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\tAs labour costs rise across traditional apparel manufacturing hubs, Bangladesh is apparently quietly redefining the competitive edge that once relied on cheap manpower. Long known for its vast pool of low-cost workers, the country\u2019s garment industry appears to be shifting towards technology and automation, signalling a strategic shift from labour-intensive production to machines, data, and speed. <\/span><\/p>\n Bangladesh’s garment industry is increasingly adopting automation and technology.
\tThough gradual, the transformation is beginning to deliver measurable results now.<\/span><\/p>\n \tMedia reports citing a study by a renowned autonomous multidisciplinary research organisation of the country, underlined that Bangladesh\u2019s readymade garment (RMG) sector\u2014driven by automation and technological upgrades\u2014achieved average annual productivity growth of 4.19 per cent between 2014 and 2023. <\/span><\/p>\n \tAt first glance, these gains may seem modest, but they are significant in an industry that employs millions and underpins a substantial portion of the national economy. <\/span><\/p>\n \tThe RMG sector contributes an estimated 8.5\u201310.5 per cent of GDP and generates 80\u201385 per cent of export earnings, making even incremental improvements economically meaningful.<\/span><\/p>\n \tHowever, the productivity gains have not been uniform. Jackets reportedly led the way with 6.59 per cent annual growth over the decade, followed by knit lingerie at 6.43 per cent. Sweaters (6.05 per cent), home textiles (5.58 per cent), and T-shirts (4.39 per cent) also posted solid gains, benefiting from mechanisation, standardisation, and process automation. <\/span><\/p>\n \tBy contrast, woven shirts, woven trousers, and denim reportedly recorded more modest growth of 3 per cent, 1.15 per cent, and 1.81 per cent, largely due to lower levels of automation.<\/span><\/p>\n \tMeanwhile, the automation-intensive segments of the RMG sector delivered the strongest gains. Cutting, knitting, and wet processing reportedly recorded annual productivity growth of 11.13 per cent, 9.85 per cent, and 6.11 per cent, respectively. Meanwhile, sewing\u2014the least automated and most labour-dependent stage\u2014 reportedly posted the weakest growth at 3.57 per cent, while weaving and end finishing recorded growth of 4.43 per cent and 4.78 per cent over the decade.<\/span><\/p>\n \tThe impact of technology is perhaps most visible in cutting. In the 1980s and 1990s, 10\u201312 workers using manual tools reportedly processed 4,000\u20135,000 pieces a day. Today, fully automated CAD- and CNC-driven systems allow just 2\u20133 operators to reportedly cut up to 10,000 pieces daily\u2014three to five times faster and markedly more precise.<\/span><\/p>\n \tThe report also notes a shift in knitting from low-gauge circular machines to microprocessor-controlled equipment with CAD\/CAM integration, digital design functions, and fine-gauge capabilities, even as it highlighted wider adoption of automated cutting, semi-automatic sewing heads, laser or ozone finishing, auto-dosing dyeing systems, and digital quality-control tools across medium-scale factories.<\/span><\/p>\n \tHowever, most critically, the study also calls on policymakers to anticipate potential labour displacement as automation deepens and to plan for it proactively. In an industry that employs millions, the central challenge will thus be to balance efficiency gains with social stability, as the garment sector moves toward a more automated future.<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DR)<\/p>\n
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\nA study showed productivity grew 4.19 per cent annually during 2014\u201323, with automation-intensive segments like cutting, knitting and wet processing posting the strongest gains.
\nAs technology adoption accelerates, policymakers now face the challenge of managing labour displacement.<\/p>\n