Most of the garment manufacturers today, are either improving their existing set-ups or going in for new state-of-the-art manufacturing units to remain a preferred supplier. Chittagong based Jerkin Group, is one among the pioneers which has chosen to go in for massive expansion to manufacture denim bottoms. Its new upcoming plant in Nasirabad, Atlantic Jeans, is scheduled to be commissioned in October. The fully automated unit is spread out in an area of 76,000 sq. feet with four floors, three dedicated to sewing with total 30 lines of 65 machines per line. “We are installing Brother, Pegasus and Kansai sewing machines. We will keep one floor out of the total four for cutting and storage of finished garments,” informs Azizul Islam Khan, Managing Director, Jerkin Group who started his journey as a garment manufacturer in 1995 with just 100 machines.
Jerkin Group has imported and installed new direct-drive motors to save on energy, bought automated machines and single needle lockstitch machines with under-bed trimmers for enhanced productivity using less labour. “With these investments, productivity can be increased by at least 10% while also saving on energy to maintain the profitability in business,” avers Azizul. By installing automated machines, the company is also saving on wages, as a good number of helpers have been reduced. The company is looking at tripling its turnover by next FY from US $ 12 million with production starting at its upcoming unit at. “We are also looking at making jackets for the Turkish market, and since it is a high SMV product, we are working with our IE department for setting up the sewing lines,” concludes Azizul.
