Walton builds plants to make Refrigerator, AC compressors, Motorcycle engines
June 30, 2012 , Local News
Walton is a Bangladeshi brand. It is also an international brand. Walton is a new sensation in the field of electronic, electrical and automobile products in the world. The company is now manufacturing fridges, motorcycles, air-conditioners and televisions in Bangladesh. Walton brand of products are now exported to different countries of the world after fulfilling the country’s demand. For the first time, Walton is going to manufacture fridge and air-conditioner compressors as well as motorcycle engines at its newly-built state-of-the-art plants at Chandra in Gazipur, about 35 km north off capital Dhaka.
Walton will use the world’s latest technology and high quality machineries at its new manufacturing plants. World-class compressors and engines will be manufactured at the Walton plants. Walton has a plan to export 1.5 million compressors after meeting the country’s requirements. Some 3.0 million compressors will be manufactured at the plant. Of them, 1.4 million compressors will be used at Walton’s own fridge manufacturing plant, while 100,000 will be used for manufacturing air-conditioners. The rest of the compressors will be manufactured to export. Prices of Walton refrigerators, air-conditioners and motorcycles will go down substantially if the compressors and engines produced at the company’s own factories.
The authorities of Walton, a sister concern of R.B. Group, announced it at a crowded press conference at Hotel Ruposhi Bangla in Dhaka on May 16 last. Walton’s Senior Deputy Director Uday Hakim read out a written statement in this regard.
“We think, this day will remain a milestone in the history of industrialization in Bangladesh,” Uday Hakim said.
He said Walton Hi-tech Industries Ltd, a concern of R.B. Group, is announcing to set up plants for manufacturing air-conditioner compressors and motorcycle engines. Setting up of the plants is going on in a full swing. A team of highly qualified, skilled and efficient engineers have already started research and development works. Besides, appointment of a large number of technically qualified skilled manpower including engineers is now going on.
These two plants—one for manufacturing fridge and air-conditioner compressors, and the other for producing motorcycle engines—will be built at Chandra in Gazipur. Walton expects that by 2014, fridges and air-conditioners will be manufactured using the locally produced compressors, while motorcycles will be built using the locally-made engines.
It may be mentioned that other entrepreneurs of the country who are either manufacturing or assembling these three products will be able to use Walton’s compressors and engines.
Currently, eight brands of local and multinational fridge and air-conditioner marketing companies in Bangladesh order and buy their products under the internationally recognized OEM (Original Engineering Manufacturer) system from Walton. The Walton authorities have urged all fridge, air-conditioner and motorcycle businessmen to buy products under their own brand names ordering at the Walton, instead of importing them from abroad. It will help getting the products at lower prices in one hand and reducing the cost on the other. Besides, it will also pave the way of creating employment opportunities and saving the country’s valuable foreign currency.
At present, Bangladesh imports compressors and motorcycle engine spare parts from abroad although Walton customizes these compressors and spare parts making them suitable to the country’s environment and infrastructure. But, Walton has planned to manufacture more fuel-efficient, sustainable and environment-friendly engines using the latest technology. As a result, price of each of the motorcycles will go down by minimum 100 US dollars, while the price of each of the fridges will go down by minimum 10 US dollars.
Walton televisions, motorcycles and air-conditioners are now exported to different countries of the world. It is possible to export these products to the developed countries as Bangladesh manufactures high-quality products. Walton has planned to export its products to many countries of the world within the current year. Walton has already completed setting up of an automatic fridge manufacturing plant, which will go into production from July. More 600,000 fridges will be manufactured annually at this new plant. Fridges which will be manufactured at the new plant will be non-frost and luxurious ones. The new fridge manufacturing plant will go into operation mainly targeting the markets of developing countries. In total, Walton’s annual fridge production capacity will stand at 1.4 million.
Except rapid industrialization, there is no alternative to Bangladesh right now. Walton thinks that Bangladesh can quickly switch over to the rank of developed nations through boosting production, increasing export and generating huge employment opportunities. The major pre-condition of achieving this goal is to framing an industry-friendly policy. Besides, there should be a long-term commitment from the government, so that no entrepreneur faces any risk investing huge amounts of money. It is obvious that none will come forward to invest if manufacturing is not more profitable than importing.
Bangladesh should take some kinds of safeguard measures to protect its own industries like the developed countries of the world. Bangladesh’s victory is inevitable if the country’s 160 million population can be transformed into skilled and efficient human resources. Right now, there is no alternative to Bangladesh to set up industries by encouraging investment for resolving the acute unemployment problems. For this, Walton urges all capable and patriotic citizens to come forward and invest in the country by setting up industries and factories. Walton hopes that one day Bangladesh will emerge as one the top countries of the world in manufacturing high quality technological products. In order to achieve this goal, Walton thinks that close cooperation among the government, entrepreneurs and all patriotic citizens is very essential.
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