Archives: Business Insight

Domestic Entrepreneurs Stare at a Bright Future of Electric Cable Industry

Even though the electric cable industry in Bangladesh has a long history, the sector has grown vastly in the past several years, thanks to extension of power gridlines, growing urbanisation, and industrialisation. Home-grown companies are now playing a significant role in meeting local demand for the electric cables at both households and industrial units in the country. The BBS Cables Limited, a sister concern of Bangladesh Building Systems Ltd. (BBSL), is one of the home-grown cables companies has been contributing to the industry for more than one decade. Innovation for Sustainability The BBS Cables Limited was established in 2009, though the Cable Industry started its journey before Bangladesh came into being in 1971. BBS Cables Ltd. has been an integral part of Bangladesh’s development journey for the past 14 years. The Company understands that shared value creation is essential to a brighter future. “We prioritize sustainability in all our endeavours and believe our efforts must help society as the nation’s sustainable development partner,” Head of Brand of the BBS Cables Md. Rabiul Kamal told the Ceramic Bangladesh. There is a market of around Tk 12,000 crore in the country. The sector is growing around 15 per cent over the past 10 years. Around 50,000 people of total of 120 branded and non-branded companies have been contributing to the sector. Of this, 2500 employees of the BBS cables are directly engaged in the industry. Rabiul Kamal said their company produces various types of products such as Copper Cables, Silicon Cables, Power Cables, Railway Signaling Cables, Jelly-filled Cables, FRLS Cables, Submersible Cables, Flexible Cables, Tele-communication Cables, Aluminum Cables, Optical Fiber Cables, HR-FRLS Cables, Rubber Cables, Welding Cables, Automobiles Cables, Coaxial Cables, Fire Resistance Cables, and FR Skin Coated Cables. Both BBS Cables products enjoy a high degree of acceptance among customers for the high quality of the products and excellent delivery services. The products are distributed through an elaborate chain of BBS Cables Dealers in divisional towns, village and cities of the country. “To grow the cable industry, we need government tax facilities and infrastructural development. The government should reduce the tax on importing raw material and should to be imposed higher tax on foreign cable,” he added. “We are one of the best in cable industries. BBS Cables is a top-tier manufacturer of cables with a reputation for producing high-quality products that meet the needs of a broad range of industries. However, we re-dedicated ourselves to steering our Company’s efforts toward the national goals for the 2030 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) journey and then to the magnificent Vision 2041 for building a smart and developed society with a brighter future for all,” he explained. Mr Kamal said the BBS Cables strives to create a sustainable business promoting diversity and inclusion, fostering collaboration, and providing equal opportunities for all. Their Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives have made a meaningful difference to millions of lives through skills development, education support, women empowerment, portable drinking water, and healthcare initiatives. Together, anchored in trust, integrity, and accountability, they are cementing a brighter future where opportunities are abound, communities f lourish and individuals reach their full potential. They try to optimise the use of natural resources, prevent pollution, injury and ill-health in all activities. Safety, Quality and Environmental Policy With the rapid urbanisation from corner to corner worldwide, the necessity of transmitting power assumes significant for sustainable industrial growth. So, the company’s objective is to manufacture electrical Cables, Wires and Conductors of the highest quality and provide unparalleled Customer Service to contribute to national economic growth. They strongly believe that the relentless effort to quality and continuous improvement is the key to long term success. BBS Cables Ltd is equipped with state-of-the-art technology machineries to manufacture and test all types of quality Cables, Wires and Conductors in conformity with the latest version of National and International Standards e.g. International Electro-technical Commission (IEC), German Standard (VDE), British Standard (BS), Bangladesh Standard (BDS), Australian Standard (AS), Indian Standard (IS) and also meet the specific requirements of the customer. They believe in a world that is safe and sound for people and also for A building generally is sustained 100 years. Quality cables also sustain 80-100 years and BBS cables meet the time period, Mr Kamal said. “Now, we produce underground cables with highly protected steel wire armored cable in Bangladesh. To build Smart Bangladesh, more internet services are needed across the country. In Bangladesh market needs modern, speed, safe and sustainable cables. In this context, BBS Cables uses the latest European modern technology for produce internet cables like CAT6e cables for internet service.” The government has decided to transmit electricity through underground instead of overhead conductors. As a result, underground cable replacement has already started by removing the overhead conductors. This has increased the demand for medium voltage cables for electricity transmission in Bangladesh and a new awakening has started in this industry. At present its market is about one thousand crore taka yearly. BBS Cables is conforming to agreed standards to meet customer requirements and continually improve quality, health, and safety and environmental performance. BBS improving product quality and reduce waste to enhance customer satisfaction and business profitability by optimising the use of natural resources, prevention of pollution and of injury. Because high quality cables reduces power wastages. They comply with applicable Health, Safety and Environmental legislation and other requirements, as well as creates a work environment for employees which promotes team work and problem solving in order to improve QHS&E performance. Engineering Excellence BBS Cables Ltd. has successfully established it strength as the “Trusted Brand” in Cables sector of the country. The company has achieved the “Asia’s Greatest Brand Award-2018”. During this period, the Company prepared FR Skin Coated Cables which is known as fire resistance cables for ensuring safety. Unlimited Export Potential The demand for electrical products is not only increasing in the local market but also globally. Electrical items production rate increased by 22 per cent in Europe, 21 per cent in North America,

DBL CERAMICS Conservation and Sustainability

Between depleting natural resources and a dire need to conserve and restore nature is the upsurging imperative to ensure industrial growth. An emerging economy like Bangladesh needs urgent transition to a more greener approach when it comes to growth, a resurgence of a 52 year-old nation. Focusing On Ceramic Industry While the product itself is environment-friendly, the production process causes 0.29 tonne of CO2 emission for every tonne of ceramic produced. Following a worldwide awareness, nations are turning to sustainable approach. The ceramic companies in Bangladesh are adapting to it as well.     On a broader perspective, the 2023 SDG report says, one in every two countries lacks an effective framework for sustainable water management. From 2015 to 2020 there has been a slight improvement when it comes to SDG implementation. This, however, needs to be doubled if we want to meet the global goals. As Bangladesh has pledged to implement SDGs and comply with global standards, its ceramic sector has seen sustainable growth. DBL Ceramics, a concern of the DBL Group, is a young ceramic manufacturer, established in 2017. In a very short period of time, the company has reached the current position as one of the top manufacturers of ceramic tiles. DBL tiles are made for almost every surface –regular floors, high-endurance/areas with heavy traffic, gymnasiums and so on. The past few years saw substantial growth of the company which has over 160 dealers and 6 display centres in Dhaka, Chattogram, Rangpur, Sylhet and Barishal, with plans to expand to Khulna and Rajshahi. DBL has also made significant investments in reusable resources and waste water management, amongst other sustainable initiatives. In an attempt to reduce waste water, DBL has installed waste water treatment plants capable of treating 18,720 cubic meters of wastes by product everyday. State-of-the-art machineries at DBL  SACMI kilns to turn clay to ceramic, Ball Mills for fine grinding, and Air Power glazing line–most of DBL’s machineries are energy efficient motors. They have inverters, energy cogeneration system, machines to reuse energy from kilns and dryers, along with other equipment to reduce wastes. To add a bit more automation to the mix, the company has Techno Ferrari for handling and storage. Ceramic Bangladesh Magazine visited DBL’s Gulshan office recently and sat with its head of operations Md. Bayazed Bashar to discuss his experience in the industry, future plans of the company, export difficulties, and more issues. DBL is a relatively young company but has fast become one of the top tier tiles manufacturers in the country. It has some of the best showrooms in the country and provides clients with an immersive experience, allowing them to visualise the product better. “Ever since I joined DBL, I’ve had unwavering support from our management. I was on project implementation when I joined, and I am thankful for the faith our management had in us, which consequentially resulted in our performance and growth” said Mr. Bashar. “DBL ceramics is the first diversified project for the DBL Group. We have an R&D (research and development) team working on innovation and we have become one of the top brands within a short time. We uphold our standards through our service quality and innovation,” he said. In terms of growth, DBL has been adding a production line every alternative year, and now has the capacity of producing 35,000 square meters per day from the initial capacity of 8000 sqm. The conversation ensued as we talked about the initial steps of a career in the ceramic industry, Mr. Bashar said, “It’s very difficult to find a mentor who can guide you in the earlier years of your career, especially after graduation. A mentor can help you choose the right track, giving you opportunities, and helping you polish yourself. I’m really happy to have had the opportunity to join DBL Ceramics, and found my own mentor here.” He added, “I have seen individuals get frustrated with their jobs if/when they get no opportunity to work on their competency. Once given the opportunity to explore, a working professional finds more interest in his work and solidifies into an asset for his company.” When asked about the hurdles of a career in this industry, Mr. Bashar recalled the tougher times and the ever-existing troubles. Having passed through them, he is now happy with where he stands and what he has learned through the experiences. He stated, “I am happy to have chosen this path for my career, considering that I was inclined towards doing what my friends did – going abroad for higher studies after graduation. Instead I joined DBL in 2007.” One of the most recent initiatives of the company is the Tiles manufacturing project in Sylhet. The extension is called Bright Ceramics – a tiles, tableware and sanitary-ware manufacturing plant, which will finish construction by the end of next year. DBL is also working on advanced ceramic products. According to Mr. Bashar, among some of the major drawbacks of this industry is import dependency. The added disadvantages due to incremental gas price and shortage create a much greater impact on the production cost. A shortage of gas supply results in on-and-off gas in the kilns – slows down in production. According to Mr. Bashar, the added cost has only been inflicted on the manufacturers and the customers are unaffected. “The duty structure really surprised everyone. We are paying full duty on imported clay that is 25-30 per cent moisture.” Mr. Bashar pointed out. On a brighter note, DBL will be the first player in the subcontinent to incorporate Industry 4.0- allowing it to collect data analysed later on a big screen. AI for DBL Ceramics DBL has already started with AI (artificial intelligence) for ceramics. It is planning on a full automation for the factory that will function with minimal human intervention. Mr. Bashar could only tell Ceramic Bangladesh Magazine that the AI software is being developed by an international IT company, and soon, will be set in motion. Concerning imperatives Some of

CERAMIC EXPORTS BUT CHALLENGES THWART INDUSTRY GROWTH

Bangladesh’s ceramic industry shows signs of recovery from the global pandemic effects with much higher potential, in terms of both domestic and foreign market demand apart from enthusiasm among and endeavours by the entrepreneurs to see it shining. However, the ceramic sector growth has slowed since manufacturers cannot deliver products on time owing to disruption or shortage of supply of gas as the key factor of production. Bangladesh’s exports of ceramic products rose to a four-year high in the 2022-23 fiscal year but could not yet match the level of exports recorded in 2018-19 fiscal year, the year before the pandemic struck the country. The country’s export earnings from the ceramic sector stood at $43.39 million, 13.22 per cent lower than the target of $50 million export set for the fiscal year 2022-23. It was still about 5.0 percent higher than the earning year before. The export of ceramic products was $41.36 million in 2021-22, $31.11 million in 2020-21, $27.97 million in 2019-20 and $68.97 million in 2018-19, according to Bangladesh Export Promotion Bureau (EPB). The country exports ceramic products to 53 countries and the domestic market size of ceramic items is around Tk 80 billion. These figures underline the fact that the country’s ceramics industry has turned into a booming manufacturing sector over the years, cashing in on growing demand both in domestic and international markets. “Manufacturers could not run factories at full capacity due to inadequate supply of gas. This was the main reason the sector did not achieve expected export growth in the last fiscal year,” said Irfan Uddin, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Ceramic Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BCMEA). Also, he added, the demand in the international market has not increased unlike expectations, due to the Ukraine-Russia war. The gas crisis hit industries last year after the government paused purchasing liquefied natural gas directly from the international spot market to stop depletion of foreign currency reserves, leading to a drastic fall in energy supply. Mr Irfan Uddin said manufacturers did not get the gas supply for around 12 hours a day since last October. “So, we could not make products on time. As a result, we were not able to supply goods against around 30 per cent of the orders,” said Irfan Uddin, also Director at FARR Ceramics Ltd. He, however, appreciated the government for providing a 20 percent cash incentive against exports of ceramic products, terming this as encouraging for the ceramic exporters. M.A. Jabbar, Managing Director at DBL Ceramics, said the business of the ceramic sector is going through a difficult stage due to increase in the production cost and the gas crisis. “Absence of uninterrupted gas and power supply and increase in the cost of production hampered production, ultimately affecting the exports of ceramics,” he argued. The entrepreneur said owing to disruptions in gas and power supply, the sector has faced a big challenge in maintaining quality of products Local ceramic manufacturers mainly produce four types of products: tiles, tableware and sanitaryware and ceramic bricks. Of the 70 manufacturers currently operating, twenty produce tableware, thirty two make tiles and the rest produce sanitaryware and ceramic bricks. Bangladesh mainly ships tableware and has added tiles, sanitaryware & ceramic bricks to the export basket in recent years. According to Mr Jabbar, considering the ongoing high inflation environment, manufacturers are not in a position to raise prices of their products despite an increase in their cost of production. As a result, the profit margin has plunged to the lowest level Ruslan Nasir, Deputy Managing Director of Mir Ceramic Limited, said tiles manufacturers export on a limited scale and contribute an insignificant amount to the export basket. The company mainly exports to the north-eastern states of India. Ruslan Nasir said local tiles manufacturers are focusing on the local market since demand has grown over the past decade, thanks to rapid urbanisation. “There is a lot of competition in the tiles segment globally. And since the sector is dependent on imported raw materials, it will take time for the local producers to grab a significant share of the international export market.” He, however, sees a bright prospect of the tiles segment since Bangladeshi manufacturers produce world-class products. BCMEA President Md. Shirajul Islam Mollah said, “At present, two major problems of the ceramic sector are gas and dollar-crisis. It is facing a challenge. We are not getting uninterrupted gas even with increased prices. Most of the factories in the ceramic sector are in Gazipur. Due to the gas crisis, the production of factories here has dropped to 40-50 percent. Again, the gas situation is somewhat better in Bhola and Habiganj, but there is a problem in Narsingdi and Rupganj. Production of most factories is disrupted due to the gas crisis. Overall production is going down by 40 percent due to the gas crisis. So the production cost is also increasing and exports are facing challenges.” Ceramic manufacturing companies are also facing problems in opening letters of credit (L/Cs) for import of raw materials due to dollar shortage. He said 90 per cent of the raw materials of ceramic products are imported. Meanwhile, the increase in dollar and gas crisis, on the other hand, due to the increase in ship fares, the cost of production has increased by 30-35 per cent. Due to the gas crisis, the tiles could not be produced according to the market demand in the last winter season. It is not possible to use more than 60-70 per cent production capacity of the factory According to the National Board of Revenue (NBR) data, imports of mineral clay — ‘China clay’ and ‘Ball clay’, the main raw materials for ceramic products — fell by 17 per cent in the fiscal year 2022-23. Now, it takes 15 days to open L/Cs for raw material imports compared to only two days for the purpose, due to the dollar crisis. Thus there is a shortage of raw materials in the factories. He said, ‘All in all, the ceramic sector

Events Of Ceramic Industry

Inauguration of “Selections” second outlet in Sylhet Recently AkijBashir Group’s brands emporium “Selections” has opened a new showroom in Hadi Mansion, Pathantula, Sylhet. With the motto – “Select from the best”, the “Selections” brand was launched in October of last year in an aim to provide customers with a one-stop-ground for all of AkijBashir Group’s brand products under one roof with a vast array of ceramic tiles, boards, doors, sanitaryware, bathware and tableware. Inauguration of Flagship Showroom in Mymensing RAK Ceramics inaugrated their Flagship Showroom in Kalibari Road, Mymensing. Get your desired RAK Tiles & Sanitarywares from the Showroom to decorate your space newly. Fresh Ceramics Organizes Dealer Tour in Thailand Meghna Ceramics Industries Ltd. (MCIL), a concern of Meghna Group of Industries (MGI), has earned the trust of Bangladeshi customers within a short time since its start in 2021. As a continuation to that success, a special dealer tour titled ‘Cutting the Edge’ was organized at Pattaya & Bangkok in Thailand during September 27- October 01, 2023. New ‘Robusto’ Floor Tiles Make a Splash in the Domestic Tiles Market An international quality tiles brand ‘Robusto’ has been added to the local market. Manufactured by the reputable company X-Ceramics, the ‘Robusto’ brand has entered the floor tiles market with a strong commitment to quality. X-Ceramics embarked on the journey to produce ‘Robusto’ floor tiles after more than two years of meticulous research. These tiles are versatile, finding applications in homes, offices, shopping malls, and factories.

Made more spacious with Sheltech’s 1mX1m tiles

Sheltech has entered the ceramics market recently with their premium wall and floor tiles. The ceramic newcomer has been performing outstandingly in the industry with various tiles segments of different shapes and sizes, and designs. Sheltech, a 35-year-old group of industries, initially deep-rooted itself in the real estate industry. Sheltech Ceramics Limited recently launched a venture of Sheltech group, initiated in February 2019. The factory has been set up in Bhola, spread on 57 acres of land.

RAK slabs to grace your very own

The ceramic industry is a flourishing demography with innovation at the forefront. Today, we have a brand that resembles elegance and reputation behind it, and also has the potential capability to do outstandingly. Slabs have been used in primitive times and has a clay composition. It came into existence in construction to cover roofs and floors, and the slabs streamlined surfaces and covered more spaces with less grout lines. Clay slab absorbs moisture.

Advanced Ceramics and Antimicrobial Technology

Ceramics is much more than tiles and tableware. The industry is an ever growing marketplace with high demands for technologically advanced ceramic designs. The domestic ceramic industry has been producing tiles, tableware, and sanitary ware, whereas other forms of ceramic products were not being focused on. But that is a thing of the past!

Standing by the Visually Impaired

An alternative orthography for the vision-impaired, Braille, is a form of written language consisting of raised dots on a surface, in patterns that resemble letters, numbers, and designs (for paintings/artwork).

Braille came on papers during the early 1800s by a Frenchman called Valentin Hauy; and was an effective way for visually-impaired people to read. The language, now universally accepted, originally came from the mind of Louis Braille who lost his eyes at the age of three.

Young Braille was self-motivated, and went on to study at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth (One of the first institutes for blind children, now known as the National Institute for Blind Youth). During his studentship there, he started developing a tactile coding method which soon emerged as a globally acknowledged form of writing and reading for the vision impaired.