Dhaka recently hosted the 23rd Batexpo (Bangladesh Apparel and Textile Exposition) fair providing a platform of enhanced business opportunities for apparel, textiles, accessories, technologies and service providers through greater buyer-seller interactions. Organized by the BGMEA since 1989, the three-day event was inaugurated by the highest authority of Bangladesh, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who reiterated that the readymade garment sector of the country has been playing a phenomenal role in boosting the economy along with providing employment opportunities, empowering women and eradicating poverty to a great extent.
The range of exhibitors was wide from very big exporters like Beximco to stock lot providers, giving an opportunity to buyers to find their match. Beximco, South Asia’s largest vertically integrated textile and garment group of companies, popularly known for their denims was displaying its latest innovations in all sorts of washed, colours and printed range of denim jeans along with a variety of shirts. Also present was Youngone Hi-Tech Sportswear Industries, a leading 100% export oriented foreign company based in Bangladesh dealing in woven and knits, the company was displaying a collection of sportswear jackets, a category the brand excels in.
The stock lot section at the fair, where manufacturers who are not exclusively dealing in the stock lot business could also participate in order to find buyers for their cancelled orders was a great hit. Exhibiting in the section was Sajeeb Samadder, Senior Merchandiser of Globe Buyers, a buying office which operates with 4 of its own factories having a total number of 1,796 machines and buyers like C&A and TEMA. “It was the first time we visited the fair and we also participated in the stock lot section under the name of Outright Fashion. Even though stock lot is not our main business, but due to cancellation of an order after 50% of production was complete, we had to participate in the fair to look for new buyers who could buy this extra stock from us. We didn’t find much foreign buyers, but there was a section of local buyers who showed interest. As a buying office – Globe Buyers, we were also looking for new vendors and some good developments and products in outwear jackets,” said Sajeeb.
Another similar visitor cum participant was the team of A Plus Industries, dealing in both wovens and sweaters for buyers such as KIK, Tiazza, Daycity and NKD. “This is the third year in a row that we are visiting the fair as buyers, and compared to the last few events, this time the visitation from buyers was less and also the focus of the fair was missing as participation was less and varied. Since we also have our own factories this time we had a booth in the stock lot section, participating with a few bulk stocks of cancelled orders which we wanted to get over with. Even for the same we didn’t find any direct buyers apart from a few mediators who gave a positive response but still the negotiations are on,” said K.M. Hossain, Merchandiser, representing the company.
The fair also witnessed a huge participation of manufacturers dealing exclusively in sweaters with companies displaying its latest innovations like Pioneer Sweaters, Tamanna Sweaters, Hema Sweater Fashion, Samsons Sweaters and on display for the high-end sweater category was Floreal Knitwear, a part of the parent company in Mauritius known as CIEL Textile for the past 35 years.
A regular participant, Pioneer Sweaters, operating with 2 factories and over 6,000 machines has a production capacity of 1.2 million pieces per month, specializing in kids along with 30% of products for men and 30% for ladies, for buyers like H&M, C&A and TEMA, claimed to have witnessed a huge response at the fair. “The business has been going well with a lot of customers looking at our products and negotiating over the costing. We are also looking at an expansion with the installation of almost 300 jacquard machines from Shima Seiki in the next couple of months as a strategy for future growth,” said M. Hamayet Hossain, Deputy Managing Director of the company.
A company that was particularly noticed by J. Hassan, Proprietor of Tex n’ Trade, a buying office started in 2006 was Space Sweaters. “I am a regular visitor at the fair which is always a good experience, and this time I was looking for new designs and styles. Our major product category being sweat shirts, T-shirts and polo’s, we are working with 3 to 4 manufacturers as of now and planning to go for wovens as well. From one year to another, I didn’t see anything different in knits, but in the sweater category I spotted something new and innovative with a company called Space Sweaters. For the first time they were displaying products in sweaters with big and varied digital prints which is a unique concept in the sweater sector and in future if we ever get an order for sweaters, we will surely associate with this company,” said Hassan.
The strong Accessories Section…
A big section at the fair was for accessories which got a mixed response from the buyers. On display were companies like N.Z. Textile Limited dealing in linen yarns with about 1,75,000 spindles and a production capacity of 45 tonnes per day. Mostly providing yarn to the local garment sector of Bangladesh, the company got a slow response. “We are participating for the first time at Batexpo and though we have some queries, but how many of them will translate into actual business, is anyone’s guess,” said Suklal Chandra Das, Manager – Sales and Marketing, of the company.
Another yarn company was Lucky Spinning started in 2003, with a production capacity of 4,500 tonnes per month, supplying to Brazil, Turkey, China and local players in Bangladesh. Happy with the business, Abdullah-Hil-Kafi, Country Manager of the company claims, “We have seen a 200% growth since the time we started and we are now looking at increasing production by 40 tonnes per day and also expanding our other segmentof knit fabrics. The unrest created by the political situation in the country has resulted in a slow fair as compared to the last year.”
Finding huge potential in the Bangladesh industry, Envision Exports, a sourcing agent from India dealing in fibres, filaments, yarns, fabrics and raw cotton, working in Bangladesh for the past 16 years, was displaying its range of filaments and mélange yarn which is right now being used in the sweater segment. Gaurav Sharma, representing the company said, “This is our first time participation at the Batexpo fair, but we have been displaying every year for the past 16 years in the Dhaka International Fair held in every September. Due to the ongoing strike followed by the national holidays, the response to the fair has been disappointing for us. But being in the industry for long, we believe that in the coming future only three markets will sustain – China, India and Bangladesh. This country is already the biggest garment hub, and with a lot of sweater business and orders shifting to India off late, we are also planning to import a lot of sweaters and garments from Bangladesh to India creating a profitable bridge in business between the two nations.”
Another company disappointed with low visitation as compared to their last time participation was Banga Plastic, majorly into hangers and supplying to US and UK buyers like Walmart, JCPenney, Sears, KOHLS, Inditex and Carrefour. The company also deals in poly bags, carton boxes and tapes. Recently, the company has gone for expansion and now has a total of 64 machines for different aspects of production of hangers, producing 1 million pieces per month.
A promoter of the future of green living, and a complete eco-friendly company Simco Spinning & Textiles and MAA Socks was showcasing a unique product line of regenerated yarns and socks produced from the same yarn. Explaining about the product, Sadruddin Hirji, Director of the company said, “We use the garments waste and recycle it into cotton yarns. Depending upon the kind and colour, the price of the yarn ranges from 1 dollar 80 cents to 3 dollar 20 cents. At the moment we are exporting the recycled yarn to Spain, India, Dubai, Pakistan and Germany for the home textile industry and a lot of manufacturers in Bangladesh are using this yarn to produce gloves, socks and carpets. It can be used in various applications, starting from socks, home textiles like curtains and as fabrics in knitting and weaving, sweaters, the towel industry and the hand bag industry”.
[bleft]With over 80 participants, the visitation was satisfactory despite the negativity of the strike, brought on by political instability, showing clearly that the garment industry and its players are very determined to chalk out a growth plan. [/bleft]
Providing consultancy services for business improvement, ERP solutions, HR solutions, was also a popular booth of Brandix i3, mainly focusing on the apparel and textile industry and also the apparel related industry such as buttons, threads, hangers as well. Looking at a stronger association Ramesh De Silva, Manager Process Improvement said, “Having 10 years of experience in sharing knowledge, and having done over 120 projects in Sri Lanka, the company now wishes to share their expertise with their Bangladeshi counterparts following a very good response at the event.”
Visitors’ Responses…
Even though there was a lot of positive energy and high expectations from the event, some visitors did go disappointed, hoping for a better number of exhibitors in the future fairs. Expressing his dissatisfaction, Sharifur Rahman, General Manager of Caretex, catering to buyers like Giant, Tiger from Canada, Apparel Direct from UK and Alcott from Italy said, “This time the number of participants at the fair was a lot lesser than the past few exhibitions which was certainly a disappointment. As we are a local buying office in Bangladesh working with 12 to 13 manufacturers in off seasons and with 30 to 35 in the peak season, we are always on the lookout for new varieties, new designs and fresh suppliers and associations. We also could not find fresh innovations in swatches and developments.”