Beximco’s Innovative Composite Fiberglass Smart Cylinders transform Bangladesh’s LPG energy sector.
Beximco’s liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) business has been leveraging technology to accelerate the country’s transition into more sustainable energy systems. The company’s innovative LPG solutions provide a safe, reliable and environment-friendly energy source to meet the everyday needs of the country’s population of more than 160 million. More recently, the company became the first LPG Operator in Bangladesh to start exporting LPG to India.
“We are proud that the combination of our downstream value chain and customer insights, together with our unparalleled strength and the expertise of our team, positions us to potentially become the largest downstream oil and gas company in Bangladesh,” says Shayan F. Rahman, Chairman of Beximco LPG. “We’re not just focused on the development of the critical infrastructure related to storage, bottling and distribution. We also have strong emphasis on establishing a differentiated position with our smart LPG solutions to make us the consumers’ preferred provider.”
Safer Fuel For Households The company was the first to introduce and is the only exclusive provider of fiber glass composite LPG cylinders in Bangladesh. These innovative cylinders are explosion proof, light weight, translucent and has a longer lifespan compared to traditional steel cylinders.
Such innovations help developing nations like Bangladesh to switch from using dangerous fuels such as coal and kerosene to LPG for household activities such as cooking. In such markets, individuals often have to physically carry heavy steel LPG cylinders across difficult terrain over long distances, making the task extremely challenging.
Beximco’s next-generation cylinders are very popular among consumers in Bangladesh. The company distributed a record of more than 1 million composite cylinders in the past 12 months. To date, the company has distributed more than 2 million composite cylinders, providing a safe environment to thousands of households and industries including hotels, restaurants and cafes across the country.
The company has also worked to ensure that this safe product is readily available to consumers through a robust distribution network that features home delivery and emphasizes rapid digital evolution through the establishment of an integrated e-commerce platform for convenient and timely purchases.
“Our key competitive advantage has always been to be on the leading edge of the innovation curve, and be able to deliver the greatest possible value and experience to our customers,” says Mrinal Roy, CEO of Beximco LPG. “The Beximco Smart Cylinder™ technology is far more cutting-edge as compared to the traditional steel cylinders.”
As a testament to its success in innovating, Beximco LPG was named “Master of Reinvention” by Bangladesh Brand Forum in 2019 for introducing composite cylinders and making homes safer.
Cleaner Fuel For Automobiles Beximco also provides greener energy solutions for automobiles through autogas, a cleaner LPG alternative to petrol. Many developed countries such as Italy, South Korea and Japan have programs for conversion of private cars, taxis and other light duty vehicles to autogas as it is more economical, safer and eco-friendly.
In the long run, LPG is a more cost-effective solution that will allow users to travel a far greater distance compared to conventional compressed natural gas. Vehicles using LPG also produce much lower carbon dioxide emissions compared to traditional fuels. Today, Beximco LPG is licensed to operate over 500 autogas filling stations throughout the country. It also runs facilities that convert petrol cars into autogas-fed vehicles.
Driving Bangladesh’s Development
Home to more than 35 million households, Bangladesh is one of Asia’s fastest growing frontier markets. As the country diversifies its energy sources with development of cleaner fuels such as LPG and liquefied natural gas, Beximco is on a mission to establish a downstream network that ensures the nationwide availability of LPG and encourages more households to use LPG to improve their standard of living and well-being.
In support of its mission, Beximco continues to rapidly expand its LPG storage and bottling plant capacity, while scaling its distribution network and other associated infrastructure. The company also continues to develop effective strategies to accelerate the adoption of the Beximco Smart Cylinder™ by making it more accessible and affordable to all Bangladeshis.