## Search For Partners

** **

October 18, 1999

 

The Business Information Service for theNewly Independent States (BISNIS) is the U.S. government's clearinghouse fortrade and investment information on the Newly Independent States of the formerSoviet Union.

               BISNISpublishes SEARCH FOR PARTNERS to help U.S. companies find investmentopportunities in the expanding markets of the former Soviet Union.

               SEARCHFOR PARTNERS is distributed via this biweekly e‑mail broadcast, and a limitedselection of these leads are published in a monthly newsletter.  Previous e‑mail broadcasts areavailable through the BISNIS home page, at: www.bisnis.doc.gov.  To receive the biweekly report, e‑mailBISNIS at [email protected] or call (202) 482‑4655.

               Theseopportunities are provided solely as an informational service and do notrepresent an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Commerce.  Verification of these leads is theresponsibility of the reader.

 

Index of Investment Opportunities

 

1.               Georgia- Medical Equipment

2.               Kazakhstan- Information Technologies

3.               Kazakhstan- Consumer Goods/Furniture Production

4.               Yekaterinburg,Russia - Consumer Electronics Manufacturing (Reprint)

5.               Yekaterinburg,Russia - Electronics and Production/Test Equipment (Reprint)

6.               Yekaterinburg,Russia -   Education/Training(Reprint)

7.               Ukraine- Construction

 

***Georgia***

 

1) Industry:  Medical Equipment

Company: Aura‑Ma‑Gi

               Aura‑Ma‑Gi,a medical diagnostic equipment company, has facilities with 80 sq. m. of space,and holds a lease for 81 sq. m. The firm’s facilities are used for offices andresearch laboratories, it is involved in medical diagnostics and research inthe new  scientific field ofbioenergy information. The firm uses bioenergography for diagnostic purposeswith the computer complex, "Crown‑TV," made by a Russian scientist,professor Konstantin Korotkov, and is based on the "Kirlianeffect."  The advantage ofthis  method is speed, convenience,safety, and higher sensitivity.      

               Thefirms specialists have modified the computer’s visualization and imageprocessing and have achieved good results in preventive diagnostics.  In addition, they have a useful systemfor cancer detection.  The firmworks with its colleagues in the Center of Oncology in Tbilisi.  According to preliminary data, the newmethod can detect up to 90 percent of cancer cases. This detection system isunique and could be used for mass screenings.  Also, cancer shows up at a "energetic" levelfirst, which can be detected before other methods would detect signs of amalignant tumor.

               Thesecond stage of the firms diagnostic work is to specify the organ which is  impaired.  In order to do this more data has to be collected.  The firm plans to work with St.Petersburg oncologists in September 1999 on this project.  The third stage includes computerizingthe diagnostic work via computer programming for image recognition.      

               Thecompany's main patients are from the local population, and visitors toGeorgia.  It is planning to openaffiliate firms in Moscow, and St. Petersburg in Russia, and othercountries.     

               Thefirm has unique medical knowledge. It is developing affiliate firms in Russia,Ukraine, and Turkey.      

               Thecompany seeks to establish a joint venture for medical research centers, wherenew diagnostic and vibration cure methods will be used.   Two to three Georgian scientistshave created an original and unique and economical method of detectingdifferent diseases and malignant tumors. It seeks to continue its research on a large scale. Usingbioenergography, different medication and procedures can be  tested individually, in order to chosethe optimum cure in 15 to 30 minutes. 

               Thefirm seeks an American partner to finance the center, it will share theownership of the company.  Abusiness plan is currently being written. 

Contact:  George Chichinadze, Director and Founder 

Guram Muchaidze, Foreign Relations Consultant

13a, Vashlidjvary

Tbilisi, 380059, Georgia

Tel: +995‑32‑954321

Fax: +995‑32‑954321

Mobile: +995‑99‑504321

E‑mail: [email protected]

Source: Aura‑Ma‑Gi

 

***Kazakhstan***

 

2) Industry: Information Technologies

Company: Actis Systems Asia

               ActisSystems Asia, established in 1998, specializes in web-system development forinternet and intranet networks (web design development, html-imposition,programming of interactive elements and databases, intranet servers andinternal information systems, flash-sites and interactive presentations); websystem support (hosting, web-system maintenance, web marketing, and additionalservices); and consulting services on systems integration in the Internet.  

               Actiscurrently employs 10 people. From June 1998 until December 1998, its salesvolume totaled approximately US$20,000. According to the firm’s representative,resulting from The Golden Site 1997 contest Actis was awarded The FinancialTimes “The World 1997 Best Business Web-Server” and “The Best Russian CorporateSite” (www.kazecon.kz) titles. Actis provides services for local and foreigncompanies in Kazakhstan. Among its clients and business partners are: PragmaCorporation (USAID contractor), Deloitte and Touche, Almaty InternationalBusiness School, Scott Holand Real Estate Agency, Citibank, Nursat, andInternet Securities. The firm closely cooperates with Actis in Russia – itsparent company.

               Actisseeks a U.S. partner to further develop its business and explore businessopportunities in Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries. Actis isinterested in attracting venture capital or establishing a partnershipagreement (joint venture, dealership, and franchise) with a U.S.telecommunications/internet company, and/or software/hardware producer andsystem integrator. A marketing plan in Russian is available upon request. Thecompany can conduct business in English.

Contact:  Yuriy Latin, Director

91/13 Ayteke Bi Street

Almaty, 480091, Kazakhstan

Tel: +7-3272-32-32-29

Fax: 7-3272-32-14-27

E-mail: [email protected]

Website:   www.actis.kz

or U.S. Embassy Commercial Service:

531 Seyfullin Prospect, 3rd Floor

Almaty, 480091, Kazakhstan

Tel: +7-3272-58-79-20 

Fax: +7-3272-58-79-22

E-mail: [email protected]

Source:   BISNIS Representative Kazakhstan 

 

***

 

3) Industry: Consumer Goods/FurnitureProduction

Company: BMG-Engineering

               BMG-Engineering,a private Kazakhstani company, established in 1998, specializes in supplyingwoodwork and furniture production equipment, color varnish, glue, facing andother furniture production and construction materials; and providingengineering, and consulting services in Kazakhstan. 

               BMGcurrently employs 6 people. Its head office and warehouses are located inAlmaty. The firm is represented in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. BMG’s annualsales volume is US$ 500,000. The firm is a Kazakhstani distributor of severalGerman companies: Homag (furniture production lines); Weinig (wooden windowsand doors production); Leuko (woodcut machines); Klebchemie (various types ofglue); Herberts (various types of color varnish); Biesenthat (facingmaterials); and Scheppach (woodwork machines for handicrafts). 

               Localand regional woodworking, furniture production, and construction companies areBMG’s major buyers. According to BMG’s representative, the firm’s experiencedstaff conducts seminars, provides assistance in business plan development, andprovides free consultations on furniture production technologies for young andgrowing Kazakhstani businesses. It conducts installation and after-saleservicing of the equipment it sells in Kazakhstan. BMG plans to expand itsbusiness to include production of glues and varnishes in Kazakhstan.  

               BMGseeks U.S. suppliers of woodworking and furniture production equipment ofmedium capacity for handicraft production. BMG seeks a U.S. joint venturepartner to establish glue and varnish manufacturing for the furnitureproduction and construction industry in Kazakhstan and the neighboring CIScountries. The company can conduct business in English.  

Contact:  Anatoliy Gass, Director

5 Orbita-3, #9

Almaty, 480043, Kazakhstan

Tel/Fax: +7-3272-54-77-03

E-mail: [email protected]

or U.S. Embassy Commercial Service:

531 Seyfullin Prospect, 3rd Floor

Almaty, 480091, Kazakhstan

Tel: +7-3272-58-79-20  

Fax: +7-3272-58-79-22

E-mail: [email protected]

Source:   BISNIS Representative Kazakhstan 

                                                                                                                        

***Yekaterinburg, Russia***

 

(Please note: The following three leads arereprinted from previous editions.)

 

4) Industry: (CEL)Consumer ElectronicsManufacturing 

Company:  Avtorskiye Tekhnologiyi

               AvtorskiyeTekhnologiyi was established in 1990 and is totally privatized.  The company is part of a large holdingcompany, Atompromkompleks. Atompromkompleks owns shares in over 40 local companies, specializing inmanufacturing, distribution and construction. Avtorskiye Tekhnologiyispecializes in engineering and manufacturing consumer electronics. 

               Thecompany established a joint venture with Bompany, the Italian stovemanufacturer in 1997.  Currentlythis joint venture manufactures gas and electric stoves in Yekaterinburg.  Avtorskiye Tekhnologiyi alsomanufactures control units for Stinol refrigerators, which have gained inpopularity due to their quality, reliability and reasonable prices.

               The1998 financial crisis pulled many imported products off the local marketbecause of their higher prices. Avtorskiye Tekhnologiyi seeks a partner to deliver technology andequipment to manufacture microwave ovens in Yekaterinburg.  The company will invest in itsfacilities and equipment.  

Contact: Aleksandr Loshchenko, DirectorGeneral

Atompromkompleks

47, Ul. Manevrovaya

Yekaterinburg, 620050, Russia 

Tel: +7-3432-52-42-01

Fax: 7-3432-52-42-07

E-mail: [email protected]

Or Yevgeniy Zykov, Director

Avtorskiye Tekhnologiyi

27, Ul. Montazhnikov

Yekaterinburg, 620041, Russia

Tel: +7-3432-41-63-61, 41-58-43

Source: BISNIS Representative inYekaterinburg

 

***

 

5) Industry: Electronics and Production/TestEquipment 

Company:  Elvest 

               Elvestwas established in 1991 and is totally privatized.  The company engineers and sells vacuum commutationequipment.  It leases 170 sq. m. offacilities for laboratory and engineering departments.  Elvest engineers vacuum chambers,vacuum circuit switchers, and vacuum switch gears with differentcapacities.  After the products areengineered and tested, the company places orders for production at localplants.  Elvest is Russia and theNIS’ monopoly manufacturer for vacuum chambers, vacuum circuit switchers, andvacuum switch gears.  Its clientsare the largest Russian metallurgical enterprises, oil procuring companies andthe largest energy manufacturing enterprises.

               Thecompany has experience working with foreign companies.  Elvest has been cooperating withSiemens to engineer and manufacture certain types of vacuum switches forseveral years. 

               Elvestseeks U.S. companies to jointly engineer and manufacture vacuum commutationequipment for Russian standards. The company would appreciate cooperation with such manufacturers asGeneral Electric, SPD Technology and JOSLYN.  

Contact: Stanislav Chistyakov, DirectorGeneral

Roman Chistyakov, Deputy Director (contactfor foreign companies)

3G, Ul. Shefskaya

Yekaterinburg, 620017, Russia 

Tel: +7-3432-39-66-34

Fax: 7-3432-39-64-28

E-mail: [email protected]

Source: BISNIS Representative inYekaterinburg

 

***

 

6) Industry: Education/Training (EDS)

Company: Uralskiy Zoloto-Patina Institute

               UralskiyZoloto-Patina Institute was established in 1995, and is totallyprivatized.  The company providesbusiness education for local entrepreneurs on banking, accounting financialmanagement, personnel management, and psychology.  It is the only educational establishment in the city whichprovides a two year MBA course.  UralskiyZoloto-Patina Institute also applies Richard Ivy University's business trainingmethods.  The Director General andsome lecturers participated in the internships sponsored by USAID and theNational Forum Foundation. Uralskiy Zoloto-Patina Institute leases facilities at Zoloto-PlatinaBank.  They own modern educationalequipment.  The Institute annuallysells educational programs worth US$200,000.  

               UralskiyZoloto-Patina Institute seeks U.S. companies to jointly provide businesseducation in the Urals.  Thecompany will appreciate any U.S. business schools or universities which canprovide educational programs and methods, post-educational internships and U.S.lecturers.  The company will investin newly established joint venture registration and advertising.  Uralskiy Zoloto-Patina Institute willmultiply U.S. business educational programs in Sverdlovsk Oblast which is avast market for business education.  

Contact: Larisa Guseva , Director General

Mikhail Dunayev, Consultant (contact forforeign companies)

14, Ul. Gagarina

Yekaterinburg, Russia 

Tel: +7-3432-49-00-00, 65-53-00

Fax: +7-3432-49-00-00

E-mail: [email protected]

Source: BISNIS Representative inYekaterinburg                     

***Ukraine***

 

7) Industry: Construction

Company: Perry and Associates

Perry and Associates was established in 1995and is one of the first private construction companies in Ukraine founded byAmericans. It began as a building materials brokerage company and served asmaterials and logistics consultant on two U.S. Department of Defense projects.The company specializes in construction management and consulting.  Its annual sales grew by over 100percent from 1997 to 1998 and totaled US$1.2 million with 16 percent netprofits in 1998. The company plans to expand its business to includeimportation and retailing of hardware, builder’s supplies and DIY goods.

               Thecompany seeks a strategic partner to assist in its retail operations. It hopesa strategic partner will contribute in several, or all, of the following areas:start-up advisory services, consolidation and shipping of materials,merchandizing expertise, assistance in selection of product mix, systemsconsulting (e.g. accounting, computerized inventory), management training,store planning and retail identity. The project proposes opening a Kyivbuilding materials retail store and a do-it-yourself (“DIY”) supply store. Thestore will be a new building with 5.000 sq. m. of space and will stock buildingmaterials, hardware and DIY products. It will be modeled after Home Depot,Bauhaus and other similar stores. This will be the first and the largestbulk-volume, full-service hardware and building materials store in the largeand under-supplied Ukrainian market. After successfully opening of the firststore, the operations will be expanded to include the addition of a 10,000 sq.m. superstore and 7 to 10 stores measuring 300 to 700 sq. m. in Kyiv.  Expansion to other major Ukrainiancities is also anticipated within the first five years of operation. The totalphase 1 project investment is US$5 million. By year 7, expected sales areUSD$100 million. The new network will capture 15 percent of the target marketfor contractors and DIY in Kiev and the Kiev region by the end of year 2, up to21 percnet by year 7.

               Perryand Associates is willing to consider a fee-based participation or an equityposition in the project depending on the operating structure of the strategicpartner.  A business plan of theproject in English is available upon request.

Contact: Michael Perry, President

30/18 b Yaroslaviv Val, #16

Kyiv, 252032, Ukraine

Tel: +380-44-229-8500; 229-6380

Fax: +380-44-212-1724

E-mail: [email protected]

Source: BISNIS Representative in Ukraine

 

 

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               BISNISis pleased to gather and disseminate to U.S. companies promising Search forPartners leads from the NIS. Companies that wish to pursue these leads shoulddirectly contact the NIS company via the contact information listed. 

               BISNISmakes every effort to obtain valid contact information, but making contact withcompanies in many regions of the NIS can be difficult.  Telephone calls to NIS companies may behampered by the limited number of international and local lines in theNIS.  Therefore, persistence is thekey to contacting them via telephone. Additionally, not all NIS companies have fax machines which operate 24hours a day.  Sometimes severalattempts may be necessary before a connection can be made.  If you are having trouble reaching acompany, try phoning/faxing at different times of the day, including duringregular work hours (often 9 am -6 pm) in the region you are trying to contact.

               Note:Although BISNIS representatives in the NIS occasionally providelast-resort  assistance incontacting local companies listed in leads, BISNIS representatives in the NISdo not: provide additional market information in response to direct inquiriesfrom U.S. companies, assist with negotiations, or conduct due diligence onlocal companies. 

               Foradditional commercial information about industries, regions, and companies inthe NIS, contact BISNIS in Washington D.C.