As the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) gears up for elections, Maashed Rumman Abdullah, Director and CMO of Dressmen Group of Companies – a stalwart in the industry and FORUM candidate – shares his ambitious vision to drive the country’s RMG industry forward. Having served in various capacities and committees, he discusses with Team Apparel Resources about his motivation, experiences and the transformative contributions he envisions if elected to the BGMEA Board. Here are the excerpts that explore Maashed’s insights on addressing industry challenges, embracing sustainability, bringing innovation and bridging the gap between large-scale manufacturers and smaller enterprises within the BGMEA framework.
AR: What motivated you to contest in the BGMEA elections?
Maashed: I have been working in the industry for the past 22 years and serving BGMEA in several capacities. I started my affiliation as a Lecturer at BUFT in 2003, and over the course of time, I have served in several committees such as Law and Order, Union Parishad (UP) and most recently in UD Automation Committee. As a member of the RMG fraternity, I face many business challenges in several areas such as banking, customer negotiations, contracts, customs etc. I believe if I am mandated to be on the BGMEA Board, I can make valuable contributions in these sectors which will help our BGMEA members to run their businesses more smoothly.
I believe I am a strong player in my business and I can assist my members with my learnings. Simultaneously, by addressing the challenges I face while running my business, I aim to make a positive contribution to the sector through my involvement.
AR: What are the challenges the industry faces today, and to address these, what initiatives are you proposing?
Maashed: The fact that Bangladesh has the world’s highest number of LEED Platinum factories is a strong testament of our dedication towards sustainability. This number is growing every day and we are aligning ourselves more to the UN SDG Goals. I have always believed that if we take care of our people, then we can treat our customers better! You are aware that I was given an award for Worker Welfare last year, during Apparel Sourcing Week 2023, beating 150 other global competitors. This is another testament of my dedication towards my own workforce. I think it is time that customers also realise that inflation is a problem that is not only restricted to the Western hemisphere. We need to get all the stakeholders together to a realisation point where there is a solid win for all. Businessmen should get their fair profit; labour should get a justified remuneration and the customer should also have a healthy margin. We are all connected and we must come to a point where we actually believe we are all in this together and not some punch line that we throw around.
| I believe I am a strong player in my business and I can assist my members with my learnings. Simultaneously, by addressing the challenges I face while running my business, I aim to make a positive contribution to the sector through my involvement |
AR: The industry constitutes both small and large-scale factories; however, BGMEA seems to be governed by large factories. How do you plan to integrate small factories in the BGMEA framework?
Maashed: I have been visiting several factories for few months now and meeting a lot of large and small manufacturers. Many factories have common complaints regarding buyers, labour, cost of production, profit margins etc., but in my opinion, every factory has to narrow down their own winning formula. Smaller factories cannot copy the business model of larger factories, it will be a mistake. We are all so involved in our businesses that we do not take time out of our schedule to learn new things. If given the opportunity, I would like to organise some training courses or even lectures from successful entrepreneurs to small-scale factories so that they can work towards their own winning formula. We have to believe that each day is a learning process.
AR: Do you agree that Bangladesh needs to focus aggressively on MMF-based garments exports to fetch greater export revenues? What will be your efforts to work in this direction?
Maashed: Actually, this a great opportunity for Bangladesh factories to spread their wings, however our BGMEA members do not have enough exposure to understand the potential of MMF garments. I think BGMEA think tank should be sharing information so that our members know the potential. I am working with a lot of polyester-based fabrics in Dressmen Ltd., and have been getting good response from our buyers.
I would like to push BGMEA to further educate our members on this topic so that they know what could be a good opportunity for them. Currently, the majority of garment shipments by Bangladesh (75 per cent) consist of cotton-made apparel, whereas 75 per cent of global consumption is in non-cotton apparel. If we diversify into non-cotton apparel, especially MMF, we will have immense opportunities to tap larger global market share of MMF-based apparel.
Another way to look at it is that, presently, Bangladesh’s share in global apparel manufacturing market comprises approximately 16 per cent for cotton apparel and less than 5 per cent for MMF apparel. The industry, with its collective efforts, can increase its share in MMF-based apparel by around 5 per cent – 6 per cent more in next six years. This growth is plausible due to the ongoing expansion of factories in Bangladesh into MMF-based apparel and continuous innovation in the production of cotton apparel. And, this is where I can pitch in to collaborate with the industry and aim at boosting apparel exports in MMF category.
AR: Buyers still are price-sensitive. Are you also looking at strengthening relationships with global brands so that sourcing from Bangladesh sees upsurge without hampering prices that factories get?
Maashed: The mindset of the customers needs to change. Bangladesh is no longer a cheap destination. We have proved ourselves over and over that we can deliver the best quality at the most competitive price. BGMEA should be the first destination for all customers to have a clear understanding of our industry, and if a customer is planning a long-term business, then that should be the starting point. I strongly believe that price is important but it should not be the deciding factor because the customer must see value in doing business.
AR: What’s your message for the industry in Bangladesh?
Maashed: We have achieved a lot in the past 40 years and let’s be proud of it first! Let us not look back or entertain thoughts of reducing capacities. Let us dream big and work towards achieving US $ 100 billion in the next five years. Bangladesh currently holds 9 per cent share in the global apparel export market. I would request the industry to focus on diversifying into different value-added products made from high-end fabrics; target emerging markets more aggressively and develop in-house design and development expertise so that we can have our say in product development process. To achieve any goal, we need a strong leadership in BGMEA and I believe FORUM has the right leadership to achieve this goal.
