MOTIVATION NEEDED

It is not enough just to be in the market today. It is no longer fashionable simply to proclaim one's presence there. Now is the time to talk, not about what you are doing or what marketing moves are helping your business stay afloat, but about how motivated your business is from the consumer's perspective.

"By the law of dialectics quantity inevitably translates into quality. This is required by the rapidly growing economy and, oddly enough, this is an economic requirement in a global financial crisis ", says Amir Qahramanov, general-director of Agrointer.

Anniversaries are usually the time to assess results. But our topic is not only that. Agrointer, a most successful company which has actively explored the market for 15 years, knows the possibilities and is not simply engaged in the sale of agricultural and construction machinery, but it also offers technologically advanced and cost-effective equipment. Thanks to Agrointer, Azerbaijani consumers know and use well-known brands of construction equipment.

- It takes a lot of work, first of all intellectual…

- In this respect, work with our Japanese partners was very interesting. They are an amazing people. A wise man once said that while some countries are rich in natural mineral resources, Japan can be proud of its people. This is true, and we can all learn from them. Our contract with a well-known Japanese company for the supply of the world-famous Hitachi brand to Azerbaijan is the result of hard work and two years of negotiations, during which our Japanese partners visited us repeatedly, studied the terrain, climatic conditions, took soil samples for analysis and asked hundreds of questions. And only when they were convinced that their machinery was capable of working in a mountainous terrain at altitudes over 2,000 metres, and in our temperatures, was a contract signed between our companies. For them, the most important thing is not to sell goods but not to tarnish their reputation. It is therefore no wonder that this country living on volcanoes is a world leader, and not only in construction equipment. We have been convinced of the benefits of the equipment proposed. We have been delivering and installing crane-manipulator units (CMU) from the FURUKAWA UNIC CORPORATION to Azerbaijan for three years now. They meet all international requirements and standards and are known for their impeccable quality and reliability. These manipulators have won the trust of buyers within a short time and are in great demand today, both in America and Europe. Their popularity increases every day. The company's manipulator units are used in over 100 countries around the world. Why have the role and significance of crane-manipulators increased so much?

Let's take a short excursion into their history. Whereas in the 1980s, 10 cranes were installed on every hundred trucks, in the 1990s the number of cranes rose to 30 and, from 2000, cranes were installed on every 7.5-ton truck. Why have the numbers increased this way? Because there was a huge saving in material costs. Secondly, they accelerated work and saved time. And, thirdly, the use of cranes made it possible to unload goods without damaging them.

40-50 years ago, cranes were installed on GAZ, ZIL and Kamaz trucks weighing from 7 to 20 tons. In the 90s, these plants could not withstand the competition and closed their operations while others, having understood the principles of a market economy, restructured. After carefully evaluating market conditions, they increased production capacities and expanded the range of machinery. One of the fastest growing plants is the Galich plant, producing truck cranes with a lifting capacity ranging from 16 to 80 tons. If you have noticed, no plants producing truck cranes manufacture lightweight cranes. The reason is clear: it is unprofitable. Then a question arises: how feasible and economically justified is it to use a crane with a lifting capacity of 16 tons to lift cargo weighing just 3-5-7 tons? What do you do?

This is when manipulator cranes can be of help. Given the current demand in our market and the economic benefits to be accrued, we have become the official distributor this year for another company specializing in crane production. This is the Austrian company Palfinger. According to statistics, almost a third of all the cranes in Western Europe are made by this concern. In 2001, the company celebrated its 70th anniversary and also marked another significant event - the one hundred thousandth crane was produced. Last year alone, Palfinger released about 16,000 units - almost 25 per cent of the world's production.

These facts and figures speak volumes about crane manipulators. They are in huge demand in today's world. After all, they are a super-economical alternative to expensive truck cranes. The golden rule of business, especially in crisis situations, is to observe the principle of economic benefit. Whatever you are engaged in, motivation is always a requirement. Where there is motivation, there is success.