Page 19 - IBT October 2020
P. 19

What do you think         ensuring more locally made world
                                                                                                                                                                                        your industry would       class optical fibers. Make no
                                                                                                                                                                                        perform through           mistake, the pandemic has shown
                                                                                                                                                                                        this pandemic?            that digital connectivity is not only
                                                                                                                                                                                        Speaking of the industry I   a cry for the professionals but also
                                                                                                                                                                                        am working in, in a bid to   the house holds. This means
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  optical fibers will be needed in a
                                                                                                                                                                                        manufacture the highest
                                          Optical                                                                                                                                       quality optical fibers, we   that demand, ABS cables have
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  humongous amount and to fulfil
                                                                                                                                                                                        never compromised with
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  been working relentlessly. We
                                                                                                                                                                                        the best industry practices
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  would want to set a global
                                                                                                                                                                                        used globally. Our R and D
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  footprint in future. We hope the
                                                                                                                                                                                        team has been working
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  government would provide the
                                          Optimism                                                                                                                                      hard with renewed vigor to   required policy support in that
                                                                                                                                                                                        offer some breakthroughs
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  endeavour too.
                                                                                                                                                                                        not exhibited earlier in this
                                                                                                                                                                                        industry. With raw
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Many fear that due to the
                                                                                                                                                                                        materials sources
                                                                                                                                                                                        internationally, the HDPE
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  economy, new
                                                                                                                                                                                        (High Density Polyethylene)   slowdown of the
                                                                                                                                                                                        we use for our optical fiber   investments will be
                                                                                                                                                                                        cables comes from world   delayed; eventually
                                                      ABS Cables' quest to become an                                                                                                    renowned company,         contributing more to the
                                                      agile company amidst the                                                                                                          Borouge, UAE. The optical   ongoing joblessness. How
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  can we attract more
                                                                                                                                                                                        fibers from ABS Cables are
                                                      turbulence of a pandemic                                                                                                          fitted with meter ID’s at 10   investment?
                                                                                                                                           colors soon, provided the              meter intervals. There is an    All the discussions around
                                                                                                                                           entire business community              advantage to this. This is helpful   COVID-19 in the initial phase
                                                      of businesses go kaput but in our                                                    embraces certain strategies            in detecting disturbance accurately   focused on one topic: saving lives
                                                      case, the opposite happened.                                                         and the government lends a             and while repairing, time efficiency   and livelihood. Yes, there is no
                                                      From an entrepreneurial point of                                                     hand in making those                   is ensured. manufactures fibre   denying the fact that due to this
                                                      view, echoing the industry                                                           successful. For example,               cables under the aspect of      pandemic, the already bad job
                                                      experts, I would like to say that                                                    leading through change is an           reliability, productivity, process   condition in the job sector has
                                                      businesses should act, not react.                                                    endurance game; one must               repeatability and hence, quality   become worse. Now to prevent it
                                                      To much extent we all had to                                                         treat it like a marathon. We           assurance is supported by a broad   from facing the worst, investments
                                                      make difficult choices like laying                                                   must plan for a long haul;             range of measuring and control   are needed. We are happy to see
                                                      off to mitigate the expenses. This                                                   which means the focus should           technology. Every single variant of   that the government is signing new
                      Six months into the             brings a new challenge to the   in the market. It helped us                          now be on 2021-how to turn             their cables are certified by   deals with foreign countries
                      pandemic, things are            front and that is whether enough   immensely from two points of                      it into a year of super                Bangladesh Standards & Testing   interested to invest here; we have
                      coming back to normalcy,        skilled resources will remain in   view. The manufacturing process                   productivity and performance;          Institution (BSTI), ISO 9001 and   read the news of new EPZs being
                      a new normal to be more         the talentpool of the company. As   went on keeping the team active                  lamenting over 2020 won’t              certification process is going on for   set up. All these are signs of
                      precise. How do you think       for our company, we have always   in work and preventing them from                   serve the purpose. The second          Environmental Management        optimism. Having said that, local
                      companies should act            been dedicatedly developing a   succumbing to the panic of going                     set of actions should identify         System ISO 14001. They are the   business owners too have a role to
                      now? What has been the          skilled workforce because we   out of business. At the same time,                    what we need to ensure the             primary suppliers of fibre optic   play by investing in businesses
                      case of ABS Cables?             knew importing products was not   we could deliver products to the                   aforesaid super performance.           cable for some of the most      which are labor intensive to create
                      Coming from a business family   an option for us and to ensure   market on time.                                     Every business must ponder             renowned ICT companies in       more jobs and will ensure timely
                      always has its unique set of    quality manufacturing locally, we                                                    over their technological               Bangladesh. Having said that, I am   ROI. I myself have been thinking
                      advantages. Entrepreneurial     must have a honed group of     About the recovery of our                             prowess for better operations;         thankful to the government for   about new investments. But the
                      spirit, which I consider to be an   people who can lead the process   economy, how optimistic                        coupled with that using                their unprecedented role in bailing   government’s guidance is of
                      indomitable spirit, always enables   of developing world class   are you?                                            analytics to generate                  out businesses. My only plea to   paramount importance to win over
                      businessmen to move forward no   products. Luckily we didn’t have   The economy is a complicated                     productive insights is badly           them (the government) is to     the investor's trust. I hope BIDA
                      matter how difficult the situation   to go through any lay off. But we   ballgame; it’s integrated with so           needed. Last but not least,            reconsider the whole issue of   will play a more robust role and
                      is. I would thank my late father,   had challenges like how to   many components and there are                       2020 showed us that                    importing; instead of encouraging   pave the ways of such new
                      the founder of Skylab Pharma for   procure raw materials since the   numerous factors that affect the                automation is more important           it, they must discourage the    investments. Thus by making
                      passing on to me that good pool   lockdown caused a nationwide   ups and downs. Debates are                          than ever before. If                   practise. Both the local industry   businesses more agile and creating
                      of genes that enabled endurance   standstill. We were brave enough   ongoing about whether the                       businesses can work on these           and those who receive our services   newer solutions, I believe we all
                      and resilience in me. The uphill   to decide on time that we must   recovery will be V-shaped or                     issues, I believe they can             would benefit if locally made   can play a good role in helping the
                      battle to survive the calamities of   act fast and make arrangements   U-shaped. I would like to second              render more services to the            optical fibers get priority. By   economy to bounce back and
                      COVID-19 gave us a fresh        to bring raw materials by air. This   the optimists and strongly believe             battered economy to heal               imposing further tax on imported   materialize the dream of becoming
                      perspective. Yes, it has made a lot   kind of bold move is not regular   that we would come with flying              soon.                                  cables will pave the path for   a middle income country.

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