TSS halts laptop output for working capital shortage
Tuesday, 19 February 2013
Jamal Uddin
Production of laptops by the state-owned Telephone Shilpa Sangstha (TSS) has almost come to a halt due mainly to scarcity of working capital.
The TSS is facing working capital crisis, as Education Ministry, the main buyer of the devices, is not paying Tk 280 million dues.
The country's lone telephone manufacturing company, TSS, is now trying to realise the amount from the ministry and resume production soon.
The Education Ministry owes the amount to the TSS against its purchase of 'Doel' laptops.
"We will start production immediately after getting dues from the Education Ministry," a senior TSS official said, adding that they have to face problems in supplying the products in 19 levels of the ministry.
The TSS so far supplied almost 12,000 laptops to the Education Ministry against its requirement of 20,500 units. Besides, it has decided to supply only 3,000 units to Bangladesh Army instead of its requirement of 10,000 pieces.
The official expressed the hope that they would get the bills in phases and would start producing 4000 to 5000 units after purchasing necessary accessories.
Now, the state-owned enterprise is not able to take delivery of its imported laptop accessories from Chittagong Port for the fund crisis, according to the official.
"We need money to keep the project operational," said General Manager (Plant & Commercial) of TSS AA Md Moyashir.
"We are not getting response from the government in this connection also," he added.
However, the demand for the product has reduced immensely due mainly to quality issue and higher price.
The company got various complains from 'Doel' users relating to web-cam and Wi-Fi operations and force shut-down of the computer after one hour.
Four models of the laptop 'Primary 2102, Basic 0703, Standard 2603 and Advanced 1612' were planned to be assembled by the TSS, but the production of Primary 2102 had to be stopped within three months due to its massive operational problem.
However, TSS produced nearly 25,000 units of different models of laptops by this time.
TSS in partnership with 2M Corporation Ltd. and TFT Display (M) Co. of Malaysia launched the 'Doel Laptop Project' in October 2011, aiming to offer the ICT device at affordable prices to the local users.