By Kazi Azmal Anwar — Textile Engineer (AUST, 12th Batch); 14+ years in Merchandising & Sourcing; Master’s in Supply Chain Management, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand
Stand first
From AUST’s labs to global buying rooms—and now AUT’s supply-chain classrooms—my career sits at the seam where engineering meets commerce. This article distils what actually moves the needle for Bangladeshi mills and vendors: where engineering meets commerce: faster cycles, fewer re-dyes, and location/transport moves that protect margin and people.
My vantage point
I began as a textile engineer (AUST), then spent 14+ years inside merchandising and quality—running T&A calendars, negotiating CM, reducing defects and claims, and keeping programs audit-ready. At AUT, my Master’s in Supply Chain Management reframes those instincts with S&OP, total-landed-cost thinking, network design, and data-led decisions. What follows is practical, shop-floor-friendly—and commercially defensible.
Composite factory outside Dhaka: why the map matters
Locating a composite unit (spinning → knitting/weaving → dyeing/finishing → cutting/sewing) in the Mymensingh/Bhaluka–Cumilla–Chattogram belts can be a strategic win—if executed with logistics discipline and workforce support.
What improves immediately
- Lead-time reliability: fewer urban bottlenecks; easier shift planning; better attendance with organised worker transport.
- Quality stability: end-to-end control reduces hand-offs and rework; tighter lab-to-bulk shade matching.
- Cost control: heat recovery and water reuse become economical at composite scale; fewer external mark-ups between processes.
What must be engineered
- Inbound/outbound flow: set fixed milk-run schedules to ICDs/ports; consolidate loads to lift truck fill rates.
- Worker mobility: run dedicated shuttles on published timetables; stagger shifts by 20–30 minutes to avoid road spikes.
- Utilities: meter kWh/kg and steam/ton at line/cell level; reinvest early savings into changeover reduction and right-first-time (RFT) dyeing.
Where government & owners should team up
- Freight priority windows: night trucking, turning bays at choke points, festival-season traffic plans.
- ICD/rail access: expand inland container depots and container-rail slots so up-country plants don’t pay a “distance tax.”
- Digital gate passes & bonded coverage: faster checkpoints and wider eligibility cut idle time and working-capital drag.
- Road upkeep micro-contracts: rapid-response local crews to fix the exact stretches that repeatedly break schedules.
Transport & workforce: what to fix first (outside-Dhaka sites)
Factory-side (owner team)
- Publish bus routes & timetables; track ridership; add backup vans for peak days.
- Stagger shifts by 20–30 minutes between departments to smooth gate congestion.
- Run a fast lane for pre-cleared outbound loads; align pack-outs to carrier pickup windows.
- Invest in on-site amenities (clinic, childcare, canteen) to cut absenteeism and lift retention.
Government-side (with industry input)
- Enable night trucking windows and signal-timing support on known choke points.
- Fund last-mile road upkeep via micro-contracts; fix the 10 km that cause 90% of delays.
- Expand ICD/rail access and digitize gate passes; shorten port dwell with appointment systems.
- Sign utility reliability MOUs so factories plan capacity with fewer generator hours.
Results first: faster cycles, RFT quality, logistics with intent.
A composite footprint outside Dhaka, backed by shuttles and timed ICD/port runs, converts distance into leverage.
My compass is constant—engineering discipline, resilient sourcing, logistics mastery, and useful tech—woven to defend margins and care for people.
Leave a Reply