A major attraction for Western manufacturers here is low wages.

A Western manufacturer would change gears fast and make the 10-dozen model the mainstay of its line.

Furniture components are also being made for Western manufacturers.

Western manufacturers will need to find new markets in the Third World, he says.

"We are searching for stability, and that means contact with a Western manufacturer," he said.

Western manufacturers, whose dominance eroded in the 1980's, long ago made similar adjustments.

It has seen many large Western manufacturers open up factories in recent years.

The new plant, however, is the company's best hope for competing with Western manufacturers.

Some equipment cannot be fixed because its Western manufacturers closed long ago or stopped making parts.

Western manufacturers are drawn to Russia by its highly qualified work force, executives said.