Computers and management: implementation of the industrial control system at "Moskvitch" in the 1970s

The article examines the experience of implementing an Automated Control System (ACS) at the production association "Moskvich" in the 1970s in the context of the all-union policy of automation and informatization of industrial production. Based on statistical reports from the enterprise's computing center, regulatory acts, industry directives, and planning-report documentation, the key stages of designing and commissioning the ACS are traced. The structure of computer load, dynamics of equipment downtimes, and distribution of computing resources among production, planning, and administrative tasks are discussed in detail. The composition and specialization of tasks performed by the system, as well as the transformation of the personnel of the computing center—changes in headcount, qualification requirements, and employment structure—are analyzed. Particular attention is paid to the technical difficulties related to the setup and operation of computing equipment, problems of integrating the ACS into existing production processes, and the specifics of interaction between engineers, operators, and management personnel. The work touches on the social aspects of automation, including the adaptation of workers to new forms of labor organization and changes in the distribution of managerial functions. The article addresses the technical and social challenges accompanying the automation process, including issues of interaction between various categories of personnel and adaptation to new management forms. The results obtained allow for a more accurate assessment of the real practices of ACS functioning in the late Soviet industry, revealing contradictions between the official goals of automation and their actual implementation, as well as complementing existing views on the development of computing infrastructure in the USSR. The research findings highlight that the implementation of the ACS at "Moskvich" was not merely a technical task, but a complex socio-technical process that required consideration of the human factor, organizational changes, and adaptation of existing production practices to new technological realities and management approaches, as well as the cultural characteristics of the enterprise.