Staff Reporter :
The country’s apparel sector is still an early stage to tap the technical textiles market, although the industry attained pioneer position in other textile and garment productions, according to a study.
Lack of awareness of market requirements, inadequate technical expertise, difficulty in sourcing high-performance raw materials, compliance and certification requirements and need for capital investment are main reasons behind it, the study said.
The study, titled “Feasibility study on scaling up the production of Technical Textile (TT) including Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in Bangladesh,” conducted by German-based Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (giz) was released virtually on Tuesday jointly with Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).
Technical textiles are high-performance and multiplications textiles with special properties used in various industries, including automotive, personal care, hygiene, agriculture, home care, packaging, construction, aerospace, protective gear, healthcare and others.
The versatile applicability of technical textiles is influencing the market growth.
Pointing out the ways for doing well in exporting such products, the study said that a complete strategy needs to be adopted for first stage development, based on a limited number of products by a limited number of well-established technical apparel manufacturers in the greater Dhaka area who will act as a role model TT/PPE cluster.
Everything starts on a small scale and once a solid foundation is built, the sub-sector can rely on increased demand to bolster more product diversification at a second stage, it said.
The study said during the first stage, factories will upgrade technology and implement lean manufacturing practices.
The relevant departments will ensure suitable raw material procurement and quality production. Other departments will learn all the requirements for meeting testing and certification standards.
Once Bangladesh builds its reputation, confidence and reliability in this new product sector, it can gradually introduce more technology and advance to more diversified and sophisticated products offering greater profit margins, the study said.
Speaking at the event, BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said, “At this juncture we need investment and technical knowhow from the developed part of the world. Our industry is ready to cater the growing market of the TT and PPE and demand is also in the rise.”
“We encourage joint venture in technical textile and PPE and also need support from the brands, testing services companies and technology suppliers to join hands and take the potential to a reality,” he added.
Assuring continuation of the present support, German Ambassador AchimTröster said, “We are glad to cooperate with Bangladesh in the textile sector and – through this study – to give strategic impulses for further development of the sub-sector of technical textiles.”
The current size of the global technical textile market is about $180 billion but Bangladesh is yet to tap this huge potential.
The technical textile market is projected to grow to $224.4 billion by 2025 at an average annual growth rate of 4.2 percent and the global PPE market is projected to pass $93 billion by the end of 2025, according to the study.
