Countries

Armenia is small but skilled: precision manufacturing, electronics and a strong engineering and IT tradition. Suited to precision work in limited runs, and to development work that has to sit close to production.

What to watch: the country is a member of the Eurasian Economic Union. That calls for extra attention to origin, transit and payment routes, certainly when parts or materials come from the region.

Georgia has a free trade agreement with the EU, little bureaucracy and a port on the Black Sea. That makes it attractive for final assembly and small runs: work that is too expensive in Western Europe and too slow out of Asia.

What to watch: the scale is limited. For large volumes you run into capacity limits quickly, and supplies often come from neighbouring countries. Work through the whole chain before you commit.

Raw materials, metalworking and industrial zones that are growing fast, with government programmes driving investment in manufacturing. The rail link along the Middle Corridor beats sea freight on lead time.

What to watch: routes and counterparties call for a careful check against sanctions policy, and rail lead times vary with the transhipment points. We build that file so your bank and customs get through it without questions.

Smaller, flexible garment companies that switch over quickly. Interesting for brands that want to produce in limited runs without being tied to container volumes, and that want to adjust a collection at short notice.

What to watch: companies are small, so capacity and quality assurance differ sharply per workshop. An audit beforehand and inspection per run matter more here than elsewhere.

Moldova is the closest to home: road transport in two to three days and free trade with the EU. In the free economic zones around Balti and Ungheni, factories have been making wire harnesses and car parts for European manufacturers for years, and alongside that there is garment work, furniture and a broad food and wine sector.

What to watch: the country is small and many skilled workers are employed in the EU, so capacity and staffing are the first questions here, not price. Transnistria falls outside what we offer. We therefore check in advance whether a workshop can take on your run structurally.

Ukraine has a metal and machine building tradition going back decades of heavy industry, with workshops that work to drawing and engineers who know European standards. Machining, sheet metal, welded structures and components for agricultural and industrial machinery all place well there.

What to watch: the choice of region decides almost everything. Insurability, power supply and staffing differ sharply per area, and a second source in reserve is not a luxury here but a starting point. We put that in the contract instead of hoping for it.

The entire textile chain sits in one country here: from cotton and spinning to weaving and garment making. Alongside that, an electrical and furniture industry is emerging that is becoming interesting for European buyers.

What to watch: chain transparency is the conversation. Cotton origin and working conditions must be demonstrably arranged, not promised. We make that a contractual condition with inspection before shipment.