Local motorcycle manufacturing sector growing by 25pc every year
Completely locally manufactured motorcycles are currently holding 35 per cent of the total market share with a 25 per cent growth every year, industry sources said.
The market share of motorbike assembling companies is gradually being grabbed by local-made complete build units (CBUs) and within next five years the motorcycle market is likely to be dominated by local manufacturers.
Due to the immense potentiality of the sector, large investments are going to be made by two big local companies.
According to sources, the country's leading two conglomerates -- Pran-RFL and Jamuna groups -- are to invest millions of takas in manufacturing motorcycles locally.
The existing Walton Hi-Tech Industries Limited and Runner Automobile Industries Limited are jointly meeting 35 per cent demand of the motorcycle market.
In the year 2010-11 the market shares by Walton and Runner were 11 and 14 per cent respectively and during the last fiscal it was 15 and 17 per cent respectively.
Walton Hi-Tech Industries Limited Chief of International Marketing Lokman Hossain Akash said due to growing market share for local CBUs, assembling shares are declining.
He said as local motorcycle products are attracting buyers and prices and quality are better than those of assembling units, it is expected that within a few years the motorcycle industry would be fully dominated buy local products.
Currently the assembling companies namely Bajaj, Uttara, Atlas, Russel Industries, HPN Automobile Industries, Road Master, Butterfly and Singer and New Grameen are assembling motorcycles on the semi knocked down (SKD) and complete knocked down (CKD) basis.
The assemblers are still occupying 60 per cent market share. According to statistics, in the calendar year 2011 a total of 284,000 units of motorcycles, both assembled and manufactured, were sold in the local market and in the year 2012 the figure was 290,000 units.
The data also shows that the market share for import of CBU and assembling under SKD and CKD in the year 2011 was 75 per cent and in the year 2012 it was 68 per cent.
Runner Automobile Limited Chairman Hafizur Rahman said as locally made motorcycles are getting popularity in the market due to better quality and competitive prices, within next five years domestic manufacturers will dominate the motorcycle industry.
The Walton international marketing chief said prices of locally built motorcycles range from Tk 60,000 to Tk 130,000 and those of assembled ones range from Tk 120,000 to Tk 300,000.
Jamuna Group Chairman Nurul Islam Babul said, "We are going to invest Tk 4.0 billion in manufacturing motorcycle, television, refrigerator and air conditioners."
He said the capacity of Jamuna motorcycle plant with technical collaboration of China's Haojin will be 150,000 units per year.
Mr Babul said as there is opportunity to tap motorcycle market by locally built units, so there is hope to go for bigger investments in the automotive industry.
Amjad Khan Chowdhury, Chairman of Pran RFL Group, said, "We have a plan for large-scale investment in motorcycle manufacturing industry and our market study and assessment are going on."
The Walton official also said, except engines, all the necessary parts are now being manufactured locally as there is a strong backward linkage industry in manufacturing motorcycle parts.
He said the parts are fully manufactured by using raw materials and there are no imported components and parts that are being used in manufacturing.
Mr Hafizur Rahman said the current market size for motorcycle industry is Tk 25 to 30 billion and this could be fully grabbed by local manufacturing companies.
He said the government should support this industry and tax and other VAT-related obstacles should be reduced to help the sector flourish.Rahman said to support manufacture of motorcycle locally the government's SRO (statutory regulatory order) 213 on VAT is effective until June 2014 and demanded extension of the order for another five years.
Financial Express :: Financial Newspaper of Bangladesh