The rising receptiveness of manufacturers, increase in labour wages, mounting maintenance costs, along with buyers’ ‘push’ for a transparent supply chain, have all put Uni Asia on a winning path in Bangladesh. “People now understand the importance of automated cutting room solutions. Quality is always a concern among buyers and manufacturers. Not only efficiency optimization and target achievement on time are the major reasons behind the company’s success, but buyers are also now actively playing their role in choosing the vendors with automated solutions in their facility,” informs M A Saleque, Managing Director, Uni Asia Associates. The company has installed 34 complete cutting room solutions and strongly believes that the country will achieve a target of achieving US $ 50 billion in next five years.
Stereotyped as a manufacturing hub with ‘low technology adoption’, Bangladesh RMG industry is experiencing a change in the scenario compared to what it was five years back, with more apparel manufacturers understanding the need of automated cutting solutions in their facilities. Conventional manual cutting leads to variation in efficiency throughout the day, with low efficiency in the beginning, that gains momentum in-between and gets down towards the end of the day, and which ultimately creates turmoil with daily target per day. Same is not the case with automated solutions, besides it reduces the dependency on labour by one-tenth, saves fabric wastage and utility cost and enhances quality.
Bullmer, being one of the company’s offerings, is a well-known brand for cutting room solutions. The high demand and zero maintenance reflect a curve in the direction the industry is moving. Not only big players of business, but small- and medium-level players catering to small quantities can also join hands with the advanced cutting technology. Quality-consciousness manufacturers are receptive in adapting such technologies. Chittagong-based Sri Lankan company, Univogue, which has been operating in the country from last 25 years, has 100 per cent automated cutting room solutions. “Though most of the players in the industry are still not receptive towards it, they still need time. But I’m hopeful they will become flexible to the state-of-the-art cutting technology in coming years,” shares Saleque.
The patented knife-driven system of the cutting machine from Bullmer is replaceable and can be changed very quickly in case of breakdown which reduces the machine downtime greatly. This aspect of the cutters gives an edge to the industry. Not only technology, but its less maintenance requirement, and thus zero maintenance costs make Bullmer a need for every manufacturer. The automatic cleaning system cleans the bristle belt after the fabric is cut so as to enhance the life of machine. Furthermore, automatic lubrication system is another attraction to invest in the machine.
The success of the German brand in the competitive market of Bangladesh cannot alone be attributed to the cutting edge technology and performance of the machines, but also to the fact that Uni Asia has ensured availability of spare parts for after-sales service and support. Also, as per the routine maintenance chart, Uni Asia sends their personnel once every month or before three months to completely clean the machine. “We have identified consumables and some parts that breakdown and need to be replaced, and have kept a good stock of such parts. We understand the investment done by exporters and we value it. Our aim is to keep the machine running as against other machines that stops operating until repaired. Thus, Bullmer offers 25 per cent less operational costs,” adds Saleque.
Bierrebi is a state-of-the-art, technically advanced, automated tubular cutting machines for T-shirt, underwear, bra, activewear, etc., with major multinational companies as its users.
Canada-based apparel manufacturer, Gildan Activewear, American clothing company HBI, Fruits of The Loom, and Russel are some of the names having more than 300 Bierrebi cutting machines.
Around 6-7 million T-shirt pieces are cut every day by Bierrebi machines worldwide.
8 Bierrebi machines are currently in operation in Bangladesh, including Gildan Activewear.
Keya Group, the biggest tubular T-shirt manufacturer in Bangladesh has placed order for 3 Bierrebi machines.
Uni Asia provides trained service personnel to the technology users, who remain at their facility for few months and train operators on how to run the machine to get complete results. The company ensures that the machine is handed over to the mid-level management at the facility only after they gain the expertise to operate the machine. “The only way to get complete benefit of automatic solutions is to get trained on its features,” believes Saleque.
With a target of 50 installations by next year, Uni Asia has introduced Bullmer’s digital cutter in the Bangladesh market which has a very fast responsiveness. The machine needs certain time to run when fabric is to be cut; the digital cutter takes much lesser time, increasing machine’s responsiveness by 15 per cent. Along with it, the increasing exports of tubular size body garments from the country have urged the company to bring to market a new cutting machine for knits. AC3 Line, an automatic cutting line for continuous fabric from Bierrebi, an Italian technology, was brought last year to Bangladesh. It can handle maximum fabric width of 35 inches and its cutting length varies to 78 inches. “The AC3 Line does not require any spreading. The fabric can be brought to cut directly from the last stage of textile finishing,” informs Saleque.
Uni Asia’s last year’s performance was a mixed outcome, with third quarter performance dropping due to terrorists’ attacks in the country. However, the situation got better with stable performance in the fourth quarter. The company expects a good business in coming months of 2017. The upbeat political environment promises a constructive business. “We are also planning to expand our services in the segment of sublimation printing. The printing business is growing in Bangladesh and seems to have a bright future in forthcoming years. We are mulling over having complete textile printing solutions in the country,” avers Saleque. However, he underscores infrastructure as the top requirement in achieving the desired target. Also, the low adaptability of new technologies by Bangladeshi players poses a great challenge for the company.
