AKIJ CERAMICS BRINGING PERFECTION
Ceramic Expo Bangladesh, 2022 was a magnificent event for the Ceramic Industry with participation of all the key players in the ceramic market. It was an event for business interaction and social gathering of the ceramic industry that brought all the ceramic manufacturers, foreign raw material suppliers, importers, buyers, dealers, architects and common visitors under a single roof to enjoy a world class exhibition experience and see state-of-art ceramics. It was a 3-day-long celebration of the exhibitors and visitors to explore the ceramics world. With the tagline ‘Promise of Perfection’, Akij Ceramics Ltd. patronised the 3rd Ceramic Expo as the Principal Sponsor. The company had sponsored the event for the 3rd time in a row which was a grand event of the ceramics world in Bangladesh. The largest ceramic brand of the country showcased its tiles, tableware and sanitaryware in the event. Under the name of Akij Ceramics the company displayed its tiles under Akij Ceramics & AURA, tableware under Akij Tableware and sanitaryware products under the brand of ROSA in their pavilion at Hall 4 of Novoratri at ICCB. They showcased all the new innovation and products to attract their customers and make them aware of their product range. It was a great opportunity for the organisation to showcase all of their brands under a single platform and interact with their business partners, suppliers, dealers and fellow companies under the same industry. With the gracious presence of 23,000+ visitors the event has positively impacted on the business. In the event of Ceramic Expo, the prime goal of Akij Ceramics was to bring the new products of all the tiles, tableware and sanitaryware segments. The company is looking forward to reducing import of ceramic products by boosting economic growth and development of the industry. The iconic business leader of AkijBashir Group, Mr. Sk Bashir Uddin along with the brand managers and company representatives were present at the event. The Pavilion was the biggest of all and they had decorated it with their products to present to the target customers and created their own unique impression among the crowd. All the visitors were mesmerised with their product collection and variety and also interacted with the company people present there. Mr. Mohammed Khourshed Alam, Director Operations of AkijBashir Group, expressed enthusiasm about ceramic expo in an interview and their expectation from the overall event was to show their brand strength and collect feedback from the customers. To connect with the visitors more actively, Akij Ceramics provided special offers on spot orders in the expo, instant gift packs and also provided gifts for the social media contest winners. At the event famous celebrity actress Bidya Sinha Saha Mim graced the event with her presence on the second day of the expo. The visitors had enjoyed the meet and greet session with Bidya Sinha Saha Mim and she enjoyed her visit to the pavilion and explored products of Akij Ceramics to explore uniqueness of the brands to promote the best products of the company. In the Ceramic Expo Bangladesh, 2022 under the category of best pavilion, Akij Ceramics Ltd. was awarded with second prize on the Exhibitors Night in the Jury Board Choice Award. The award was presented based on well scale, openness, visitor friendliness, product display etc. Akij Ceramics always believes in perfection that comes with the impression of revival, renewal and diverse innovations in their product design, quality, elegance and uniqueness. It was a great experience for them to become the principal sponsor at the event and explore new business opportunities along with world class experience of displaying ceramic tiles, tableware and sanitaryware to the visitors of home and abroad. AkijBashir Group thanked BCMEA, organiser of the event for such an impressive arrangement of the event and expects to have even better event arrangement in upcoming years. Written by Preety Dey
7 Ceramic Events worldwide
The Ceramic exposure and trade fair events across the globe have always been the best mean to interconnect the ceramic verse. The expos are usually a few days long, and as seen in Bangladesh and globally, they are jam packed with buyers, industrialists, business officials, architects and real estate personnel, along with visitors who are enthusiasts. The stalls are local and international businesses showcasing the best and the latest. Visitor count in such an event can reach up to and beyond 20k in Bangladesh, and in China, we’ve seen that number reach six figures. Expos bring about an infusion and adds to the dynamics of the market. The world becomes smaller under one roof, the market gets bigger as global companies collaborate, thus enriching the market place. To name a few of these impactful events, here are noteworthy 7 from around the world: Asean Ceramics (11-13 December, 2024) The 2024 Asean Ceramics exhibition is coming up on the 11th of December and will end on the 13th. It will be hosted at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre in Ho Chi Minh city of Vietnam and will showcase the latest technology, advanced Ceramics, technology used in the manufacturing process, and much more. Asean Ceramics Exhibition had 3000 visitors in 2023, had 200 brands participating, and had more than 200 delegates for the conference. The event was a grand one and a sizable networking hub. Indian Ceramics Asia (5-7 March, 2025) Centered around ceramics and bricks, Indian Ceramics Asia in Gujrat is a one of a kind annual event that brings in key players from around the world. We’ve seen one of the events being hosted at the Helipad Exhibition Centre of Gandhinagar, Gujrat, on 6th March 2025 and continued till the 7th March. The 17th annual event in 2023 was three days long as usual and had 100 companies from 11 countries catering to 6440 visitors. Visitor count for 2024 event was 8200 approx. and there were more than 200 exhibitors. Indian Ceramics Asia is a B2B platform that harbors suppliers and buyers of raw materials and machineries. This event is the ground for two events jointly taking place: India Brick and Roof Tiles Expo and Engineering and Technical Ceramics Exhibition. Indian Ceramics Asia also featured workshops, seminars, and discussions from esteemed Indian officials who talked about improving and increasing trained labour force in India, innovative solutions for the energy and raw material crisis, waste disposal technology, and much more. Foshan Uniceramics Expo (18-22 April, 2025) With over a 100,000 sq.m of exhibition space and 1200 exhibitors, Foshan Uniceramics Expo is a spectacular joint event in Foshan, China, and a leading event in Asia as well. The event welcomes some 150,000 visitors each year, as the two Expos collaborate- Technology Expo and Ceramics Expo. Going through the array of companies lined up at one of the expos, one could see abundance of ceramic tiles, some of Italian and Spanish origin. Products with wear resistance and antique features were also amongst the catalogue of participating companies. SACMI displayed the latest technology in their allocated space, playing an integral role at the event. Asian largest Expo and an esteemed event, Foshan Uniceramics Expo is ever-growing. Ceramic Expo USA (April 28– 30, 2025) USA have had a substantial contribution to global ceramics and the Michigan Expo is a great place to see a cluster of it. Technical ceramics and innovation, both unleashes at this event, highlighting machineries and technology for efficiency and growth and connecting engineers with state of the arts equipment. Product developers and engineers connect with businesses at the event, and it turns to a buzzing ground. North America’s leading technical ceramics exhibitions and conference, Ceramic Expo is held at Michigan, USA, at the Suburban Collection Showplace. Exhibitors such as Bosch, Lithoz, Fiven, among others, participate in the event. Besides finding the latest technology at the event, a visitor goes through an immersive experience where they get to learn from experts, do face to face meetings and much more. Ceramics China (18-21 June, 2025) Another grand event, an expo that welcomes a whopping 80,000 visitors every year, is the Ceramics China, hosted in 2023 at the Canton Fair Complex in Guangzhou, China. The event fosters ‘new’ when it comes to technology and materials for the manufacturing process , and encompasses elite high end companies within its body. The 38th edition of this event aims to gather global innovations for a holistic development of the industry. Other focal points include new generation hydrogen hybrid combustion technology, waste heat recycling technology, AI visual technology, industrial robotics, and much more. The permeability of participating in such an event depends on awe so many factors. The event allows a lions share of its space to machines and spare parts, accounting to 45% of exhibitors. Visitors from beyond borders attend the event adding up to 9.2% of the entire visitor count. CERAMIC EXPO Bangladesh (27-30 November, 2025) 4th Edition of CERAMIC EXPO Bangladesh-2025 is an international exhibition on the global ceramic industry will held in Bangladesh. It brings the local and international manufacturers, exporters, and suppliers of ceramics and related products onto a single platform to showcase their achievements earned through creative entrepreneurship and hard work, to the world. The Expo will be held at the International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB), at the Expo Zone (Tent Hall) from 27th November to 30th November 2025. The international exhibition is expected to be attended by representatives of more than 300 global brands, manufacturers, and suppliers of ceramic raw materials and machinery from 25 countries. Bangladesh, being a high-quality producer of ceramics and having skilled manpower, low labour cost, and sufficient supply of Sulphur-free natural gas, is perfectly placed to be a strategic partner in the production and supply of ceramic goods on a global scale. As a result, the Expo creates ample scope for foreign ceramic manufacturers, buyers, and investors to explore and invest in the
The Journey of Ceramics in Bangladesh
The origin of pottery in Bangladesh dates back to the later or post Mohenjo-daro and Harappa civilization and to the Indo-Aryan Vedic age, according to the research on ceramic earthenware and artifacts found after excavation of the ruins in Mahasthangarh of Bogura and Wari-Bateshwar in Narsingdi. Discoveries in Wari-Bateshwar included two millennium old potteries and terracotta. The potters then used traditional methods to make water vessels and sculptures for worshipping and as household utensils and showpieces. In the medieval age, the potters were popularised by the Hindu and Buddhist rulers and zamindars when they used to make statues of gods and goddesses, Buddha, plates, other aesthetical items and terracotta plaques in the temples and monasteries. The potters made everyday household items for sale in the local markets to earn a living. In the past century, the white clay deposits were first found in Mymensingh, Sylhet and Netrokona, the largest of which was discovered at Bijoypur of Mymensingh in 1957. Since the discovery of the white clay reserves in Bangladesh, the ceramic industry has come a long way. ‘Ceramic’ comes from the Greek word meaning ‘Pottery’. The journey of ceramics started through pottery and was initially only a mixture of inorganic, non-metallic clay which could be heated at very high temperature to make it hold its shape. Since then, mankind has found multifarious uses for this clay and the quality of the clay has been improved. Ceramic in this era has much hardness and strength, is heat resistant, is a good insulator, unreactive to other chemicals and long-lasting and hard-wearing. Among its many uses, the ceramics industry started in Bangladesh with just the manufacture of tableware and now covers four broad subsectors: Tableware, Tiles, Sanitary ware and Ceramic Bricks. A brief review of the journey of ceramics in Bangladesh is portrayed below. In 1959 the industry took its nascent steps with only one small tableware manufacturing plant in Bogura, Tajma Ceramic Industries Ltd. Tajma Ceramics is the first ceramic earthenware plant to produce porcelain tableware using traditional methods. In 1962, Mirpur Ceramic Works Ltd in Dhaka started to produce heavy clay products using German plant and technology and developed a reputation of manufacturing best quality ceramic bricks in the subcontinent. In 1966, Peoples Ceramic Industries Ltd, formerly known as Pakistan Ceramic Industries, located in Tongi, Gazipur, started production using modern porcelain tableware manufacturing technology procured from Japan. They started exporting their products In 1974, the country’s first non-heavy clay building ceramic plant came on the stream, Dacca Ceramic & Sanitary-wares Ltd. The company was the first to start production of sanitary ware at Tongi, Gazipur. In 1985, Monno Ceramic Industries Ltd transformed and revolutionised the exports of local ceramic products by branding Bangladesh ceramic products on an international level, using West European and Japanese plants and machinery. Monno Ceramic is the first industry to use ultra-modern technologies to produce porcelain tableware aimed at exporting worldwide. Later it added its bone china tableware unit also aimed at improving the exports of ceramic tableware from Bangladesh. In 1986, Bangladesh Insulator & Sanitary ware Factory Ltd. (BISF) started manufacture of ceramic tiles at Mirpur, Dhaka, with Czech machinery and technology. In the same year, Bengal Fine Ceramics Ltd, the first stoneware tableware manufacturer in Bangladesh, located in Dhaka, entered the domestic and international markets. In 1992, with the exponentially growing ceramic industry, a nationally recognised trade organisation of manufacturers and exporters of ceramic tableware, pottery, tiles, sanitary ware, insulator and other ceramic products was formed, called Bangladesh Ceramic Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BCMEA) In 1993, Madhumati Tiles Ltd. became the country’s first tile manufacturer to use modern German and Italian technologies to produce the latest standard ceramic tiles that domestic consumers see and use at present. In 1999, Shinepukur Ceramics Ltd. started production of porcelain and bone china tableware with Japanese, German and French machinery and technology. It earned a reputation for being one of the major exporters in Asia. Ceramic Industry Scenario (FY 2021-22) An industrial revolution has resulted in a burgeoning Ceramic Industry since the start of its journey with just one small tableware manufacturing plant. Today, there are more than 70 ceramic manufacturers in operation in the country with core products being tiles, tableware, sanitary ware and bricks. As the country experiences steady economic growth and urbanisation, the local demand for ceramic products too continues to grow. These ceramic bricks, tiles and sanitary ware have been used in several mega projects by the government to ensure overall infrastructural development. The growth trend is an indication of the industry’s potential to be one of the top foreign exchange earners. And the tableware made in Bangladesh, both Bone China and Porcelain, is famous around the world for its eminent quality and design. Here is a snapshot of Bangladesh’s ceramic industry: Quality Raw Materials: The exponential growth in the ceramic sector is owing to the high-quality ceramic products manufactured in Bangladesh. The ceramic sector has the availability of uninterrupted Sulphur-free natural gas and the latest cutting-edge technologies imported from Germany, which make our products shinier and more durable. The glaze and pigments are lead and cadmium-free and 100 per cent halal ingredients are used in the production process. The other factor in favour of the industry flourishing is the relatively low labour cost yet availability of skilled manpower. The direct manpower involvement in the industry is about 52,000 whilst the indirect involvement is over half a million. The industry is considerably compassionate towards the women and people with disability. The industry works to train women and physically challenged workers for inclusivity. Around 20 per cent of the workforce is highly-skilled women. Today owing to these favourable conditions, the industry is distinguished around the world. Investment: The total investment, both local and international, in the industry is about US$ 1.70 billion. The investment share of tiles is 62 per cent, tableware 23 per cent and sanitary ware 15 per cent. The sector has lured foreign investment mainly from China and the Middle East. These
Total views : 22794
