TMD Group from Gradačac for the first time at the IZB fair in Wolfsburg, the city of the great Volkswagen

Bosnia and Herzegovina companies, especially export-oriented ones, must adapt as soon as possible to the needs of the automotive industry market

Among the four companies from Bosnia and Herzegovina that took part in this year’s international supplier fair IZB2022, which was held in Wolfsburg, Germany in October, one of them had the opportunity to present itself for the first time, and that is the company TMD Group from Gradačac (www .tmd-group.ba). The basis of their business is the production of forgings, machined products for bearings and other high-precision components for cars and industry, mainly for the EU market.

The IZB fair is organized every two years by Volkswagen AG for its suppliers and those who wish to obtain this status. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the fair has not been held since 2018. This year, after a multi-year break, more than 900 exhibitors from around 35 countries eagerly welcomed the leading European trade fair for auto industry suppliers.

Thanks to the support of the Chamber of Commerce/Economics of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which as part of the comprehensive EU4BusinessRecovery project, which is co-financed by the European Union and the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany, implements the “Help Desk – Business Information Hub” project, companies from Bosnia and Herzegovina had the opportunity to see first-hand the direction in which the automotive industry is going. and what’s new. In addition to the TMD Group company from Gradačac, CORE Sarajevo, GS TM Travnik, and Wagner Automotiv Gradačac also took part from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

It was especially important to see what new Volkswagen AG presented in its work with suppliers. The focus was on sustainable business, on excellence in the supply chain, as well as on innovative techniques and technologies. All that they saw and had the opportunity to hear at this fair, the TMD Group company says that it will help them to wash it off in the coming period, and that acquiring new business contacts will facilitate their future business.

Zemir Zejčirović, quality manager of TMD Group, shared his impressions from the fair, which he says are extremely positive, and although this is their first participation, they are already planning to appear at IZB2024 in two years: “The fair is superbly organized. All the companies that are significant suppliers of components for the automotive industry were present at the fair, and some of them are already our partners,” said Zejčirević.

As new contacts made at the fair, he singled out four companies that had already contacted them and expressed their desire for business cooperation. One is from Italy, and three from Germany.

In the last three years, when the whole world, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, an indispensable topic for all companies was how to mitigate and overcome the consequences, especially for export-oriented ones.

Zejčirović says that TMD Group was faced with a reduced volume of production, and that they did not have the opportunity for business trips: “Our primary goal during the pandemic was to preserve the health of our employees and to preserve our customers. We succeeded in that,” says Zejčirović. As he points out, the biggest challenge in that period was to ensure regular deliveries due to movement restrictions, but they also successfully overcame that. They held phone meetings every day, which took the most time and was a burden, because they had daily work tasks and obligations within the company.

If companies oriented to the automotive industry in Bosnia and Herzegovina want to keep up with changes in the world market and follow new technologies and trends, especially those oriented towards export, Zejčirović emphasizes that everyone must adapt to the needs of the market. This was exactly the reason why TMD Group decided to appear at this fair in Germany. In this way, they saw first-hand the direction in which the automotive industry is heading.

“Our focus in future work will be on the increase of products and assemblies that will be installed in electric vehicles. We have already made the first steps and won the production of electric motor housings for hybrid vehicles and we are making sensor supports for electronic vehicle stabilization, Zejčirević pointed out.

As TMD Group points out, the whole team is especially grateful to the FBiH Chamber of Commerce and Industry for organizing the departure of BiH. company to this impressive fair: “We hereby thank the Chamber of Commerce of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which does an excellent job. In addition to helping our companies, it enables them to appear at such fairs, which enables them to make new contacts and new jobs. The FBiH Chamber of Commerce and through other projects makes it easier for companies to connect with each other and for faster business growth, and all of this enables us to ensure the stability of business in these times of crisis, which means a lot to us,” says Zejčirović at the end.

The automotive industry is one of the most promising branches globally. The market is huge, the industry is constantly changing and always expanding, so competition is certainly welcome. Therefore, it is important to support positive stories and BiH. companies that have a clear vision and goal. In this case, it is to be present on the global market with the best business solutions, following trends and innovations in the automotive industry. Let’s not forget that the auto industry in BiH employs about 11 thousand workers and participates in exports with more than 900 million KM, and there is certainly room for even greater progress.

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 additional questions about the project, please contact:

Armin Hodžić, Team Leader

email: a.hodzic@kfbih.com

phone: 38733 566 308

Anela Karahasan, Project Manager

email: a.karahasan@kfbih.com

phone: 38733 566 333