WALTON exports electric fans to Mali, a west African country

[bluesky]

undefined | The Financial Express

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

পশ্চিম আফ্রিকার দেশ মালিতে বৈদ্যুতিক পাখা রপ্তানি করছে ওয়ালটন
Published: October 19, 2021 19:02:28

এবার পশ্চিম আফ্রিকার দেশ মালিতে বৈদ্যুতিক পাখা রপ্তানি শুরু করেছে সুপারব্র্যান্ড ওয়ালটন।

এক সংবাদ বিজ্ঞপ্তিতে জানানো হয়, মঙ্গলবার ঢাকায় ওয়ালটনের কার্যালয়ে এক অনুষ্ঠানের মাধ্যমে মালিতে এ রপ্তানি কার্যক্রম উদ্বোধন করেন ওয়ালটন হাই-টেক ইন্ডাস্ট্রিজ লিমিটেডের ঊর্দ্ধতন কর্মকর্তারা।
উল্লেখ্য, চলতি বছর মার্চে মালির বিখ্যাত ব্যবসা প্রতিষ্ঠান সিম্পারা গ্রুপের সঙ্গে সমঝোতা স্মারক (এমওইউ) সই করে ইলেকট্রনিক্স জায়ান্ট ওয়ালটন। সিম্পারা গ্রুপের মালি ও সেনেগালে বিস্তৃত ব্যবসায়িক নেটওয়ার্ক রয়েছে।

চুক্তির আওতায় এই দুটি দেশে বাংলাদেশে তৈরি ওয়ালটনের ইলেকট্রনিক্স, ইলেকট্রিক্যাল এবং আইসিটি পণ্যসমূহ বিপণন করবে সিম্পারা গ্রুপ।

উদ্বোধনী অনুষ্ঠানে উপস্থিত ছিলেন ওয়ালটন হাই-টেক ইন্ডাস্ট্রিজ লিমিটেডের ডেপুটি ম্যানেজিং ডিরেক্টর নজরুল ইসলাম সরকার, এমদাদুল হক সরকার ও ইভা রিজওয়ানা, সিনিয়র এক্সিকিউটিভ ডিরেক্টর এস এম জাহিদ হাসান, এক্সিকিউটিভ ডিরেক্টর আব্দুল্লাহ আল মামুন, ইন্টারন্যাশনাল বিজনেস ইউনিটের (আইবিইউ) প্রেসিডেন্ট এডওয়ার্ড কিম, ইলেকটিক্যাল অ্যাপ্লায়েন্সের চিফ বিজনেস অফিসার (সিবিও) সোহেল রানা, ডেপুটি সিবিও রুবেল আহমেদ এবং মালি মার্কেটের জন্য দায়িত্বপ্রাপ্ত ওয়ালটন আইবিইউ শাখার কর্মকর্তা সাব্বির হাসান খান প্রমুখ।

অনুষ্ঠানে সোহেল রানা জানান, “বর্তমানে বিশ্বের ৪০টিরও বেশি দেশে পণ্য রপ্তানি করছে ওয়ালটন। এর সঙ্গে এবার যুক্ত হলো আফ্রিকার সম্ভাবনাময় দেশ মালি।” তিনি জানান, প্রথমে মালিতে বৈদ্যুতিক পাখা রপ্তানি করা হলেও ধাপে ধাপে দেশটিতে রেফ্রিজারেটর, এয়ার কন্ডিশনার, ইলেকট্রনিক অ্যাপ্লায়েন্সেস, ল্যাপটপ, টেলিভিশন, মোবাইল ফোন ও কম্প্রেসর ইত্যাদি পণ্যও সরবরাহ করা হবে।

এডওয়ার্ড কিম বলেন, আফ্রিকায় অনেকগুলো উদীয়মান অর্থনীতির অন্যতম দেশে হিসেবে মালি সম্ভাবনাময় বাজার হিসেবে দেখছে ওয়ালটন।

ওয়ালটন ইলেকট্রিক্যাল অ্যাপ্লায়েন্সের ব্র্যান্ড ম্যানেজার জাকিবুর রহমান সেজান জানান, চলতি বছর স্থলবেষ্টিত দেশ মালির শীর্ষস্থানীয় ব্যবসায়ি সিম্পারা গ্রুপের কর্ণধার মামাদৌ ডিট এন’ফা সিম্পারা গাজীপুরের চন্দ্রায় ওয়ালটন কারখানা পরিদর্শন করে গেছেন।

সেজান জানান, পরিদর্শনকালে ওয়ালটন কারখানার বিভিন্ন কর্মযজ্ঞের ভূয়সি প্রশংসা করেছেন সিম্পারা গ্রুপের কর্ণধার।
======================================================================================================

This time the super brand Walton has started exporting electric fans to Mali, a West African country.

According to a press release, senior officials of Walton Hi-Tech Industries Limited inaugurated the export program in Mali at a function at Walton's office in Dhaka on Tuesday.

Electronics giant Walton signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Simpara Group, a well-known business organization in Mali, in March this year. Simpara Group has extensive business networks in Mali and Senegal.

Under the agreement, Simpara Group will market Walton's electronics, electrical and ICT products made in Bangladesh in these two countries.

Nazrul Islam Sarkar, Deputy Managing Director, Walton Hi-Tech Industries Limited, Emdadul Haque Sarkar and Eva Rizwana, SM Zahid Hasan, Senior Executive Director, Abdullah Al Mamun, Executive Director, President of International Business Unit (IBEU) Chief Business Officer (CBO) Sohail Rana, Deputy CBO Rubel Ahmed and Sabir Hasan Khan, Walton IBU Branch Officer in charge of Mali Market.

Sohail Rana said, “Walton is currently exporting products to more than 40 countries of the world. This time Mali, a potential country in Africa, has joined. ” He said that although electric fans were initially exported to Mali, the country would also be provided with refrigerators, air conditioners, electronic appliances, laptops, televisions, mobile phones and compressors.

Edward Kim said Walton sees Mali as a potential market for one of the many emerging economies in Africa.

Zakibur Rahman Sejan, Brand Manager, Walton Electrical Appliances, said that this year, Mamadou Dit Nfa Simpara, head of Simpara Group, a leading business in the landlocked country of Mali, visited the Walton factory in Chandra, Gazipur.

Cezanne said that during the visit, the head of Simpara Group praised the various workers of Walton factory.

 

[Destranator]

Given it's Mali, hopefully the fans are mine-resistant.

 

[Bilal9]

Given it's Mali, hopefully the fans are mine-resistant.

Well it is a war torn country, but we should not bad mouth a customer. One day they will grow to be better customers I am sure. Everyone was poor once. People forget that.

Interestingly, land-locked Mali in West Africa has 9 times the land area of Bangladesh and 1/8th our population. It was a Francophone colony just like Ghana and Congo. All the unequal exploitative trade the French conducted in these African colonies made them rich.

I honestly don't know a lot about Mali, but I understand our UN military Bangladesh Army contingent has bases there.

These African countries (as well as Central Asian republics) have very great scopes of Bangladeshi companies leasing their land to produce crops for export to Europe. I am sure with expert farmers from Bangladesh, that industry and effort could be a huge success. Don't want to hijack the thread, but that is definitely something we could do in Mali - commercial crop production and organized irrigation for it arranged with permission from their govt. Mali is definitely a lot closer by air to produce markets in EU and UK than any place in Asia. Bangladeshi farmers are already in Portugal in some number, cultivating traditional kitchen produce for that market.

Back on topic,

Although many companies in Bangladesh manufacture ceiling fans (just like in India, it is a staple in the local market), the finest quality in Bangladesh is made by RFL and even better Walton. Walton uses very high grade silicon steel sheet and better grade copper wire for their ceiling fan rotors, the windings are made with an automated process, as is the process for insertion of the paper insulators. Moreover - all parts and housings are coated with powder paint with a baked on finish, which is the best finish available in the subcontinent. All of Africa could be a great market for Walton for these basic electrical products, which Indian electrical products have monopolized for a long time.

I guess for ceiling fans in India "USHA" is a good brand and in Pakistan - "Millat" is one, which used to be sold in Bangladesh prior to 1971.

Don't know if these are still the best brands in their respective countries. But this is a high volume product especially for village and small town folks unable to afford aircon. The 56" ceiling fans are priced locally anywhere from Tk.2500 to Tk.4000, with Walton being at the upper end of the market.

 

[bluesky]

পশ্চিম আফ্রিকার দেশ মালিতে বৈদ্যুতিক পাখা রপ্তানি করছে ওয়ালটন

Due to positive activities done by our armed and Police forces under the UN, Bangladesh has become quite a known and popular country in many African countries.

No doubt, this positive image of our country will help our products to be liked by the local population of these countries.

Our Peacekeepers have become our best salesmen there.

 

[Paul2]

Everyone was poor once. People forget that.

 

[Michael Corleone]

Given it's Mali, hopefully the fans are mine-resistant.

Can’t be bulletproof though, who wants to get hit with a shrapnel operating their fan

Everyone was poor once.

 

[Bilal9]

Mali produces huge amounts of cotton, and is interested in importing fertilizer from Bangladesh.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladesh–Mali_relations

 

[bluesky]

These African countries (as well as Central Asian republics) have very great scopes of Bangladeshi companies leasing their land to produce crops for export to Europe. I am sure with expert farmers from Bangladesh, that industry and effort could be a huge success.

Please watch the video and forget about BD agriculture in any country of Africa many of which are deserts, and do not cultivate rice because of the shortage of water.

However, all these countries need electric fans that Walton can supply.

BD has about 20 million+ acres of land. Compare this to the agriculture/ rice land in Japan. It is only 8 million acres. Japan does not go to Africa to produce foods or even China does not go.

We should not be swayed by the evil talks of our great Hasina Bibi. She wants us to dream all through our life without developing our own agriculture by the use of tools and machines.

 

[Bilal9]

Please watch the video and forget about BD agriculture in any country of Africa many of which are deserts, and do not cultivate rice because of the shortage of water.

However, all these countries need electric fans that Walton can supply.

BD has about 20 million+ acres of land. Compare this to the agriculture/ rice land in Japan. It is only 8 million acres. Japan does not go to Africa to produce foods or even China does not go.

We should not be swayed by the evil talks of our great Hasina Bibi. She wants us to dream all through our life without developing our own agriculture by the use of tools and machines.

Well you are talking about Northern desert areas of Mali where Tuareg tribesmen live (where this footage with Bangladesh ARMY UN contingent was shot), recently they had ISIS infiltration from LIBYA in that desert area which will eventually stabilize. That is too far from the capital Bamako and the agricultural areas around it. The Tuaregs want a separate homeland, ISIS are fanning that flame.

Mali actually has three distinct climate zones. Bottom (South) Part is tropical savannah climate where most people in Mali live and where agricultural crops (like Cotton) is grown. For our apparel business, having an alternative source of cotton maybe is necessary. Malians are interested to export cotton to Bangladesh, like I already mentioned. Cotton is a crop that can grow in semi arid tropical climate like in Mali (Green part shown below). If we lease land from Mali govt., we can also get involved in the supply chain by using our farmers and their expert irrigation and farming skills.

West Africa's largest river Niger, passes through that Green area in the satellite photo (Blue region in the climate map). I do not think the Niger river has not been utilized for farming and irrigation intensively so far. Lot of scope there for improvements.

Chinese private companies are heavily involved in "friendship farm" activities in Africa, specifically, cash crops in countries like Mali, Ghana and Nigeria (all countries served by Niger river in West Africa).

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5652847de4b033f56d2bdc29/t/568c4768a2bab8d57520442c/1452033896317/CARI_PolicyBrief_5_Jan2015.pdf

Mali has had record production of more than 700,000 tonnes of cotton in the past two seasons, and Mali has retaken the title of Africa's cotton champion. The crop supports four million people, a quarter of the population.