Tian Beng Ng, General Manager (South Asia) for Dell, one of the largest technology companies in the world, recently visited Dhaka to meet with key customers, partners and policy makers. During his visit we interviewed him duly. Here are the excerpts :

CJ : What brings you to Bangladesh? Is this your first visit to Bangladesh?

T.B. Ng : While Bangladesh’s PC penetration is low, we see impressive opportunity for growth over the long term. Yes, this is my first official visit to Bangladesh.

CJ : What does Dell plan for Bangladesh?

T.B. Ng : I am impressed by what I have seen here in Bangladesh and Dell is committed to growing our presence in Bangladesh and establishing a representative office in Dhaka.

CJ : Will Dell consider setting up a manufacturing plant in Bangladesh?

T.B. Ng : At this moment we have no plan to set up any manufacturing plan in Bangladesh.

CJ : What are opportunities that you see for Dell in Bangladesh?

T.B. Ng : Dell is a recognized brand in Bangladesh and among the top technology vendors in the country, according to IDC. Dell PCs are being used even in the remotest areas in Bangladesh. The intent is to give maximum, as there is a good demand.



CJ : What are your impressions about Dhaka?

T.B. Ng : Technologically there had been much progress and it is impressive.

CJ : Can you share what are some of the objectives of your visit? Have you met with any senior government leaders or politicians?

T.B. Ng : The objective is to share the vision of Dell and inform about the corporate initiatives Dell is taking to continue to remain the global IT leader. It was my pleasure to meet many customers, partners and policy makers from the banking, public sector and telecom industries.

CJ : How big is Dell Globally?

T.B. Ng : During the fourth quarter of 2009 Dell had revenue of $52 billion, which was an 11% growth from the previous quarter and such happened for the first time in last six quarters. Presently Dell has approximately 80K employees.

CJ : What is the latest direction of DELL?

T.B. Ng : Dell revolutionized the way customers purchased technology. The new era at Dell advances the company beyond the direct, hardware-centric model without abandoning the aspects that interact with their technology providers; and how technology is delivered so customers can invest less in maintenance and more in new products, services and software that positively impact their own business results.

CJ : What is DELL’s business model in Bangladesh?

T.B. Ng : In Bangladesh, Dell has an indirect go-to-market model where it sells to its corporate customers through its authorized distributors.

CJ : Who are authorized distributors?

T.B. Ng : The enterprise authorized distributors in Bangladesh are Computer Services Ltd., Flora Limited, Global Brands, Information Solutions Ltd., Leads Corp., and Techvalley Networks.

CJ : What warranties are available to the customers from DELL?

T.B. Ng : Depending on location Dell has on-site warranties and non-warranty service (“Dell on Call”).

CJ : Which industry verticals is DELL selling to in Bangladesh?

T.B. Ng : Dell is committed to working towards preparing a generation of young people in Bangladesh and across the globe for today’s economy by helping them gain access to the right technology resources, teaching them how and when to use them. Both laptops and desktop products are getting good market response.

CJ : Customer requirements are increasingly being defined by how they use technology, rather than where they use it. How does DELL look at this change?

T.B. Ng : As I mentioned earlier we addressing this issue so that customers can invest less in maintenance and more in new products, services and software that positively impact their own business results.

CJ : Is there any new product for the Bangladesh market from your company?

T.B. Ng : No, at present there is no new product for Bangladesh market.

CJ : What kind of opportunities do you see for a company like Dell in Bangladesh? How do they differ from other emerging geographies such as Pakistan or Vietnam?

T.B. Ng : A strong growth is expected in Bangladesh in a short span of time as the government has strong positive intention of effectively utilizing technology tools in improving processes.

CJ : You have been with Dell for more than 11 years. What can you say has changed about the organization and why do you believe it has changed?

T.B. Ng : Customer requirements had changed and Dell has reshaped itself accordingly. With technology and use of technology Dell has ensured the change management.

CJ : What is the biggest challenge that Dell faces in Bangladesh? How do you propose to overcome that?

T.B. Ng : There is no such challenge in Bangladesh.

CJ : Bangladesh is a poor country with a lot of needs. What kind of CSR programs does Dell run in other countries and will you consider implementing some of those programs here?

T.B. Ng : Dell has been involved in CSR for ensuring technology education in educational institutions and the facility deprived groups. At this moment there is no CSR program plan through the representative office.

CJ WEB

Feedback professorkhalid@gmail.com