Several major garment manufacturers in Bangladesh, including AL Muslim, Sharmin, Sparrow, Pacific, and Windy, kept their factories open on Friday, July 26, to compensate for lost production time due to recent unrest and shutdowns. In Tongi, Masco Group’s knit composite factory operated at full capacity, with extended working hours and plans to continue production next Friday, usually a day off.
The increased activity is driven by rising demand from Western markets as winter approaches. Companies like Ha-meem Group, Mondol Group, DBL Group, Pacific Jeans, Standard Group, Palmal Group, and Windy Group are also working overtime. Windy Group’s Managing Director, Mesbah Uddin Khan, noted their daily production of 150,000 to 200,000 garments and extended work hours from 8-10 to 10-13 hours per day for the next few weeks to address the backlog.
Sparrow Group is facing tight deadlines from US buyers, with one requesting air freight for a 180,000-piece order due by July 29 and another extending the deadline for a 100,000-piece order by one week. To meet these demands, Sparrow’s 15,400 workers are working extra hours. Sparrow aims to increase its annual export value from $275 million to $300 million this year.
The internet blackout has raised concerns about potential order losses for the next summer season, affecting buyer confidence. Despite these challenges, companies like AL Muslim Group are running their factories at full capacity to mitigate the impact of the disruptions.
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