Modern technology is much in demand in the apparel sector due to its role in raising productivity and reducing cost for redymade garments (RMG) factories. In fact, technology has ushered in qualitative improvements to the industry. Cutting and dyeing, sticker printing, laser cutting—everything is now being done with automatic machines. Recently, the 20th TexTech Bangladesh International Expo 2019, organised by CEMS, was held in the International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB). Participants in the fair told The Independent that they were optimistic about the future of modern technology in the apparel sector. Along with TexTech Bangladesh, two more shows—the ‘16th Dhaka International Yarn and Fabric Show’ and the ‘38th Dye-Chem Bangladesh Expo’—were also held on the same premises to showcase textile and apparel products. “Ninety-five per cent of the requirements of visitors is being fulfilled from this exhibition. The increasing footfall is not only from the garments and textile field, but also from other sectors. Others are interested to know if they can establish a dye and chemicals factory or an accessory factory,” said CEMS-Global (USA and Asia Pacific) president Meherun N Islam. The objective of ths expo was to introduce new machines to entrepreneurs so that they get an idea of the latest technology, she added. This is the biggest and oldest international exhibition on the textile and the garments industry here. Around 1,200 companies from 25 countries with around 1,400 booths participated in this edition. The exhibition was a one-stop single platform that showcased the latest developments and emerging technology for this industry. China, India, Germany, the UK, the USA, Taiwan, Japan, Turkey, Italy and Sri Lanka were among the countries that participated. Various types of yarns, fabrics, computer jacquard elastic belts, buttons, trims, accessories, chemicals, dyes, machinery, and other related products and services were on display. Manufacturers and buyers said such initiatives would help create a rapport between them. Inderjit Kaur, manager (marketing) of Square Corporation, India, said: “We supply yarn in keeping with the demands of Bangladeshi buyers. We have a branch here too. Buyers in Bangladesh are very satisfied with our products. We participated in TexTech several times and received positive feedback.” Texport was another stall from India. This company, too, has a branch office in Dhaka. There were various types of lace and cotton clothes in the stall. “We are delighted to be participating in such a big event,” said Bhupes Dubey, the official in charge of the organisation. “We are getting a good response from Bangladeshi businessmen and traders from other countries,” he added. The textile and apparel export industry of Bangladesh now stands at USD 32 billion and is aggressively working towards increasing its apparel exports to USD 50 billion by 2021. Because of its progress, the textile sector is now faced with a growing demand for chemicals. It is primarily estimated that local textile industries consume about 1.48 million tonnes of chemicals per year. It is speculated that about 70 per cent of the chemical demand is met by imports. A foreign participant said: “I have brought fabric. I don’t say my products are cheap, but the quality is good. There are also medium-quality products in my stall.” Another foreign participant said: “Bangladesh is moving ahead in the garment industry. There are large markets for chemicals in this industry. And we came to this fair to get a share of it.” In the last fiscal year, Bangladesh exported USD 30.61 billion worth of textiles and garments—this amounted to 80.7 per cent of the total export earnings and 8.76 per cent of the GDP. Industry experts at the exhibition said China’s low-wage factories were shutting down, creating opportunities for Bangladesh to capture the market. If Bangladesh failed to seize the opportunity, they said, investments would go to Vietnam or some other countries. Currently, Bangladesh is second in the world garments export market. ‘TexTech Bangladesh’ successfully served as a platform for various domestic and foreign companies and visitors, consumers, entrepreneurs and investors. Effective communication with entrepreneurs will make a significant contribution to the country’s economy, the organisers said. Notable garments traders from Dhaka and its surrounding areas came to see the huge exhibition. Most of the visitors went to the stalls to inquire about the products. Some exchanged business cards with foreign merchants to build future business relationships. Exhibitors were showcasing their products such as yarn, gauze cloth, garments, unstitched clothing, etc. Zahed Ahmed has a factory that makes jeans and denim shirts in Gazipur. He was at the exhibition to know about new machinery and to interact with foreign exhibitors. “I came here to know and learn about the new technology being used in making denim products. I also got the opportunity to see products of new designs,” he told The Independent. Another businessman, Fahimuddin, from Mirpur came to the fair to know about the technology currently in use in the apparel sector. “TexTech has become a platform to learn about new trends in the global market and import various garments-making materials. I also got acquainted with foreign jeans manufacturers’ way of making apparels efficiently by using sophisticated technology,” he said. Alltex Exim Pvt Ltd, participated in the expo to showcase their quality yarn. A representative of the company said: “We serve as a leading indenter of textile products based in India. We have been successfully carrying out our business in 35 countries by acting as a liaison between merchants. We are supplying textile items from India, China, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Taiwan.” For the first time, a number of new companies from China participated in TexTech to test the market. One of them was Changzhou Dansidun Textile Company Ltd. Michael Huang, senior sales manager of the company, said that Bangladesh’s clothing market was quite good. “We mainly produce yarn dyed fabrics for shirts and trousers. There are various yarn dyed poplin and twill, crinkle with spandex, various bamboo fibre and tencel fabrics,” he added. Jiayi Textile Co Ltd participated in the fair to showcase its products. Its representative said: “Our company is also a manufacturer. We specialise in spinning, weaving, dyeing and processing home textile. Our cotton mill has advanced spinning equipment and a high-speed winder. We produce a variety of yarns, such as combed yarns and carded cotton yarns and other kinds.”
