The country’s electronics giant Walton is manufacturing world-class dies and molds of different sorts of electronics and electrical appliances at Walton Hi-Tech Industries at Chandra in Gazipur, an outskirt of the capital.
The production of dies and molds at Walton factory are resulted in not only cutting Walton’s annual import bills by more than Tk 100 crore but also making an opportunity of earnings huge foreign currencies through export after meeting its internal demands.
Generally, die and mold are considered as basic machineries of a manufacturing industry. In electronics and electrical appliances manufacturing industry, a mold is used for material that takes shape around or inside the mold, while a die is used to force that shape on hard substances.
Walton authorities said both the demands and the sales of electronics and electrical products, especially the local brands’ fridges, air conditioners, LED televisions and other home appliances, have been soared during the last couple of years. Thus, the demands for different sorts of dies and molds, which are used in those appliances, were also gone up. Following the growing demands, Walton at its own factory started manufacturing world standard dies and molds, which are further used in its wide ranges of locally produced appliances. And, the local brand is saving annually more than Tk100 crore foreign currencies by producing the import substitute dies and molds.
Industry insiders said, once the local manufacturing industries were fully dependent on imported dies and molds and thus they had to count huge amount of foreign currencies annually. In addition, they had to wait for around six months to getting the imported dies and molds, which were resulted in hindering the local production, they added.
They also opined that the production of dies and molds of various sorts of appliances at Walton factory is not only saving enormous foreign currencies of import bills but also keeping the pace of production smooth. Also, skilled workforce is created in this sector, they opined.
In fact, they noted the Walton’s such initiative as a revolution towards the improvement mechanical sector of the electronics and electrical appliances manufacturing sector.
Walton engineers said, a product’s shape, volume, height and design are entirely depended on its mold. The dies and molds’ production at Walton own factory is resulted in improving and bringing diversities in the designs of the produced appliances such as manufacturing three-door based power efficient inverter technology’s non-frost and frost refrigerators, glass door refrigerators, bachelor and 50-50 models of refrigerators i.e equal space for deep and normal portion.
They also added that the initiative also cut down the production cost of the produced goods, which is ultimately paved the way for the customers to buy the local brand appliances at reasonable rates.
Engr. Md. Sadiqur Rahman, senior deputy operative director (mold and die) of Walton, said that they have been producing world-class molds and dies of different sorts of plastic and metal parts of their produced electronics and electrical appliances since 2007.
Walton set up an ultra-modern mold and die manufacturing unit with an investment of about Tk 100 crore, he said adding, state of the art technologies and advanced machineries from Germany, Japan and Taiwan, such as Five Axis VMC (Vertical Machining Centre) machine, Radial Drill Machine, EDM and Ware EDR machine, Surface Grinding machine, Vacuum Heat Treatment Furnace etc, have been installed at the mold and die unit of Walton.
He also said, the mold and die unit of Walton also employed more than 300 engineers and technicians.
Walton officials said, they are manufacturing and marketing wide ranges of products like fridges, air conditioners, LED televisions, gas stoves, rice cookers, induction cookers, blenders, ceiling fans, electric switch-sockets, acid led rechargeable batteries, charger fans, table fans, wall fans and other home appliances. A large number of molds and dies have been required to manufacture those appliances, they said adding, about 150 sets of molds and dies are being required to manufacture a fridge, while around 22 sets are needed to manufacture a LED TV and nearly 146 sets for an air-conditioner.
Uday Hakim, senior operative director of Walton Group, said that die and mold factory is a forward linkage industry of the country’s manufacturing sector.
Most of the manufacturing industries have not a separate mold and die section and thus they have to outsource such materials, he said adding, “But, Walton is now meeting its internal demands by producing dies and molds at its own factory. We would be able to supply mold and die to the country’s other manufacturing industries and also earn huge foreign currencies through export if we get approval of doing so from the authorities concerned.”