The IZB fair is organized every two years by the Volkswagen AG company for its suppliers, as well as companies that want to become one

More than 900 exhibitors took part in this year’s Volkswagen supplier fair in Wolfsburg, better known as IZB2022. It is the leading European trade fair for suppliers of the automotive industry. After a four-year break and two cancellations due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the eleventh edition of the fair was held from October 11 to 13 this year. Exhibitors came from 37 countries, as many as 940 of them.

“Connecting the possibilities of the car – an intelligent, digitalized, autonomous vehicle” is the motto of this year’s fair. In the automotive industry, a reorganization of the entire market took place, and the primary focus is on electromobility, smart services, sustainability, production and Industry 4.0. In the past period, the sustainability of the supplier chain has been greatly disrupted, and the reason is numerous world events over the past few years, especially during the pandemic.

The Chamber of Commerce of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was one of the exhibitors at this fair, and their participation was supported through the “Help Desk – Business Information Hub” project, which is implemented as part of the comprehensive EU4BusinessRecovery project, which is co-financed by the European Union and the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany. Four BiH were given the opportunity to present at the fair, network and exchange information. companies from the metal sector, specializing in the automotive industry: CORE d.o.o. Sarajevo, GS TM Travnik, TMD Group d.o.o. Gradačac and WAGNER Automotiv Gradačac.

There were representatives of eminent German associations in a special area for B2B (Business-to-Business) meetings, and the FBiH Chamber of Commerce provided all its members with an office located in the development headquarters of Volkswagen AG in Wolfsburg for free.

Bosnia and Herzegovina companies have the potential for development in the automotive industry, they have a qualified workforce, relatively competitive labor costs, a favorable geographical location, and a long tradition and experience in this industry. Changes and modern trends in the automotive industry in the world have already taken root. Although the challenges are enormous, BH the automotive industry must follow trends, and this is possible precisely through participation in such and similar world exhibitions of major car manufacturers, which determine the direction of development of this industry.

Applications of new technologies and achievements in the automotive industry are everyday, and customer demands are high. It is known that the automotive industry in BiH employs about 11,000 workers and participates in exports with more than 900 million KM. There are opportunities for expansion, but with the support of overcoming challenges, especially those caused by the coronavirus and the war in Ukraine.

The company CORE Sarajevo for the second time at the IZB fair in Wolfsburg

One of the four companies from Bosnia and Herzegovina that participated in this year’s fair in Wolfsburg is the Sarajevo company CORE d.o.o. (www.core.ba), which has been successfully operating on our and foreign markets for 11 years. They are particularly recognizable in three areas: development and construction, software and informatics, and technical documentation production services.

As they say from this company, the innovations presented at the fair will help them to start operating in a new champion, in order to keep up with Europe and the world. Although this is their second appearance at the fair in Wolfsburg (they were also in 2018), the impressions are positive and they believe that the goal has been achieved. It is a promotion of Bosnia and Herzegovina. economy through cooperation with the FBiH Chamber of Commerce, and making new contacts for the needs of potential new clients and new projects.

Like all companies during the Covid-19 pandemic, CORE also faced challenges. When asked how they overcame that period of uncertainty in business, the general director of the company, Nihad Velagić, said that they had pre-contracted jobs, so they managed to save all jobs. Although the planned growth was absent, he believes that what happened to them was nothing specific, because everyone had this problem. the growth of the company”, points out Velagić.

When asked whether CORE and companies from this sector in BiH can keep up with changes on the market and follow new technologies and trends, the director proudly answers in the affirmative: “In certain spheres, I dare to say that BiH has gone much further in the application of technological solutions from some western countries, including Germany – Especially in the field of digitization of business and changes in advanced software solutions to support business functions”, says Nihad.

He singled out the lack of qualified workforce in the field of IT services as the biggest challenge, and believes that the state should seriously think about possible solutions for increasing the number of trained IT experts in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the post-pandemic period and further into the future, CORE has focused on the growth and acquisition of new clients and projects within the existing lines of business, as well as the development of new lines of business

outside.

They point out the excellent cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina: “We regularly exchange information and try to support each other, all with the aim of developing Bosnia and Herzegovina’s economy and export capacity,” said director Velagić.

The strategy of the CORE company is following trends, innovation, a competent and satisfied team of people, and professionalism and responsibility towards business partners. It is also important to mention the fact that from the very beginning the company has successfully operated with the names of world brands in the automotive industry, such as BMW, Rolls Royce and Mini, using the most efficient software package designed for this type of activity.

In addition to the development of the economy, a company that operates successfully can also contribute to building a better and better society, and Bosnia and Herzegovina certainly needs that, especially in today’s challenging times, such as the post-pandemic. The CORE company is an example of how many good stories there are in BiH, and it is certain that there will be even more in the future.

The EU4BusinessRecovery project supports micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in Bosnia and Herzegovina to continue doing business and preserve jobs, and will especially support female entrepreneurs, young people and other vulnerable groups in establishing their own businesses and in overcoming the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, by creating a more resilient business environment . The total value of the project is 13.7 million euros, and it is jointly financed by the European Union (13 million euros) and the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany (0.7 million euros). EU4BusinessRecovery is jointly implemented by GIZ, ILO and UNDP, from 2021 to 2023. For more information, visit www.eu4business.ba.

For more information about the “Help Desk” project, please contact:

Armin Hodžić, Team Leader

email: a.hodzic@kfbih.com

phone: 033 566 308

Anela Karahasan, Project Manager

email: a.karahasan@kfbih.com

phone: 033 566 333