Groyyo is on a mission to transform Bangladesh’s RMG industry through business excellence and worker empowerment in partnership with PROGRESS, a groundbreaking initiative by Swisscontact, a leading non-profit development organization founded in 1959, and the Swedish Embassy to Bangladesh.
PROGRESS (Promoting Green Growth in the Ready-Made Garments Sector Through Skills), launched in October 2022, is a program aimed at empowering Bangladeshi garment workers with eco-conscious process and cost-optimization strategies to enhance both industry competitiveness and environmental sustainability.
Groyyo’s role within the project involved a comprehensive intervention in five selected factories: 4A Yarn Dyeing, NPM, Everbright Sweater Ltd. (ESL), World Victory, and ST Village. These interventions are geared towards overall process optimization which includes efficiency improvement, quality improvement, supply chain management and cost reduction; thereby contributing to the broader goals of the PROGRESS project.
It’s worth noting here that Bangladesh’s garment exports valued US $47 billion in FY ’23 and are the bedrock of its economy. The country’s RMG sector is undergoing a strategic reinvention, addressing the industry’s biggest challenges like cost optimization and long-term competitiveness.
So, how PROGRESS empowers the workforce? It empowers the RMG workforce by imparting cutting-edge process optimization skills. Groyyo emphasizes that equipping workers with these skills leads to fewer errors, reduced rework, and increased efficiency, ultimately lowering production costs. Looking ahead, the project intends to expand its operational enhancements across more to further optimize costs and drive improvements within Bangladesh’s RMG sector.
The top management reflects on PROGRESS’ profound impact, detailing its pivotal role in enhancing operational efficiency and fostering sustainable growth:
4A Yarn Dyeing: “We have successfully enhanced our efficiency and quality by addressing line balancing and deploying dedicated LPI trainers to drive continuous improvement.” – Md. Salim, AGM-IE.
ESL: “The PROGRESS’ strategic interventions in upskilling, multiskilling, and quality improvements, has greatly enhanced our operators’ performance, resource utilization, and productivity.” -Aruna, COO.
ST Village: “My heartfelt gratitude to the PROGRESS & its support in reorganizing our factory through the 5S and Production Monitoring System, significantly boosting efficiency and production capacity.” -Nazmul Hossain Sumon, Director.
WVE: “Their training program has significantly improved our efficiency by honing our operators’ skills, which they continue to apply and will sustain in the future.” -Mithu Roy, Director.
NPM Apparels: “Thanks to the training that identified critical gaps and allowed us to redesign our layout, we substantially increased production capacity, and would emphasise that initiatives like PROGRESS can drive growth in Bangladesh’s garment industry.” -Gulshan Verma, CEO.
Going forward, Groyyo is committed to expanding its impact within the RMG sector. “Our goal is to bring ten more factories into the fold, focusing an array of small medium and big factories, replicating the successful model we have established. The expansion plan involves a collaborative funding model, wherein the costs will be partially covered by Swisscontact and partially by the factories themselves. Swisscontact’s investment reflects their commitment to promoting consulting and sustainable practices within the RMG sector of Bangladesh,” concluded Groyyo.
