President Ilham Aliyev inaugurates two major industrial plants in Sumgayit PHOTO

On April 30, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visited the Sumgayit Chemical Industrial Park to officially inaugurate two significant new facilities: a construction chemicals production plant by "Kartash Kimya" LLC and a factory for IVECO-branded trucks and special-purpose vehicles by "Az-Tex-Import" LLC.

The visit began with the opening of the "Kartash Kimya" LLC plant, which specialises in construction chemicals. Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov briefed the head of state on the current operations of Azerbaijan's industrial zones, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

Currently, Azerbaijan has 9 industrial parks and 4 industrial districts. To date, 170 business entities have been granted resident or non-resident status within these zones, with a total investment volume of 8.1 billion manats ($4.76 billion). Entrepreneurs have invested over 6.9 billion manats ($4.06 billion) into industrial zones, resulting in the creation of more than 10,600 permanent jobs. To date, the industrial zones have produced goods worth 16.2 billion manats ($8.5 billion), with 5.2 billion manats ($3.05 billion) of that amount exported..

Established by Presidential Decree in 2011, the Sumgayit Chemical Industrial Park is the first of its kind in Azerbaijan and the largest in the South Caucasus. The park spans 613 hectares and focuses on competitive production in the petrochemical and other priority industries. It currently hosts 39 resident enterprises, with 26 of them now operational following the opening of the two new facilities. Investments in the park have reached nearly 6 billion manats ($3.52 billion). Since inception, the park's residents have generated approximately 14 billion manats ($8.23 billion) in product sales, with 5 billion manats ($2.94 billion) exported. In the first quarter of 2025, production increased by 14.2% and exports by 17.2% compared to the same period last year. The park employs more than 6,000 people and exports to over 70 countries.

At the "Kartash Kimya" plant, President Aliyev learned that the company became a resident of the industrial park in July 2022, with foundation work launched in 2023. Built on 2.5 hectares, the plant is equipped with advanced Turkish machinery across seven production lines and has an annual production capacity of 295,000 tons. It will manufacture cement-based dry mixes, waterproofing materials, flooring materials, cement grinding additives, and other key construction materials, primarily using locally sourced raw materials. The products are aimed at both domestic consumption and export to markets including Türkiye, Russia, Georgia, and Central Asia.

Currently employing 102 people, the plant plans to expand its workforce to 245 in the next phase. The total investment in the project is 25 million manats ($14.7 million), including a 6 million manat ($3.52 million) concessional loan from the Entrepreneurship Development Fund under the Ministry of Economy.

Following this, President Aliyev inaugurated the IVECO truck and special-purpose vehicle manufacturing plant of "Az-Tex-Import" LLC. The company was granted resident status in April 2022, with the President laying its foundation the same year. The new plant will assemble 100 IVECO trucks and special-purpose vehicles annually, along with 300 vehicle bodies during the second phase of the project.

With 96 employees already hired in the first phase, total job creation is expected to reach 150. The 4-hectare facility has attracted over 19.2 million manats ($11.3 million) in investment and also benefits from tax and customs incentives available to park residents. The plant aims to serve both domestic and international markets.

By Khagan Isayev