Manufacturing of Azerbaijani-made bicycles to start soon

/By Azernews/

By Nigar Abbasova

Azerbaijan will launch manufacturing of bicycles with the inscription “Made in Azerbaijan” in August 2016. The manufacture of bicycles will be implemented in the Bicycle Plant, located in the country’s Ismayilli region.

The plant, with the total area of 8 hectares has been under construction since 2014. Some 7 million manats ($ 4.3 million) were invested in the project to implement the process of construction and install all necessary equipment, which meets all necessary European standards.

The plant is expected to manufacture five categories of bicycles ranging from bikes for children and recreational cycling, to those used by professional riders. The range of bicycles is expected to grow in the future and also include manufacture of wheelchairs and other medical equipment. The plant will manufacture some 30,000 bicycles per year. The territory of the plant also comprises a sporting track for conducting sporting events.

Currently, some 50 residents of the Ismayilli region are employed in the plant, while the number of employees is expected to stand at 100 in 2017.  Trainings with the participation of Bulgarian, Chinese, Turkish and Dutch experts are being held for the employers.

Previously, Mahmud Sulyemanov, an official at the Ismayilli City Executive Power said that the plant plans to send 30 employees to Bulgaria for job training, mentioning that the training professionals is a very important process

Some 50 percent of parts including bicycle chain and wheel will be locally-manufactured.

Earlier, Sulyemanov, said that most of the technological equipment has been brought in from Bulgaria, since some 49 percent of the plant’s shares are owned by Bulgarian company and the rest by Azerbaijan.

Prices for locally-manufactured «?sma Bikes» will range from 200 to 400 manats ($125-250). The bicycles will be put up for sale in the plant's branded stores in the capital city and other regions of the country. The production is also planned to be exported, but details of the procedure have not yet been revealed.

Earlier, the head of the Ismayilli City Executive Power, Mirdamet Sadigov, said that bicycles produced in Azerbaijan would stand out for their quality and affordability.

Cycling is developing steadily in Azerbaijan year by year and bicycle races became traditional during the public holidays. Azerbaijani Cycling team Synergy Baku project successfully participates in the international competitions. The Tour d'Azerbaijan, exciting cycling competition, has been held in the country since 2012.