Alman Azam is the current Director of Sales and Finance at Newage cables private limited. Alman is a visionary and strongly believes in research to develop cutting-edge products for the local and international markets. His core belief is that all challenges are overcome through persistence and resilience.
PLEASE GIVE US YOUR BRIEF INTRODUCTION
My name is Alman Azam and I’m 34 years old. After receiving my BA and MBA from the UK I spent a year there getting work experience in banking and real estate. Since moving back 8 years ago, I’ve been working with Newage Cables; currently, I serve as their director of sales and finance.
COULD YOU PROVIDE OUR READERS WITH A BRIEF INTRODUCTION OF NEWAGE CABLES AND WHAT ARE THE SPECIALTIES OF NEWAGE CABLES PRODUCTS?
Since its establishment in 1956 Newage Cables has strived to provide high-quality indigenous products to Pakistan’s electrical and industrial infrastructure. The company has always envisioned making Pakistan self-reliant and bringing it to the forefront of development.
The Newage plant is located at 18-Km Sheikhupura Road, Lahore, and is spread over an area of 70 acres. It is equipped with the most modern machinery and testing equipment available in the industry. We manufacture a range of products starting from house-wiring cables, low and medium voltage, low smoke zero halogens (lzsh) cables, control cables, PVC compound, galvanized steel wires, copper and aluminum rods, grounded calcium carbonate, and overhead conductors.
We hold the first 500-KVa test certification from an independent European lab. These conductors are used in high transmission lines and Newage proudly holds the majority market share for transmission lines in Pakistan. Nheelam Jhelum and UCCH-Sibi transmission lines are some of the recent projects completed.
Moreover, Newage is the pioneer in low smoke zero halogen cables (lzsh), which we regularly export to the Middle East. Finally, we are proud to have the only LPCB (loss prevention certification board) certification in fire-resistant cables, which has helped increase our export sales; one such project is the Qatar rail, Doha.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF YOUR COMPANY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUR PRODUCTS IN PAKISTAN?
Newage Cables invests heavily in research and development to introduce cutting-edge products, which allow us to compete in foreign markets. As mentioned earlier, our company was the first to introduce LZSH cables in Pakistan; these cables are fire resistant in the event of a fire, making them a safer option. Newage has electrified projects like the Dolmen Mall Karachi, Tricon Tower, Arfah Karim Tower, and the new Islamabad International Airport with our LZSH cables.
Moreover, Newage is the first to achieve the TUV certification in solar cables (solar flex-x-pvi-F) that are insulated and sheathed with cross-linked polyolefin compounds. This is a better insulation material for the external environment as it is Ultra-violet resistant (UV resistant), weather-resistant, and has a better temperature range (-40 to 90-degree centigrade ambient temperature). They are low smoke and zero halogen with a short circuit rating of 250 degrees Celsius compared to PVC material’s 150 degrees Celsius.
WHAT IS THE KEY TO THE SUCCESS OF YOUR BRAND BECOMING A LEADING CABLE MANUFACTURER IN PAKISTAN? PLEASE TELL US ABOUT THE SUCCESS JOURNEY.
At Newage, we persistently strive towards value addition and take pride in our strong work ethic and long-term relationships. The majority of our clients have worked with us for 20-30 years and the company has always stood by them even during trying times. Additionally, backward integration has helped us become cost-effective.
We have a steel plant, two copper and two aluminum plants respectively, a PVC plant, and a chemical plant. This allows us to manufacture all major inputs in-house.
Furthermore, our company’s empathetic and motivating environment, and democratic leadership style, have helped us grow consistently.
TELL US ABOUT NEWAGE CABLES OPERATIONS IN PAKISTAN AND ALSO ABROAD IF YOU ARE EXPORTING YOUR PRODUCTS?
Newage regularly exports cables to Qatar, Afghanistan, and has recently expanded to Southern Africa as well. Our export planning division is constantly working to expand to other viable markets. Locally, the company is aggressively focusing on the retail/dealer network for growth.
AMONGST THE PRODUCT CATEGORIES OFFERED, WHICH OF THE PRODUCTS CONTRIBUTES THE MOST TO YOUR REVENUES AND WHY?
This is ever-changing. When the government spends more on transmission and distribution networks, our sales of aluminum conductors increase relative to other products; for instance from 2013-2017 the government heavily invested in building transmission lines.
However, since the last couple of years we are witnessing a huge increase in demand from the private side as more and more houses are being constructed, most of the industry is expanding due to incentives like TERF and the Naya Pakistan housing scheme which in turn increases the sale of copper low voltage and high voltage cables.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PRODUCTS AND GIVE SOLID REASONS THAT ARCHITECTS, ENGINEERS, BUILDERS, AND CONTRACTORS SHOULD USE YOUR CABLES, AND WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF USING NEWAGE CABLES?
Newage cables use the highest quality imported raw materials and have several international testing certifications. We are certified by several European labs like KEMA from Holland, LPCB(loss prevention certification board ) from the UK, TUV solar recognized by Austria, and VEIKI VNL from Hungary. We are also approved by Qatar civil defense.
We never compromise on safety and quality, which is why we have state-of-the-art machinery and testing equipment; the company is also setting up a new production facility that will set new benchmarks in quality and cost-effectiveness. This facility has been designed at par with global quality standards, and the factory has already been audited by some notable international clients.
Newage has been providing top-quality cables since its inception, which gives us 66 years of proven reliability. We are proud to have electrified mega projects like the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Dolmen mall Karachi, Tricon Tower Lahore, Arfah Karim tower, Bin Qasim power plant, DHA Multan, majority of DHA phases in Lahore, PKLI hospital DHA Lahore, Shaukat Khanum Peshawar, and the New Islamabad International Airport.
WE HAVE NOTICED WHENEVER A FIRE BREAKS OUT IN BUILDINGS THERE IS ALWAYS THE REASON GIVEN THAT DUE TO ELECTRICAL FAULTS AND SHORT CIRCUITS. WHAT ARE YOUR COMMENTS AND REASON FOR THE SHORT CIRCUIT?
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the following are the five most common causes of fire in commercial buildings: cooking equipment, heating equipment, electrical and lighting equipment, smoking materials, and arson.
Electricity carries inherent fire risk since old or defective wiring, overloading circuits, loose connections, faulty fuses, imbalanced electric loads can all lead to overheating or sparks that ignite a fire. As you may have observed most fires in Pakistan occur during early morning hours, which might suggest that factors other than short-circuiting or overloading were at play to cause the fire. At times the UPS can overheat and catch fire too. I would urge everyone to choose their electrical equipment including cables wisely and go for an established brand name.
PLEASE SHARE THE CHALLENGES FACED BY THE CABLE INDUSTRY IN PAKISTAN?
Some of the biggest challenges faced by our industry are Chinese imports, discriminatory policies by the government in favor of foreign contractors, power outages, limited supply of gas, the ever-increasing cost of doing business, and volatility of the Pakistani rupee.
The concessions given by Pakistan`s government to Chinese companies, due to CPEC, put the local manufacturers at a disadvantage as they do not allow for a level playing field, let alone protection of local manufacturers.
There is a 17% sales tax on products supplied by us, whereas if CPEC projects import cables then they are exempt from paying sales tax and customs duties. This means that CPEC projects would never choose locally manufactured products as it’s more cost-effective for them to import. Therefore, we demand that the local cable industry be given the facility to sell to CPEC projects on a zero-rated basis.
Furthermore, large Chinese contractors are working on mega projects in Pakistan and we are consistently seeing an influx of all kinds of Chinese cables, most of which can be easily produced locally. It is estimated that around 200 million USD worth of cables has been imported in the last five years. However, the cable industry in Pakistan is constantly engaging the customs department and the EDB to ensure proper duty structure on items that can be manufactured locally.
Another big issue is the instability of the Pakistani Rupee. Since most of the raw materials are imported, whenever there is an unexpected devaluation of our currency there is an increase in input costs. Lastly, unscheduled power outages, limited gas supply, and rising business costs all lower our efficiency and make it difficult to compete internationally.
IN YOUR OPINION WHAT SHOULD BE THE QUALITIES OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL DIRECTOR AND DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF SUCCESSFUL?
In my opinion, diversity of ideas and opinions makes us wiser, hence a good leader should respect alternative viewpoints. Secondly, one should have the ability to see the bigger picture and not sweat the small things.
Kindness and strong ethics go a long way. Having a strong sense of ethics enables a director to treat people with respect and in return receive it back.
Lastly, strong communication skills, diligence and persistence, and the ability to adapt are all common traits of a successful company director.
I try to follow these principles every day in my workplace and strive to always do better than before.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?
At Newage cables innovation, growth, and value addition for all stakeholders are our core mantras. Constant innovation and robust R&D are critical to staying relevant and competitive. It allows us to offer new higher quality products with improved cost-effectiveness. As a result of our customers always have a superior experience working with us. We also incorporate philanthropy in our growth plans. Every year we try to allocate higher budgets for various CSR activities and causes we strongly believe in; after all, one thing covid-19 has taught us is that humanity comes before all.
WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES AND WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR FREE TIME?
My family is very close-knit and I enjoy spending my free time with them and my friends. I also enjoy playing Polo when I get the time to do so.
