Turning setbacks into success

After losing his overseas job during the pandemic, Al Amin Howlader, a 35-year-old former expatriate from Patuakhali, encountered repeated setbacks in his quest for alternative employment. He turned the tide of his fortune by establishing a small factory in his village, crafting decorative motor parts from fibreglass.

Al Amin was first introduced to this business when he moved to Dhaka in 2004 and started working at a fibre parts factory. After four years in the sector, he moved to Dubai.

However, he decided to try his luck in this sector again after returning to the country during the pandemic, investing Tk 1 lakh to establish his own workshop in 2020.

"We built the factory in an abandoned piece of land next to our house and named it Ma-Babar Doa Fibreglass, manufacturing and selling 50 types of decorative parts for motorbikes, including tank and back seat covers, and wing-sets," said Al Amin, who now employs four workers in his factory.

Al Amin explained the manufacturing process, which includes blending chemicals with the fiber, placing the mixture into a specific mold, and allowing it to dry. Once solidified, the formed structure is then carefully carved out of the mold and prepared for packaging. He now earns Tk 30 lakh annually.

"I supply these products to a commercial organisation in Dhaka. They market these products through various companies," he said.

The products made of fibre are bendable but not easily breakable. Thus, it has gained a good reputation in markets across the nation, he said, adding that the products can become a marketable good abroad.

While locals take pride in Al Amin's success, challenges still knock at his factory doors.

"Price hike of raw materials is one of the major challenges at the moment. Last year, a roll of fibre, weighing 30kg, could be bought for Tk 4,000, but now the price is Tk 7,000. A drum of chemicals has to be bought for Tk 58,000 now, which was available at Tk 35,000 before," said Al Amin.

Md Alamgir Sikder, assistant manager of Patuakhali Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation, said this is the first factory of this kind in the southern region.