The Department of Marketing, Faculty of Business Administration (FBA), American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB) organized a study tour of the Akij Food & Beverage Limited (AFBL) factory at Barobaria, Dhamrai, Dhaka, on 28 July 2022, as part of the student development program. This study tour was arranged and conducted in alignment with SDG Goal 4 (Quality Education), SDG Goal 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), and SDG Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). Students majoring in Marketing visited the Akij Industrial Park to get practical insights into the organization's operations, branding, sales & distribution processes.
AFBL is a business concern from a renowned Bangladeshi conglomerate, AKIJ Group. Moreover, it is one of the country's leading Food & Beverage manufacturing companies selling products locally and exporting to 26 countries. The company products include fruit drinks, carbonated beverages, mineral water, dairy products, and chips. Frutika, Mojo, Lemu, Clemon, Speed, Spa, Farm Fresh, Aafi, Cheese Puffs, and O' Potato are among the popular brands of AFBL.
Mr. Md. Helal Uddin (Executive, AFBL) welcomed the students and faculty members to the industrial park. Then they were given an overview of the company's products and state-of-the-art machinery by Mr. Mahmudul Hassan Pabel, Executive, HR.
After the orientation, Mr. Md. Ariful Islam, Manager, Store, briefly described the warehouse operations at Akij Food & Beverage Ltd. He gave students a clear idea of how AFBL procures raw materials and packaging materials from local and foreign sources. Then, Mr. Md. Shabbir Hossain, Deputy Manager, Quality Control, highlighted AFBL's vision: To be the most respected food and beverage Company in Bangladesh by a commitment to quality. He emphasized that the company is committed to producing high-quality products and investing in developing new products. Next, Mr. Md. Yeasin Ali, Manager, Distribution, explained the nationwide distribution operations controlled by the AFBL's factory. He further discussed the sales, distribution, and warehouse facilities of Akij Food & Beverage Ltd. with the visitors.
After the initial briefing, the students were divided into two groups and visited the factory lines of the Carbonated Soft Drinks (CSD) and Milk Processing units. During the visit, the respective line supervisors also briefed the students about the production, packaging, storage, and distribution processes.
In the post-factory visit session, Mr. Sardar Al Imran, Senior Executive, HR, coordinated the program and briefed about AFBL's workplace culture and how AFBL recruits fresh graduates in their work environment and corporate culture. Then, Mr. Md. Helal Uddin, Executive, HR, discussed the AFBL talent acquisition process. He further addressed that AFBL is sincere about giving opportunities to freshers and the organization also provides internship placements in their various departments. The closing session was further addressed by Mr. Md. Aminur Rashid Qurashi, Assistant Manager, Admin, who gave ideas to students about AFBL's admin department and answered various questions from the students and faculty members. In the last part, Mr. Mohammed Sadikur Rahman, Director, Plant Operations, concluded his speech about AFBL's strong global presence in exporting products to many countries. He highlighted innovation, teamwork, integrity, customer focus, and trust & respect, which are the values of AFBL that help achieve the company's vision. He further emphasized that such industrial visits would help students gain practical knowledge and help AFBL reach their customers. At the closing, the faculty members also expressed their appreciation to the AFBL officials and Management and presented gift packs on behalf of AIUB.
Mr. Hamidul Islam, and Mr. Stanley Rodrick, Senior Assistant Professors from the Department of Marketing, FBA, took the initiative in organizing and coordinating this study tour and were supported by Dr. Mohammad Ali, Senior Assistant Professor, Department of Management and HRM, FBA, with direct coordination and supervision of Dr. Khondaker Sazzadul Karim, Head, Department of Marketing and THM, FBA, AIUB. The study tour was organized under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Farheen Hassan, Director, Undergraduate Program (BBA), FBA. The Department of Marketing, FBA would like to thank AIUB Management, Mr. Manzur H. Khan, Director, Office of Student Affairs (OSA), and Major (Retd) Faiz-Ul-Bari Rajon, Deputy Director, Administration, AIUB, for providing all administrative and logistical support for this study tour.
Partnerships
