Automation is the need of the hour for the apparel industry; be it in sewing room, cutting room or material handling. For Bangladesh which is already battling increased production costs due to a host of reasons, the significance of embracing automation increases manifold over.
However, the fast-changing economic scenario globally and within Bangladesh has posed a few challenges for the garment makers as they look for cost-effective options, which have opened up opportunities for machine makers/solution providers that can offer quality products at competitive price points.
MAQI, the Chinese sewing machine manufacturer offering a host of interventions including lockstitch, overstock, chainstitch, bar-tacking, button-attaching, button-holing, heavy material machine, serveo control system, is looking to capitalise on the opportunities on offer even as it continues to come up with new interventions from time to time, thanks to its state-of-the-art R&D centre in Shanghai, China, as it continues to deliver top-notch computerised sewing machines to increase foothold in the growing apparel manufacturing market of Bangladesh.
Apparel Resources (AR) caught up with Adam Zhao, the Country Manager of MAQI in Bangladesh to know his thoughts and views on the Bangladesh garment industry and what is it that sets MAQI apart from others in the fast-changing manufacturing landscape of Bangladesh.
Here are the excerpts.
AR: Your views on Bangladesh as a market from MAQI’s perspective.
Adam Zhao: It is undoubtedly a very promising market for machine manufacturers from the world over including MAQI and keeping the same in perspective, we have increased our focus more on Bangladesh now.
After almost a period of three years, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic that had put travel on hold, we are able to visit Bangladesh and spend more and more time in the country to meet with our existing clients, figure out their needs and requirements and offer necessary solutions while also scout for prospective clientele that would need MAQI’s support to grow and flourish in today’s competitive and exciting apparel manufacturing landscape.
In the last one year, the MAQI team including people from our technical and marketing verticals have spent a significant period (around six months) of time here to help and guide our local team, which continues to provide all necessary support to the Bangladesh garment industry.
After 2020, the business is again slowly but steadily picking up. Bangladesh’s mainstay is garment making and exports and garment is the basic necessity for everyone world over. So the prospects for Bangladesh will always be good even if on and off, there could be some hiccups.
Currently; Bangladesh’s two main export destinations of Europe and USA are under recession and so the demand for apparel is a little subdued.
What’s more, Bangladesh is also undergoing some economic hardships.
Taka has devalued vis-a-vis the US dollar, adding to which there is pressure on the foreign currency reserve. This has given rise to some concerns for the garment makers, be it in opening LCs for buying machines or importing much-needed raw materials.
AR: By when do you foresee things improving for the better?
Adam Zhao: It would be a bit difficult to say at this point in time as there’s a lot of uncertainty in almost every front. We are in the Bangladesh market for more than 15 years now and are hoping things would change for the better in the days to come.
Notwithstanding the current sentiments, one should not forget Bangladesh is a major sourcing destination for all global brands and buyers, so it might take some time but things will get better with time.
As I said, Bangladesh is a very important market for us, we are focusing on it with long-term goals in perspective. We may have missed out on a few customers on account of existing economic situation but let me tell you we are consolidating our position here with every passing year and in the coming days will continue to do so.
AR: With so many players already, how does MAQI distinguish itself from the rest?
Adam Zhao: We are a more than 28-year-old company and have established ourselves based on the key parameters of quality and excellence.
There are a host of factors, which sets us apart from the rest. To start with, the quality of our machines is as good as those from any other country be it Japan or Europe, but comes at much sharper price points, which is an added advantage.
What’s more, for MAQI, it is just not about selling machines but much beyond that. Our after-sales and service is much faster compared to many prominent names in the realm of machine making.
We also make sure to keep all spare parts ready 24×7 so that customers are better served.
Our slogan, ‘Use Maqi, Enjoy Life’ is enough to suggest how we intend to serve the industry.
We have full-fledged service centre, marketing team and backend team in Bangladesh. We also do regular road shows and Facebook sessions to educate and keep our clients updated as to all the latest offerings from MAQI.
What’s more, it’s just not our clients; we also try to ensure more profits to our dealers through various ways.
AR: Any particular machine from MAQI you think the industry should know about?
Adam Zhao: There are so many and let me also tell you within the Chinese machine makers, MAQI has been able to stand out.
To give an idea of MAQI’s popularity, you will be surprised to know, as per information available with us, Chinese machines constitute around 30-40 per cent of the total lockstitch machines sold in Bangladesh, in which MAQI’s share will be around 5-10 per cent, which is pretty good.
MAQI also adopted the transformation from a common machine type to a direct-drive computerised sewing machine many years back as we look forward to helping the industry in adopting automation and remaining competitive.
One particular machine that I would like to introduce to our customers is X5C, which is a high-speed computerised lock-stitch machine. I can guarantee, once anyone uses this machine, they would not like to try out any other.
Another strong USP about our machines is they are very quiet and almost noiseless, which helps in improving the atmosphere on the shopfloor.
Then there are Q70 and Q5FT models, which are also different models of lock-stitch machines.
AR: Any message for the industry?
Adam Zhao: The Bangladesh garment industry is in a very interesting phase of its growth journey. It is the second biggest apparel exporter globally and continues to grow further. On the other hand, it is also very cost-effective compared to many of its competitors. However, it cannot afford to overlook the current trend of increase in production cost, which can only be handled effectively through automation and technology adoption.
I am here in Bangladesh and working with the industry continuously for the last five years and have seen the various stages (ups and downs) it has gone through. However, in today’s age, when the manufacturing landscape is undergoing massive changes, there’s no alternative to technology and the sooner one adopts technology, the better it is for them.
Big groups understand it and are already going for automation but the smaller players are still somewhat hesitant and they have their reasons to do so, I feel.
However, we would like to tell the industry MAQI is here to help and support it in technology adoption through our high-quality and cost-effective interventions, as we intend to build long-term relationships with the garment makers in Bangladesh.
