Market intelligence
Demand, industrial projects and investment plans in the segments that fit your technology — with the regions and customer groups that are actually worth travelling to.
Kazakhstan · Қазақстан
Business Development & Market Entry in Kazakhstan.
For European industrial companies entering Central Asia's largest economy
AETEK supports European industrial companies in identifying, accessing and developing business opportunities in Kazakhstan — from market intelligence and stakeholder access to opportunity development and commercial execution.
- Capital
- Astana
- Population
- 20.5 m
- Industrial firms
- ≈ 30,000
Sources: Bureau of National Statistics (population, 1 Jan 2026) · IMF, April 2026 (GDP share) · industrial firms: AETEK estimate
01 — The Market
The industrial market
The industrial market
in Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan is the largest economy in Central Asia and generates more than half of the region's GDP. For European industrial suppliers it is usually the first market in the region that justifies a systematic approach.
Demand is driven by mining and metals, oil and gas, power generation and grid infrastructure, and by a manufacturing base that is being modernised with imported machinery and process technology. Roughly 30,000 industrial companies are registered in the country, from state-linked groups to private mid-sized producers.
What makes the market demanding is not a lack of opportunities but the way they are accessed: decisions sit with a small number of people, tenders and investment projects are rarely visible from Europe, and technical trust is built in meetings, not in inboxes. That is the part AETEK takes over.
02 — Market Entry
How AETEK supports market entry in Kazakhstan.
The work a regional organization would otherwise have to do — without the fixed cost of building one before the market is proven.
Customer identification
Named plants, groups and operators that use or plan to use your kind of equipment — qualified before anyone spends time on a first visit.
Stakeholder mapping
Who decides, who specifies and who signs: plant managers, chief engineers, procurement heads and owners — mapped per opportunity.
Partner and distributor development
Identification and qualification of distributors, agents and service partners — including the uncomfortable questions about capability and existing portfolios.
Tender and project monitoring
Public and private tenders, plant modernisations and investment projects followed continuously, so you hear about them before the specification is written.
Negotiations and contracts
Offer preparation for local requirements, negotiation support, and the commercial terms — payment, delivery, service — until the contract is signed.
Close-up · Industrial map
Ten cities, ten different markets.
Kazakhstan is the ninth-largest country in the world, and its industry is spread across all of it. Who you need to meet depends on where your segment sits. Filter by sector or select a city.
Astana
- Trade & logistics
The capital. Ministries, state holdings and the headquarters of many large groups — where big decisions are signed.
Almaty
- Trade & logistics
Commercial centre and largest city: distributors, banks and trading houses. AETEK's representative works here.
Karaganda
- Energy
Coal and steel: the coal basin around the city and the steelworks in neighbouring Temirtau.
Pavlodar
- Oil & gas
- Energy
Aluminium, ferroalloys and an oil refinery; coal from nearby Ekibastuz powers much of the north.
Oskemen
Non-ferrous metallurgy in the east: zinc, lead, precious metals, titanium and magnesium.
Atyrau
- Oil & gas
Oil and gas capital near the Caspian: refinery, petrochemicals and the service base for the large western fields.
Aktau
- Oil & gas
- Trade & logistics
Caspian sea port and a node of the Middle Corridor between China and Europe.
Aktobe
- Oil & gas
Chrome ore and ferroalloys, with oil and gas production in the region.
Zhezkazgan
Copper mining and smelting in the middle of the steppe.
Shymkent
- Oil & gas
- Trade & logistics
Oil refinery, food processing, building materials and pharmaceuticals in the populous south.
03 — Business Development
From a first contact
From a first contact
to recurring business.
A single order is not a market. Business development in Kazakhstan means staying present between the projects, when the next investment decision is prepared.
- A pipeline of qualified opportunities, not a list of contacts.
- Key account work with the people who decide.
- After-sales and service structures that protect the reference.
Close-up · The periodic table
Half the periodic table under the steppe.
Kazakhstan mines and processes more elements than almost any other country. Sixteen of them matter for buyers and suppliers — select one to see where it comes from.
92U
Uranium
- World-class
- Energy
The world's largest producer since 2009 — around 40 % of global output, mined by in-situ leaching in the south.
24Cr
Chromium
- World-class
Some of the largest chrome ore reserves in the world, near Khromtau. Ferrochrome is made in Aksu and Aktobe.
22Ti
Titanium
- World-class
Titanium sponge from Oskemen — one of only a handful of producers worldwide, supplying the aerospace industry.
4Be
Beryllium
- World-class
The Ulba metallurgical plant in Oskemen is one of very few beryllium producers in the world.
73Ta
Tantalum
- World-class
Tantalum and niobium products, also from the Ulba plant.
74W
Tungsten
- World-class
Some of the largest tungsten deposits in the world; projects to mine them are under way.
12Mg
Magnesium
- Base metals
Magnesium from the titanium-magnesium plant in Oskemen.
13Al
Aluminium
- Base metals
A complete chain: bauxite from the Kostanay region, alumina and primary aluminium in Pavlodar.
25Mn
Manganese
- Base metals
Manganese ore from the Zhairem deposits in central Kazakhstan.
26Fe
Iron
- Base metals
Iron ore and pellets from Rudny; steel from the integrated works in Temirtau.
29Cu
Copper
- Base metals
A major copper producer: open pits at Aktogay and Bozshakol, mining and smelting in Zhezkazgan and Balkhash.
30Zn
Zinc
- Base metals
Zinc from the polymetallic ores of East Kazakhstan, smelted in Oskemen and Ridder.
82Pb
Lead
- Base metals
Lead from the same polymetallic ores and smelters in the east.
79Au
Gold
- Precious metals
Gold from Vasilkovskoye and many smaller mines; the National Bank buys domestic gold for its reserves.
47Ag
Silver
- Precious metals
Silver, mostly as a by-product of copper and polymetallic ores.
6C
Carbon · coal
- Energy
Coal from Ekibastuz and Karaganda is still the main fuel of the power system.
04 — Procurement
Industrial procurement, both directions.
For European companies
Sell your technology into Kazakh industry without building a regional organization first: customers, partners, tenders and the commercial follow-through.
For Kazakh industrial companies
Find and qualify European technologies, manufacturers and suppliers — from specification and supplier search to delivery terms and after-sales.
05 — Local Presence
On the ground in Almaty.
AETEK is represented in Almaty, the commercial centre of Kazakhstan, and works from Germany with offices and representatives across the corridor: Haibach (headquarters), Kazan, Almaty, Tashkent and Dubai. We work in German, Russian and English — the languages this business is actually done in. Our representatives also speak Kazakh.
AstanaCapital
AlmatyAETEK representative
Market insight
Central Asia’s largest economy, generating more than half of the region’s GDP.
Close-up · Fit check
Five questions — and where you would start.
Answer five short questions about your situation. The bars show which of the three ways to start fits best, and change with every answer.
A first orientation, not advice. Before anything is recommended, we look at your case in detail.
06 — Questions
Frequently asked questions.
How does market entry in Kazakhstan usually start?
With a fit check: which of your products have realistic demand, which segments and customers are relevant, and what a first year of market development would involve. It is a short, honest assessment before anyone commits budget.
Do we need a local entity or a distributor in Kazakhstan?
Not to begin with. Many European suppliers start with external business development, prove the demand, and only then decide between a distributor, an agent or an own presence. That decision is much easier once you know the real pipeline.
Which language is business done in?
Russian is the working language of industry in Kazakhstan, alongside Kazakh. Technical and commercial documents are often in English. AETEK works in German, Russian and English. Our representatives also speak Kazakh.
How long does it take to see results?
First qualified opportunities usually appear within the first months. Industrial investment and tender cycles, however, run for a year or longer, which is why continuity matters more than a single trip.
Does AETEK also cover the neighbouring markets?
Yes. Kazakhstan is usually the entry point, and Uzbekistan the second step. Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan follow when the product and the project situation justify it.
07 — Let's Talk
Thinking about Kazakhstan, but not sure where to start?
Tell us what you build. We will come back with an honest first assessment of the fit.
Business Development & Market Entry — Kazakhstan
From market potential to business.
Tell us which technology you want to bring into Kazakhstan and where you stand today: first contacts, existing customers, or a blank sheet.
Prefer email? info@aetek.eu
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