BRIGHT SPARK
Farid Farhadzade, CEO of Goknur Baku, on the role the firm plays in the Azerbaijani economy and plans for the future.
BIOGRAPHY
Farid Farhadzadeh was born in Baku in 1985. He finished secondary school No 212 in 2002. In 2002, he entered Baku Fire Safety College and graduated from its Fire Safety department in 2005. After this, he entered the Law Faculty of Odlar Yurdu University and graduated in 2008. In 2012, he entered the Public Administration and Municipalities department of the State Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and graduated in 2014. In 2008, he was hired by Goknur and is currently its Executive Director.Today, Goknur is a prominent company in Azerbaijan and we have grown to employ approximately 300 people at our 2007 plant alone, which significantly increased the size of the company. Our monthly production of cables is 2000 tons, for example. Adding to the list of our accomplishments, we were also the first manufacturer in Azerbaijan to produce KEMA-certified cable, which is a special Norwegian universal certificate awarded for production quality. This means that we are now able to meet the export standards of Europe. Furthermore, we were the first company in Azerbaijan to receive a license from Germany VDE in 2002, which is a laboratory that issues quality certificates. These certifications pave the way for my company to work with large, international corporations, which fits perfectly with our targets for growth. We are looking to play a larger role in the national development of the non-oil sector through exporting our goods on the international market. We have plans to export our products to Europe for the first time, in addition to our usual export partners of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Georgia. In the past, we exported $17 million in cable products to Turkmenistan.
In the production of cables, we only use high-quality raw materials that are known for their excellence, such as RUSAL aluminum. We also use copper from the largest government-owned producer in Uzbekistan and receive PVC and technical materials from Borealis, a European company. We use these specific materials to maintain our exclusive focus on the quality of our products. To keep our staff highly professional and capable of carrying out complex works, we invite special teams to hold trainings at our company. These trainings are specifically designed to keep our staff informed of the high skill levels that our international certifications demand. In this capacity, each month we organize a training meeting with the staff and the technical department. We have also invited certain people with important positions in major companies to come in to offer training to help us meet our organizational needs. These trainings ensure that my employees are working at the peak of their abilities.
As part of the Baku Electrical Group, we played a central role in the successful implementation of the 2015 European Games in Baku. We were responsible for providing electricity to all of the stadiums in the Games, which included all generators, cables, and switchboard panels. We were the main contractor for the electricity and the installation of cables for every stadium involved in the Games as well. As a result of our work, this event was held at the highest level and was met with massive international acclaim. Thus, we played an integral role in the national hosting effort of the European Games.
Goknur is growing significantly and we are looking to have exports boost our company operations to the extent allowed by the wider political and economic environment. As an illustration of our significant growth, our factory today stands at 35,000sqm after completing a 15,000sqm upgrade. As stated, our main priority is to increase our level of exports. To this end, we will remain open to serious foreign investment opportunities from international companies. In particular, we are looking for strong partners from highly professional European companies to help us organize our exports. We look forward to working with European companies and believe the resulting experience would be very fruitful.
Always keeping an eye on the future of the sector in Azerbaijan, our core objective is to become involved in all of the key projects within the domestic market. Above all, we want to introduce a future that is characterized by a marked increase in our level of exports.
BRIGHT SPARK
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Year In Review
Good Times Ahead
<strong></strong><strong>In a year dominated by the overarching theme of low hydrocarbons prices, Azerbaijan showed resilience and verve in putting in place bold measures both to counter the slump in energy prices and put its economy on a surer footing.</strong>
read articleReview: Diplomacy
Operation Outreach
In 2015, Azerbaijan's military budget increased by a notable 27%, to $4.8 billion, or 17.9% of the government's total budget for the year. The first Azerbaijan Defence Exhibition (ADEX 2014), drew over 200 companies from 34 countries, including Russia and the US.
read articleInterview
Rufat Mammadov, President, Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO)
TBY talks to Rufat Mammadov, President of the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO), on large-scale events and their ability to attract FDI and the potential Iran may hold.
read articleReview: Banking
More Interest
In a sector faced with relatively flat growth for 2015-16, new opportunities are still there aplenty, led by the nascent Islamic banking sector, e-banking, and microfinance initiatives. Together, these areas should make banking more diversified and less reliant on a buoyant energy sector for its capital inlay.
read articleReview: Capital Markets
Taking Stock
As Azerbaijan grapples with the knock-on effects of low hydrocarbon prices, the Baku Stock Exchange (BSE) finds itself at the center of the country's efforts to stave off a budget deficit this year. In January, the government announced plans to sell $500 million worth of bonds on the BSE.
read articleReview: Industry & Mining
In The Bag
Industry in Azerbaijan is long established, diversified, and, in many areas, fast growing. Together, these qualities make the sector well placed to see through the global slump in commodity prices, while at home, the manufacturing industry continues to find ways to use its hydrocarbons expertise in other fields, including high technologies and research.
read articleInterview
Khanlar Fatiyev, , Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Ganja Automobile Plant Production Association
TBY talks to Khanlar Fatiyev, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Ganja Automobile Plant Production Association, on the role of the plant in driving growth in the non-oil sector.
read articleReview: Transport
The New Node
With major new railways linking the region, the opening of the new Baku International Sea Trade Port Complex, the completion of a massive program of road building and upgrading, investment in state-of-the-art fleets ranging from Boeing 787s to rail locomotives, Azerbaijan can rightly claim the title as the Caucasus' transportation hub.
read articleReview: Agriculture
Lots More
Farms across the country are pursuing a policy of increased yields for year-round fruit and in the wheat harvest to stave off an over-reliance on imports. With carefully targeted increases in exports, better routes to port and to market, and greater sophistication of agricultural facilities, farming could soon be the morning star of Azerbaijan's diversified economy.
read articleReview: Health
Under One Umbrella
Life expectancy at birth (2015) is 75 years for women and 70 for men. The median age is 30. For both sexes, longevity increased by six years between 2000 and 2012. Azerbaijan is a relatively youthful country—an important factor in healthcare—with 22% of its populace aged under 15 and just 9% aged over 60.
read articleReview: Education
Baku to School
Azerbaijan's culture has always harbored a deep respect for educational values. This is embodied in the country's Azerbaijan 2020 mission statement, which seeks to raise standards across the sector and introduce ICT as a standard part of the learning experience at all levels.
read articleInterview
Elkhan Mammadov,, Secretary General, Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA)
TBY talks to Elkhan Mammadov, Secretary General of the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA), on the experience Azerbaijan is gaining in hosting international events.
read article