Walton: from importer to manufacturer

Walton is among those rare companies that morphed into manufacturers from importers and achieved enviable success in less than a decade. 

Walton Hi-tech Industries, established in 2006 by Walton Group, has become a leading brand in the local consumer goods industry with its electronic, electrical, automobile and home appliances, mainly due to competitive prices and ease of use. 

The company's turnover stood at about Tk 3,500 crore last year.

Walton will strive to prove that “Made in Bangladesh” is the mark of ultimate confidence, said SM Mahbubul Alam, a director of Walton Group.

“Imported products often failed to meet the requirements of our customers as tastes vary from nation to nation. So we set up Walton Hi-Tech Industries after feeling that these items could be made locally,” he said.

Currently, Walton controls about 80 percent of the local refrigerator market in terms of unit sales and around 30 percent of the local television market.

The firm's annual production capacity is 1.4 million refrigerators and freezers, 300,000 motorcycles, 300,000 air-conditioners and 1 million television sets.

It markets some 41 products with 320 models and plans to move into manufacturing all of those gradually. Walton employs around 14,000 people and exports products to 19 countries, including the UAE, Myanmar, Sudan, Qatar, Nepal, Bhutan, India, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.