Printing plays an important role in value addition, and as Bangladesh gears up to achieve the magic figure of US $ 50 billion by 2021 in apparel exports, value addition is going to be one of the key contributing factors. Country Manager of Bangladesh’s first and only integrated printing solutions provider – DCC Print Vision LLP, H N Ashiqur Rahman, speaks to Apparel Online underlining his company’s initiatives to help the industry achieve this long-cherished dream to befittingly commemorate the country’s 50 years of Independence.
“Last year, garment export was worth around US $ 28 billion, and to reach the target of US $ 50 billion, the industry would have to almost double the exports, either in terms of volume or value. Honestly speaking, doubling up volume seems impossible! A concerted effort at value addition (to command better price points) alongside volume increase would perhaps be the best shot at reaching the US $ 50 billion landmark,” explains Ashiq, stressing that Bangladesh’s absolute reliance on foreign nations to get value addition through prints, is cutting into the profit margins of the garment exporters. “If they can do the same in Bangladesh, it would yield better margins. And this is what DCC is helping them achieve,” he reasons with a futuristic view.
“Last year garment export was worth around US $ 28 billion, and to reach the target of US $ 50 billion, the industry would have to almost double the exports, either in terms of volume or value. Honestly speaking, doubling up volume seems impossible! A concerted effort at value addition (to command better price points) alongside volume increase would perhaps be the best shot at reaching the US $ 50 billion landmark.” – H N Ashiqur Rahman, Country Manager – DCC Print Vision LLP
Headquartered in India, DCC offers an entire range of printers – screen, digital and sublimation – with the aim to make printing technology available and also let all the levels of the industry be aware about their knowhow to increase the focus on value addition. The company’s customized solutions in software (‘Wasatch’ – considered one of the best in the world), and hardware (zero-maintenance heat press machines from Monti Antonio, Italy, sublimation printer from Epson, etc.), have enabled DCC to already get the desired industry attention.
“In Bangladesh, I did not see a single company working towards integration of the printing process, which is an amalgamation of diverse but critical aspects. We are the first to join all the dots to offer the best possible solutions,” underlines Ashiq confidently. Ashiq’s long-standing association with the apparel industry in his more than a decade-old career in diverse roles for various companies has made DCC get an incisive reach in the industry.
Christened as an ‘Xperience Zone’ and spread over 4000 square feet in the heart of Dhaka, DCC has come up with its first ever showroom offering complete solution/support as far as printing is concerned, be it certified training, complete range of raw materials, machines and design development support for the entire supply chain from fabrics to garments. “We are helping to train the manpower with requisite skills along with rendering free sampling facility. Using our services and people trained by us, many manufacturers have already bagged decent orders from the prospective clients, which is slowly but surely building the trust factor,” underlines the Bangladesh Country Manager of DCC. The company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with BGMEA under which people trained by DCC are awarded certificates by the Center of Excellence for Bangladesh Apparel Industry (CEBAI) – an institute for skill development under the joint initiative of ILO and BGMEA and funded by H&M, and Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), with a view to establish a replicable model of industry-driven training and support services. This, along with DCC’s excellent services, has helped significantly increase the company’s acceptance not only amongst the garment manufacturers but also the buying houses, a vital cog of the apparel industry credited with earning valuable foreign currency through substantial overseas orders.
“We are soon going to organize a seminar for the buying houses to make them aware of our services and offerings. Earlier they would not place orders with local manufacturers for value-added items… But with the coming of DCC, things are changing,” claims Ashiq. The overwhelming enquiries (currently numbering around 50-60) from all the big players in the industry, is a testament to Ashiq’s claims.
“We are still in the process of educating the customers, but enquiry about materialization percentage is very good, surpassing even our expectations,” Ashiq states, confident of putting up an excellent performance in the coming days, which stems from the company’s unique services and solutions under one roof; including modern printing technologies, inks and consumables, software, service support, tech consulting, hands-on training and application support.
