Mr. Aamir Atta Barry, MD, Haseen Habib Corporation
Exclusive discussion with Engineering Post
Managing Director (MD) of Haseen Habib Corporation Mr. Aamir Ata Barry while talking exclusively to Engineering Post said that “In the last 5 years the firefighting market has seen double digit growth mainly because of increased awareness about the hazards of fire damage. We are currently focusing on increasing our exports to contribute positively towards the economy of Pakistan.”
Haseen Habib Corporation is a private limited company and a member of the Barry Group of Companies, specialising in manufacturing and trading of firefighting, safety and security equipment, systems and services. The company was established in 1965 and was the only company manufacturing firefighting equipment at that time in Pakistan. The company focuses on extensive internal training of employees to produce skilled workforce.
Currently Haseen Habib Corporation offers the complete range of firefighting equipment from fire extinguishers to firefighting trucks. The company is involved in manufacturing, trading (Import/Export), contracting and provision of fire safety services. The company is expanding internationally with an office in USA and Middle East. A project of Saudi Air force is also being managed by the Haseen Habib Corporation.
A very serious concern regarding firefighting industry in Pakistan is that there is no regulating body available in the country. Consequently the local companies have to get their products certified by flying in the experts from abroad which in total, costs upwards of thousands of dollars. Mr Aamir while commenting on the subject said “Our main competitors India and China do not have to face such issues. We have to pay more than 10 times for certification of our products”
Mr. Aamir Barry said that substandard equipment being imported from overseas is a serious fire safety hazard in Pakistan. In pursuit of cost cutting the manufacturers use defective low quality material, making the equipment another hazard itself. “It is in a way like medicine. It has to work when required,” he said. As part of social responsibility Haseen Habib Corporation also trains children in schools by arranging training sessions and mock fire drills to share the hazards of fire and what to do in case of a fire.
In Pakistan the main issue is that the laws are present but there is no follow up on implementation. As an example currently fire alarm systems have been made mandatory in buildings by law in few parts of the country but 90 percent of these systems are not functional. Mr. Aamir shared his views saying “People install fire safety equipment to qualify for insurance and to comply with laws but there is no maintenance of that equipment. Consequently that equipment fails to perform in case of an emergency which is a huge safety hazard,”
When asked about the secret behind the massive success of the company he commented,” I believe the key ingredient is Honesty. It is easy to make money but making a name in the market can take decades of hard and principled work,” he added.
