“We provide construction solutions and services to companies who need a specific tailored approach for their construction needs.”
Saud Anam is the CEO of AKSID Corporation Ltd. which is a sales and distribution firm for foreign manufactured products with over 20 years of experience in construction and infrastructure projects. They are also the representatives of Sika, the largest construction chemical manufacturer in the world. Saud grew up in the United States and returned to Bangladesh 4 years ago. Since then he’s been working in the construction sector introducing innovations which create better buildings at lower costs. His projects highlight international methods and practices, which save time and increase the quality of construction. Recently, IBT sat down with Saud to hear about the details of AKSID and Sika’s involvement in Bangladesh’s construction scenario.
Tell us about AKSID Corp, your partnership with Sika.
AKSID Corp. is involved in speciality constructions. We provide construction solutions and services to companies who need a specific tailored approach for their construction needs. We also represent the entire brand of Sika in Bangladesh as their sole distributor and certified applicators. This means that not only do we sell the products but we are also the only people trained and certified to use their products. Our understanding with Sika is that, not only will we showcase their brand but we will also showcase their level of value and quality. When it comes to construction, the products only mean a small percentage of what you’re actually paying for. It has more to do with the application, if you have the best product in the world which is costing you a fortune but you have someone unskilled applying them then you might as have gone for something much more low-grade as the end result would be the same.
Twenty years ago Sika India had a distributer who would bring Sika products into Bangladesh but Sika never had their own branch office here due to various reasons. However, they weren’t making much of a name for themselves here through their past work. When we joined forces with Sika, we told them that we wouldn’t just sell the products; we would make proper presentations and show them how to use it and hence promote the Sika brand in the process. Sika is active in a hundred and eighty countries and sadly Bangladesh is one of the last countries they gotten involved with.
Bangladesh is a country of industry and the market we work in is expanding exponentially. When you’re building factories there are rules and regulations you need to maintain. The bigger companies especially the multinationals have certain requirements such as seamless chemical resistant flooring, air tight areas, humidity control, barometric pressure control and so on. That’s where we come in as we provide solutions which make sure the people have those very specific needs met.
Where does innovation stand among your priorities?
Thankfully Sika already has the area of innovation covered. It’s been around for a hundred and five years so it’s one of the oldest and largest chemical construction companies in the world. They have been involved in the constructions of some of the biggest and most renowned structures in the world such as the Shanghai Tower, the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge and the Burj Khalifa. The Swiss company has over a hundred and forty production and research facilities all over the world. Therefore, over the course of its existence, not only has it researched every aspect of construction but it has tailor made its products for each aspect of different parts of the world. The products used in South Asia won’t be the same as the ones used in North America.
In terms of the technology being used in the industry, have you brought anything new to the table?
There are a lot of innovative technologies available everywhere in the world but a lot of people aren’t willing to pay for them or they aren’t aware of them. Due to this we had to do a lot of market research on what Bangladesh would need. What consumers are willing to pay for now is water-proofing which is a huge problem in factories and homes. This is one of the services we specialize in. Another thing which is Sikas speciality is concrete admixtures. This basically makes concrete more workable in the sense that it lasts longer, is easier to use and hardens better. This also means your concrete won’t harden up while the truck is stuck in traffic. Apart from admixtures and water proofing, there’s another big thing people are focusing on now which is flooring technology. Old school factories and buildings use dirty tiles which are ineffective, expensive and hard to maintain. We have been showing people how to create better floors, which not only makes it look nicer but is also cheaper. A lot of people don’t opt for this is because they are unaware of this flooring technology and its benefits although it is more commonly used in most other parts of the world.
How has AKSID Corp. contributed to the Bangladeshi labour force in terms of skill development?
We have different teams for each aspect of our operations. One team simply does waterproofing and so they’ve received training from AKSID Corp. and Sika regarding waterproofing. It’s the same with our teams who are involved in flooring, roofing and other construction activities. If someone moves from our company to another after they’ve been trained, they will use those same methods but at the end of the day hopefully they’ll be using Sika products. Our main goal is to teach people these better construction methods which will eventually benefit the overall construction environment in Bangladesh.
Are there any new infrastructural projects that AKSID Corp. might be embarking on? How would they benefit Bangladesh?
The big project that we’re working on currently is called the Three Bridges Project. It’s going to involve JICA’s Japanese built bridges which connect Dhaka and Chittagong. The existing bridges will be repaired and there will be certain Sika products which are going to be used in this process. CFRP (carbon fibre reinforced plastic) will make the structure more sound and give it more strength. After that the concrete will be repaired using epoxy resin injections. Once the concrete bridge is repaired we are going to build a steel bridge beside it, which is going to increase the width of the entire bridge. That steel bridge is going to be a huge milestone for Bangladesh construction. Not only will they bring in new types of material but the methods of construction will be insanely different for this bridge. There is a huge labour force which is going to take part in this project and they’re going to gain a lot of knowledge from the technology and technical support they are going to get.
