RMG sector needs better technology

Bangladesh needs to boost better technology usages to increase its competitiveness in textile manufacturing that would help the country gain more share in the global apparel market, said the leader of a French business delegation of textile machinery manufacturers yesterday.
“Bangladesh is one of the largest readymade garment (RMG) exporters in the world. The country will do better when the RMG makers will start using the latest machinery for production,” said Evelyne Cholet, also the secretary general of French Textile Machinery Manufacturers Association (UCMTF).
“In a competitive world you need to use better technology, which will help you get edge over your competitors,” she said, adding that better technology increases production and reduces the costs of repairing machinery.
She was speaking at a luncheon meeting organised by France Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce & Industry (CCIFB) in Dhaka.
She said French textile machinery makers are eying an increased market share in Bangladesh and targeting to boost exports, as the local RMG industry is as competitive as that of a developed country in terms of skill and knowledge.
Cholet said Bangladesh's textile industry can adopt French technologies for fine fabric weaving, finishing and also in spinning. She said French equipment can also be used for recycling textile wastes.
She said although French machinery is comparatively expensive, it is durable and can help the local manufacturers be cost-effective.
The delegation leader said her association groups 39 textile equipment makers who exported around $1.4 billion worth machinery to countries in Europe and Asia.
She hoped Bangladesh's textile industry would grow more weathering the ongoing global financial crisis, which has squeezed apparel markets in Europe and the US.
The French business delegation arrived in Dhaka on Saturday in a three-day mission. The economic department of the French embassy, Dhaka, UCMTF and the French Agency for International Business Development arranged the tour.
Laurent Estrade, trade commissioner of the economic department at the French embassy, said the main objective of the delegation was to get introduced with the textile mills, garments industry and the College of Textile Engineering and Technology of the country.
Estrade said the visit was also aimed at introducing a new range of French machinery and technology to the prospective partners in Bangladesh.
“We are preparing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the College of Textile Engineering and Technology to help the students of the college get educated about better technology operations and gain technical know-how,” he said.
“Under the MoU, the UCMTF will offer technical and educational assistances to the students of the college and provide them with the latest machinery to enhance their practical knowledge,” he added.
The delegation consisted of Alexandre Roussel of AESA Air Engineering, Serge Schrembacher of Dollfus & Muller, Francis Junker of Laroche SA and Phonesavanh Frichitthavong of Statubil France.
The local partners in arranging the visit were Bangladesh Textile Machinery Association, College of Textile Engineering and Technology and CCIFB.
Charley Causeret, French ambassador to Bangladesh, and Alamgir M Rahman, president of CCIFB, were also present at the meeting.