Deli ACI to start stationery production next year

Deli ACI Bangladesh Ltd, a joint venture between Chinese stationery maker Deli Group and ACI Bangladesh, plans to start manufacturing stationery products locally by the end of 2027.

The company will import machinery and other equipment to set up a factory at the BSCIC Industrial Estate in Tongi, Gazipur, officials familiar with the matter confirmed to The Daily Star.

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The move aims to reduce the company’s reliance on finished goods imported from China as the joint venture establishes a manufacturing base in Bangladesh.

Initially, the venture will manufacture writing instruments before expanding into exercise books, notebooks, diaries, drawing books, calculators and other stationery products, the officials said.

ACI sees stationery as a relatively resilient market, they said, supported by Bangladesh’s large young population and steady demand from schools, colleges and offices.

“We have a plan to localise because this is the starting point,” said KM Arifur Rahman, business manager of ACI Edulink, an ACI concern.

Deli ACI currently imports finished Deli products from China. Under the manufacturing plan, Deli Group will provide the technology, while the joint venture will source raw materials from different countries depending on availability and cost.

Officials expect the shift to reduce the company’s dependence on imported finished products. They, however, noted that the company does not plan to immediately make the entire production chain local.

ACI has not disclosed how much of each product’s inputs will eventually be sourced from Bangladesh.

The company also does not initially plan to manufacture paper. It intends to buy paper from local manufacturers for exercise books, notebooks and other paper-based products.

ACI sees scope for expansion in Bangladesh’s stationery market, which it estimates at around Tk 12,000 crore. The market has grown by about 8 percent annually over the past five years, Arifur said.

Paper-based products account for Tk 7,500 crore to Tk 8,000 crore of the market, while school and office stationery account for another Tk 4,000 crore, according to company estimates. The calculator market alone is worth more than Tk 1,000 crore, ACI estimates.

The market potential was one of the reasons for the partnership, said ACI Executive Director and COO Md Quamrul Hassan.

ACI aims to make Deli Bangladesh’s number one stationery brand within five years, he said.

Major local stationery players include Matador, Fresh, Bashundhara and RFL. International brands such as Pilot and Parker are also present, although ACI says they mainly operate through third parties rather than local manufacturing entities.

ACI’s board approved the formation of the joint venture with Deli at a meeting on April 29, 2026, according to a Dhaka Stock Exchange filing.

Deli ACI Bangladesh has an authorised capital of Tk 100 crore and a paid-up capital of Tk 27 crore. ACI holds 50 percent of the shares, subject to approval from the concerned authority.

The two companies signed the joint-venture agreement in June, Arifur said. Company officials said the venture plans to invest Tk 100 crore in the business.

However, the Tk 100 crore authorised capital is the maximum share capital the company is permitted to issue and does not represent the amount already invested.

The venture has already created around 300 direct jobs, mainly in sales. Employment could rise to 700-800 as manufacturing and distribution expand, while more than 1,000 jobs could potentially be generated when partner factories and distribution activities are included, according to company officials.