Political change is the main prerequisite for the growth of the PPE market in Armenia

Getsiz.ru is read not only in Russia, but also in the CIS countries. Within two weeks, we will make our readers familiar with the situation on the PPE markets in Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine. We collected opinions of the participants in the branch and manufacturers of PPE about the market situation, challenges, achievements and new projects. Mikael Yezekian (Tavush Textiles LLC) told us about the attention of the new authorities to the development of light industry in the republic.

Mikael Yezekian, «Tavush Textile» LLC, Director.

Great changes occurred in the Republic of Armenia in 2018. The event, which was called «Velvet Revolution», radically changed the life of the country.

After the early elections to the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, a new government was formed. The main purpose of the new government is to speed up the pace of economic development. The growth rate of the Armenian economy in 2018 was 5.2%. The government is preparing a program of Tax Code changes, which will give a new impetus to the development of the economy. The international community supported political changes in the country, and we hope that foreign investors will show an increased interest in Armenia.

Before the collapse of the USSR, Armenia was considered to be an industrial country, but after the break-up of the Soviet Union, like many other former Soviet republics, it found itself in a deep economic crisis. This was facilitated by many external factors. All the accumulated problems need to be addressed. The Armenian government has made light industry one of the priority development areas. It includes the manufacturing of workwear, safety footwear and personal protective equipment. PPE is mainly used in the mining, power generation, construction and agricultural sectors of economy.

In fact, there is no integrated production of PPE in Armenia. Many light industry companies work on a give-and-take basis. The main demand for PPE is covered by import of Chinese and Turkish products. «Tavush Textile» LLC manufactures safety gloves in Armenia. The company was founded in 2015 by Suren Yeritsyan, the owner of the well-known Russian brand of safety gloves «SVS». About 600 people are currently employed by «Tavush Textile». Its products are exported to EU countries and Ukraine. Gloves are also supplied to Russia. In 2018, «Tavush Textile» LLC exported over 45 million pairs of safety gloves.

«Tavush Textile» LLC was founded in 2015. Production facilities are located in Armenia. The company is a member of «SVS-Retail» LLC, which is one of Russia’s largest manufacturers of hand protection products. In total, «SVS» Group employs more than 1,000 people. The company’s revenue in 2018 amounted to 1,530 billion rubles.

The 23rd international specialized exhibition «Occupational Safety and Health – 2019» (BiOT) will be held on December 10-13 in Moscow, pavilion No. 75 of the Exhibition of Economic Achievements. The exhibition is organized by the Russian Ministry of Labor and the Association of Developers, Manufacturers and Suppliers of Personal Protective Equipment (ASIZ). In 2018, the area of BiOT Fair was 13 thousand square meters. The number of visitors was 15 thousand.