We have exceptionally high standards in our factory in Almaty, where we manufacture five/eight of the 12 JTI global flagship brands. We sell our products in Kazakhstan as well as exporting them to Central Asia and Mongolia.
Our high standards are down to our spirit of ‘Kaizen’ – the Japanese philosophy of constant improvement. This means challenging ourselves to always do better – whether this means an improvement to our processes, an upgrade to the latest technology, or finding a more efficient way of working.
We work closely with our colleagues around the world, learning from best practice and sharing great ideas. For example, during 2015 and early 2016, we worked on a joint project with our colleagues in Japan to increase the effectiveness of our manufacturing equipment. The Kaizen philosophy helped us to simplify our workflow, eliminate of waste through cohesive teamwork, and improve workplace discipline.
In June 2015 our factory passed an external certification audit, receiving a Gold Certificate. Today, we are among the top JTI factories and we visit other countries like Sudan and Myanmar to share our experiences in improving the manufacturing process.
Caring for the environment
We’re active in reducing the environmental impact of our manufacturing processes and started using our Waste Sorting Center in Almaty in early 2016. We no longer store waste outside where it is in contact with soil and exposed to rain or snow – we now send it to be compacted before disposal. We have also lowered our factory’s carbon dioxide emissions by 7%, as part of our project to connect our factory to the local gas supply system.
Along with these major projects, we’re kind to the environment in lots of ways in our daily office work. We’ve replaced all the plastic cups we use with biodegradable ones, and we only use natural cleaning products. We stopped ordering plastic bags a long time ago and use environmentally friendly materials to manufacture our bags.