Hatil is a Bangladeshi furniture manufacturer and retailer, based in Dhaka. The company was established in 1989 by Selim H. Rahman. Hatil traces its roots to H.A. Timber Industries Ltd., a company established in 1963 by Rahman's father, Al- Haj Habibur Rahman. Hatil has its presence in 18 countries and is the largest furniture exporter of Bangladesh.[2][3]

HATIL Complex Ltd.
Company typePrivate
IndustryFurniture
Founded1989
HeadquartersDhaka, Bangladesh
Key people
Selim H. Rahman (Chairman and MD)
RevenueIncrease 428 crore (US$36 million) (FY 2021-2022)[1]
Number of employees
3,000+
Websitewww.hatil.com

History

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Hatil's roots can be traced to H.A. Timber Industries Ltd., a timber company which was established in 1963 by Selim H. Rahman's father, Al- Haj Habibur Rahman. Selim H. Rahman joined his father's company in the late 1980s and came up with the idea to manufacture door commercially.[4][2]

Hatil was founded in 1989 by Selim H. Rahman and initially started as Hatil Doors, a small-scale door manufacturing shop in Old Dhaka. In 1990, the company started to receive orders from pharmaceutical companies to make doors.[2] In 1993, Hatil rented a 5,000 sq. ft. facility in Kuril. In 1995, the company started making almirah and beds, and by the following year, it had expanded to making various types of home furniture.[5][2]

 
Hatil factory at Dhaka

During its early years, the furniture was made manually by 100 workers using locally-sourced teak wood.[4] In 2000, the company entered a joint venture with a South Korean company and transitioned to mechanised operations.[6] As the demand increased, it rented factories in Shyampur Thana and Farashganj. In 2006, it began production of furniture from its own facility in Savar. In 2007, the company adopted the principles of Kaizen in its business operations.[4] Since 2009, Hatil has been using beech wood imported from Germany in its furniture due to a scarcity of teak in Bangladesh.[5]

In 2013, Hatil opened its first overseas showroom in Sydney, Australia,[7] and also made its first OEM export to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United States.[6] In 2014, it opened its second overseas showroom in Toronto, Canada.[8] In 2015, it established a collaboration with German furniture manufacturer Nolte Group, as a result of which Hatil-Nolte became the authorised licensee of Nolte Kitchen in Bangladesh.[9] Hatil also received the Forest Stewardship Council's sustainability certification for its furniture in 2015.[10]

Between 2016 and 2017, Hatil expanded its operations to Nepal and Bhutan.[11][12] In 2017, it entered the Indian market under a franchising model, opening its first showroom in Chandigarh.[13][14] Hatil then inaugurated a 50,000 sq. ft. furniture showroom at Mirpur, reportedly the largest in Bangladesh.[6] In 2018, it launched its e-commerce website as well as a virtual store to exhibit its full range of furniture in virtual reality.[15]

In 2019, Hatil invested more than 200 crore (US$17 million) to upgrade the machinery at its Zirani Bazar factory, which reportedly doubled its production capacity.[16]

Operations

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As of 2023, Hatil has 75 showrooms in Bangladesh, 27 in India[17] and 2 in Bhutan.[18][19] It also maintains business in the United States, Canada, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Egypt and Russia.[20][21]

Manufacturing

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A robotic arm applying lacquer finish to a chair at Hatil factory

Hatil makes both home and office furniture from wood, melamine-laminated particle board, medium-density fibreboard, cane and metal.[2] Its two factories are located in Zirani Bazar and Savar, one of which produces particle board and engineered wood, while the other makes furniture products. It has a productive capacity of 48,000 items of furniture per month.[20]

Hatil imports oak wood from North America, beech wood from Germany, fabrics from China and India, and hardware like lock, handle and latch from China and Malaysia.[16][22] Equipment used in its factories such as robotic cutting machine, knitting machine and robotic spray have been imported mainly from Germany, Italy and the United States.[20] Hatil employs more than 3,000 people[22] and follows the lean manufacturing production method. Many processes such as computer-aided design machinery, lacquering, UV curing, CNC machining and precision cutting are handled by its automated robotic systems.[5][16]

 
Rooftop solar panels at Hatil factory

Sustainability

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Hatil uses FSC-certified wood in its furniture, and incorporates green manufacturing practices. The dust collector machine at its manufacturing facility accumulates wood dust which is converted into briquette and used as fuel. The company recycles sawdust and wood offcuts into particle boards, as well as fabric and foam leftovers into rebounded mattresses. The rooftop solar project at its factory has a capacity of 2.67 MW of renewable energy.[23]

Board of directors

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  • Selim H. Rahman (Chairman & Managing Director)[22]
  • Mahfuzur Rahman (Director)[24]
  • Md. Mizanur Rahman Mamun (Director)[24]
  • Moshiur Rahman (Director)[24]
  • Shafiqur Rahman (Director)[24][25]

Awards and recognition

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Charitable activities

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Hatil runs a school for the children of its employees as a corporate social responsibility initiative.[20]

Partnerships and initiatives

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  • In July 2022, Hatil participated in the INDEX Trade Fair in Delhi.[citation needed]
  • In August 2022, Hatil signed a concessional loan agreement with Infrastructure Development Company to set up rooftop solar project at its factory in Gazipur.[32]
  • In September 2022, Hatil tied up with Grameenphone and launched a privilege programme for GPStar customers.[33]
  • In October 2022, Hatil took part in the five-day 2022 National Furniture Fair.[34]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Bangladeshi Furniture Brand Hatil Continues Expansion in India with New Showroom Launch in Imphal". Business Inspection BD. 18 April 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e "From timber shop to going global". The Business Standard. 25 January 2020. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  3. ^ Karmakar, Suvankar (15 January 2020). "বৈশ্বিক ব্র্যান্ডের পথে বাংলাদেশের হাতিল". Prothomalo (in Bengali). Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Chakma, Jagaran (2 September 2021). "Hatil: from an idea to an established brand". The Daily Star. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  5. ^ a b c "The History & Rise of Hatil: How Hatil Become the Market Leader". Business Inspection BD. 3 July 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  6. ^ a b c "Hatil" (PDF). Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  7. ^ Saha, Suman (6 August 2013). "Hatil makes foray into Australia". The Daily Star. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  8. ^ "Hatil expands into Toronto". The Daily Star. 15 May 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  9. ^ "EBL signs agreement with Hatil". Daily Sun. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  10. ^ "Hatil receives sustainability certificate". The Daily Star. 11 August 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  11. ^ "Hatil makes foray into Nepali market". Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  12. ^ "HATIL opens showroom in Nepal". The Independent BD. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  13. ^ "Hatil forays into India, opens store at Zirakpur". Tribune India. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  14. ^ "B'desh's global furniture brand 'HATIL' enters India, opens first store". United News of India. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  15. ^ "Hatil opens virtual showroom". The Daily Star. 10 January 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  16. ^ a b c Hasan, Mahmudul (13 May 2019). "Hatil brings robot carpenters". The Daily Star. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  17. ^ "Hatil inaugurated new showroom in India". The Daily Star. 16 April 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  18. ^ "Hatil wants to expand globally". Dhaka Tribune. 11 January 2020. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  19. ^ "আসবাব নিয়ে বিশ্বে". Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  20. ^ a b c d "Hatil continues to widen global presence". The Financial Express. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  21. ^ "The HATIL story". The Business Standard. 23 November 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  22. ^ a b c "Our furniture industry needs a seat at the table: Hatil MD". The Business Standard. 6 December 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  23. ^ "HATIL's Industrial Waste Recycling Initiative for a greener environment". The Business Standard. 25 May 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  24. ^ a b c d e "HATIL wins 'Superbrands Bangladesh' title". The Business Standard. 12 February 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  25. ^ "Inside HATIL's manufacturing philosophy". UNB. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  26. ^ "HATIL wins climate award". The New Nation. Archived from the original on 11 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  27. ^ "NBR gives awards to top VAT payers at the DITF". Dhaka Tribune. 6 February 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  28. ^ "140 businesses to get NBR award as highest VATpayers in 2018-19". New Age. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  29. ^ "FIRST EVER BANGLADESH RETAIL AWARDS 2021 & 6TH BANGLADESH RETAIL CONGRESS TAKES PLACE VIRTUALLY". BBF Digital. 23 October 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  30. ^ "Hatil wins HSBC Business Excellence Award in 'Best in Import Substitution' category". The Business Standard. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  31. ^ "Hatil gets 'Best Furniture Manufacturer' award at DITF". The Daily Star. 24 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  32. ^ "Hatil Complex implementing Green Energy Project funded by IDCOL". Dhaka Tribune. 13 August 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  33. ^ "Hatil and Grameenphone join hands to enhance customers' lifestyle". Dhaka Tribune. 27 September 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  34. ^ "Hatil participates in 17th National Furniture Fair-2022". The Business Standard. 10 October 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
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