A&E arranges training for RMG people

April 27, 2010

Bangladesh should look into how it can develop the skills of workers, especially the production management and quality control segment, in

the readymade garment industry to stay fit in the face of tough competition in the global apparel market ahead, as the cheap labour the country now enjoys will not sustain for long, a foreign expert has suggested.

“If you want to enhance your competitiveness, you have to raise your capacity through proper training,” Dr Rohana Kuruppu told a workshop in Dhaka on Sunday.

Held at Hotel Sarina, the two-day workshop on ‘professional development on clothing manufacturing’ was organised by American & Efird (A&E) Bangladesh.

Kuruppu is the chief executive officer of Brandix College of Clothing Technology, Sri Lanka, the training institute that has been assigned to impart training to the apparel industry people.

A&E, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of industrial sewing thread and yarn, started its Bangladesh operations in November 2007 with a target to produce 2,500 tonnes of thread a year.

The workshop also attached importance to RMG production process, covering factory flexibility, manufacturing resources, productivity improvement, planning and methods of production line set-ups.

Nilanthi Gamage, a training specialist on production management and quality control at Brandix College and co-speaker of the workshop, emphasised practical concepts, evaluation and improvement in production management.

Over 100 personnel from 20 buying offices and 20 RMG manufacturers took part in the training, also attended by Angelo Leanage, chief operating officer of A&E Bangladesh.

“If we look at European and USA apparel markets, Bangladesh retains a good position with its comparatively low-priced products. The country mainly had done it with its cheap labour,” Kuruppu told The Daily Star.

“But the labour cost won’t remain static forever. The country should move to train its human resources and get ready for the future challenges,” he said.

Pointing his finger at the inadequacy in proper training facility except from the BGMEA Institute of Fashion and Technology, the Lankan trainer said, “This is the first time Brandix came outside Sri Lanka to arrange this sort of training for Bangladesh RMG people.”

Brandix offers both short term and long -term courses, including a degree programme, for students.

Aslam Omar, managing director for A&E Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Janaka Gamage, CEO, and Irfan Thassim, CEO of Brandix Textiles Limited, were also present.

A&E arranges training for RMG people

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