AmSECC

Mr. Fadil Costovic established ARTISAN, a furniture manufacture company in Tesanj, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in 2007. Today, the company employs 34 people, and in 2008 made a total of 1 million Euros in revenues, 70% of which came from exported goods.

ARTISAN is known for specializing in the manufacture of high-quality, handmade, wood furniture, along with an expertise in designing and building commercial and private-residency interiors. The furniture is crafted from a variety of woods, including walnut, oak, cherry, pear, ash, and acacia. The wood is protected with natural wax and plant oil, which exposes the organic beauty of the wood, and allows it to breathe.

Mr. Fadil Costovic lives Medakovo, Tesanj-Bosnia and Herzegovina. About ARTISAN, Mr. Costovic says, 'I wanted to form a business aimed at producing quality furniture.' He first learned about carpentry under his oldest brother's guidance. After his brother's death, in 1985, Mr. Costovic along with other family members, continued in the business until 1992 when war broke out in Bosnia. In 1994, Mr. Costovic moved to Germany and began work at a carpetner's shop close to Dachau. 'This is where I gained new knowledge and skills, as well as a more professional approach to the carpentry business. At this shop, I excelled rapidly and soon earned a supervising position as lead carpenter.'

At the end of 1997, Mr. Costovic returned to Bosnia and started working again at the family carpentery shop until 2007. At the beginning of 2009, with the help of the American-Norwegian organization 'Excellence in Innovation', Mr. Costovic established ARTECO Wood Technology Center, d.o.o Tesanj – a center that will produce specialists to assist Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region of Southeast Europe to further develop in the furniture and wood industry. ARTECO provides wood processing companies in Bosnia with the following services: wood drying, processing furniture parts using a CNC machine, and developing prototypes. In addition to that, the center also offers educational services in the following fields: drying, designing, CNC programming, final processing stages using oil, soap and wax, in addition to assistance with export.

'What ties me to my job is the beauty of wood and the great opportunities it provides. My slogan is OD TRUPCA DO KUPCA, which means that I control the selection, cutting, usage, main and final processing of wood to ensure that only best quality wood  reaches our buyers. Additionally, I actively support forest replacement projects stressing the importance of introducing new, already tested types of wood, such as American and European walnut.' He continues, 'Due to the fact that I already have plans to expand production it would be very beneficial for me to present my products at various trade fairs and events as well as gain access to investment funds for the development of entrepreneurship. Promoting ARTECO to students in architecture and industrial design in neibhboring countries would also contribute to a new approach to acquisition of knowledge and experience in designing'.

The young company, ARTISAN has already gained valuable exposure by manufacturing furniture for top designers and distributors in Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, Netherlands, Germany, Great Britain, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Mr. Costovic says 'I look forward to further exploring a relationship with AmSECC in working towards common endeavors.'

For more information please contact AmSECC and visit ARTISAN web site at: http://www.artisan.ba