Upgradation and expansions of manufacturing in Bangladesh have never been the question…The companies are always exploring opportunities to produce more, and improving quality and productivity of existing operations has always been a priority for Bangladesh. But how does a country relatively new in comparison to its neighbours adapt to a similar level of automation in its manufacturing facilities, so quickly? Many would attribute this to the international retailers who source from the country, but would also give credit to such a tremendous development in the country’s manufacturing abilities, to Pacific Associates. Undoubtedly the largest supplier of all kinds of machines, technologies and solutions for the textile and apparel manufacturing needs of the country, Pacific Associates was established in 1988 by M. Shahabuddin, now Managing Director of the company. In an exclusive interaction with Apparel Online, Shahabuddin at the recently concluded Garmentech Fair claims, “It’s about commitment, service and support.”
Shahabuddin started his career in 1986 in sales and learned the traits of the trade on his first trip to Japan, when he realized the importance of customer service and satisfaction in the business of supplying machines and technologies to textile and apparel manufacturers. Now completing 25 glorious years of handling a total of 22 best and selectively chosen brands like Fong’s, Shima Seiki, Bruckner, Fukuhara, Brother, Pegasus, Karl Mayer, THEN, Goller, Fadis, Xorella, Bosch, Joseph Egli, Smit, Buser, Danti Paolo, IMA, MACPI, Vibemac, Richpeace, Powerlink, Siliconi and among others, Pacific Associates has been providing the industry the biggest available assortment of textile and apparel manufacturing technologies. “I have always
envisioned myself as a high-end departmental store of technology for the apparel industry of Bangladesh, providing varied solutions, wherein people would just contact us for setting up a spinning, weaving, knitting, dyeing, finishing, processing or garmenting unit etc. and we deliver best equipment at the lowest ROI,” avers Shahabuddin. The advantage is of having such a wide array of high-quality and suitable solutions by using sewing, knitting and dyeing machines along with boilers taking support from Pacific Associates.
Another critical aspect of Pacific Associates business operation is that the selected brands and technologies with which the company works are as of now only European and Japanese in origin. “Marketing and servicing good brands gets you bigger and committed apparel and textile manufacturers as your client,” reasons Shahabuddin, who selects a brand based on its brand image and performance. To represent it in the country, MACPI and IMA Group themselves approached the company for partnership in Bangladesh, seeing the reputation of the company in the eyes of industry leaders. Another import rule when selecting a brand is never to market two competing companies.
[bleft] “Our complete package of technologies and training, always keep us a step ahead of our competitors, and is one of the critical reasons for our success in the highly competitive Bangladesh market. Moreover, when it comes to the spreading and cutting machines, we have a complete range for handling fabrics from denim to Lycra, rest everything falls in-between.”
– Anandakumar [/bleft]
The excellence of Pacific’s operations is in giving equal and dedicated attention to each of the brands with the creation of 22 different divisions, each exclusively responsible for one brand, through the company’s five offices in Dhaka and one in Chittagong. “On an average every division has 15 people sales and technical support, out of these people I pick a team leader who spearheads the operations of the brand assigned to him,” explains Shahabuddin, who is always on the lookout for fresh talent. Annual meetings are conducted with the brand and its division team under Pacific Associates, wherein the sales target for the coming year is decided. “I try and help in my people’s personal and professional life, which otherwise can affect their efficiency and hence help them in achieving their targets,” asserts Shahabuddin, who only participates in the sales and marketing calls to boost his people and motivate them for higher service.
