ArmInfo.On December 7, "Sasteks" textile enterprise opened in the city of Gyumri, Shirak region of Armenia. RA Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attended the opening ceremony and laid the foundation stone for the second building of the factory.
According to Christian Galedzhi, Sasteks Director, the construction of the factory began in 2016. The first factory building has already been built, and production will soon be launched there. Staff recruitment process started a month ago. 180 seamstresses have already been employed. Since they all came to the enterprise with no experience, their starting salary was set at 55 thousand AMD. Until April of next year, it is planned to recruit another 150 women workers. By the end of 2019, the number of personnel is expected to be over 400 people. Training courses have been organized for the staff.
At the same time, as indicated by Galedzhi, the company has no problems with sales markets. Contracts for the supply of products in the amount of 1-2 million dollars have been signed with 7 European enterprises. In this regard, the company's management plans to open a similar enterprise in Vanadzor, Lori region, in April next year. Work is underway to open workshops in Artik and Spitak. "I and my business partner Vartan Sirmakes decided to establish such factories in different parts of Armenia. The next enterprise will be established in Spitak. There we have a problem with the territory, therefore we are turning to you to solve this problem," Galedzhi said, addressing Pashinyan.
It is noteworthy that Christian Galedzhi did not disclose the total amount of planned and implemented investments. "I will tell you so - we have not invested money. We have invested our life, I have invested my own health, which cannot be measured with money. We do not have Armenian philosophy, but European thinking, and we work neither for today, nor for tomorrow, but for the future to come in 20-30 years ", he pointed out. According to him, entrepreneur Vartan Sirmakes has invested billions of drams in the Armenian economy over the past 27 years and will continue to invest.
To note, the opening of the enterprise has been delayed since 2014. Former Prime Ministers Hovik Abrahamyan and Karen Karapetyan were promising to open the enterprise. At the end of March 2017, the then Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan announced the early launch of the factory. It was reported that the total cost of the investment program is $ 12 million. It is envisaged that the implementation of the program will provide for an additional 700-800 new jobs. To this end, the republic's government has previously provided the company with the building of the former hospital and the surrounding areas. The director of Sasteks LLC, Christian Galedzhi, told the Prime Minister that the foundation work had been completed, the building had become more earthquake-resistant. Then he assured that almost everything is ready for operation, it remains to carry out work on the internal and external decoration and conduct wiring. The new enterprise will consist of five buildings. In the former regional hospital there will be a training center, the administrative part of the company and a hall for demonstration of clothes. 90% of all products manufactured at the plant will be exported. Galedzhi also said that in the neighborhood of the new factory there are temporary houses. After they are removed, the question will arise of providing housing for the families living in them. To solve this problem, one-story houses are being built in the nearest territory for 16 families, which will be donated to them free of charge. The first eight houses will be ready for operation in July.