Japan’s Kobelco enters Bangladesh\\\'s steel mkt

Mohammad Ali | Published: April 28, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00

World's renowned Japanese steelmaker, Kobelco brand, has entered Bangladesh's steel market with its welding products this week, its official said.
Earlier, Kobelco has partnered with a local company-- Tsi Marine Ltd-- to market its welding products here.
"The first shipment of Kobelco welding products worth 100 tonnes has already arrived in Bangladesh from our Singapore unit," Shinichi Tanaka, managing director of Kobelco Welding India Private Ltd, told a group of journalists at a city hotel Monday.
Tsi Marine will, basically, work as a distributor of welding products of Kobelco brand, representing the renowned Japanese company-- Kobe Steel, Ltd, officials said.
"We initially intend to contribute to Bangladesh's welding sector especially in the shipbuilding industry with our quality Kobelco products," Mr Tanaka said.
Currently, estimated annual demand for welding products in Bangladesh as about 70,000 tonnes, he said.
"Shipbuilding and steelwork industry is growing in Bangladesh. Accordingly, the local customers are looking for more quality welding electrodes," Mr Tanaka said, adding that "Hopefully, we, Kobelco, can fulfill the demand."
"Manufactured using latest technology, our Kobelco welding products are high in quality, free from defect and will help reduce time in building ships," he continued.
Swiftness in building the ships will facilitate to have more orders, further increasing the demand, he said.
Based on success of this initiative and growth of their market here, Kobelco will consider setting up of its factory in Bangladesh in the future, Mr Tanaka added.
The 52-year old Mr Tanaka further said that they will import the products from its Singapore factory for Bangladesh market.
However, for India, where Kobe Steel markets only welding products too, "We import from our units in Japan and China," said Mr Tanaka, who is responsible for Kobelco welding marketing in its India chapter.
TSI Marine's director Syed Samiul Huq said, "This is the first time, the welding products of a global brand is being imported to Bangladesh."
He expressed his hope of significantly contributing to the local shipbuilding and construction sectors by the globally renowned brand of welding products.
To distribute the Kobelco products in Bangladesh, Syed Samiul Huq, director of TSI Marine Ltd, and Hiroyuki Negoro, sales and marketing manager of Kobelco Welding Asia Pacific PTE Ltd, signed a deal on behalf of their respective organisations in Singapore recently.
In a query, Mr Huq said, "We will import the products from Singapore with our own payment for marketing in a Bangladesh. The profit, to be made from its sale later, will not be shared."
Apart from the iron, steel and welding products, Kobe Steel, Ltd, headquarter in Japan, is also a major supplier of aluminum and copper products.
Its other business segments include wholesale power supply, machinery, construction machinery, real estate and electronic materials.
The Kobe Steel Group is comprised of numerous consolidated and equity-valued companies in Japan, the Americas, Asia and Europe; as of March 31, 2014, its subsidiaries are 208 and affiliated companies are 62.
The company's annual turnover is $16 billion, Mr Tanaka said.
While Tsi Marine Ltd is a sister concern of Trade Services International, Bangladesh.
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