Recently there has been a growing trend to buy furniture that you can assemble yourself according to the instructions. You get a brochure, follow the steps and in a short time you have assembled the kitchen, chair, closet or table by yourself. You have probably never thought about the process of producing all the wood components that you can assemble in this way. This secret is revealed to us by Jasmin Baltić from Novi Pazar, the only one in this part of Serbia who has a CNC woodworking machine, which he procured thanks to a donation from the European Union through the EU PRO programme.
Although Jasmin has a degree in economics, he did not imagine his professional career in a company administration, sitting all day. He aspired to be his own boss and start his own business. He worked with his father in the production of footwear for several years, and then, due to circumstances, he started working in sales. "I remember that a few years ago, together with a friend from Bosnia who was trading in plywood at the time, I went on a business trip to Turkey. When I saw how well his business was going and I decided to start my own business ", begins his story Jasmin Baltić, owner of Balta NP from Novi Pazar.
"The business went well for several years and I gained great knowledge and experience in this industry branch. When plywood stopped being a profitable business, I decided to adapt to the market. So I came up with the idea to buy a machine for cutting and edging sheet material and selling that material as a semi-finished product to carpenters who would later assemble these components into various furniture items, from the kitchen to the closet. This approach proved to be a complete success. "
In Novi Pazar, the need for custom-made furniture has been increasing over time. To be able to respond to the growing demands of the market, it was absolutely necessary for Balta NP to expand the production with modern equipment. "Until last year, I worked with two basic cutting and edging machines. As the business started to get more complicated, it was clear that we needed additional equipment for processing components for assembling furniture, which is actually the standard in larger productions ", points out Jasmin Baltić, the owner of the company Balta NP.
However, this small enterprise could not afford to buy a machine with special software that makes assembling furniture schemes as it was very expensive. Jasmine began to think about the alternative options.
Balta NP is today the only enterprise in Novi Pazar and broader region that provides this type of service, which has further increased the volume of production. "After getting this machine, I hired two new workers, and now we work at full capacity with five full-time employees. I hope the business will continue to grow, and that we will organise work in two shifts and employ more people in the future``, adds Baltić."
As part of the socially responsible activity, which was a mandatory part of the projects supported by the EU through the EU PRO programme, Balta NP decided to support its community by equipping and renovating two classrooms in the Novi Pazar Grammar School. "I believe that investing in young people and supporting education is always the right decision and it is our duty to do so," concludes Jasmin Baltić.
The European Union, in cooperation with the Ministry of European Integration, supported over 200 micro and small enterprises and entrepreneurs with more than 4.3 million Euros through the EU PRO programme. The funds were used to purchase new equipment with which companies improved production and competitiveness and created new jobs, while in Novi Pazar as many as 17 enterprises were supported.
Through the activities of the EU PRO programme, the European Union contributes to the more balanced socio-economic development of Serbia with a total of 25 million Euros. The programme aims to contribute to increasing the competitiveness of micro and small enterprises, improving the business environment and strengthening social cohesion in 99 local self-government units, in two regions: the Region of Šumadija and Western Serbia and the Region of Southern and Eastern Serbia. The activities in the field are implemented by UNOPS.