It is high time we think about manufacturing high-end products: Imranur Rahman

On a September morning in 2004, 24-year-old Imranur Rahman set out on a new journey in his life. He woke up early in the morning to get ready and board a microbus. He set off from his house at Kalabagan to his father's garments factory in Ashulia for his internship.   

"On my way to the factory, I saw many other factories beside the highway. I felt very excited that my father and my uncles have been working with thousands of people for a long time. Now I will get a chance to work with them as well," Imran recalled the first day of his career, now a 41-year-old successful apparel businessman.  

In the latest election of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), the apex body of readymade garment (RMG) factory owners, Imran was elected as one of the 20 directors. He is the managing director of Laila Styles Limited. 

In his new leadership role, Imran wants to work on fair pricing of products in the international market alongside improving workers' rights and workplace safety policies.     

Though Imran is now a successful RMG businessman, he once dreamt of becoming an architect during his childhood. Imran completed his secondary and higher secondary examination from Dhaka Residential Model College. In 1999, he went to the US with his father on a vacation. That tour changed his course of life.  

He fell in love with the dazzling US universities and decided to pursue higher studies there. The same year, he enrolled at the California State University to study business administration with a concentration in international business. Afterwards, he went to the UK to study marketing management at the University of Luton. 

"I always thought it was a blessing that I was able to go abroad for higher studies. I had the opportunity to be surrounded by new cultures and receive high standard education," said Imran.  

After completing his master's degree, Imran realised that he should do something in his own country. 

"Our fathers are sending us abroad for higher studies. It's our responsibility to contribute to our motherland. Keeping this thing in my mind, I came back home," he said.

The beginning 

In 2004, Imran came back to Bangladesh and decided to get involved with RMG business as his father Siddiqur Rahman, the former president of BGMEA, and three of his uncles - Sirajul Huq, Fazlul Huq and Sentu - were already been involved in this business. 

"The main reason for me to enter the RMG business was my father and uncles were involved in this business as well, which inspired me. It's our family business," Imran voiced.  

He added, "My father was so passionate about business that in 1984, when the first carton of raw materials came to Bangladesh, he carried the carton on his shoulders," Imran recalled. 

After coming back to Bangladesh, Imran interned in a garment factory of his father's Sterling Group in Ashulia for a year. At the time, his father was constructing a separate factory for Imran so he could start his own independent business.

In 2005, Imran started his company "Bando Design Limited" in Ashulia on the outskirts of the city. In the beginning, there were 800 workers. Now, the factory has 3,200 workers.

Imran's primary investment was funded by his father and bank loans. His father was involved in every step of building Bando Design Limited.  

He later set up a new garment factory called Laila Styles Limited, named after his mother Laila Rahman. "My wife Samira Alam has been my strength in everything I do," said Imran. 

"It takes a lot of effort to make a factory successful. I feel that it's a very complicated trade and we have to deal with very fragile situations," he continued, adding, that the most important thing to him is to build a good relationship with the workers and mid-level managers. 

"If you have a good relationship with the workers, the factory will run smoothly," said Imran, who is a football enthusiast and his company's football team has participated in various national and international corporate sporting events.

Imran has four brothers. Except for one, all of them are involved with the RMG industry.

Working towards better workers' rights

Imran believes that the workers in the Bangladeshi garment factories get more facilities than many other competitor countries. International bodies such as Accord and Alliance monitored the Bangladeshi garment factories and the local body "RMG Sustainability Council (RSC)" is monitoring workplace safety. 

He added, "After the Rana Plaza incident, factory owners have improved workplace safety in the factories. Not only that, the garment owners have also put more emphasis on the workers' wellbeing and health."  

The previous generation has done a lot for ensuring workers' rights, safety and wellbeing. "We, the new generation, now have a dream to take these measures to a new height," Imran told the correspondent.  

The way out of lower prices

Over time, different international brands have helped Bangladeshi garment factories scale up production. However, many international brands do not want to pay a fair price for the product they buy. 

As a result, Bangladeshi RMG companies have to accept low-priced orders so they can pay the workers' salaries. 

"The topmost concern for any RMG factory owner is the salary of the workers. Next comes the bank payments. We have to keep these things in mind. We always have to work under pressure even though we may not always get a fair price from our buyers," Imran said. 

"Costs and prices are increasing - salaries, electricity, gas - everything. But the prices of the basic products we are manufacturing have been falling," Imran pointed out.  

And there is a reason for the falling prices. 

"We are now producing basic products and the price of these products is going down. It is high time we think about product development and manufacturing high-end products," Imran explained. 

He added, "I feel that we, the new generation, have an experience of more than 10 years in this sector. Now is the time for us to work in unison for fair prices from our buyers. Unless we do so, we will not survive."

Imran believes that if garment owners install machineries with better technology and spend money on research and development, it will yield good results. Many garment owners are now working on diversified products. 

"Our newly elected President, Faruque Hassan, is highly educated and well-known. I believe that the new generation will do better under his guidance," Imran said. 

Imran also believes that the new generation will take the RMG industry to new heights. 

The differences and similarities between the leadership of two generations 

Both Imran and his father have always worked together with their workers. His father spent most of his time in the factory and shared a good relationship with workers of all levels. 

"I have the same habit and I also share a good relationship with my mid-level managers and workers in my factory. There is also a complaint box in the factory where everyone is allowed to leave their complaints," said Imran. He can read the box's content anytime. Besides, all the workers can access his room.

Imran's father built his business from scratch and Imran made it so far with the help of his father. Here is where the difference lies.

"It's unthinkable how much dedication and hard work they had to put in to set up the business. In comparison, our life was easy," Imran said. 

"I have a US-based designer who is designing everything from the US. It is true that our generation is paying more attention to research and development in the sector," he added. 

Impact of Covid-19 on the RMG sector

Like other countries, the RMG sector in Bangladesh faced a huge challenge during the first wave of Covid-19 when orders were being cancelled left and right. It was a big disaster for the RMG sector. Many brands did not buy the products they ordered. However, the industry somehow survived the first wave with the help of government stimulus packages. 

"The government stimulus package is a kind of low-rate loan. With this loan, we paid the salary of the workers. Now, we are worried about how we'll pay our workers' salaries and Eid bonuses," said Imran. 

Buyers are placing fewer orders and many garment factories have shut down because they could not turn around. The existing RMG factories need the support to turn around. 

Imran set up a green factory in the past. Currently, he is running two washing plants. He wants to expand his business further and wants to set up an eco-friendly washing plant.

"I have a vision of setting up a textile mill in the future," Imran said.