Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Concept Industries Inc. – a manufacturer of nonwoven fiber products,
packaging systems and vacuum-formed plastics for automotive, office furniture and other industries
– is setting up a supplier development office in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to work with the region’s
natural fiber suppliers.
Concept Industries’ products include the Eco-Core™ line of natural fiber materials and the
SoniCor™ line of man-made fiber nonwovens. Since introducing Nature Core™ fiberboard – a nonwoven
composite composed of a natural and man-made fiber blend – in 2006 in partnership with Muscatine,
Iowa-based office furniture provider The HON Co., there has been a rise in the raw materials
demand.
“We realized early on that one key to our competitive advantage was to gain access to the
best raw material,” said Shawn Eshragh, president, Concept Industries. After visiting Bangladesh in
2006 and meeting with suppliers and Bangladeshi locals, Eshragh decided to establish a local
office. “I came home convinced that Concept Industries needed ‘boots on the ground’ in
Bangladesh in order to secure the raw materials we needed for our growth.”
September 17, 2008