Walton key to Bangladesh’s 4IR push: Minister

Bangladesh needs to accelerate the growth of technology-driven industries such as Walton to strengthen its industrial base and compete in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), Social Welfare Minister Prof Dr AZM Zahid Hossain said. He made the remarks during a visit to Walton Headquarters in Chandra, Gazipur, on Tuesday evening, according to a press release.
The minister toured Walton’s manufacturing facilities, seeing the production of refrigerators, televisions, laptops, tablets and other electronics and electrical products. He also visited its PCB and motherboard plant equipped with Surface Mount Technology (SMT) machines.
He inspected Walton’s floating solar power plant and was briefed on its manufacturing, quality control, research and development and export activities.
Zahid Hossain said his view of Walton had changed after seeing its operations first-hand.
“I used to think Walton perhaps only assembled or reassembled products. But after visiting the factory today, my perception has completely changed,” he said.
He welcomed the company’s use of renewable energy and environmentally sustainable production practices. “Bangladesh has reached a certain level of advancement in agriculture and the ready-made garment sector. To move forward in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, we now need to accelerate the growth of technology-driven industries like Walton,” he said.
The minister said stronger local industries could create jobs and reduce the country’s dependence on imports.
He said the FY27 national budget included tax and policy support for domestic industries and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting their growth.