Managing Director of the BMTF Brigadier General Khan Md Nuruzzaman and PML's Managing Director Faisal Morshed Khan yesterday signed an agreement to that effect. For BMTF, an engineering enterprise of Bangladesh Army, the contract with the private company to assemble light and heavy vehicles on commercial basis is the first of its kind.

"The first unit of Nissan diesel vehicles will roll out within the next 10 to 15 days," Faisal said addressing the signing ceremony at the BMTF in Gazipur.

Initially, the PML will import vehicles like bus, mini bus and trucks as complete-knocked-down (CKD) kits for assembly at the BMTF, he said.

In the first phase, 32 vans in CKD and semi-knocked-down (SKD) forms will be delivered to the BMTF, the first machine tools factory in the country.

"Making use of the BMTF's capacity, we will be able to assemble 3,000 vehicles a year," said Faisal adding that it however depends on the market's demand.

An expert team of Nissan Diesel Motor Company Limited (NDMCL) of Japan has expressed satisfaction over quality and skills of the BMTF, he said. Nissan will provide BMTF with constant assistance including technical instructions to carry out the assembling process.

The PML, under its product diversification programme, plans to offer a wide range of light and heavy commercial vehicles including mini buses, buses, trucks, covered vans, long carriers, construction equipment carriers and heavy duty chassis under a dealership with NDMCL.

The PML, the sole distributor of Nissan and Subaru vehicles since 1967, also has aims to export to global market, Faisal said.

He said at present some 1500 to 2000 units of vehicles are imported from Japan every year.

The BMTF, once a state-owned enterprise, was established on 247 acres of land in the mid-1960s. It has been a profitable concern since it was handed over to Bangladesh Army in 2000. Under the army management it has been producing electric line hardware items, converting and assembling different kinds of military vehicles and making accessories for public and private industrial units.