When Mian Mohammad Din from Gujranwala made Pakistan’s first local washing machine almost 40 years ago, he didn’t have the slightest idea that his product would rapidly change his family’s fortune. It did.
Din’s used to manufacture kitchenware — metal glasses, etc — before he came up with his washing machine.
The washing machine that hit the markets in 1975 remains the family’s emblem and has contributed to Gujranwala’s reputation as an industrial town that offers aspirants immense possibilities.
Out of that washing machine has emerged one of the country’s largest home appliances brands — Super Asia — which holds almost one-third of the market share in this segment despite the growing competition from local and Chinese rivals.
The demand for home appliances was soaring at that time owing to a significant growth in the disposable income of middle-class households from rising overseas remittances, especially from the Middle East.
Today, Super Asia makes one of the the widest range of home appliances, including room air coolers, gas and electric water heaters, water dispensers, fans, microwave ovens, air conditioners, gas stoves etc. Later in the 2000s, the company’s management expanded into manufacturing motorcycles, CNG auto-rickshaws, insulation and packing material, and auto parts.
The group’s annual sales turnover, including exports of Rs350m, is around Rs2bn.
