TAIMEX GUARANTEES HIGH QUALITY

Caspian Energy (C.E.): Mr. Yusifov, please tell about formation of the company. In which field does the company specialize today?

Tahir Yusifov: Taimex company was established in 1994 as a small enterprise specializing in production of confectionery on local and foreign sources of raw materials. Already in 1995 the company established its own production of semi-manufactured goods for confectionery branch with the purpose to increase quality assurance of the products. Besides semi-manufactured goods the company began to produce confectionery and dairy products.

Today Taimex company is one of the first rate confectionery producers, it is well-established at the market. The production nomenclature of the company includes more than 60 sorts of confectionery and about 20 sorts of chocolate. Taimex is carrying out an active innovation strategy and renews the assortment every year. At the same time, the company concentrates main efforts on the development of its trade marks.

Owing to efficient management, good quality of manufactured production provided by the modern technology, the company increases its share at the market every year and has became one of the leading foodstuff suppliers at the home market. According to the results of 2005 the company increased its production by 20%.

C.E.: Which new production lines have been established?

Tahir Yusifov: The company has established a new chocolate line of Italian and Swiss origin that does not have analogues in Transcaucasia. By the next season (September-October) the company will begin producing new sorts of chocolate. At present these goods are in requisition at the home market. The local production has potential to replace import goods. We have manufactured small amount of pre-production models of chocolate - we really felt the great demand.

Today we provide the market with various products. Among them are waffles produced on the basis of the German line, which also does not have analogues in Transcaucasia, this is really high-quality production. We pay great attention to the quality as only quality attracts a customer. Especially today the market offers waffles and caramel manufactured seemingly in basements and insanitation. Our production process is completely automated.

Moreover we have added new sorts of dairy produce and started production of cream (gaymag) and coffee with milk in a pack for quick use.

We have sections on ice-cream production and now finish setting up the section on biscuits production of different configurations.

C.E.: What is the position of your company at the consumer market?

Tahir Yusifov: We are well-established now; our production is in requisition at the market of Azerbaijan. I dare not say that we are the leaders, but we have significant positions at the market. Our production process is on the same line as that at the Ukraine, Russian and European enterprises, but because of lack of information many people think that the local products yield the foreign analogues. We consider it a psychological barrier that will be overcome in future.

The level of sales suits us. We have established distribution nets throughout Azerbaijan with the view to sell our production. Our products are surely in requisition. In future we shall try to settle this problem by informing the people about our products. Besides, we are working directly with our consumers. The consumers hardly believe that it is a local production.

Now we plan to open a net of shops in Baku and other regions. This action will bear an advertising character and give opportunity to sell products directly to customers.

As our company is fundamental, we are not going to change our profile, we want our activity to be estimated at its true worth. I am sure, the rates of production development in Azerbaijan and the social-economic policy, which will be implemented by the government within forthcoming 1,5 years will settle this problem.

C.E.: You touched upon an important quality factor, how competitive your products are?

Tahir Yusifov: The quality policy of Taimex is one of the most important links in the system of priorities of the company. From the very beginning of the operation of the company, it has been working on perspective investing large means in production development and now preserves it on the top level providing high-quality products. Taimex is equipped with highly productive lines.

With the view to improve the quality of manufactured products we invite specialists from other regions (for instance, from Ukraine and Turkey) to give opportunity to our employees to gain experience. Section laboratories have been established with the purpose to improve the quality, they are equipped with modern control accounting devices. The quality of raw materials and semi-manufactured products is under hard control. The central laboratory of the company also deals with microbiological control of raw stuff and manufactured products; it is preparing for accreditation. The performed works give us opportunity to extend the geography of deliveries.

Actively entering the international trade-economic area we represent the culture of the Azerbaijan production. Thus we support the economic policy carried out by our President Ilham Aliyev who stated many times that Azerbaijan must be well-known in the world not only as the oil country, but also as a country with large, multisided economic potential and broad specialization in various branches of the production area.

C.E.: At the market of Azerbaijan Taimex is well-known for its ice-cream, milk produce and biscuits…

Tahir Yusifov: Taimex was the first company in Azerbaijan that started automated production of ice cream in waffle cones. For this purpose the company purchased the Italian equipment in 1998-2001. At present the rating of Taimex at the ice-cream market is high and steadily growing. The policy of the government maintaining limited import of this production into the country stimulated increase in sales.

At present Taimex company is reconstructing the section on ice-cream production that will allow doubling ice cream manufacturing in 2006 during the hot time of the year.

Taimex produces its ice-cream only from whole milk. The process of ice-cream production from milk is a difficult technological process as it requires certain equipment and qualified personnel.

In 2005 we could not satisfy completely a customer demand whereas we did not have enough whole milk used in manufacturing. Due to increasing of purchasing of whole milk and its treatment at the ice-cream section we plan to use surplus fresh cream on ice-cream production thus improving its quality. We also plan to manufacture favourable caramel ice cream, which is forgotten now and fruit ice cream, which allays thirst during the hot time of the year. At present the company produces 30 sorts of ice cream, which can be subdivided into 10 sorts according to flavouring characteristics. In Salyanskiy district we have a special point that gathers milk and delivers whole milk to our fabrication shops. It is a very important question, you will agree, if the quality of milk is low it will influence the quality of manufactured products.

C.E.: Whether output for children is planned? How will new products differ from existing analogues?

Tahir Yusifov: Now we consider producing yoghurt and cheese curd. The company purchased new equipment that will allow us manufacturing these products in small packs for schoolchildren and children of preschool age. We shall produce cheese curds and curd mass with filling. In future we plan to establish manufacturing of modern ecologically clean products. They are very tasty and useful.

We want to settle all questions fully. Today there are too many enterprises dealing with dairy produce manufacture at the market. We have to manufacture products of good quality in order to sell them. Moreover, a modern producer should differ in its own design, advertising and first of all culture of production.

I shall betray a small secret, at present the manufacrurers of Europe and Russia use vegetable oils in the production process. We nave a national feature - we prefer butter. Our consumers will not understand the European and Russian tendencies. Taking into consideration the national traditions we are going to develop our production process on the basis of butter and whole milk to satisfy the population needs. We ourselves produce butter and use it for internal needs. Yoghurt will be manufactured from natural products and filling, which is also manufactured of natural fruits (cherry, currants, fig, strawberry etc.) grown in Azerbaijan.

But our care of children is not restricted to this. We support an orphan asylum in Tovuz region, help a retirement home located in Mardakyani settlement and give individual support to the families of shekhids. We sponsor the football team Turan of Tovuz region playing in the major league of Azerbaijan.