Procter & Gamble (P&G), American personal care product giant, has partnered with PRAN Group to manufacture grooming products here in Bangladesh in a partnership worth $1 million.
Under the partnership, Advance Personal Care (APCL), a sister concern of PRAN Group, will manufacture P&G branded Gillette Guard Razor based on contract manufacturing.
With a joint investment of $1 million, the manufacturing site is established at Habiganj Industrial Park at Olipur under Sayestaganj Upazila in Habiganj.
APCL will manufacture 6.20 lakh Gillette Guard Razor razors for P&G to be sold here in Bangladesh.
The manufacturing facility will commence operations starting in February 2021.
“Our portfolio of superior products has been touching and improving the lives of consumers in Bangladesh since 1994. This arrangement with PRAN to set up local contract manufacturing will enable us to serve our consumers further," said Madhusudan Gopalan, chief executive officer of P&G South Asia, in a press release.
It also builds on P&G’s commitment to invest in Bangladesh, which will contribute towards advancing the country’s social and economic development by creating employment and partnering opportunities, he said.
Since 1994, P&G has been doing business in Bangladesh but this is their first initiative to manufacture, PRAN-RFL Group Marketing Director Kamruzzaman Kamal told Dhaka Tribune.
“We have the facilities and they were looking for opportunities. Everything lined up,” he added.
The next step of relation will depend on the willingness of P&G to expand the product line in manufacturing.
“We can manufacture more of the products P&G sell in Bangladesh.”
Further investment will depend on their trade policy and quality of services. Based on the performance, they would decide on whether they will make the direct investment or do contract manufacturing investment, Kamal added.
Bangladesh and US government officials termed it as a new horizon and opportunity, which would give a good message to the global investors in making an investment here.
It is one of the cornerstones of the Bangladesh government’s economic policy to develop the private sector," said Salman F Rahman.
“I am very happy about P&G’s investment in Bangladesh, and it sends a very strong signal not only to other US companies but all over the world. That’s because P&G’s size, reputation and position as a successful global company,” he added.
“Today marks a new day in the history of US and Bangladesh’s economic cooperation as P&G joins other US firms and grasps massive potentials Bangladesh has as a major manufacturing base,” said Earl R Millar, the US ambassador to Bangladesh, who joined the event through a virtual platform.
Md. Sirazul Islam, executive chairman of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), said: “I hope this initiative will translate to the creation of value and employment for Bangladeshi men and women especially our young people who can grow as professionals by working in a knowledge-based environment.”
