Nur Uddin’s inspiring journey: From cable trader to award-winning metal exporter

Md Nur Uddin embarked on his entrepreneurial journey as a cable trader at the age of 22, right after completing his college education in 2002. With a Tk2 lakh investment from his father, also a cable trader, he established his own shop in the Sagorika Road area of the port city of Chattogram. His initial venture involved trading used cables sourced from ships dismantled along the coast of Sitakunda.

In 2007, five years into the cable trading business, a significant breakthrough occurred when he secured a buyer from Taiwan. This marked the commencement of his venture into metal exports, with the first consignment consisting mainly of scrap copper cables sent to Taiwan. The success of this endeavour propelled Nur Uddin into the realm of collecting various scrap metals from the ship-breaking yard in Sitakunda and exporting them to different countries.

Over the past 16 years, from 2007 to 2023, Nur Uddin has evolved into one of the country's largest metal exporters. Recently, his company, NR Trade International, was honoured with the prestigious "National Export Gold Trophy" for exporting the highest amount of metals, worth around $30 million, during the fiscal 2020-21. The trophy was presented by Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi on 8 November this year.

Beyond establishing himself as a leading metal exporter, Nur Uddin diversified his business by investing in ship recycling and the garment accessories industry. His company, NR Group, now has seven concerns, including three ship recycling yards, collectively employing more than 500 people.

Reflecting on his journey, Nur Uddin acknowledged the challenges of transitioning from a cable trader to an award-winning exporter. He shared with The Business Standard, "When I started the business at a very early age, I hardly knew about metals apart from copper. It took years to learn about the different types of metals and their grades."

"Initially, I used to supply scrap copper to different buyers in Dhaka who would offer low rates. Later, I established links with cable factories and started supplying copper directly to them, yielding a substantial amount of profit. At that time, I did not know that scrap metals could also be exported to different countries," he recounted.

The turning point came in 2007 when Nur Uddin met a metal buyer from Taiwan and exported a 20-tonne container of scrap copper. Subsequently, his brother joined the business, and together they expanded their exports to include propellers of scrap ships, brass, stainless steel, bronze, and aluminium.

During the initial stages of their exporting career, they did not have bargaining capacity for fair pricing due to their lack of knowledge about metal grades and international market demands. They had to export products to Indian buyers without any price negotiation. Recognising this, they began grading metals and sought different international buyers for various metal grades. At present, they export graded metals with a 100% purity guarantee to countries such as China, Japan, Spain, Philippines, Korea, Belgium, India, and many others.

Talking to TBS, Nur Uddin highlighted the difficulties he faced during exports, particularly the complications with the consignment at the customs. Despite contributing to the national economy by bringing in foreign currency through the export of low-consumption scrap metals, they often felt overlooked and occasionally harassed.

Discussing the potential of the metal exporting sector, Nur Uddin said that currently, metals worth $200 to $300 million are exported from the country every year. With proper policy and logistic support from the government, he believes this figure could double in a very short time, providing a significant source of foreign currency.

To enhance the sector's capabilities, Nur Uddin emphasises the need for industrial gas and electricity connections for factories to melt and grade metal, producing ingots with higher value in the international market. Such facilities, he argued, would not only create employment opportunities but also add value to the local economy.

Alongside the ship recycling industry, Nur Uddin's NR Group has invested in the garment accessories market as well, a cent percent export-oriented venture. He urged young entrepreneurs in the country to explore new products for export, emphasising their role in strengthening the country's economy through foreign currency earnings.