BGAPMEA likely to launch testing lab for improving product quality

The testing laboratory is going to set up under Integrated Support to Poverty and Inequality Reduction through Enterprise Development (INSPIRED) project funded by the European Union (EU) and Ministry of Industries. The lab is aimed at providing internally acceptable testing facilities for various types of products manufacturers by the industrial units under BGAPMEA. The testing facilities include touch-screen bursting strength tester, moisture meter, box compression strength tester, drop tester, crush tester and full set of accessories, cobb absorbency tester and sample cutter and rub testes. “As we have been working with the help of EU and Industry Ministry since 2013 to develop a testing lab for the accessories manufactures, we are finally going to launch the lab in November,” said BGAPMEA President Abdul Kader Khan while talking to the Dhaka Tribune. The lab will contribute to improve quality of products through providing timely and reliable testing facilities, strengthening the industrial capacity of Bangladesh RMG accessories sector, said Khan.   “It will provide testing facilities that is internationally acceptable.” Khan said: “Testing of products is one of the buyers’ requirements and it would help the sector people to meet their demands with quality assurance.” “As our next focus would be on skilled manpower, the BGAPMEA is now working on establishing a training institute,’’ he said. Khan said if the government provides policy and financial support for this purpose, we will be able to export worth over US$12 billion against the overall export target of $50 billion by 2021. There are about 1,400 manufacturers of accessories in the country that have employed over 3 lakh people. According to latest data, the contribution of garment accessories and packaging to apparel export rose by 9.28% to $6.12 billion in the last fiscal year. In the last fiscal year, deemed export earnings of garment accessories and packaging stood at $6.12 billion, which is 9.28% higher compared to $5.6 billion in the fiscal year 2014-15.