and presentations is growing. The level of research is growing. Things that many believed to be science fiction before, many now see as reality. Even representatives - we have a space program in Belarus. In the Academy of Sciences, in particular.
And its head, an academician, has been participating for the third year now. That's why our level is rising. The project details are more fine-tuned. Therefore, we are already reaching such level of development that we are heard in many countries. They didn’t hear us before. And to make us heard is also very difficult work. It's not something that happens overnight. It's not something that happens in just one year. Just like with the string system - when did we start? Even with crowdfunding. In 2014. And only now are they starting to hear.
Yes. Only now. 10 years have passed. Although when did people start using cars first? Inertness of thinking. Yes. This is also something that we should understand. You can't just take it and overcome it in a snap. You see? Especially since our customers are not just some random buyers, who come to the store and buy something.
They are the government, the state, the ministries. Overall very conservative structures. Of course, the most conservative ones. Those who have everything planned out for years ahead. And money. And everything is scheduled and planned out. The can’t say on a whim - yes, yes, we are buying this. But we are already broking through this in many countries, and have broken though in many countries. Indonesia, for example, and India, the Emirates, Russia.
Well, in Indonesia it is in very high demand. It’s an island state. It is the first state that should be interested... You are confusing demand for a user and demand for an official. An official does not need it. Why would they want a headache? But you see it from a user perspective. Users need it.
Because in Jakarta, sometimes it takes 5 hours to get to work. What does it have to do with someone who takes the bus to get to work and with the transport minister, for example? t is not the one who takes the bus who will decide on placing an order. They will not even ask him or her whether to order or not. Therefore, these are two different things. Well, we are breaking this conservatism. And we have already reached out to many, having overcome, well, a huge number of... I can even remember the first visit to the Minister of Transport of Indonesia... I met him in 2017.
Or rather, India. Did I say Indonesia? It was India. Well, you also met with the Minister of Transport of Indonesia. Yes, with Zaretsky. And to India I went with Swiss representatives who were promoting me in India at the time.
And the first meeting was at the Minister’s home. He invited me to breakfast. He even cooked something himself and treated me. And we talked at the table. And I showed my work, videos, told him about the program. He was very interested. He said: yes, that's cool. We, in India, - it was 2017?, - he says, need at least 500 projects. Let's meet in a day at in the Ministry Office. Let's meet in a day at in the Ministry Office. I went into the office of the Minister of Transport - he is one of the most respected members of the government, one of the most, and maybe even the most respected, to continue the conversation And everyone there also told me about 500 projects. And I looked and saw the newspaper “New Delhi” on his desk
and there in large print there was the headline “Scammer Unitsky Reached India”. Well, not exactly like that. You're exaggerating a bit. But you conveyed the meaning correctly, yes. Well, I’m not quoting. But that's the gist. And a whole spread.
Well, you can tell a lot of stories like that one. Yes. So how do you think I can overcome this? Prove to him that I am not a scammer? What should I tell him? That is why the conversation did not take place. It took place later, when many years later we did what we did in the Emirates and invited him to see it.
To see not in his but in another country. Yes, I remember it well. So he arrived. And he was amazed by what had been done. And then at that stage, well, I only showed pictures. We were just starting out. There was not much to show yet. But he already took a ride, he could already feel it.
Then he gave such a good review on his Instagram. He said it, confirmed it: yes, 500 projects, at least. Yes, I even saw those moments somewhere where he was talking about this in India after this trip. So, how many years have passed from 2017 to 2023? You see? How can we overcome this? In one leap or what? And there was one of the mistakes I made. I did not hide the fact that I was meeting with the Minister of Transport. They took advantage of this and on the day I met with him, there was a newspaper with an article like this on his desk.
I remember that time well. Our speakers were shouting “Hurray!” We had a contract concluded for some billion dollars or something. All of our speakers were shouting this out. They did us an ill service. Well, yes, but they didn’t write the article. It was written by others.
Do you think they publish articles on the spread for free? For money. And it was clear that it was a paid biased article. And it had to be published urgently, because on the very day of the meeting, just before the meeting, the article was expected to be on the desk … Yes, and they put it on the desk... before the meeting So, do you see how difficult it is to promote all these projects? You shouldn’t think it easy! What should investors expect in 2025? This is probably the most difficult question. Why? Because everyone is waiting for a specific answer. And I can't give a specific answer. But I can describe the trend in general.
We have already started several projects in different countries this year. Specific targeted projects. We will make relevant announcements next year. Next year, a number of projects - I can't say the exact number. Because sometimes it seems like a real project, we even get an advance payment, there is a business plan in place, preliminary physical studies, feasibility study have been completed. And then it turns out that there is an airport there. And the airport does not provide land for the highway.
So, what can we do? We have to close down the project. We have closed down several projects. Like it was the case in India. Do I see it right? Oleg Zaretsky mentioned this by the way. Well, this is one or, let's say, we have... The project is in progress, but others… We even had two real projects in Ukraine. They even made an advance payment.
Very interesting. Yes, we already did a feasibility study. There were two projects: one in Kyiv, the other in another place... and what is the progress?
In the Kyiv suburbs. Yeah, that's why when this happens... When you say the project is in progress and then bang! - and for some reason... Force majeure, but we can’t foresee everything.
We can't. That's why we're going fanwise. We're going like this... That's why, well, we had to stop here, but we succeeded there. And that's why the project will definitely go on, even if there are force majeures somewhere.
And many countries, even where started maybe even 3 or 5 years ago, they're coming back again. They're already saying: well, we're definitely doing it now, there's definitely funding now. There definitely won't be any problems, definitely. I say let's start again, let's continue. And that's why I think that at least five projects should progress to this stage next year. Or maybe more, but I can't guarantee it. I can't guarantee it.
It's an inspiring piece of news, information for our investors. I think this is very encouraging. And even in Belarus there are prospects for the project. I won't say where. That's also interesting. In Russia. Yes, I've already heard about it in Russia.
In Indonesia. I had no doubt about Indonesia. As I already said, there is high demand there. In India, UAE, some Latin American countries. I won't say which exactly, because these countries are small – any interference is unwelcomed. In Indonesia, who should I write to? Nobody knows. It’s a huge country.
Go ahead - write. In India too. I can't say. And if I give a more specific address, someone will find it - ill-wishers will start... By the way, there are projects going on in Europe too. That's also interesting.
And not in just one country. Here! Again, investors, listen carefully to how many projects there are already in progress. And even such complex projects, not simple projects, where, for example, a slope of 30° is permissible Non-standard for string transport. Yes, an unconventional solution. Well, I heard that the maximum slope was 15°. And now you say 30°? Yes, these are non-standard solutions.
But yes, we will do it and, moreover, we will keep to the same estimates and so on. This is also interesting, Because there is a mountainous area there and then this network can be developed. That is, build a short section and then reach the capital of the country, reach other cities and build a whole network. But we have to start with this most difficult place, because the mayor of a small city there found funding and is ready to do it - the first section. It is small - 3 km. And there will be 333 km ahead. You understand, right?
Therefore, naturally, we will take on such projects. And not just for the sake of income – though, this is also important - but to start the projects. And so that the whole world can see that the projects exist, they work and they should be bought. So that everyone sees that they need it and get in queue.
Well, yes, it has not happened yet, but it will soon. And I hope that it will happen next year. And after that everything will change in a snap, you know? So, guys.
Therefore, this year should be a key year for us. Unless something happens, some force majeure in the world. Just like when Ford was asked - who needs your car? He said: here is a world map, close your eyes, come up to it, point your finger, and where your finger lands - that's where a car is needed. But he was wrong. Although cars are all over the world. If the finger points to the ocean, a car is not needed there And when I'm asked where string transport is needed, I say - close your eyes, come up to the world map, point your finger. And if it points to the ocean, there's still a need for string transport there.
To connect continents. Of course. There are underwater tunnels, underground tunnels, overwater tunnels. There are different options. And there will be string transport inside them. Therefore, there is demand for it. But speaking about demand... Need and demand are different things. Always and everywhere there is a need for transportation which is safer, more economical, efficient, environmentally friendly, and so on. This is a need.
And demand depends on something else. Is someone ready to buy it, order it, get government approval, for example, or finance it somewhere else. Help, for example, with certification of all this, with land allocation, solving a huge number of issues. Are they ready for this? No, of course not. That should be overcome. I know that it can be overcome. Because the advantages are such that our transport should become the leading transport in the world, the transport of the 21st century due to its advantages.
And I am sure: this is inevitable. And no ill-wishers, bashers, and so on will prevent it. They won't, because it will make its way, even without me.
But we should develop the technology to a level where no one can interfere. And nothing. And we are already at this stage. No one and nothing can stop us. Well, let me add one more thing. Probably part of your task during your visit here
was to see if people believe in it or not. What forecasts are made. And once again, to make sure and discuss, as an investor with investors, that the goals are clear and clearly defined, the tools to achieve them are in place, and there is ongoing systematic work. There are specialists, there is a school. Yes, and you saw all of this in person. Some people ask... What will you leave behind? There is a school, and they will cope and succeed on their own.
Well, the main thing that investors heard that we already have real projects that are in development and active work is underway. This has been talked about for so long. But it was important to bring it to the attention of investors once again, to hear it especially from you, Anatoli Eduardovich .
We have seen that we have very comprehensive answers to the questions posed. A number of questions will be covered later, those we did not have time to answer. You heard the information we have. The news we have is very exciting.
I visited the design bureau, at SW Plant production site. took a ride on our modules, on our transport. The impressions are very positive, just like impressions about everything that concerns the company. Colleagues, partners, friends! I still urge you to speak in a restrained manner. Based on the information we have received; the company is indeed developing.
It has prospects, real projects that will soon be implemented. Next year, as Anatoli Eduardovich said, will show us everything and we will be happy with its results.
2024-11-14 09:43
