From One Employee to 2,000: the Rise of Atasu Group

Back in 1998, Atasu Group founder Marat Zhuman worked alone from a rented apartment, which served as his office. He had no budget and no business plan. Today, the group of companies built by Marat Zhuman employs 2,000 people and owns terminals, wagon and motor vehicle fleets and locomotives. It took him a quarter of a century to make the journey from point A to point B.

1990s: Almaty Railway Station

Marat Zhuman was studying at the Academy of Transport and Logistics in Almaty while working part-time at the railway station: he kept watch over the ticket office at night and loaded baggage afterclasses. It was there that he learned how the transportation market worked at the time. Almaty attracted shuttle traders from across the country, and baggage-postal cars were the fastest and safest way to transport their goods. But these cars were in short supply. As a result, customers were willing to pay a premium to have their cargo delivered without delays.High volumes, strong demand – but limited capacity. This is where our story begins.

The solution seemed simple: replace the scarce baggage-postal cars with readily available covered freight wagons. However, the railway industry was – and remains – highly bureaucratic, making it difficult for clients to navigate.

Recognizing the problem, Marat Zhuman set out to understand the entire rail transportation chain. He relied on both knowledge obtained at the Academy of Transport and Logistics and practical advice from experienced railway professionals.

Thus, in 1998, Atasu was founded. The company had just one employee: its founder, who also worked as a freight forwarder. He looked for his first clients in queues at the baggage offices, handing out his business cards. It wasn't long before clients started coming to him. They signed powers of attorney, while Marat arranged wagons, handled the paperwork and even loaded cargo when necessary. Later, he rented a small railway siding, a major step toward building a more organized operation. Gradually, he built a solid client base, gained experience and, most importantly, earned a reputation for reliability.

“I started not from devising a business plan but by noticing a real client’s problem and working towards its solution”, remembers Marat Zhuman.

Nine Workers, Zero Assets

Marat Zhuman rented his first office with a floor area of just 25 sq m in a business center near Department of Almaty Railway,allowing him to submit applications on behalf of clients quickly. As the number of client requests grew, he hired his first employees.

Soon, Atasu had grown to nine employees, and the single office became too crowded. Therefore, the company renteda second room at the same business center. At the time, the company had no assets. Most wagons, terminals and locomotives belonged to the national railway company, JSC NC KTZ, while privately owned assets in the sector were still rare. Freight forwarders acted as intermediaries between clients and the national railway operator, handling paperwork and submitting applications on their behalf.

This was one of the most important periods in the company’s history. It was a period of rapid growth, constant challenges and hard work – work that was not simply part of life, but life itself.Competitors soon began to emerge. Many followed Atasu's model, motivating the team to improve service quality and deliver results faster.

Kazakhstan’s economy was developing rapidly, client demand was growing, and Atasu was expanding quickly. The main challenge was keeping pace with growth: hiring and training new employees fast enough. Many of those who started at Atasu back then are still working here on senior positions.

As Kazakhstan was becoming a key transit hub between Asia and Europe, cargo flow was increasing. Demand for comprehensive logistics solutions and the company's own infrastructure was growing. This was when Atasu began evolving from a freight-forwarding company into a logistics holding.

From a Forwarder to an Asset Owner

Marat Zhuman reinvested all the money he earned into developing the business and acquiring assets. It started with just ten wagons, then grew to one hundred. Then came the company's first TLC in Zhetysu in 2010, a private transshipment terminal at Dostyk in 2013, and another terminal in Burunday in 2018.

Atasu did not rely on state-owned assets or special government preferences to support its growth. The only government support it received was an interest-rate subsidy on loans, a benefit available to all businesses across Kazakhstan.

Today, the group owns terminals, wagon fleet, locomotives, motor vehicle fleet and temporary storage warehouses. 2,000 people work for the company built and developed in Kazakhstan.

No Advertising. Just Reputation

Atasu has proved itself in China, Europe and CIS countries. As our partners put it, “Atasu keeps its word.”When Atasu commits to delivering cargo, it gets the job done, regardless of the obstacles along the way.

Here is one example: one client needed to transport out-of-gauge cargo and no one in the market could handle the request. Atasu Group spent six months developing a logistics solution for transporting a gas-turbine unit: the cargo crossed the Caspian Sea; it was then transferred to rail wagons and transported by rail. The journey was not without challenges: at some stations, building structures had to be dismantled and stationmasters had to personally oversee the train's passage. But the valuable cargo arrived at the destination.

A reputation like that cannot be bought with advertising; it is built through the trust of satisfied clients.

30 countries, 2,000 employees

It took Atasu years to evolvefrom an intermediary into an asset owner. The company once depended on the national railway operator for wagons. Today, Atasu is part of the infrastructure connecting Asia and Europe. Every terminal attracts new cargo flows, and every route opens the door to another. The experience accumulated by a single forwarder with a POA, is shared by a team of 2,000 professionals.

The business was launched by an enterprising student at Almaty railway station. Today, Atasu Group is one of Central Asia’s largest logistics holdings, with its own three-story office building in Almaty, five TLCs, a seaport terminal, railcars, locomotives and motor vehicles. The group transports more than 10 million tons of cargo annually and operates six branches across five countries, serving clients in 30 countries from China and Southeast Asia to Europe. And to think – it all started with just a single railway siding.