Singer Bangladesh Ltd. (

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

: সিঙ্গার বাংলাদেশ লিঃ) is a

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( bn, বাংলাদেশী ) are the citizens of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centered on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the eponymous bay. Bangladeshi citizenship was formed in 1971, when the ...

sewing machine A sewing machine is a machine used to sew fabric and materials together with thread. Sewing machines were invented during the first Industrial Revolution to decrease the amount of manual sewing work performed in clothing companies. Since the inv ...

manufacturer. It started while Bangladesh was a part of the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

. In addition to sewing machines, Singer Bangladesh manufactured

consumer electronics Consumer electronics or home electronics are electronic (analog or digital) equipment intended for everyday use, typically in private homes. Consumer electronics include devices used for entertainment, communications and recreation. Usually r ...

History

Singer Bangladesh began in 1905. In 1920, two shops were set up in Dhaka and Chittagong. In 1947, after the Partition of the sub-continent, now

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

became

East Pakistan East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Scheme, One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India ...

. Singer in East Pakistan operated as a branch of Singer Pakistan and the products used to come from

West Pakistan West Pakistan ( ur, , translit=Mag̱ẖribī Pākistān, ; bn, পশ্চিম পাকিস্তান, translit=Pôścim Pakistan) was one of the two Provincial exclaves created during the One Unit Scheme in 1955 in Pakistan. It was d ...

. Initially, only 10 shops were set up, which grew to 43 by the late

1960s File:1960s montage.png, Clockwise from top left: U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War; the Beatles led the British Invasion of the U.S. music market; a half-a-million people participate in the 1969 Woodstock Festival; Neil Armstrong and Buzz ...

. After the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...

Bangladesh Singer had to limit its operation to 23 stores and the branch office was promoted to country office. A change in the investment policy in 1979 created new business opportunities and Singer registered as an operating company. A sewing machine manufacturing factory with 10,000 units per year capacity was established in 1980 in

Chittagong Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in B ...

. Capacity increased to 25,000 units per year in 1989. Although sewing machines are Singer's core business, management realized that for sustainable growth in the long run it had to diversify its product line. This realization led to diversification. In 1985, Singer began transforming from a single product into a multi-product consumer durable company. In 1993, the company established an audio-video plant and in 1996 a washing machine factory. In 2001, the company initiated assembling of motorcycles and in 2006, manufacturing of wire and cable (domestic and power cables). In March 2019 Arçelik and Retail Holdings NV acquired Singer Bangladesh ltd. buying 57% of its shares

Corporate social responsibility

As part of the 'Singer for Society' program, Singer Bangladesh Limited donated ventilators to three hospitals in and outside

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

for critical

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

patients. They donated

refrigerator A refrigerator, colloquially fridge, is a commercial and home appliance consisting of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump (mechanical, electronic or chemical) that transfers heat from its inside to its external environment so th ...

washing machine A washing machine (laundry machine, clothes washer, washer, or simply wash) is a home appliance used to wash laundry. The term is mostly applied to machines that use water as opposed to dry cleaning (which uses alternative cleaning fluids and ...

s and

microwave oven A microwave oven (commonly referred to as a microwave) is an electric oven that heats and cooks food by exposing it to electromagnetic radiation in the microwave frequency range. This induces polar molecules in the food to rotate and produce t ...

s to hospitals across the country to protect hospital staff during the pandemic.{{Cite news , title=Singer Bangladesh, Arçelik donate ventilators to three hospitals, url=https://www.theindependentbd.com/post/260156, access-date=March 11, 2021, work=The Independent , location=Dhaka

References

Conglomerate companies of Bangladesh Home appliance manufacturers of Bangladesh Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning companies Electronics companies of Bangladesh Manufacturing companies based in Dhaka Bangladeshi brands Companies listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange Companies listed on the Chittagong Stock Exchange