The garment manufacturing industry continues to remain the major promoter of the Bangladesh economy even in 2022 with more promising future in the times ahead. One can see drastic changes in the industry’s practices that have taken place in last one decade – all thanks to the incredible efforts made by the progressive groups in the country that have taken the commitment on themselves to innovate processes and products in order to align themselves to the country’s goal of achieving US $ 100 billion export turnover by 2030.
One such renowned name of Bangladesh’s garment industry is Hams Group that is leaving exceptional footprints for others to follow. Established in 1994, Hams Group – a US $ 200 million group – is acknowledged as one of the leading vertical textile manufacturers in the country. Since next-generation is eagerly taking over businesses in Bangladesh and taking the legacy forward with innovative thinking, Hams Group too has seen a substantial shift in its business management. Akib Rahman, the son of Md. Shafiqur Rahman who started the business back in 1994 with a printing unit – is presently Director in the company. Team Apparel Resources (AR) recently met Akib in Dhaka to understand the growth plans of Hams Group going ahead.
As buyers continue to have confidence on Hams Group, the expansion is inevitable
It’s a known fact that Hams Group has one of the largest washing plants in Bangladesh that’s named – Hams Washing & Dyeing Ltd., which was started 24 years ago and has now been upgraded to Dhaka Garments & Washing Ltd. It was in 2010 when the company realised the need of venturing into garment manufacturing business and started Hams Garments Ltd., and since then, the knitwear project has seen an unprecedented growth in the last 12 years as almost all big and renowned brands are currently working with Hams Group as buyers.
The company again felt the need of innovating its product basket, therefore it added lingerie to its portfolio by starting a state-of-the-art unit Victoria Intimate in 2019 which now has 30 sewing lines but the expansion is already underway. “Once this expansion gets completed, it will be a factory of 60 sewing lines,” announced Akib.
Not just knits, the group is strengthening its woven division too. The demand in the global apparel market for woven apparel products was massive in pre-pandemic time which is regaining its momentum after a temporary shortfall during pandemic. The factory was started in 2019 and currently has 32 sewing lines operational that collectively produce 850,000 pieces per month. Currently Hams Group is working with renowned buyers like H&M, Kohls, Fila, Esprit, NewYorker, M&S, Kmart, Gemo, Next, NewLook, Puma, C&A, Walmart etc.
“We are soon going to have another 32 lines in our woven unit wherein we would make denim jackets, padded jackets and other similar high-end garments that yield greater unit prices,” informed Akib, adding, “We also feel that we should produce our own fabric to reduce lead time, keep control on processes, and reduce cost of raw material. This unit is also in our plans and we will make it operational by 2024.”
Technology and sustainability are key focus areas for the group
What’s worth mentioning here is that Hams Group is focusing on generating employment in the country in an era when majority of factories are investing in automation to reduce labour costs. However, the thought process of Hams Group is different from others. It believes humans can work together with automation without feeling insecured. The factory has automated machines such as automatic snap button machine, feed-off-the-arm machine, automatic loop attachment machine, APW machine, bottom hemming machines, automatic back pocket rollers, pattern sewers and auto-spreaders.
“Humans and technology is a perfect combination for us. You see our Industrial Engineering-based shopfloors are fully covered with all latest machinery and our skilled workforce is well synergised to work in a high-tech atmosphere. It boosts productivity and efficiency in our processes. Even though such high-end automation costs us more in the initial run but what we look at is profitability in our business in future,” elaborated Akib. He further said that, once Hams Group’s all expansion projects are completed, the company will have a workforce of more than 15,000 people.
Not just shopfloor, the company has invested in CLO3D also majorly to – 1) reduce sampling costs; 2) ease the product development processes; and 3) reduce time taken in approval sample process.
“We understand market’s changing trends and this is why we have made our design studio a strong entity where we create innovative and trendy designs to cater to the buyers’ requirement in a rapidly evolving fashion business landscape,” commented Akib.
As far as sustainability initiatives are concerned, Hams Group is leaving no stone unturned to ensure sustainability in 3Ps – processes, planet and people. It has invested in a huge biological ETP where it uses chemicals approved by ZDHC. Doing so, the company is committed to advancing towards zero discharge of hazardous chemicals in the textile supply chain. Hams Group was awarded in composite category by ZDHC for a project Implementing chemical management system which is accredited as the first such type of project in Bangladesh during 2019-20.
The washing unit has one of the largest commercial washing facilities in the country and all kinds of washes can be done there ranging from earth colour dyeing, tie dyeing, pigment dyeing, and acid wash to towel bleach, fluorescent dyeing etc. To keep its washing unit sustainable, Hams Group has invested in cutting-edge innovations such as Ozone Wash and e-Flow technology. “We are also using latest washing machines from Jeanologia, Yilmak, Brongo and Tonello. e-Flow technology is based on nanobubbles of air that act as a carrier to transmit chemicals into a garment with a minimal quantity of water and zero discharge and hence helps us to keep sustainable in terms of water and chemical usage,” asserted Akib.
As efforts towards sustainability are becoming a major thrust area for Hams Group, soon it is expected to receive LEED Gold Certificates for its lingerie unit, Victoria Intimate Ltd. and for its woven unit, Dhaka Garments & Washing Ltd.
Infrastructure and Capacities of Hams Group
- Dhaka Garments & Washing Ltd
Area: 350,000 sq. ft
Manpower: 3,300
Machine: 1,500 sewing machines; and 250 washing machines
Production Lines: Running – 32; Proposed – 64
Capacity: 32,000 pcs per day in garments and 120,000 pcs in washing
- Victoria Intimate Ltd.
Area: 210,000 sq. ft
Manpower: 1534
Sewing Lines (Proposed): 60
Currently Running: 30
Total Installed Capacity: 2.50 million pcs per month
- Hams Fashion Ltd.
Printing Capacity: 4 million pcs per month
Embroidery Capacity: 520 million stitches per month
Sewing Capacity: 600,000 pcs per month
- Hams Garments Ltd.
Area: 300,000 Sq. Ft
Manpower: 6000
Sewing Lines: 34 (T Shirts) + 42 (Undergarments)
Capacity: 1.5 lakh pcs per day
- Knitting Department (Hams Garments Ltd.)
Area: 70,000 sq. ft
Capacity: 25,000 kgs per day
Machine: 60 sets of circular knitting machines; and 8 sets of semi-jacquard flat knitting machines
- Dyeing and Finishing Department (Hams Garments Ltd.)
Area: 60,000 sq. ft
Capacity: 30,000 kgs per day dyeing; and 40,000 kgs per day finishing
Machine: 25 sets of dyeing machines and 20 sets of finishing machines
