Apparel Online Bangladesh Magazine November Issue 2018 | Page 15

LEAD STORY
So at a time when Bangladesh
is emerging as the most sought-
after sourcing destination (rising
wages and allied factors taking
the sheen off China) with leading
global management consulting firm
McKinsey terming it as the next
China (as per their assessment, the
RMG exports from Bangladesh could
reach as high as US $ 54 billion by
2020), branding would hold the key to
the country’s future.
But has Bangladesh really been
able to achieve anything substantial
towards building that brand image…
Unfortunately, most in the industry
do not seem to think so.
“Our industry now boasts of the
second highest number of green
factories globally besides the
numerous state-of the art and
compliant units. In the last five
years or so a lot has changed. After
the tragic Rana Plaza incident,
retailers were not keen to source
from Bangladesh but the country did
a miraculous turnaround to emerge
as one of the favourite sourcing
destinations for all the prominent
global brands and retailers. Today
we have the best of the factories,
strongest possible backward
linkages and abundant availability
of manpower. Despite these
advantages, we have not been able to
hold before the global community the
right image of the sector. In spite of
all these improvements that we have
achieved through hard work and
investment, we are still forced to play
the card of low-cost manufacturing
destination to bag orders..,” rues
Atiqul Islam, former President
of BGMEA and MD of Islam
Garments, speaking to Apparel
Online.
FA C T S H E E T
It is really unfortunate that
the country has not been able
to showcase the commitment
and resilience upheld by its
entrepreneurs to ensure a complete
turnaround of the garment sector, to
brand itself in the right perspective.
The former BGMEA head further
alleges that Bangladesh also faces
massive discrimination in terms
of pricing vis-à-vis many of its
neighbours in the subcontinent
due to lack of branding. “Buyers in
general pay roughly 20-25 per cent
more for products sourced from
countries like India and Sri Lanka
as compared to Bangladesh for
similar product categories which is
because Sri Lanka and India have
been successful in building their
brand image and have positioned
themselves accordingly to leverage
the benefits,” explains Atiqul.
Employing around 19,000 employees,
Islam Garments is a vertically
integrated garment manufacturer
which caters to a wide range of
clientele globally in an equally
diverse array of product offerings.
With monthly weaving, dyeing,
printing, knitting and washing
capacity of 7,80,000 metres, 13,00,000
metres, 9,10,000 metres, 600 tonnes
and 13,00,000 pieces respectively,
Mahmud Hasan Khan (Babu), Managing Director of Rising Group and Vice President of BGMEA
Bangladesh now
boasts of the
second highest
number of green
factories globally
besides the
numerous state-
of-the-art and
compliant units.
At individual level,
some companies
have successfully
built their brand
images and are
also reaping
its benefits but
the country as
a whole is still
lacking in building
a strong image
and projecting
itself in the right
perspective.
Islam Garment produces around
9,46,400 pieces of woven tops,
12,00,000 pieces of woven bottoms
and 24,44,000 pieces of knitwear
(Tee/Polo Shirts) every month
for names like Lidl, next, Zara,
Carrefour, Walmart, s.Oliver, Esprit,
H&M, C&A, etc.
Atiqul is not the lone voice in the
industry; there are many more that
have to face the consequences of lack
of brand building. Rising Group with
its very own yarn, spinning, fabrics,
knitting, dyeing and finishing
facilities is one such name.
“At individual level, some companies
have successfully built their brand
images and are also reaping its
benefits but the country as a whole
is still lacking in building a strong
image and projecting itself in the
right perspective. We have been
partially successful in changing the
mindset of people that Bangladesh
is no longer an impoverished and
disaster-prone nation. Having done
that, I think the time has come
to take the next step and build a
positive image of the country as a
manufacturing powerhouse which
can do any product no matter how
complicated…,” suggests Mahmud
Hasan Khan (Babu), Managing
Director of Rising Group and Vice
President of BGMEA.
Being considered as a cheap
manufacturing destination amongst
the global buyers, is significantly
impacting the garment exporters,
Mahmud maintaines. “If you consider
Inamul Haq Khan (Bablu) (left), Managing Director of Ananta Companies & Director BGMEA with his brother and
Chairman Amin Khan. Standing behind is Sumaiya Amreen Khan, Director of Ananta Companies
www.apparelresources.com | November 2018 | Apparel Online Bangladesh
15