Dear colleagues!

I hope that in 2019 the stabilization of the economic situation in the Russian Federation will continue, which will be reflected in the cessation of stagnation in the defining industries.

Today, the situation in metallurgy is stabilizing, machine tool building is stepping up the development of the latest equipment models, the automotive industry has almost settled its debts on state loans, energy is on the rise, shipbuilding has outlined a ship construction program.

Special mention should be made of the defense industries in terms of dynamic rearmament.

Based on the analysis of the development level of the domestic welding production and statistical data, it can be noted that in terms of technical excellence and volume of application, welding technologies, as cross-industry technologies, fully cover all planned tasks in the period 2014-2019, including those at defense industry enterprises.

In 2018, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation completed the development of programs for import substitution of welding equipment and materials, with the prospect of developing a State Program for the modernization of domestic welding production.

An analysis of past and planned exhibition events, the volume of which decreased by 30-40% in 2018, showed that despite sanctions and growing Russophobia, 7 regional and 1 international (Moscow, "Weldex") specialized welding exhibitions are held annually in Russia, and the scientific potential is growing and sometimes astonishes "partners."

Regarding the journal "Svarochnoe Proizvodstvo," I assure readers and authors of articles that the organization of the journal's publication remains stable both now and in the future.

However, certain aspects complicate the preparation and publication of the journal, in particular, some decline in circulation (we understand our subscribers, but the journal cannot appear "out of thin air"). In this regard, the editorial board of the journal made the following decision: to establish from January 1, 2019, a procedure for interaction between the author of an article and the editorial office regarding the timing of preparation and publication of the article – the article will be published 3-5 months from the date of its receipt by the editorial office, provided that a copy of the payment document for a half-year subscription to the journal is submitted; the article of an author who has not provided a copy of the payment document for a half-year subscription will be published (on a first-come, first-served basis) no earlier than 10-12 months from the date of receipt of the article by the editorial office. This procedure does not contradict the requirements of the "Law on the Press of the Russian Federation" and will allow streamlining the system of relations between the author and the editorial office in terms of confirming the scientific level of the author and the organization where he/she works.

It is probably worth mentioning the revival of Russia's political life in 2019, which always occurs during periods of economic and political crises. I hope that during this period, new options for economic and political development, and accordingly for the country's industry, will be proposed.

Overall, assessing the level of domestic welding production, I believe that the economic and political shift taking place in Russia will yield positive results.

I am always glad to meet you on the pages of our journal!