In Memoriam – Lt. Col. (Retd) Enamul Huq
It was with great sadness that we received the news of the passing away of Lt.Col. (Retd) Enamul Huq, our long term partner, agent and friend on the 22nd of July. A great visionary, entrepreneur and founder & managing director of Maple Leaf International is no longer with us.
I clearly remember our first contact in January 2003. After E-Crane delivered the first machine to Hyundai Cement in September 2001 Colonel Huq immediately saw the great potential for the E-Crane solutions in the local market and got in touch. After having a number of phone calls in January we met for the first time in Dhaka in February 2003 and decided on Maple Leaf International becoming E-Crane’s agent for a one year trial period. This soon changed into a more permanent arrangement when in September of that same year we sold our first joint E-Crane to Sk. Bashir Uddin of Akij Cement, who remains a loyal E-Crane partner to this day and is now active in the ceramics industry, again using E-Crane for his raw materials unloading.
In 2005 our next successes were the sale of two cranes to Abdul Monem and City Group, followed in 2007 by the first multiple crane order when Meghna Group’s Chairman Mostafa Kamal decided to procure two E-Cranes for his cement and flour mills.
The first few years of our cooperation were very labour intensive and we made a large number of visits to meet with all potential E-Crane users (both to their HQ’s as well as all production sites around the country). Mr. Huq’s contacts with all important players in the industry were instrumental to the sales process. His presence opened doors that at that moment would otherwise have remained closed. Crane sales required multiple site visits and rounds of negotiation to convince clients that E-Crane and Maple Leaf International could provide the best solutions for their raw materials unloading. Mr. Huq always continued to follow up no matter how difficult a project was, and this approach certainly paid off.
By 2010 we had successfully delivered a total of 15E-Cranes to Bangladesh. Now, in 2023, we are rapidly approaching the 100th unit mark and it fills our hearts with sadness that Mr. Huq will not be there to celebrate this joyous occasion together with us. Without his notable contributions reaching this milestone would not have been possible.
In the meantime Mr. Huq had also built a strong dedicated service team with factory trained service engineers taking care of the ever growing E-Crane population. Next to after sales service MLI shortly after started to perform new crane commissioning with remote support from the E-Crane service department. The team was (and is) available 24/7 to all end users in case support is needed. Offering the best after sales service was something Mr. Huq was extremely proud of and he always told his team: ‘all E-Cranes in Bangladesh have to be operational at all times’, an approach that still pays off today and is not matched by any other equipment supplier in Bangladesh. Until today all E-Cranes ever delivered to Bangladesh continue to be fully operational, even if delivered over 20 years ago.
I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Huq in the hospital during my last visit to Dhaka last month. Even though his health at the time was very fragile, we still hoped that he would make a full recovery. Unfortunately this was not meant to be.
I will always fondly remember our joint voyage and memories in Bangladesh and wish Mrs. Huq, his family, colleagues and friends a lot of strength in the difficult times ahead.
For myself Bangladesh certainly will be a different place without Mr. Huq receiving me at Dhaka airport, no matter what time of the day my flight would be arriving. Mr. Huq, thank you for our collaboration, partnership and friendship. You will always be remembered as the person who made E-Crane the #1 brand for bulk material handling in Bangladesh. Rest in peace.
On behalf of all at E-Crane,
Bas Tolhuizen Director – E-Crane International Asia
