DIMO International Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dimo Auto Industries, recently exported a consignment of 50 buses to Nitol Group in Bangladesh. This initial export order is valued at roughly US 83 million. Dimo is expected to export an additional 100 buses, in two shipments of 50 buses each, by mid-September 1996.
The company’s export marketing strategy involves producing ‘tailor made’ bus bodies with regard to styling and technical specifications. As a result, DIMO has opened its own unique Prototype Development Centre in Biyagama, which will develop prototype buses for various lucrative export markets. This has been a good move, as the company has already got firm orders for prototyping from U.K., Singapore and Dubai, and this will provide them access to the benchmark markets in the Asian, Middle Eastern, and European regions.
The company is also closely working with Mercedes-Benz, which is currently engaged in formulating an integrated bus strategy for the Asian region. At a regional workshop on this subject held in Singapore in April, this year, DIMO also participated and was given a prominent role in connection with the future plans of Mercedes-Benz, to establish local bus body building facilities in order to achieve greater market potential for Mercedes-Benz chassis sales in all classes of buses.
