The plastics industry is one of South Asia’s fastest-growing industrial sectors. In India, the industry employs about four million people across the nation and exports both plastic raw materials and finished products to more than 200 countries around the globe. There’s no doubt it’s an industry on the rise and that’s why Anisur Rahman is so excited about his role as Business Director at Premiaflex Plastics.
Anisur has worked in the flexible packaging industry since 1993, when he started out his career in the sector at The Merchants, the leading packaging company at that time. He joined Premiaflex as Marketing Manager in 2007.
“At that time, the company was in the development stage and I was responsible for setting up and growing the business,” Anisur recalls. “Ever since then I have proved my capability by maintaining sharp business growth. Based on my performance, I was appointed Business Manager in 2010. I continued my work and achieved significant growth of the business and was promoted to Business Director in 2015.”
With its factory located in Gazipur, Bangladesh, Premiaflex is focused on providing a complete plastics packaging solution, adding value to customers’ products through innovation and technology. The company supplies quality printed flexible packaging materials using fully automated printing technologies. Since its incorporation in 2008,
Premiaflex has rapidly expanded its operations to meet the ever-growing needs of the local market. By investing heavily in machinery and manpower and staying up to date with the latest technological advancements in the field, Premiaflex has become a leader in supplying flexible packaging technology.
Reflecting on his 13 years with Premiaflex, Anisur says one of the biggest highlights was growing the company to a point where it has achieved the number one position in the industry. However, he notes that there have also been plenty of obstacles along the way.
“As I was here from the beginning of the company, I faced the challenge of achieving the market share despite the competitive rivalry of established companies. I have used my experience and market knowledge to overcome this challenge and achieved 15% market share by increasing our sales volume from 700 metric tonnes to 9,600 metric tonnes per year within the past decade,” he says. “Since the very beginning, Premiaflex has continuously grown and made a profit and we have also started exporting our goods.”
So what sets Premiaflex apart from its competitors? Anisur explains the company has state-of-the-art machinery that allows it to produce several unique products. “Innovation is one of our core values. The packaging industry is developing and changing rapidly and to cope with these changes we have introduced new CI Flexo technology. We can supply packaging materials solutions within 24 hours using this new technology, which we have introduced for the first time in Bangladesh,” he says.
“We have also introduced five-layer film-making technology, which is having a significant impact in the industry for packaging products such as cooking oil and UHT milk. We can produce up to 15-micron thickness film, which competitors are unable to do. This means we can provide a better solution for our customers through improved mileage and cost savings. The customer is our most important stakeholder, so we have a strong focus on customer satisfaction, providing consistent quality products and on-time delivery. We also continuously share ideas with our customers and provide reliable customer support by responding promptly to their queries.”
Anisur adds that Premiaflex is able to provide this high level of service to its customers with support from its suppliers. “They are not just vendors; we consider them our business partners,” he says.
“They consistently supply us with good quality raw materials, which is reflected in our good quality finished products. So we ensure that we maintain positive relationships with our suppliers via regular communication, including phone and Skype meetings, official visits and emails. It’s always two-way communication, where we both share our issues and discuss possible solutions to overcome any problems.”
Although Premiaflex was only in its early days when Anisur came on board, he was drawn to the business as an opportunity to draw upon his knowledge and skills in the flexible packaging industry, and also because of the culture.
“Premiaflex is a subsidiary of ACI Limited and before coming here I knew ACI was a powerful brand,” Anisur explains. “They have a good corporate culture and a friendly working environment. This is what I found most attractive about the role.”
Despite the fact that Premiaflex has grown considerably over the past decade, Anisur explains the company’s employees still enjoy the same positive working environment that appealed to him when he first joined. “We have a great working environment in our company,” he enthuses.
“To help keep our employees motivated, we provide various performance-oriented rewards such as performance bonuses, yearly incentives and promotions. For each employee, we have a customised KPI, which keeps them engaged towards the achievement of their goals. Besides this, we also arrange outdoor social activities with our employees and their families.”
“The best piece of advice I have ever received is to make the best use of your time by thinking positively.”
When asked to describe his leadership philosophy, Anisur smiles and says the most important thing is staying positive. “I always try to pick the positive in every situation and reduce the negativity,” he says.
“The best piece of advice I have ever received is to make the best use of your time by thinking positively. Nothing is difficult if you approach the task with a positive mind.” When it comes to his greatest inspiration, Anisur doesn’t have to look too far from home. “My wife inspires me most, as she can sense my feelings and make me happy within a moment,” he smiles.
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