The need to become self-reliant in the textile chain is motivating many industrialists to either backward integrate or enter the textile chain with the fresh and uncluttered opportunity. Seizing the same Hajee Islam Group, one of the largest Stainless Steel Pipe manufacturers in Bangladesh, forayed into the textile business about five years back by putting up a cotton spinning unit. Catering yarns to all major denim manufacturers in the country, the growing demand of denim has motivated the company to go for expansion in its spinning unit, adding another 36,000 spindles. Expansion plans don’t stop here and once the spindles are erected, then would start the project to manufacture denim.
Team Apparel Online met Hajee Md. Islam Uddin, Chairman & Managing Director of the Group at his office in Wari, Dhaka and was floored by his jovial nature which camouflaged his steel resolve to succeed. An interesting personality, Islam Uddin speaks good Hindi and is very fond of good food including Indian street food, good cars, and has immense passion for buying best branded formal suits and shoes. That he is passionate about his business is also evident. “We want to be a fully integrated setup by 2015. We are very soon going to put a denim fabric manufacturing setup and install best looms for our denim manufacturing. We prefer European machines but we will put some Chinese looms too. So it would be a mix of European and Chinese technology; this plant would be commissioned by February 2014,” informs Islam Uddin.
The denim facility would be fully composite right from spinning, weaving to processing. The construction of the 24-storey building is underway keeping in mind the compliance issues, especially environmental compliances of a recycling plant ETP & WTP. Doing over US $ 50 million in its textile business and present capacity of 56,000 spindles, Islam Group has recently signed a contract with Beximco to supply its yarns. The company imports its raw cotton mainly from India. Since the company is aiming at being a vertically integrated setup in denim after completion of the fabric unit, work on the garmenting facility will commence soon.
