Bahrom Rahimberdiev. Once we began representing Vertiv on the market, we bet on service

Interview with Bahrom Rahimberdiev, CEO, Alpha Grissin (Uzbekistan)

This interview needs a short preface. In today’s world, an international business network can start in one country and then naturally expand beyond its borders to become truly global.

This conversation became the first link in a new media network. From Greece, the “link” connected to Uzbekistan—specifically, to Alpha Grissin’s office in Uzbekistan. Moreover, there will be another link, with Kazakhstan.

But today the focus is on Uzbekistan and Alpha Grissin in Uzbekistan.

Good morning, Bahrom. It’s 8 a.m. here in Chișinău and, despite it being April, the snow that fell recently has only just melted. How about you?

It’s 10 a.m. in Tashkent and almost summer outside—29 degrees. Spring in Uzbekistan is short but very beautiful. It’s also a great time to visit. In fact, spring and autumn are the best seasons to see our country.

Let me continue with a compliment—actually, a fact. I have a friend whose business has taken him to almost a hundred countries. He also has business ties with Uzbekistan. He once told me—without wishing to offend Venice—that if he had to choose a city where human history is practically tangible, he’d choose Samarkand.

We won’t offend Venice, but Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva are indeed the cultural heart of our region. In recent years they’ve blossomed again, opened their doors wider to tourists, and I’m glad more people can discover our historical heritage.

Let’s tune into a business wavelength. How would you introduce Alpha Grissin in Uzbekistan to a new potential partner?

We’re a technology partner for those building the infrastructure of the future. How do we do that? We represent in Uzbekistan a global leader in data center equipment—Vertiv. From day one we chose a strategy of full loyalty to this brand. We’re a single-vendor company. As a result, we not only supply Vertiv equipment to the Uzbek market, we also provide full Vertiv service support—even in cases where we weren’t the original supplier of the equipment.

I heard you stress the word “future.”

That’s right. Today we’re witnessing a shift from traditional data centers to AI centers. The rapid integration of artificial intelligence into our lives has become a real driver of structural change in our industry. The focus has moved from data storage to extremely powerful data processing. For example, if the load per rack used to be 15–20 kW, today it’s already around 200 kW. That calls for different engineering and different solutions.

And Vertiv is the player that has those solutions?

As of today—yes. Take just the solutions related to Vertiv’s unique liquid cooling, developed together with NVIDIA—the leader in AI servers. For at least the next five years this solution will be exclusive. Which means the major players working with AI will prefer to build their infrastructure using this technology.

So you’re a kind of technological gateway between global innovation and the Central Asian market?

That’s a good definition. But it’s important how we started. We had our own market-entry strategy. Price-dumping in tenders would have been unacceptable for us. We entered the market through service. We hired engineers, sent them for training, got them certified by Vertiv, and equipped them with everything necessary. And we came to the customer not with a commercial offer, but with help—with real problem-solving. One of the first such cases has become a favorite story at our corporate meetings.

Which one?

At one bank, a large Vertiv air-conditioning unit had “gone down.” For three years they couldn’t get it running again, even though it was clear that not knowing how to do it wasn’t a reason to scrap such expensive equipment. At that time, we were hiring a specialist—practically the only one in the region—who could handle the issue. We made it his test assignment.

Judging by your smile, it worked?

It took just half an hour. He arrived on site, calmly examined everything, did what was needed, and half an hour later called our office: “All set, the equipment is running.”

And high-quality service became your main differentiator?

Our strategy stands on three pillars. First, working with a single vendor. Only Vertiv—no cheaper “alternatives.” Second, a focus on service. Delivering equipment is only the first step. What follows is installation, configuration, support, and both in-warranty and post-warranty maintenance.

And the third rule?

We work only through partners—systems integrators. We don’t compete with our partners. We’re their support. Even if a client approaches us directly, we consult and then refer them to our partners—the integrators.

That’s a rare approach. Aren’t you afraid of losing deals?

We want to win in the long run. Trust is capital that grows over time. We hand projects to integrators even when we’ve found them ourselves, because we want people to work with us honestly and openly. We don’t undercut partners and we don’t work behind their backs. People know this, and they value it.

And if a client bought Vertiv from another distributor but comes to you for service?

That’s exactly what often happens. Vertiv is Tier-A equipment. Customers won’t risk turning to unqualified engineers. They know we’re certified and we take responsibility. So even those who didn’t purchase the equipment from us come to us for service. And we support them, because that’s part of our mission.

With principles like these, you could almost formulate a company philosophy.

We have formulated it. It’s loyalty—we are Vertiv, and we don’t stray from that path. Our service isn’t just words; it’s practice. It’s built on our own engineers, whom we train, supervise, and comprehensively support and develop. And that’s a vector toward the future. We’re the ones helping move the Uzbek market toward AI. Our contribution to this movement is innovative and reliable infrastructure.

How do you assess the potential of the Uzbek market?

It’s huge. Uzbekistan’s population already exceeds 35 million and—this is rare in today’s world—we’re a very young country. As of January 1, 2024, the average age was 29. What does that mean? A growing market, rapid IT development, openness to innovation. We’re seeing interest from all over the world. And we’re ready to partner—with local players, with international ones, with those who look to the future.

Understood. What didn’t I ask you?

I’ve covered the main things. Let me just add this… We’ve been talking about Uzbekistan, but we also work in other countries in the region—Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. And as for my colleague in Kazakhstan, I’d like to introduce you to him. That will be a good topic for another interview in your business network.

Author: Pavel Zingan

Source: pavelzingan.md