The pleasant weather in Dhaka created the perfect ambience for the four-day 17th edition of Garmentech Bangladesh 2018, with technology providers from around the world descending at the Bashundhara International Convention Centre, to showcase the latest in technology to the industry.
As expected, Day 1 started on a slow note with final touches being given to booths and machines that had to be imported, arriving throughout the day. Most of the day went by in saying Hello! to old acquaintances and checking out on what was new at the garment technology show.
While talking to the technology providers, a common thread that stood out quite strongly was the fact that 2018 has started on a very positive note with many investments expected to happen this year. Almost everyone agreed that the last year was a stagnant year and business was not very exciting but the turnaround has begun and now the industry is surer of directions. The unanimous voice of the technology providers claimed that Bangladesh is now ready for full-blown automation.
In fact, the companies that did well in 2017 are those that offered innovative solutions to issues like rising labour cost. Euromac was among the few technology providers that openly admitted that the year gone by was a year of growth with the company doubling its capacities and ready for another spree of capacity expansion this year… All because of the rising demand for automation.
Even a company like Focus has shifted its strategy to European automation, realising the growing inclination for niche machines to handle high-end products like suits, trousers and lingerie. Earlier, the focus was on mass production machines that could offer better productivity.
As for the visitors, Day 1 was mostly about very small companies or few supervisor/manager-level visitors, who were looking to give a feedback to the bosses on why it was important to attend Garmentech!
