Naspro: A disinfecting company that turned into a car servicing company
From two to three cars a week, Naspro currently manages nearly 600 clients per month with 15 staff members
These days, urban residents do not only seek essentials, they also seek 'convenience' in the name of additional amenities. For example, when buying apartments, they look for community halls, in-house gyms, mosques etc. Similarly, more shoppers are drawn to malls that offer movie theatres, food courts etc.
Embracing the concept of offering multiple services under one roof, Naspro Auto Detailing embarked on its journey in 2020 and proudly stands as the country's first express cleaning and detailing service centre for cars.
If you've strolled through the parking lot of Unimart Gulshan 2, chances are this service centre has captured your attention. Tucked away in a corner, diligently washing cars, it almost resembles a scene from an episode of the animated series 'Noddy, Toyland Detective'.
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Although Naspro is a walk-in car washing service, most slots are booked by prior appointments. The Business Standard recently sat with the Naspro team to learn more about their successful journey.
Evolving into Naspro
Kazi Mominuddin Ahmed - the Managing Director of Nash Companies Ltd and the CEO of Nash Professional Cleaning and Naspro Auto Detailing - always had an entrepreneurial spirit. After finishing his graduation from the University of Toronto, he started exploring business opportunities with some of his school friends.
Their entrepreneurial journey began with the establishment of the restaurant 'Punjab Kitchen' at Chef's Table Courtside in 2019. Expanding their horizons, they introduced a catering service called 'Daily Meals', catering to clients at the United International University and United Hospital.
In mid-2020, during the peak pandemic period, they initiated Disinfection BD in the parking lot of Unimart Gulshan 2, initially focusing on car disinfection services. From only two staff members, they gradually began catering to foreign customers, ambassadors and selected hotels.
As the impact of Covid-19 softened and the demand for disinfection services waned, they rebranded the business as Naspro.
"None of us is from an automobile engineering background. We had no expertise in this field, but we had an idea about the market and the convenience the city dwellers sought. It was a pilot project that worked out brilliantly. I first encountered such a platform for car washing in France and wanted to introduce it in Bangladesh," said Kazi.
He took the initiative to learn more about the industry and did some online courses. Soon, he started educating his staff via online training and relaunched his company.
From two to three cars a week, Naspro currently manages nearly 600 clients per month with 15 staff members.
Their range of services now includes car wash and wax, car polish, detailing, and various maintenance services. In 2022, they introduced mechanical services, including oil changing, tyre changing, brake fluid changing etc.
In Naspro's initial phase, most of the cars they serviced were self-driven. However, now it caters to a significant number of chauffeur-driven cars, indicating higher trust among owners. Approximately 40% of their clientele comprises chauffeur-driven cars.
On their growing demand, Kazi said, "it's the taste of convenience and quality service that get us so many recurring clients. For people living in Gulshan, to avail the same services we give, they need to send their cars to Mohakhali or Pragati Sarani and wait for hours. Sometimes, it becomes a day-long task. Meanwhile, at Naspro, they leave the car in safe hands while they shop and eat in peace. Our motto is to give any car service within 30 minutes."
The services are categorised into two sections - express and premium. The express car wash (25 minutes) costs Tk600, whereas the premium (75 minutes, Interior + Exterior) is priced at Tk1,400. Prices are subject to the car type, though. Their ceramic coating and nano polishing service are also quite popular.
Future plans
In Kazi's eyes, everything has worked out in the favour of the company so far. However, the major challenge Naspro is facing now is space limitation.
As they are located at one of the city's busiest parking lots, the space they have to themselves is limited.
The allotted area allows them to cater to only four cars simultaneously - one in the wash booth and three for dry wash. But they keep getting requests for more cars.
Naspro aspires to branch out soon, but when it comes to location, they are extremely picky.
"A lot of entities reached out to us for collaboration. But location is the most strategic part of our business so we want to be very selective. Moreover, we want to scale up on our own," Kazi shared with us.
Naspro has authorised dealerships with international brands including Petronas Syntium Mobil 1, Shell, Caltex Havoline, Denso, PIAA, Brembo, Denckermann, and 3M. All the products they use for servicing are imported and authorised.
