A Malaysian Company, ASLI-GM Establishes Foothold In Uzbekistan

From Adnan Jahaya TASHKENT (Uzbekistan), March 19 (Bernama) -- ASLI-GM, may not be heard of in Malaysia, but this company headed by a Malaysian, is among the leading garment producers in Uzbekistan. Penang-born director, Dr Zainul Azizan said the company which was established three years ago, now produces about 100,000 pieces of clothing monthly, with a bulk of it exported to mainly Russia and to also Ukraine. When met at the company, Zainul was happy with his success, although he did not have it easy before establishing a foothold in Tashkent. He said he had been going back and forth to Uzbekistan since 1993, when he was first part of a Malaysian delegation headed by the then former Malaysian Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad. But it was only three years ago that his dream was realised. Starting with 20 Uzbekistan workers, the company now has a 200-strong workforce, comprising mostly women. Zainul is also the managing director of Nagasteel Equipment Sdn Bhd, a company which produces library equipment, furniture and supermarket hardware in Kuala Lumpur. Last year, ASLI-GM exported clothing worth US$1.5 million to Russia and he is confident that this figure will increase based on the confidence of importers in the company's products. "There are a number of garment producers throughout Tashkent but we are confident of our products and do not feel any strong competition in the industry," he said. On the name of the company, he said, "ASLI", in Malay means original and "GM" refers to the shortened name of his Uzbek partner, Gulnora Makhmudova. Although he had been previously cautioned about investing in Uzbekistan due to the high risk, Zainul chose to put up RM1 million (US$0.32 million) as capital to build the business, with Gulnora coming up with a similar sum. Gulnora is chairman of the Business Women Association of Uzbekistan which has more than 10,000 members. "My meeting Gulnora in Malaysia three years ago when she attended a seminar, might have been a coincidence, but it also helped me become an entrepreneur in a foreign land," he said. Following his meeting with Gulnora and hearing of the problems faced by women entrepreneurs in Uzbekistan, he invited her for a discussion, and was subsequently made an advisor to the association. While visiting Uzbekistan as advisor to the association, he found that Gulnora, who was in the garments industry, was facing financial problems including difficulty in finishing an extension to her one-hectare factory. Without the extension, it was not possible for Gulnora to expand production and meet growing demand for her clothing. Zainul saw the opportunity to inject capital into the business and became her partner. Through the new cooperation, 100 more sewing machines were imported from Japan to improve production, which mainly comprised t-shirts. He said he would be receiving a loan from the Export-Import Bank of Malaysia Berhad (EXIM Bank) to improve his activities in Uzbekistan. The ASLI-GM factory which has become a landmark of Malaysian entrepreneurship success in Tashkent, was opened by the The Crown Prince of Malaysian Northern State of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Jamalullail, during a working visit to Uzbekistan earlier this month. -- BERNAMA