Garment Technology Bangladesh, one of the biggest international textile sourcing shows for machinery, fibers, yarns, fabrics, trims, and more for the apparel industry was held from 8 to 11 January 2025 at the International Convention City Bashundhara, Dhaka. GTB is firmly established as the premier international textile sourcing show in South Asia, and this time, the organizer organized a seminar named Our Industry Our Pride, which was managed by Textile Focus, the leading textile magazine from Bangladesh.
The four-day show was an international textile-sourcing platform attended by trade visitors from Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Japan, Malaysia, Brazil, Italy, Germany, and more. Reviving and revitalizing face-to-face business meetings through the physical format, the GTB Edition concluded on a positive note in Dhaka.
Exhibitors and buyers also witnessed the renowned Interactive “Our Industry, Our Pride” seminar, where panel discussions were delivered about sustainability and quality market intelligence to support industry efforts to upgrade and move up the value chain to help manufacturers gain a competitive edge globally.
The session was held on 10 January on the key theme of ‘our industry, our pride,’ moderated by Bulbul Ahmed, CEO and Co-Founder of Industria-Academia, and coordinated by M A Islam Riyadh, Editor of Textile Focus.
In the panel discussion, speakers from buyer’s representatives, Industry owners, Textile experts, and traders expressed their concern about the present and future of Bangladesh RMG issues. As distinguished speakers, Fakir Kamruzzaman Nahid, Managing Director, Fakir Fashion Ltd & Director, BKMEA; Vidiya Amrit Khan, DMD, Desh Garments Ltd & Former Director BGMEA; Engr. Md. Enayet Hossain, Managing Director, Knit Empire Ltd & Member Secretary, Interim Convening Committee – ITET; Baqi Billah, Managing Director, Earth Fashion Ltd; Amer Salim, Director, Knit Asia Ltd; Monabber Ahmed, Director, Anowara Group & BAYLA; Ehsan Haq, Director, Knittex Industry Ltd & BAYLA were present.
Fakir Kamruzzaman Nahid, Managing Director, Fakir Fashion Ltd & Director, BKMEA
Last year, we faced numerous challenges, including significant salary increase & utility costs rose, political unrest had a tremendous impact. Fakir Fashion is striving to overcome these challenges by focusing on workforce development. We are adopting a great deal of automation and digitalization. In automation, we aim to use updated machinery operated by skilled workers. Therefore, we invest in automation, workforce development, digitalization, and sustainable environments. Additionally, we are working to adopt AI and ERP systems to provide real-time data insights. As entrepreneurs, we must be willing to take risks to achieve great things in this industry. We need to focus on green environments, sustainability, and automation to meet buyers’ requirements.
Vidiya Amrit Khan, DMD, Desh Garments Ltd & Former Director BGMEA
When we analyze the past decade, we see that Bangladesh’s RMG industry is cheaper and more competitive than other countries. However, comparing efficiency, China operates at 90-95%, while Bangladesh remains at around 50%. Bangladesh’s government, industry stakeholders, and entrepreneurs all emphasize skill development. Generally, Bangladesh produces low-cost garments, such as $1 T-shirts or $3 shirts, so luxury brands are hesitant to place orders here. Brands are now emphasizing recycling and upcycling because they are promoting sustainability. At the same time, they are increasingly concerned about Bangladesh’s circular economy. Essential RMG garment production doesn’t require worker training, but higher-end garment manufacturing does. We need skilled workers to produce premium apparel to compete in the global market.
Engr. Md. Enayet Hossain, Managing Director, Knit Empire Ltd & Member Secretary, Interim Convening Committee – ITET
In our country, textile engineers play a pivotal role in the textile industry. Education in this field started on a small scale in 1920, initially as diploma engineering courses. Over time, the Bangladesh University of Textiles (BUTEX) was established. Earlier, buyers were less concerned about quality and were satisfied with matching shades. However, today, buyers are highly quality-conscious. You’ll be pleased to know that BUTEX has introduced two new subjects—Textile Manufacturing & Design and Textile Dyes & Manufacturing. We consider this a long-term advancement for the country.
Baqi Billah, Managing Director, Earth Fashion Ltd
Our country’s fashion sector is fast-moving and rapidly changing. A design that works for one season may not work for the next. Our industry has a significant impact factor that needs to be reduced as soon as possible. In the future, we must increase transparency and integrate more closely with buyers. We also need to work on training workers to enhance their skills. By 2028, when buyers demand complete transparency in our industry, we should be fully prepared. This will also improve our efficiency.
Amer Salim, Director, Knit Asia Ltd
Previously, most machines in our country were manual, resulting in low production rates. Later, with automated machines, a single worker could operate four machines. This has increased both efficiency and production rates in the garments sector. While production costs have decreased, workers’ salaries have increased. Workers sometimes know more than we do about specific tasks, which depends entirely on their experience.
Monabber Ahmed, Director, Anowara Group & BAYLA
Data is one of the industry’s most powerful assets. We must develop a data management system. On the other hand, implementing AI has become critical for sectors. For example, some buyers require chips embedded in products to make identification easier. Lead time has become a major issue for our industry. Often, a significant amount of time is lost before starting production after receiving an order, leaving a negative impression on buyers. Currently, there is no alternative to automation.
Ehsan Haq, Director, Knittex Industry Ltd & BAYLA
The biggest challenge we face in our industry is the lack of successive planning. From energy issues and gas supply shortages to a lack of electricity, there are multiple problems in the industry. You often have to do your own work to achieve results in this industry. Our lead time is significantly high, at almost 45 days or more. We lack backward linkages. While discussing the circular economy, we need to understand it clearly. Transparency is another area that requires greater attention. Growth in the industry cannot be achieved by focusing on just one aspect. The dialogue included questions from the audience. The speakers, organizers and audience were very keen to speak and listen about the positive feedback from the industry stakeholders. Everyone participated thanked the organizer and Textile Focus for such an interactive session.
