When Al-Hajj Habibur Rahman established H.A. Timbers Industries Limited on the banks of Buriganga in 1963, his vision was rooted in the idea of fostering “collective development” among every businessman in the wood industry.

In the steady hands of Habibur Rahman, H.A. Timber Industries Limited took shape and became one of the prominent timber businesses in Farashganj, which was then Dhaka’s biggest timber hub.

The resonance of his (Habibur Rahman’s) vision continues to reverberate even today, nearly 60 years later, through the voices of HATIL’s next generation of leaders.

The concept of collective development is echoed in the words of Mushfiqur Rahman, Assistant Director at HATIL Complex Ltd.

During an interview with UNB, Mushfiqur shared insights into his role within the company and how his journey began with HATIL. Moreover, he shed light on both the company’s vision and his personal aspirations for the country’s leading furniture brand.

“We aim to enhance the backward linkage of Bangladesh’s furniture industry. Presently, the backward linkage in Bangladesh’s furniture industry is considerably weak. For instance, a major portion of our raw materials is imported from China. This scenario isn’t unique to HATIL; it’s a prevalent situation across various industry players as well,” he told UNB.

Read more: Inside HATIL’s manufacturing philosophy

Regarding the founding chairman’s commitment to collective development, HATIL’s company secretary, in a previous interview, had said, “Habibur Rahman was a leader who always thought of everyone, not just about himself. His vision was ‘us’ not ‘me’. He believed in collective development.”

PRIMARY FOCUS ON MEETING CUSTOMERS’ NEEDS: MUSHFIQUR RAHMAN

Mushfiqur started working at HATIL in October 2020 after graduating from the University of Sydney.

Despite diverse job experiences in Australia, notably in marketing and sales roles, he lacked exposure to the furniture industry. His stint at Harvey Norman provided his first encounter with this sector. Upon returning to Bangladesh, he joined HATIL as a management trainee. During this period, he underwent intensive month-long training across all departments and contributed significantly to a joint venture with Nolte Group as an Operations Lead for two years.

Transitioning to the HATIL factory in 2023, he initially worked with the plywood section and now focuses on the interior team within the production department, having prior experience with the bentwood team.

Read more: Commitment towards sustainability at the heart of HATIL: Company Secretary Md. Rezaul Karim

For Mushfiqur, creating a legacy is important for HATIL. The company’s primary focus, however, still lies in meeting its customers’ needs.

“When HATIL introduced ‘Slim is Smart’' in the early 2000s, traditional and bulky furniture designs were the prevailing preference among people. Over time, the customers in this country began favouring HATIL’s sleek and minimalist furniture designs over the more traditional ones. Our primary focus lies in meeting our customers’ needs.”

He also highlighted HATIL’s continued efforts towards embracing changes that reflect the evolving trends and preferences of customers.

Having worked in multiple industries before, Mushfiqur was asked about the distinctions he sees between the furniture industry and others.

“From the technical side, the furniture industry is quite complicated. I used to work in consumer electronics. If we are discussing some brands like Samsung, LG, Sony – you know all of them. But if I ask you to name the top three global brands in the furniture industry, you probably can’t think beyond IKEA,” he said.

One of his many visions is for HATIL to become a global household name.

“So that, in 20 years, people worldwide will mention HATIL in the same breath as IKEA. Beyond this ambition lies the goal of placing Bangladesh prominently on the world map for its thriving furniture industry, capturing the attention of people worldwide,” Mushfiqur told UNB.

One of his other visions as part of HATIL is to work on enhancing the industry’s backward linkage as highlighted earlier.

Read more: Automation behind HATIL's most significant transformation, says Director Shafiqur Rahman

“The raw materials for the furniture industry are not locally available. When the readymade garment industry started to flourish in Bangladesh, other related industries started growing as well to meet the demands for raw materials. Amid the ongoing dollar crisis, it’s imperative for us to work on enhancing the backward linkage for the industry to reduce import reliance,” said Mushfiqur. 

He also highlighted HATIL’s continued work towards enhancing the company’s automation processes to boost productivity to meet the customers’ demands promptly, ensuring timely delivery of their desired products.

He acknowledged the environmental impact of the furniture industry and emphasized the company’s dedication to sustainability.

He deemed it crucial to procure raw materials from sustainable sources and, where feasible, explore local options for sustainable resourcing.

“We have to think about something like that (sustainable forestry) in Bangladesh as well. It would help us, on the one hand, reduce our reliance on imports. On the other hand, it would support the overall industry e.g., other industry players, in focusing more on the export side.”

When questioned about his priorities within HATIL’s interior team, Mushfiqur highlighted their focus on the team’s job description and their ongoing efforts to enhance offerings based on people’s preferences.

He also stressed on the importance of design consultation for Bangladeshi households.

“When I go to a household, I often find that the interior of that house and its furniture placement don’t complement each other. In the long run, we want to offer more consistent solutions to our customers. We also want to incorporate design consultation [in our service] for the customer to help them understand which colour complements which ones,” said Mushfiqur.

He also highlighted the changing preferences of customers and discussed how HATIL is proactively staying ahead of these evolving trends.

CRAFTING IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE ZONES FOR CUSTOMERS SETS HATIL APART: MYSHA RAHMAN

One of the many features that set furniture industry retailers apart from other industries, according to Mysha Rahman, Assistant Director at HATIL Complex Ltd., is that the former goes above and beyond to create immersive experience zones for customers so that they can choose the right product for their homes.

Read more: HATIL’s ‘slim is smart’ has global appeal: Marketing Director Moshiur Rahman

“One of the distinctive features of our presence in the furniture industry is our commitment to crafting immersive experience zones for customers through innovative technology—a pioneering initiative by HATIL within the country’s furniture sector, initiated around the 2010s,” Mysha said.

“We meticulously design layouts tailored to specific products, creating dedicated spaces for bedrooms, dining rooms, and more. These layouts enable customers visiting our showrooms to easily visualize and select their preferred products,” she said.

Across all of its retail outlets, HATIL curates an ambiance that aids customers in visualizing the products within their own homes, she added.

During an interview with UNB, Mysha talked about her journey at HATIL Complex Ltd.

After completing her bachelor’s and master’s in Australia, she joined a tech-based startup and later shifted to MindMapper, a supply chain consulting firm. Her journey with HATIL started in August 2021 as a management trainee. As part of her traineeship, she worked in every department of HATIL, from finance to HR, and in the production departments as well.

Mysha is currently a part of the business development and market research team at HATIL Complex Ltd.She elaborated on her role in improving HATIL’s retail operations, focusing on gathering consumer feedback, conducting seasonal surveys, and conveying customer preferences to the production team.

Read more: Bangladeshi furniture industry needs reforms to reach its full potential: HATIL Chairman Selim H. Rahman

“As a team, we gather feedback from consumers regularly and conduct seasonal surveys to enhance our services. We compile customer preferences and deliver these insights to our production team for our product development process. Additionally, we analyze performance data from our retail outlets to gauge improvements, identify underperforming stores, and implement necessary measures to enhance their performance,” said Mysha. 

Emphasizing HATIL’s pioneering initiatives, Mysha mentioned the utilization of VR technology since 2016 and the introduction of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) in Bangladesh’s furniture industry. 

“One of the things that I find most interesting is ‘creating smart retails’ which HATIL is already doing. HATIL launched VR [at its retail outlets] in 2016, which was a first for any furniture brand in Bangladesh. During that time, VR was not even that popular in Bangladesh,” said the Assistant Director of HATIL.

“We (HATIL) also pioneered the practice of ‘Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)’ in the local furniture industry. If you visit any of our showrooms, you’ll notice stark similarities between all of them, from branding to merchandising. This includes even the dealer showrooms,” she added.

Mysha expressed aspirations for further technological advancements, including expanding AR and VR integration and extending retail outlets nationally and internationally.

Read more: Commitment to quality behind HATIL’s success: Director Mahfuzur Rahman

“My vision is to overcome barriers to integrating AR and VR, enhance our sales team, and extend our retail presence across every region of the country. Moreover, I aspire for our influence to transcend national borders. Presently, we have 18 showrooms in India. I aim for HATIL to establish its presence in every corner of the country,” said Mysha.

“Furthermore, I envision HATIL evolving into a multinational enterprise, potentially establishing factories not only in India but also in other neighboring countries,” she said.

Regarding current challenges, Mysha said the impact of national and global crises on furniture demand varied on the basis of whether they’re HATIL or non-HATIL customers, noting the former’s lesser sensitivity to price differences.

The HATIL assistant director highlighted the delays in purchasing and payments due to prevailing political uncertainties affecting consumer priorities.

Despite fluctuations in sales, Mysha highlighted HATIL’s robust customer service and its consistent quality standards across flagship showrooms and dealer outlets. While acknowledging a slowdown in retail sales, she mentioned stable performance in government and corporate sales.

“As you know, there has been a hike in commodity prices, and retail customers tend to delay their purchases. To tackle this situation, we are offering a discount on combo sets. The furniture industry is likely to see a rise in sales during the trade fair.

HATIL does not only provide furniture to its retail customers; they have a variety of furniture to cater to different corporate segments, from hotels to hospitals, she added.

“In terms of design, most people prefer slim furniture as apartment sizes are getting smaller. There’s also a lot of demand for multipurpose furniture, which was also introduced by HATIL for the first time in Bangladesh. Customers are highly satisfied with the designs offered by HATIL," she said.

From creating immersive experiences to leading the way in ERP adoption, HATIL has continuously changed Bangladesh's furniture retail scene. The company's focus on providing strong customer service and catering to varied groups like corporate and government clients has guaranteed continued stability even as it navigates the challenges of growing expenses and market uncertainties. HATIL is ready to welcome the future, incorporating cutting-edge technologies and broadening its influence both domestically and globally.

Undoubtedly, HATIL's unwavering commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction will persist in molding the furniture sector in Bangladesh and abroad, even as it adjusts to the constantly changing demands of the market.

Read more: HATIL: Pioneering the Bangladeshi Furniture Industry Landscape