Productivity stressed for RMG industry
Professor Nasrin Khondaker, research director of the Centre for Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific, speaks at a seminar on productivity and quality of RMG yesterday. Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association organised the seminar at Sonargaon Hotel.Photo: STAR
Textile experts yesterday advised Bangladeshi entrepreneurs to take initiatives to enhance productivity and the quality of goods if they want to exploit potential for the garment industry.
The apparel industry has flourished in Bangladesh, but real gains will erode if the industry does not address a few crucial issues such as low productivity, inconsistent quality and social responsibility, said Rajesh Bheda, principal of Rajesh Bheda Consulting, India.
In a presentation on “Competitiveness through Productivity and Quality” at a seminar organised by Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) at Sonargaon Hotel, Bheda said the productivity levels of Asian apparel industry, especially in Bangladesh, had been low compared to the global benchmark performance.
Referring to a "competitiveness enhancement programme" by BGMEA, he said the programme would improve the productivity levels in the BGMEA member factories.
The pilot phase of the programme showed that labour productivity in five factories was up to 30 percent higher than the previous productivity level.
“Based on our limited exposure to the Bangladesh apparel industry, we see tremendous scope of improvement in the area of quality in the manufacturing units here,” Bheda said.
He said Bangladesh's apparel industry had tremendous untapped potential in the areas of productivity and quality.
In another presentation, Vandana Bhandari, professor of the National Institute of Fashion Technology in India, stressed diversification of designs. She asked the businessmen to invest more in designs to invent new designs.
Professor Nasrin Khondaker, research director of the Centre for Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific, emphasised industrial relations in the garment sector saying it had always been a "joint industry".
She said industrial relations in Bangladesh were deteriorating and stressed more investment in training for workers.
Nasrin asked the garment owners to provide workers with more incentives and share profits with them.
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