Young Director wants to establish MUMTEX as a renowned name globally

Shakawatul Islam (Sakif) comes across as any other young man of his age till he opens up about his plans and ideas on how he intends to take forward the business set up by his father and make it a globally recognised name when it comes to narrow elastic.

The Director of MUMTEX Limited, Sakif is not just a passionate businessperson in his own right but boasts of a mature head on his young shoulders, which works round the clock in making plans, drawing strategies and setting up goals, all with the view to take MUMTEX places, which was started by Mubarak Ullah Majumder, the Chairman and Managing Director of Shah Sharif Group, as part of Siam Computerised Elastic Industries Limited- the largest narrow fabric maker in Bangladesh.

Apparel Resources (AR) caught up with the young and energetic Sakif for a freewheeling conversation.

Here are the excerpts.

AR: Can you share the genesis and growth journey of MUMTEX?

Sakif: MUMTEX, which stands for Mubarak Ullah Majumder Textiles, started its journey in 1998. We first started operating from Uttara before shifting to the Surabari area of Kashimpur in Gazipur.

We are the largest narrow fabric manufacturer in the country and make narrow fabrics for all types of garments including jackets, shirts, ladieswear, undergarments (ladies and gents), shirts, shorts, trousers, skirts and many more.

The total production area of the unit is around 95,000 square feet and we have all the branded machines from renowned names of Italy, Germany, Taiwan, Korea, Japan and Spain even if our very dynamic R&D department is run under the direct technical supervision of our Managing Director (MU Majumder), who is the only person from the country to have obtained technical training from overseas (Italy, Taiwan, China and Malaysia).

All our raw materials are also sourced from Indonesia, Taiwan, China and Malaysia and are Oeko-Tex standard 100 certified.

 AR: What would be that one aspect about MUMTEX, which you feel sets it apart from others?

Sakif: Our impeccable quality. We have a colossal QC team, which goes about manually checking each and everything painstakingly to ensure all quality parameters are adhered to, to the T. Considering our production capacity, which is not very small, physical inspection of each and everything is an arduous task.

But, despite all the challenges, we go about this exercise very meticulously to ensure complete client satisfaction.

Being able to deliver the best in terms of quality is what has now led us to plan a dyeing unit as colour is a vital component of quality and any issue with colour, no matter how minor, jeopardises everything.

Currently, we are outsourcing dyeing to around 15 dyeing entities but as you know dyeing is a complicated and lengthy process and any goof-up anywhere can spoil the whole game. Additionally, the risk of missing out on delivery deadlines is always there and as we work with the big and reputed garment manufacturers in Bangladesh, we cannot afford any such lapse.

Considering all these factors, we planned to come up with our very own dyeing facility, but this again is easier said than done as there are several aspects to look deeply into including that of compliance before setting up the same.

“We have a colossal QC team, which goes about manually checking each and everything painstakingly to ensure all quality parameters are adhered to, to the T. Considering our production capacity, which is not very small, physical inspection of each and everything is an arduous task. But, despite all the challenges, we go about this exercise very meticulously to ensure complete client satisfaction.” – Sakif

AR: Which part of the business do you take care of?

Sakif: I am principally into sales and marketing but also have to look after the management and accounts as well when my father is not around. I have to take many decisions with regard to the day-to-day operations but most critical decisions are taken by my father or I do it in close consultation with him.

My plan is to create my own customer base and I am already in the process of forming my own marketing team. Once things are in place, I would like to travel to different parts of the globe with our product offerings to try and form a strong client base.

Servicing is the most vital aspect in attracting and retaining clients, hence my whole focus is on building a strong team that can take care of all the customers’ queries to their utmost satisfaction.

Since I was in the 10th standard, my father used to send me to the manufacturing unit during holidays/vacations as the factory is the nerve centre of everything. He would ask me to just go and move around and observe each and everything and report to him what all I witnessed during the course of the day. So, I would leave home by 7 in the morning and come back home in the evening and this is how I started learning about fabrics and trims since I was around 16 years of age.

I never had it easy in that sense despite being the owner’s son; I had to earn my stripes the hard way while coming up the ranks.

AR: Any particular incident that you consider a learning experience early in your career?

Sakif: There are many such but one which is still etched in memory is related to a Japanese client, which was not just a learning experience but a great morale booster which increased my confidence manifold early on in my career.

The client concerned gave samples of around 13 products that he wanted me to develop after a couple of accessory makers, who were basically our competitors, unsuccessfully tried to replicate those in terms of looks, quality and feel and as you know Japanese are very particular about things. And, it was indeed a massive challenge for me.

I shared this development with my father, who being an experienced hand in the business and blessed with sound technical knowledge owing to his training overseas, was not very upbeat about the prospects of being able to make the cut. However, the competitive spirit in me took it as a challenge even as I went about trying to develop what he wanted.

After failing in the first and second attempt, I was third time lucky which gave a huge boost to my confidence.

However, of the 13 products, four got rejected and that was primarily because of issues related to colour, which is another reason, why we are so very keen on coming up with our own dyeing facility because I know if we could dye those four items in-house, they would have made the cut as well in terms of quality parameters.

Nevertheless, at the end of the day, he was so happy that he asked for ready samples of several of our offerings which he sent to his parent company back in Osaka.

AR: A successful businessman as he is who boasts of running the biggest narrow elastic factory in Bangladesh, what is one trait about your father that inspires you the most?

Sakif: I and my father are very close and we discuss everything in-depth. Due to some reasons, if he cannot visit the factory, I make it a point to catch up with him at the dinner table every night to discuss and deliberate things threadbare.

We are very soon going to China to attend a machine exhibition as we are planning to come up with another unit, so we need new machines.

Construction of five stories of the unit is already over and we want to start it as soon as possible.

One trait of my father that motivates and inspires me the most is his holistic and human approach towards business. Throughout the years, whatever he has earned, he never spent anything on the luxuries of life as he strongly believes in giving back to the society and the people at large.

He has provided employment to many people from our hometown. He also gave them free accommodation and work in the factory so that they can support their families back home. Currently, there are around 200 people from my hometown who are working in our factory, including some of my close relatives.

We have set up a camp for them close to our unit, where they live and also avail free food from the canteen.

We have also set up schools, mosques and a madrasa (especially for the orphan children) in our hometown.

AR: What is your next goal now that the new unit will be operational soon and hopefully the dyeing facility too?

Sakif: I want to establish MUMTEX as a renowned brand globally even as I embark on my next phase of the journey to build a strong customer base banking on our inherent strengths of quality, excellence, on-time delivery to ensure complete customer satisfaction.