Enes Kahrimanovic – AUSTRONET

Enes Kahrimanovic – AUSTRONET

Austronet company produces netting for different purposes, such as advertising netting for tennis courts and protective netting for the construction industry, and exports 97% of total production. The company cooperates with major construction brands in the world, such as Baumit and Strabag, as well as all brands in the tennis world: Nike, Adidas, Fisher, Head, BNP Paribas, etc. Austronet is the recipient of numerous awards in the small enterprises category.

Enes Kahrimanovic left BiH in 1991 with his family, and in 1994 he started working with the Plastipack company. While working there, he noticed that certain components used in manufacturing, such as parts made of stainless steel and aluminium, were being imported from the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Italy, Turkey and other countries. He then decided to find out which of the components used by the Plastipack could be produced in BiH, and the path of business success opened for him. The first job was agreed with the company Topinox from Prnjavor, whose conditions regarding the price, quality and delivery were far more favourable to those of the companies Plastipack had cooperated with until then, to the satisfaction of Austrian owners. After Topinox, cooperation was also established with the Gat company from Sanski Most, under equally favourable terms. Having found several other business partners in BiH, during a visit of the Austrian owners the decision was made to start companies in Kozarac, where Enes took full responsibility for the establishment and management of the companies.

In February 2007 two companies were registered: Beta Real, a construction company, and Austronet, a company manufacturing safety netting for agriculture and construction, protective nets for the tennis courts, protective sun sails for Soliday brand and printing billboards of unlimited dimensions on different materials.
The decisive moment for Kahrimanovic was the purchase of a land plot in Kozarac, and hiring five people in 2007.

In the next seven years, a 15.000 m2 centre was constructed, with 8,000 m2 of production halls. The total of over 10 million BAM was invested through the accounts of the two companies (Beta Real and Austronet).

Austronet experienced tremendous growth and now employs 68 people, with a total turnover of around 4 million BAM in 2013. The company nets 97% of export. All this, according to Enes, is the best proof that Austronet is in BiH to stay.

The company ranked first in 2010 among the small companies in BiH, for export performance, and also first for the net profit earned. At the end of 2013, Enes and Austronet company won the awards for the best manager and the best company in BiH for 2013.

What Enes Kahrimanovic dreamed of and worked for diligently was achieved: new jobs were created, new technologies introduced, production experts were retained in the country, and additional revenues for the local government generated.

Throughout the entire process of construction, more than half the money of the invested 10 million BAM was spent in Prijedor, through the engagement of local companies. Austronet, among other things, supported by other companies in the region, managed to keep the customs office in Prijedor, although it was scheduled for relocation to Banja Luka.

Enes encountered numerous obstacles in the implementation of his plans. He spent whole days at the municipality building, collecting the necessary permits to start the production, and the entire process took a year. According to him, BiH has outdated legislation which (without delay) must be harmonized with the European laws, and coordination among relevant institutions must be improved.

However, what is very important to Enes is that some new ways of doing business were introduced, which are much more in line with the Western trends. In his opinion, the conditions in BiH are still very good to develop a business and make a good profit. He suggests to potential investors of BiH origin to consult with people who have already invested in the country before coming here, in order to be informed about all the positive and negative circumstances.