Apparel accessories makers move to up capacity as demand rises

A number readymade garment (RMG) accessories makers have taken initiatives to increase production capacity of their units aiming to meet both local and global demands, industry insiders said.
They also said competitive price coupled with quality by local companies have attracted a number of international buyers to import garment accessories from Bangladesh.
According to Bangladesh Corrugated Carton & Accessories Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BCCAMEA), local leading plastic industrial groups including KDS, DAF, RFL, Bengal and Partex have invested nearly Tk2.0 billion in their industries to manufacture garment accessories and other products.
"The sector recorded a sound growth for the last few years. The country's leading industrial groups have gone for new or reinvestment in RMG accessories sector due to growing demands of the products", President of Bangladesh Garment Accessories and Packaging Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGAPMEA) Rafez Alam Chowdhury told the FE.
He said, "We are now producing 95 per cent of the demand for garment accessories locally. Popularity of the Bangladeshi accessories is also increasing in the international market".
The country's RMG manufacturers also import RMG accessories from several countries including China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and India, spending a large amount of foreign currency.
The RMG accessories like poly bag, back board, neck board, collar insert, butterfly, collar bone, sewing thread, tape, elastic, printed and woven label, zipper, sticker, hang-tag, hanger, button, draw-cord, draw-string, interlining, tissue paper padding, quilting, barcode, embroidery, gum tape, stopper, pp-band are the major garment accessories produced in Bangladesh.
Managing Director of MNC Packages Ltd Shahjada Mahmud Chowdhury told the FE that for better quality, the international buying houses including JC Penny, H&M, Wal-Mart, and Pierre Cardin are now demanding Bangladeshi accessories for their products.
He said: "The country's RMG accessories sector has come a long way since early 1990s, when it was completely import dependent, but now it has been able to meet 95 per cent of the local demand".
Bangladesh is the second largest RMG exporter after China. The country has more than 4,600 active garment factories that employs nearly 3.6 million people directly, 80 per cent of whom are women.
According to a study by McKinsey & Company, Bangladesh's apparel and garment exports will double by 2015 and nearly triple by 2022 as European and US buyers plan to strengthen their presence in the country and new players enter the market see it as 'next China'.
It's also said that the country will be able to maintain good export growth of Apparel to new destinations like Japan, India, Turkey, South Africa, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, China and Korea.
The BGAPMEA leaders said that they have taken initiatives to expand their production capacity by 50 per cent to explore new markets in coming days.
The BGAPMEA has set a target of exporting apparel accessories and packaging products worth US$ 4.5 billion in the fiscal year (FY) 2013-14.
In the last financial year (FY'13) the sector exported products worth nearly $ 4.3 billion.
Bangladesh exports RMG accessories to North America, EU, Russia, Middle-East, Latin American and few African countries.