Yunus launches Joint Venture “G. Japan Sunpower Auto Limited”
01 Jan, 1970  
Fig: Yunus launches Joint Venture “G. Japan Sunpower Auto Limited”

Yunus Centre Press Release (12 May 2019)

Caption for Photo : On 8 May 2019, Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus presided over the official launch of the joint venture company, G. Japan Sunpower Auto Limited through a ribbon cutting ceremony with Ashraful Hassan, Managing Director of Grameen Distribution Limited, Takuya Kawamura, President of Sunpower Corp. and a team of CEO’s from 17 Japanese companies at Mirpur, Dhaka.

On 8 May 2019, the official launch through a ribbon cutting ceremony of the joint venture, named, G. Japan Sunpower Auto Limited between Grameen Distribution Ltd., Bangladesh, Sunpower Corp., Japan and Rabbani Auto-mechanic Shop, Bangladesh took place. The official launch was presided over by Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus. Ashraful Hassan, Managing Director of Grameen Distribution Limited, Takuya Kawamura, President of Sunpower Corp and a team of CEO’s from 17 Japanese small companies were also present during the event.

The joint venture’s MOU was signed at the annual program event of Social Business Day (SBD) back in 2017. Since July 2018, the joint company started its operation to repair automobiles with quality parts, aiming to provide a means for workers to escape poverty in a safe and clean working environment. The company also has a Young Entrepreneurship Program which will help young Bangladeshi entrepreneurs in training, developing and improving auto parts market for automobile industry, some of them will be trained in Japan, so that their skills can be implemented in the Bangladeshi market. They also focus on car repair with appropriate hybrid car repairing technology that will be transferred from Japan. In addition, they will be involved in car and waste tire recycling and electric vehicle manufacturing.

The joint company aims to create a brand which would bring structure and trust back into the auto-mobile market in Bangladesh.  They also plan to build international standard automobile workshops to ensure quality service to automobile users. Their plan also orients in setting up recycled auto parts plant for both national and international markets. Currently, their spare parts selling have started. In addition, more than 15 workers are working in their workshop.

For their future plans, G. Japan Sunpower Auto Limited will facilitate 3 to 4 young Bangladeshi energetic individuals who will be sent to Japan every year in order to work at hybrid car repair shops there for advance training and practice. Successful candidates will have the opportunity to be an individual entrepreneur in Bangladesh as well as get an employment opportunity in their company. In addition, they plan to start waste tires’ recycling process as a part of social business later in 2019 and aims to start Electric Vehicle production in the coming years.

To promote social integrity through their social business, they aim to enhance employment in Bangladesh, to improve usage of technology and to provide world class automobile skills to the Bangladeshi workforce; ensure standard quality service to the automobile clients; enable environment-friendly workshops; and transfer technological advancement from Japan to Bangladesh.

Caption for Photo 2: On 8 May 2019, Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus was with Takuya Kawamura, President of Sunpower Corp., a team of visiting CEO’s from 17 Japanese companies of Social Business Startup Tour and Managing Directors of different Grameen Companies and Yunus Centre to mark the official launch of the joint venture company, G. Japan Sunpower Auto Limited.

Caption for Photo 3:  Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus with the staff of the joint venture, G. Japan Sunpower Auto Limited, 17 visiting Japanese CEO’s of Social Business Startup Tour and Managing Directors of several Grameen Companies during the official launch of the joint company at Mirpur, Dhaka.

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