ACI was established as the subsidiary of Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) in the then East Pakistan in 1968. After independence the company has been incorporated in Bangladesh on the 24th of January 1973 as ICI Bangladesh Manufacturers Limited and also as Public Limited Company. This Company also obtained listing with Dhaka Stock Exchange on 28 December, 1976 and its first trading of shares took place on 9 March, 1994. Later on 5 May, 1992, ICI plc divested 70% of its shareholding to local management. Subsequently the company was registered in the name of Advanced Chemical Industries Limited. Listing with Chittagong Stock Exchange was made on 22 October 1995.
Advance Chemical Industries (ACI) Limited is one of the leading conglomerates in Bangladesh, with a multinational image. ACI is a Public Limited Company with a total number of 19,653 shareholders. Among these, there are three foreign and fifty local institutional shareholders. The company has diversified into three major businesses. Besides these, the company has a large list of international associates and partners with various trade and business agreements.
- Pharmaceuticals
- Consumer Brands & Commodity Products
- Agribusinesses
- Crop Care and Public Health
- Livestock & Fisheries
- Fertilizer
- Cropex
- Seeds
- ACI Formulations Limited
- Apex Leathercrafts Limited
- ACI Salt Limited
- ACI Pure Flour Limited
- ACI Foods Limited
- Consolidated Chemicals Limited
- Premiaflex Plastics Limited
- Creative Communication Limited
- ACI Motors Limited
- ACI Logistics Limited
Chairman
Director, Marketing & Sales
General Manager, Operations
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Endeavor to attain a position of leadership in each category of its businesses.
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Attain a high level of productivity in all its operations through effective and efficient use of resources, adoption of appropriate technology and alignment with our core competencies.
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Develop its employees by encouraging empowerment and rewarding innovation.
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Promote an environment for learning and personal growth of its employees.
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Provide products and services of high and consistent quality, ensuring value for money to its customers.
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Encourage and assist in the qualitative improvement of the services of its suppliers and distributors.
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Establish harmonious relationship with the community and promote greater environmental responsibility within its sphere of influence.
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Quality
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Customer Focus
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Fairness
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Transparency
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Continuous Improvement
- Innocation
The company maintains strategically located sales centers in nineteen different locations across the country. It has developed an advanced distribution system through its more than 300 skilled and trained manpower and a large fleet over eighty vehicles. The distribution system is capable of handling continuing volume of diverse range of products from the various businesses.
The company’s distribution centers are highly streamlined, computerized and automated. We are capable of maintaining a cold chain for some specialized range of products such as vaccines and insulin. The combination of this advanced function and multidimensional capabilities made it possible to handle hundreds of products efficiently.
In 2004, ACI Pharmaceuticals ranked 11th in the Bangladesh Pharmaceuticals Industry. It provides the market with a wide selection of drugs across all major therapeutic classes, and also offers some specialty medicines. ACI Pharmaceutical represents AstraZeneca, Eli Lily and UCB in Bangladesh.
ACI Crop Care and Public Health Division is holding the leadership position in the industry; Animal Health has experienced one of the highest growth rates in this sector. ACI Agribusiness has partnerships with several international conglomerates including Ceva Santhe Animale, Invesa, UCB, Isagro Asia and Borregaard Taicang Chemicals Co. Ltd.
ACI Consumer Brands is a leading Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) company in Bangladesh. In the liquid antiseptic and mosquito repellant categories, this division is a very strong market leader. Foreign partners represented in by this division include Godrej Consumer Products (for hair care and skin care products), Parle Group (for Parle G biscuits), Beiersdorf, Germany (for Nivea range of products) and Colgate Palmolive.
ACI has formed joint ventures with leading FMCG and agribusiness players in the region. These are:
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Asian Consumer Care Private Limited: Joint venture of ACI and Redrock Limited, for distribution of various ranges of Dabur products in Bangladesh. ACI holds 50% stake in the venture.
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Tetley ACI Bangladesh Limited: Joint venture of ACI and Tetley Group of United Kingdom for distribution of Tetley products in Bangladesh, with ACI having 50% shareholding.
Many ACI products have crossed our national boundary and are being successfully exported to various countries in Asia, the Middle East and the CIS region. The response of foreign consumers to our products has been encouraging.
Manufacturing Standards
ACI has three separate manufacturing plants in the outskirts of Dhaka. The Pharmaceuticals plant is located at Narayanganj; ACI Formulations has been setup at Gazipur and the Tetley factory has been built at Konabari. ACI Limited is the first company in Bangladesh to have attained the ISO 9001 certification for Quality Management System and ISO 14001 for Environmental Management System. The Trading subsidiary has also received ISO 9002 certificate. At our manufacturing facilities, we follow cGMP guidelines and standards recommended by World Health Organization (WHO) for pharmaceutical formulations.
Diversification into New Industries
ACI Limited is venturing into new areas of business, as part of its diversification initiatives. Two such businesses being set up are ACI Salt Limited. and ACI Godrej Agrovet Private Limited.
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ACI Salt Limited: ACI has set up its salt refining plant in Rupganj, on the banks of the Shitalakhya River. The plant will produce refined iodized salt through Thermal Evaporation System. ACI has used technology from China Heavy Machineries Corporation (CHMC) in establishing the plant. The end product will be of high quality, free-flowing salt with even, crystallized grains. The iodine content of ACI salt will have a stability of more than 6 months. The project has been undertaken at an approximate cost of Taka 32 crores.
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ACI Godrej Agrovet Private Limited: Godrej is a pioneer in the packaged meat business in India. It is also the market leader in the poultry industry, and the owner of ‘Real Good’ brand. ACI and Godrej have a joint venture in Bangladesh to set up an Integrated Poultry Project. Under this project, ACI Godrej Agrovet has already set up a feed mill at Sirajganj. This is fully automatic pellet poultry and fisheries feed mill, which uses technology from Jiangsu Muyang group of China. The company has also set up a hatchery at Joynabazar, on the Dhaka Mymensingh road, with technology from Godrej. The plans for this project also include establishing Grand Parents and Parent Stock breeding farms. The investment in the project is Taka 8 crores, with ACI Limited having 50% shareholding of the company.
ACI Formulations Limited
ACI Formulations Limited (ACI FL) is a subsidiary of ACI Limited, located at Gazipur, in the outskirt of Dhaka.
ACI FL manufactures majority of the products of ACI Strategic Business Limited except for the Pharmaceutical Division. The factory is equipped with the state -of -the -art facilities for product formulations and process innovation. These include modern computerized equipment like HPLC and GLC.
The product range manufactured at ACI FL include Crop Protection Chemicals like insecticides, herbicides and fungicides in granular, powder and liquid forms, Mosquito Pesticides in the forms of aerosols, vaporizers and coils; and household chemicals like toilet cleaners and hand wash
M Anis Ud Dowla
Mr. M Anis Ud Dowla, the Chairman of ACI Limited, is one of the most successful personalities in Bangladesh business circle. He has maintained a high profile, and has provided leadership to business community in different capacities. Mr. Dowla served in the British Oxygen Group of UK in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Kenya for 27 years, including 12 years as Managing Director of Bangladesh Oxygen Ltd. In 1987, he became the Group Managing Director of the three ICI companies in Bangladesh.
With experience gathered while working with British Multi-nationals for over 32 years, Mr. Dowla has continued to maintain the multinational culture and management style in ACI, with especial emphasis on quality, productivity and customer services.
M. Dowla was the President of Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce & Industry for three terms in 1975, 1976 & 1977 and the President of Bangladesh Employer's Federation for four terms in 1976, 1977, 1994 and 1995.
Board of Directors
Auditors
Rahman Rahman Huq
(a member firm of KPMG International)
Legal Advisor
Barrister Rafique-ul Huq, Huq and Company
Financial Consultant
Mr. M Sikander Ali
Principal Bankers
Standard Chartered Bank
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited
Commercial Bank of Ceylon Limited
Citibank N. A
ACI's mission is to achieve
business excellence through quality by understanding, accepting, meeting and
exceeding customer expectations.
ACI follows International Standards on Quality Management System to ensure
consistent quality of products and services to achieve customer
satisfaction. ACI also meets all national regulatory requirements relating
to its current businesses and ensures that current Good Manufacturing
Practices (cGMP) as recommended by World Health Organization is followed for
its pharmaceutical operations.
The management of ACI commits itself to quality as the prime consideration
in all its business decisions. All employees of ACI must follow documented
procedures to ensure compliance with quality standards.
The pool of human resources of the company will be developed to their full
potential and harnessed through regular training and their participation in
seeking continuous improvement of work methods.
ACI is committed to
maintain the harmonious balance of our eco-system and therefore constantly seeks
ways to manufacture and produce products in an eco-friendly manner so that the balance of
nature remains undisturbed and the environment remains sustainable.
In pursuit of this goal, ACI will
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Comply fully with all local and national environmental regulations.
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Conserve natural resources like water and energy for sustainable development, and adopt environmentally safe processes.
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Ensure appropriate treatment of all effluents prior to discharge, to prevent pollution or degradation of environment.
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Ensure appropriate communication and cooperate with internal and external interested parties on environmental issues.
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Create awareness on environmental issues among our employees and suppliers.
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Adopt modern waste management technology.
The ACI group has consistently demonstrated its commitment towards its employees and the environment over the years. It has been recognized as the practitioner and promoter of socially responsible business behaviour.
To take this commitment even further, ACI has endorsed the Principles of Global Compact on August 18, 2003. The Global Compact is a remarkable initiative sponsored by the United National Secretary General Koffi Annan. It is based on a very simple notion: whether or not required by law, corporations should enforce basic human rights and accepted labour and environmental standards in all their business activities, to counterbalance possible negative effects of globalization.
The compact calls on companies to embrace the ten universal principles in the key areas of human rights, labour standards and the environment. These ten principles are:
Human Rights
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To support and respect International Human Rights within the company's sphere of influence.
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To make sure that their own corporations are not complicit with Human Rights Violation.
Labour
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To end discrimination in the workplace.
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Abolition of child labour.
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The right to collective bargaining and recognition of freedom of association.
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To eliminate the use of forced and compulsory labour.
Environment
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To support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges.
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To undertake initiative to promote greater environmental responsibility.
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To encourage the diffusion of environmentally friendly technology.
Anti-Corruption
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To work against all forms of corruption, including extortion and bribery.
ACI pledges to keep all its employees, customers, shareholders and suppliers regularly informed about the compact and the company’s initiatives to uphold the principles
Case Study
Societal Development through Educational Programs
ACI’s guiding principle in all its operations is to be a ‘responsible corporate citizen’. Thus, Social Responsibility is a top priority for every individual at ACI. Our endeavors toward discharging our social responsibilities have become more focused since our adoption of the principles of the Global Compact.
Initiatives that have shown significant contribution to societal development are Continued Medical Education (CME) for medical professionals and Children’s Education programs.
A dedicated team of medical graduates makes up the Medical Services Department (MSD) in ACI, which carries out CME programs termed ‘Clinical Meetings’ all across Bangladesh. These are essentially non-advertised meets of medical professionals that serve as a training and knowledge-sharing forum, often conducted by experts on the subject. Our partners in development for these programs are doctors, medical associations and/or departments, and various study groups. The level of involvement of ACI in these programs may range from only sponsoring the entire program to providing all types of services and technical support to the presenter to even conducting the program by an MSD doctor. Support from MSD include research support for deliberations at the meet, literature and multimedia presentation for the program, updates on new technology and thoughts in medical fields, and even educational support to any participant in their area of interest.
The Bangladesh Today, a media unit of ACI, started a Children’s Club two years ago. The Children’s Club holds many cultural events and competitions all year round. The Children’s Carnival is a major annual event that draws a huge number of participants. ACI has also undertaken an English Education program in Faridpur, one of the remotest districts of Bangladesh. This provides support to teach English Language to school going children.
Outcome
Doctors in Bangladesh who are not living in the metropolitan cities have very limited access to the Internet or any other sources of information. In order to keep them updated on the developments in the medical practices regularly, the CME program has been proven highly effective. During 2004 alone, the number of such meetings held was 342, participated by approximately 18,000 (eighteen thousand) doctors. When compared to the 2003 figures of 100 meetings with 5000 participants, the impact of our efforts can be seen reflected in the tremendous rate of growth.
The Children’s Club now has over 1000 members who actively engage in pursuits of creative learning. They are grooming themselves to be well-rounded individuals with skills in foreign languages, arts, crafts and music. ACI believes that by promoting education of children, we are contributing to societal development by shaping the minds of our future leaders
Educating the farmers, with a focus on Environment Friendly Practices
Advanced Chemical Industries, the successor of Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) in Bangladesh, is the first ISO certified company in the country. Our commitment to environment protection is reflected in our ISO 14001 certification.
Additionally, ACI has undertaken extensive programs to educate crop farmers all over rural Bangladesh in Good Agricultural Practices. We have a team of agricultural experts working at the field level all across the country, holding a range of technical trainings and field demonstrations. Their activities include
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Field demonstrations on various methods of crop protection, that pose the least hazard for the environment
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Training on new technologies of cultivation, for higher yields and new crops
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Training to channel partners (e.g. retailers and agricultural extension workers) and third parties (e.g. NGO workers)
ACI also has similar education programs for animal and poultry farmers. These include
§ Technical trainings on diverse aspects of farming, and on application of new technologies
§ Farmers’ group meeting for sharing of learning and experiences
§ Free visits to farms by veterinarians, to identify problems and give advice to individual farmers
Outcomes
Our farmers are mostly illiterate persons, having learnt the art and science of farming by assisting their family on the fields. Our continuous endeavors to educate farmers have given significant benefits on three fronts:
v Raising the level of awareness among farmers on improving their agricultural output through application of new technology, encouraging them to share experiences with neighboring farmers and, in the long run, developing educated farmers.
v Raising the educational level and technical knowledge of channel partners and third parties who act as advisors to the farmers.
v Most importantly, making practicing farmers aware of ways to protect the environment from hazardous uses of chemicals on their farms, allowing them the opportunity for informed decision-making.
ACI hopes to continue to play a leading role in promoting greater environmental responsibility among farmers in Bangladesh.
Communication on Progress
Company Name
Address
245 Tejgaon Industrial Area
Dhaka 1208
Phone
880 2 9885694
880 2 9886029