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Monthly business magazineautomobiles36PHP assembling Protonin Bangladeshautomobilesg Farhana Tania KhanChittagong based local conglomeratePHP Group announced, back in 2015, ofassembling sedan car for the first timein Bangladesh. After two years, theystarted marketing almost in silence. In themeantime, two years just passed away.When people began to wonder if the PHPGroup had simply vanished from the carassembling industry, right at that pointthey came into spotlight. PHP emergedtriumphant by bringing out the MalaysianProton Saga model for the local market.Photography : InternetMonthly business magazineDecember, 2019
PHP has sold around 150 Proton Saga modelsedan cars in the market in last three months.By the end of this year, more than 200 carsare going to be assembled. PHP Group is really veryhappy for the overwhelming response they get fromthe customers in the Bangladesh market. Mr. ParvezAkhter Chowdhury, Managing Director of PHPAutomobiles Centre confirmed the informationrecently.Around 25 to 27 thousand private cars are sold ina year in the local market; and 90% of those arereconditioned cars. It’s quite difficult to create astronghold for new cars in the market. Reconditionedcars already hold an advanced position in thecar selling market due two major selling pointsi.e. availability of car parts and machinery; andreasonable price.The Managing Director of PHP Automobilesemphasized that Proton Saga model 1332cc is notat all at back-foot compared with reconditionedcars; rather they are much advanced in the sellingmarket, considering those above two points. Thismodel of Proton Saga car costs BDT 15 lac. Beforeits being assembled, the imported model sold inthe market for BDT 18 lac. Now customers cansave BDT 3 lac only because of local assembling.Moreover, five years warranty and 1.5 lac kilometersafter sale service are also available. If the customercan buy a brand new car at the same price as that ofa reconditioned car, then why wouldn’t the demandrise high?PHP factory is located in Sagorika, Chittagong. Assale of the car is rising day by day, a spirit of lifecan be seen everywhere in the factory. There are258 engineers and workers who are busy neverendingly.Every single car originates in their hands,with assembling of 8000+ machinery pieces andparts. Now 12 cars are assembled in the factory insingle shift of a day.In the history of PHP’s car marketing journey, thename of the present Prime Minister of Malaysia,Mahathir Mohammad will be written in the goldenletters. Five years ago the premier came to Bangladeshas a Convocation Speaker for a private universityestablished by the Chairman of PHP Group, Mr. SufiMizanur Rahman. After conclusion of the program,Mathair Mohammad showed interest to know aboutPHP’s trade and business status. At that time Mahathirwas the Chairman of Proton Holdings Berhad, aMalaysian car producing company. After returningto Malaysia, he invited PHP officials to visit Protonfactory in Malaysia and proposed to set up a carproducing factory in Bangladesh. On getting his advice,PHP made their investment and within the next yearassembling of sedan car had started in Bangladesh inthe hands of PHP.Two years back PHP marketed Proton Preve modelcar, turned out at the first level of car assembling.Cars were then being assembled by importing allthe machinery pieces, which resulted in quite ahigh price. PHP management then began to thinkthat some works could be done locally, instead offull assembling. After some R&D, they started carpolishing in their own factory. Simultaneously theystarted making some of the machinery parts. Thecompany is at present assembling Proton’s fourdifferent models of sedan cars.According to PHP, there are five levels of carproduction. They now plan to step up from secondlevel to the third level of car assembling, that is, ifonly they can manufacture major parts of machinerylocally. If the production of car body and chassiscan be done in Bangladesh, then they will reach thefourth level. The final level is engine manufacturing,and if they can do it, PHP would be able to placeBangladesh in the list of car-producing country.The writer is an International Affairs analyst.37automobilesDecember, 2019Monthly business magazine
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Page 47 and 48: 47BLUE ECONOMYocean for valueBangla

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