As major clothing retailers and brands in the EU and the US reopen, there has been an increase, although on a limited scale, in the influx of labor orders into garment factories in Bangladesh. Most local factory owners operate at a capacity of 80 per cent as customers return with job orders. Large units received a handsome volume of work orders, but the small and medium-sized apparel businesses in the country are still suffering. Compared to last year, there is an almost 30 per cent difference in obtaining work orders this year, says KM Rezaul Hasanat, Chairman and CEO of Viyellatex Company, a leading exporter of clothing.The volume of work orders confirmed by MA Jabbar, Managing Director of the DBL Group, another leading exporting company, will likely further reduce by September.
However, in March, April and May, suppliers sending clothing to Germany were subject to lower-order cancellations. Even with the Covid-19 pandemic, the German economy has been relatively less affected by this virus to this day, with a constant inflow of labor orders into its factories.
Mahmoud Hasan Khan Babu, Managing Director of the Growing Group, said that he had ample numbers of knitwear work orders, but he could not order tissue articles because he had to import tissue, mainly from China. Babu says it can now perform 85% of knitting orders and use 60% of tissue capacity.
President, KI Hossain. Bangladesh Buying House Association said that local purchasing houses were faced with a work order crisis, because the majority of retailers and brands did not want to go to plant or meet at virtually any third location, except Bangladesh.
