if it comes from far away, we probably see the “Made in China” label throughout our lives. However, the first association with it is often poor service and quality. The solution to this problem was found by entrepreneur Tadija Šarić from Vitez, whose company recently became famous after an extraordinary feat.

China is in many respects – from the size of the surface and population to the largest GDP and the number of the most functionally literate students – a high-ranking country in the world.
Although this superpower stands out in many ways, China is by far the most notable for being the largest global producer. This is precisely why we see many imported items from this country with the “Made in China” label. Unfortunately, what is associated with them, and which is a rather negative thing, is poor quality, unreliable service, and for those who have a business connection with it – a lack of trust in delivery.

The most daring ones recognized this as a challenge. That’s how we came to Tadija Šarić, an entrepreneur from Vitez and the general director of the Tadex group based in the city of Yiwu, who decided to change something in this matter and strengthen the logistics relationship between China and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The company from Vitez “against” the rest of the world in the Suez Canal
The Tadex Group, led by its owner, transported 400 containers last year, most of which were on the BiH – China route. However, word got out about them recently after a feat that aroused great public interest.

While many competing companies were forced to wait for the container to pass through the Suez Canal, Tadex managed to pass the entire ship with steel intended for a customer from Bosnia and Herzegovina without any major problems. In this way, they showed how, at a time when global trade is facing challenges due to the stalemate in the Suez Canal, the challenges of logistics are being successfully overcome.

“Our team worked around the clock to ensure that the goods reached our customers safely and quickly, and this is proof that persistence and adaptability are key in times like this,” said company director Tadija Šarić at the time.

As an entrepreneur and the main link of a company whose goal is to bring BiH and China closer logistically, Šarić’s story began completely unexpectedly eight years ago, when he was a completely ordinary 24-year-old employed in Vitez, and now he shared it with Klix.ba.

The fight against prejudices about the import and quality of Chinese goods

“I was working for a large company as a salesperson when I got the opportunity to go to China on business, to procure goods. It was the first time I visited that country. From the moment I arrived there, I recognized the potential. As someone who learned everything about commerce , I saw how much difference in price can be achieved with a little communication and negotiations with suppliers. I knew what the possibilities and advantages of being in the field are. I returned to BiH full of impressions, thinking that I can do a lot for our market “After maybe two or three weeks, I left my current job and set out on my own,” Tadija begins.

His decision was not at all simple, and at one point it seemed “crazy” to some, Šarić told us. As someone who arrived in a foreign country, he was met with various challenges.

“For the first three months, nothing happened. It took me time to find my way and figure out how to start a business. It’s hard when you’re new somewhere, you don’t know the language, and everyone sees you as a foreigner who they’re trying to take advantage of and take away from their time. Only after “three months ago, I found a person I trusted, who helped me set out on the path to realizing my dream,” Tadija explains.

Little by little, he founds a company located in the market of the world center of production, and he chose the city of Yiwu, the so-called, as the business headquarters. “the world of small goods”, which holds the title of the largest wholesale center of commercial goods in the world.

This makes it even easier for Tadex to be focused on establishing a global commercial and logistics network whose goal is to safely, efficiently and quickly respond to the needs of clients in the sphere of procurement, sales and delivery of products and services on the international market.

“We started as an agent company in China, and today we have expanded to several continents, working on different programs – for textiles, footwear, lighting, consumer goods… We also started companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Tadex Logistika has a focus on those who previously we did not work with China, we facilitate import, transport services and customs. It is still unknown to most people, even those who already do business with China. Also, TDX, as another sister company, deals with road transport, which is another segment where we are provided customers with the best prices and a complete service,” Tadija explains.

European quality, “Chinese” prices

He goes on to tell us how some of the clients who were connected with China from earlier also moved to Tadex, but were positively surprised by the many advantages of this company, from prices to the very approach to work. Today, the group’s representative offices are located in Budapest, Delaware in the USA and Vitez.

“Most people have the association that goods from China are not of good quality. I recognized that they can be at the level of European quality, and with the same, favorable prices. We do not want to do ‘old’ China and cheap goods. We are very transparent in this and the Tadex group together with our clients, we strive to raise the relationship with China to a higher level. We aim to have a local office in every country where we work. To have their own base in which they will feel safer and know that they have not sent the money somewhere far away. Above all, we care about the satisfaction of our clients and their successful relationship with China,” says Tadija, and continues:

“Within Tadex Logistics, we also do collective transport, so there are no longer any obstacles to ordering full containers. Our goods are always declared and everything arrives in order. A money guarantee is also a big advantage. If there is ever a problem with the goods, what until now it has never been the case, we are ready to return the money to customers,” he said.

He also reveals what he thinks is important for the success of a company.

“The most important thing is to have good people among whom there is mutual understanding and who are focused on the same goal. The relations within the Tadex group are excellent, we all stick together and fight for the same thing. I connected BiH and China to an enviable level of communication among colleagues, and everyone we are working together to strengthen and expand this relationship and to free ourselves from prejudices that China is dangerous, that they will deceive us there or leave us empty-handed,” says Šarić.

The biggest challenge – the language, but that’s no reason to give up on your dreams

Tadija claims that his biggest challenge in China is still the language, which he continuously attends. His decision to live there required a lot of sacrifices, but he reveals to us that he wouldn’t change a thing.

“It was the best move in my life. At the beginning, as in any business, and especially since I was in a completely foreign country, there were some awkward situations, but I persisted in my goal. I knew that something like this was actually huge the need for our people and that we need someone who will convince them that doing business in China does not have to be a ‘spook’, but also implement it. It is now the eighth year that the Tadex group has been working, we are constantly moving forward and I can proudly say that we are raised the level of business with China to a higher level,” he says, revealing the similarities between BiH and China.

“In business, the similarities with China are great. Their market is quite similar to ours. You have to prepare well, fight and work well in order for someone to recognize you and to succeed. However, that is the only similarity. However, I think that BiH has enormous potential and a lot to offer. It is important to appreciate differences in order to create successful business bridges,” he said.

In the future, Tadex plans to continue expanding its business. As Tadija mentioned to us, the work is “twice as big” as before, and they plan to expand the office in Yiwu with 350 m2 in order to successfully respond to new business opportunities. Also, in all hotels throughout this Chinese city, you can recently find the first Tadex printed magazine, focused on the latest news, trends and inspiration from the world of doing business with China.

Finally, and based on his experience on the Vitez – China route, Tadija had a motivating message for young people:

“I always thought that once in my life I would get that one chance. The one that is said to be ‘that one chance’. And it really happened to me. Therefore, you should always believe in yourself, be persistent and rely to the support of dear people”, concludes Šarić.