‘Pakistan a huge market for fast moving consumer goods business’  Salman SiddiquiThursday, July 28, 2011 From Print Edition    New    0    0    0

 KARACHI: Pakistan, in spite of the economic, political, and social challenges remains a lucrative market for the fast moving consumer goods’ business. “Pakistan with its population of 180 million people, is a very important and strategic country for my company,” said Yassin Omer Al Attas, External Relations Director for Middle East & Pakistan at Procter & Gamble at an exclusive talk with The News International. There are challenges in Pakistan like in any other country, he said. More importantly, it is offering huge market for fast moving consumer goods like detergent, soap, shampoo, and diaper, with growing population, wide base of consumers and natural resources, Attas said. He elaborated that there are 10 million babies of the age of using diaper in the country; over 100 million persons are just 24 years old, while 70 million people are living in urban centres. “This is all what a fast moving consumer goods’ company eyes for.” Procter & Gamble, a global company selling over 300 brands in 180 counties for the last 170 years now, introduced its first international brand in the category of shampoos in 1991 in Pakistan. Over the last two decades, the Company has introduced eight brands in different categories of fast moving consumers’ goods in Pakistan. Besides, it is running two manufacturing plants in the country as well. The second detergent manufacturing plant at Port Qasim was inaugurated about six-month back. Attas, who joined P&G six-month after the commencement of Company’s operations in Pakistan, said that detergent plant was constructed only on 25 percent area of 50,000 square meter land acquired at Port Qasim. The Company may erect new plants on the empty plot as per future demands, he said, but denied to comment on future plans under the Company’s policy. “We are selling over 300 brands across the world, but 23 of them are one billion dollar brands each,” he said, adding that majority of the brands available in Pakistan are billion-dollar market leaders. He said that the company is serving around 4.2 billion consumers everyday across the world and aims to touch and improve lives of about five billion consumers in a day by the years 2015/16. The world’s population is now more than 6.8 billion and continues to grow by 83 million people per year. He said that the Company spends a lot to know the need of the consumers and understand their demand. “Consumers seek goods, which give them quality, satisfaction and affordability at first use,” he said. If a person finds such properties, then the availability of those products in the market becomes more important than ever to win the loyalty of consumers for the brands. “This is all about our strategy to win the hearts and minds of consumers with an aim to improve their lives,” he said, adding that Company tries its best to make consumers’ life simpler, easier and meaningful through its brands.

 He said that the rural economy in Pakistan is growing stronger, and the Company is designing some products keeping in mind the consumers’ demands. “We are expanding our coverage with the passage of time. And as soon as rural areas get more developed and more infrastructure is put in place there, it will make expanding business easier,” he said. So far all the products available to the urban people, are also available to rural ones as well, he said. P&G does not only improves lives of its consumers through selling brands, it is also actively involved in improving the lives of deprived communities. “The Company has so far taken care of 21-22 million people in Pakistan under its social corporate responsibility (CSR), which is almost 10 percent of 200 million people across the world.” The Company is running a CSR program named Live, Learn and Thrive (LLT). Under this program, the Company tries to save people from diseases, give them formal and informal education, and provide skills so that they would be preferred for the future.  

Ikram ul Haq As per my calculations and data in Pakistan market diaper consumption is 466400 cartons per month and 5596800 cartons per year. If we consider 192 units per carton (Standard) then its exact number is 1074 million units diaper. In which following categories are included. 1) Import (P&G, Ontex, Other Mass Brands) 2) Local Manufacturers (13 numbers) 3) Private Label Brands. I am confident about my sources and data. So if someone deny this, I will welcome him on table. Thanks. Ikram 0092 347 7170000 less4h ago

The Single Most Essential Building Block of SuccessJuly 29, 2013  24,650 326Likers 79Comments

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There is this one question. This one ultimate question. One question we all ask ourselves. Some of us on a more frequent basis. Others only from time to time. Some of us acknowledge doing so. Others pretend they do not care. Still, we all ask it:

Which is THE fundamental building block of success? 

What is it that makes an organization or a person succeed whilst others fail? What do we need to carry with and in us that enables us to win the race, to achieve something in the best possible way, to go on when others have already given up, to see the big picture and not to sweat the small stuff, to be inspirational and not to become sarcastic and destructive, to grow and to enjoy and not to regret and to complain?

A myriad of excellent books and articles have been written on this exciting topic. Three of them I´d like to shortly highlight: 

What we can learn from “visionary“ Companies

In Built to Last Collins and Porras - based upon a six-year research project – identified the following six timeless fundamentals of the so-called visionary, and as such successful companies: Make the company itself the ultimate product, Build the company around a core ideology, Build a cult-like culture, Homegrow your management, Stimulate growth through big goals (BHAGs), Embrace the “genius of the and.“

What we can learn from “Top“ Leaders

Lessons from the Top, written by T. Neff and J. Citrin, describes what makes a great business leader. What qualities do the men and women at the top of the world's best-run companies have in common? The result is a broad and consistent palette of personalities and philosophies that the authors synthesize into 10 common traits (passion, intelligence, communication skill, high energy, controlled ego, inner peace, a defining background, strong family life, positive attitude, and a focus on "doing the right things right") and six core principles (live with integrity, develop a winning strategy, build a great management team, inspire employees, create a flexible organization, and implement relevant systems).

What we can learn from our “Mindset“

In Mindset, Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck explains why it’s not just our abilities and talent that bring us success, but whether we approach them with a fixed or growth mindset. She makes clear why praising intelligence and ability doesn’t foster self-esteem and lead to accomplishment, but may actually jeopardize success. With the right mindset, we can motivate others, as well as reach our own professional and personal goals.

The good news, says Dweck, is that mindsets are not set: at any time, you can learn to use a growth mindset to achieve success and happiness. Her overall assertion that rigid thinking benefits no one, least of all yourself, and that a change of mind is always possible, is welcome. 

Resilience - The fundamental Building Block of Success

According to my experience the primary difference between winners and losers is how they handle set backs and and how they cope with losing. Without a doubt, even the strongest, most clever, and most competent ones among us stumble from time to time and do not succeed. Some of these challenges might be relatively minor. Others might be much larger in scale.

The real skill, and as such the main building block of success, is getting back on track again after difficult experiences and loses, and not giving up. Instead bouncing back into the original, or even into a stronger position than before.In psychology this characteristic is called resilience: “An individual's tendency to cope with stress and adversity. This coping may result in the individual "bouncing back" to a previous state of normal functioning, or simply not showing negative effects."

Resilience, however, is not a silver bullet which automatically eliminates all problems of someone. It gives people the strength to directly face problems, to overcome adversity and to move on with their lives. (e.g. after a personal loss, sickness, nature catastrophe, etc.). People are able to marshal the strength to not just survive, but to prosper.

Ten Ways to become more resilient

There are people who naturally possess certain personality traits that assist them coping with setbacks and bringing them quickly back on a good track. Today we know that many of these skills can be learned and trained by anyone. As such they will help you to tackle past or upcoming problems head-on and to become more successful. 

1. Understand that Setbacks are Part of LifeLife is not always cozy and fun. It is also characterized by complexity and challenges. They belong to life like the night is part of the day. Without night there would be no day. Without pain there would be no joy. While we often cannot avoid all the problems, we can choose to stay flexible, open-minded, and determined to succeed.

2. Be aware of Yourself and the EnvironmentResilient people are aware of themselves, the environment, and their own emotional reactions to those around them. They have understood the importance of evaluating the reasons of their feelings by constantly observing themselves. This enables them to take control of the situation and to develop various options of behaving and acting. 

3. Believe and know that You are in ControlIf you are a resilient person, then you have a so-called Internal Locus of Control. You believe that you can control your life, you do not believe that you are defined by external factors which you can´t control. Instead, you feel that you have the power to make choices and take actions that will affect your success rate.

4. Become a Solution ThinkerWhen a difficult situation arises, resilient people would always think of solutions. They would act calmly, would review holistically the task at hand, and would be able to spot possible solutions. If not, they would envision them. Next time you encounter a new challenge, make a quick list of some of the potential ways you could solve it. Experiment with different strategies and focus on developing a logical way to work through it.

5. Believe in YourselfYou are unique. You are beautiful. You have proven already so often in life that you are an achiever. Remind yourself of your strengths and accomplishments. Believe in yourself and become more confident about your own abilities and strengths.

6. Set Goals and define manageable MilestonesDifficult situations can be extremely daunting. Resilient people are able to view these situations in a realistic way, and then set reasonable goals to deal with the problem. When you find yourself becoming overwhelmed by a situation, take a step back to simply assess what is before you. Brainstorm possible solutions, and then break them down into

manageable steps. Be willing to adapt, if necessary. Remain flexible and embrace change. 

7. Stay optimisticKeeping a hopeful attitude during turbulent times is another key part of resilience. This does not mean ignoring problems at hand in order to focus on positive outcomes. It means understanding that setbacks are transient and that you have the skills and abilities to combat the challenges you face. What you are dealing with may be difficult, but it is important to remain hopeful and positive about a brighter future. View yourself as winner, not as a loser.

8. Be brave and ask for HelpResilient people are mature enough to admit that they can´t know everything. They are also strong enough to admit, if they feel that their energy level is going down and that they need to re-charge their batteries by receiving outside know-how, advice, support, etc. from any potential source of assistance. In this respect it helps if you have a good social network. If you can exchange with family, friends, or colleagues in order to gain new perspectives and/ or motivation.

9. Take it easyEven the best among us will not be able to achieve everything. Even if they are properly prepared, have done their homework, can rely on an excellent support network, are super optimistic, and absolutely committed. There are still factors outside of our control. And, most importantly, often things just need time to evolve and to develop. Resilient people understand that sometimes the best recipe of success is to step back and to wait. They know that patience often pays off. They do not get stressed out in such situations. Rather they relax, re-focus on themselves and getting ready for possible next steps. 

10. Nurture YourselfWhen you're stressed, it can be all too easy to neglect your own needs. Losing your appetite, ignoring exercise, and not getting enough sleep are all common reactions to a crisis situation. Focus on building your self-nurture skills, even when you are troubled. Make time for activities that you enjoy. By taking care of your own needs, you can boost your overall health and resilience and be fully ready to face life's challenges.

What do you think? What is your opinion about resilience? What is your recipe of success? What do you think is the ultimate characteristic of successful people?

Looking forward very much to hearing from you.

Best,

Andreas von der Heydt

Carlos Richer (cricher@richernet.com) Thank you Adnan, I was expecting a higher number, I seem to agree with Ikram numbers. Thank you for sharing.2h ago