Ghulam Muhammad A. Fecto
Ghulam Muhammad Adamjee Fecto, the Founder and Chairman of FECTO Group of Industries was born in 1926 at Jetpur, in the Indian state of Gujarat, into a Memon family.[1] In Mumbai he started business from a small shoe shop. The shop is still there with the same name of Coronation Footwear at Grand Road. He migrated from Mumbai to Dhaka in former East Pakistan and started a trading business dealing in electrical goods and home appliances, Radios and TVs, Wire & Cable and Automobiles. Shortly afterwards, the business entered a joint venture with Japan to manufacture Toshiba radio sets. The company was a pioneer in setting up technical collaboration with Japan.
The business soon expanded and industrial activities commenced in the western wing of Pakistan, where he secured the agency of tractors. In fact, the Group’s pace of development was so fast that it soon flowered into two Sugar Mills, a Tractor Plant, Cement Plant, two Paper Sack Units, Particle and MDF Board Plant.
From 1970 onwards, the group has diversified its activities form trading to industrial production. This started with the acquisition of Adamjee now Fecto Sugar Mills Limited in early 1975, followed by the establishment of another sugar mills in 1978. Bolstered by its initial successes, the group ventured into progressive manufacturing of agricultural tractors and farm equipment including agricultural implements of various types. This was the occasion of the opening of his tractor company which was performed by President General Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq. Later he established a most modern and pollution-free cement plant.
He became President of All Pakistan Memon Federation. Within three days of his election, on 7 March, in Lahore at a public function he announced a donation of Rs. 5 million on behalf of the Fecto Group to establish a polytechnic institute and an institute for the invalid and mentally retarded children.
He died peacefully on Friday, April 20, 2007, at 11:20 pm, in Karachi.