Pran-RFL setting up another industrial park in Habiganj

Pran-RFL Group is establishing a new industrial hub named Habiganj Industrial Park-2 with an investment of Tk700 crore.

The new industrial park to be built on 40 acres of land will start production in early 2024, Pran-RFL Group officials said.

Currently, Pran-RFL, one of the leading industrial groups in the country, has another industrial park in Habiganj on a land of 300 acres, around 4km from the new production hub.

At the Habiganj Industrial Park-2, three production lines for opal glassware and one for cork sheet production are nearing completion. The opal glassware factories will start production at the end of January, the officials said.

Kamruzzaman Kamal, marketing director of Pran-RFL Group, told The Business Standard that 25% of the physical work, including filling the land of the new industrial park, has been completed. The tasks related to gas, electricity, and water treatment plants have also been finished there, he said.

Construction of three buildings for the opal glassware and cork sheet factory has also been completed in the industrial park, Kamruzzaman Kamal said.

"Trial production is set to start in January after the completion of machinery installation. With everything in place, the formal inauguration could take place in March," he said.

He mentioned that upon the inauguration of the two factories, initially, it will provide employment for 500 people. By the end of the year 2024, when the entire park is expected to be fully operational, the workforce is projected to exceed a thousand, Kamruzzaman said.

Besides, more industrial units will be established in support of the group's current production lines located at its first industrial park.

Regarding the Tk700 crore financing in the new industrial park, he said the money will be arranged through equity and loans.

Grabbing market share of opal glassware a target

The demand for opal glassware is increasing in the market of Bangladesh. Currently, the estimated annual market for opal glassware is around Tk1,200 crore, with an annual growth rate of over 10%. Nasir Opal Ware is the market leader. In addition, there is a wide market for imported products, primarily sourced from China.

Apart from Pran-RFL, Akij and Bengal groups also have investment plans in the sector. On the other hand, Pran-RFL Group is also hopeful of meeting the demand in the country and expanding its exports overseas.

On the other hand, Pran-RFL remains a prominent corporate entity in the field of cork sheet production in the country. With the increasing use of cork sheets in construction materials, various electronics, and industrial items, the group is expanding its business. Currently, cork sheets are produced at a factory of the group in Cumilla. In view of the growing demand, another plant is being established in Habiganj Industrial Park-2, said the officials of the Pran-RFL Group.

Kamruzzaman Kamal said Pran-RFL has an annual turnover of approximately $3 billion, with $400 million in exports, and India alone accounts for roughly 20% of its total volume of exports.

The group, which produces 6,300 kinds of products at 31 locations in the country under its 300 brands, currently exports goods to 145 countries.

Habiganj Industrial Park has around 25,000 employees, bringing the group's total workforce to 1.45 lakh.

Approximately, 1 lakh farmers are also directly supplying goods to the group, Kamruzzaman Kamal said.

The Habiganj Industrial Park manufactures a diverse array of products, encompassing everyday essentials and items that were previously predominantly imported. Additionally, the park manufactures products in high global demand.

The park is home to the country's largest plastic recycling plant and also manufactures products for well-known international brands, such as Coca-Cola and Gillette.

The industrial park currently operates 47 production lines where a wide range of products, including fruit drinks, beverages, candy, liquid glucose, biscuits, confectionery, transformers, electric cables, fans, melamine, bicycles, MS and GI pipes, recycling products, cassava processing, and toiletries, are manufactured.