Evolving to stay competitive

Bangladesh’s ready-made garments industry is, no doubt, the backbone of our economic strength. It is because of the RMG sector that we have seen great strides in our export figures, and are on track to meet our targets for 2021. However, it is imperative that in an increasingly competitive world, Bangladesh keep up technologically to retain its edge. It is good to see that apparel-makers are taking this seriously -- the introduction of cutting-edge software technology can not only upgrade the production process, but improve accuracy in measurement, thereby reducing fabric waste. Improvement is a continous process, and Bangladesh cannot afford to remain stuck with outdated production technologies. The resulting gains in time, money, fabric, and quality will, eventually translate into greater profitability for the industry. It was through technology that exporting giants like China gained their supremacy in the world market, and now it is Bangladesh’s turn. But it is important to note that the availability of sophisticated computing will not help if our workers are not fully trained to run them. That is why it is so crucial that Bangladesh focus on training its labour force -- the difference between a skilled workforce and an unskilled workforce should never be underestimated. So in order to improve workplace skills to enhance productivity, RMG stake-holders and the government should cooperate on creating vocational training programs, nurturing talent, and building value. For now, we can import foreign technologies to stay competitive, but in the long run, we could very well have technological innovations of our own which propel us forward.