With 33 manufacturing centres and 78 distribution points in 44 countries, A&E has expanded globally primarily through joint ventures including one in Bangladesh, by overtaking 100 per cent of Brandix Lanka Limited and Brandot International Ltd. “A&E’s global presence had to be accelerated and this could not be done by building business everywhere in the world and rotating the American staff. So what we did was enter Bangladesh through a JV; at present we have reclaimed our 100 per cent ownership in the country,” informs Fred. The recent developments in technology have resulted in various breakthroughs and one of the breakthroughs that A&E Bangladesh has incorporated is for wastewater treatment and reclamation for water reuse. This includes the membrane technology, which has emerged as a significant innovation in terms of a leading process in the upgrade and expansion of wastewater treatment plants. A&E Bangladesh has the first membrane water treatment plant in Bangladesh, which “has enabled the company to almost double its ETP capacity,” explains Angelo.
The company’s long-standing commitment to Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS), sustainability, and social responsibility continues to be top priority at all regional offices globally whereby the initiatives remain the same. “As a company treating people correctly, having right safety and health procedures and doing the right thing for the environment has been part of our culture in the US and all the international operations,” states Fred. Angelo agrees, “We have looked at the areas of total sustainability, be it the environment, the cost or the process of being an eco-friendly thread manufacturer.”
Being a pro-worker organisation, the company focuses on formulating the best HR practices and policies which facilitates future growth, enabling the retention of its skilled workforce. The company continuously keeps fulfilling and updating its labour compliance requirements whilst investing on providing training and development. It is an investment, which leads to better results at the end of the day,” asserts Angelo. Apart from working towards wastewater management coupled with reorganising HR policies to benefit both company and its workers, A&E Bangladesh continues its association with BGMEA University of Fashion & Technology (BUFT) for their design and display centre. The company is also in the process of initiating a few more CSR projects related to women empowerment, education and water. “In the future we are going into zero landfill and also recycling. And probably one thing would lead to another,” confirms Fred.
A&E Bangladesh has grown almost 4 folds in the past four years by sticking to what they know best; providing SERVICE, QUALITY and SOLUTION with brands such as M&S, GAP, A&F, Levi’s, Dockers, LL Bean etc., though Walmart and H&M are the biggest buyers in Bangladesh with a combined market share of 20-30 per cent. As these retailers are mostly on the value chain pricing, A&E still would strive on penetrating into the premium and speciality segments whilst restricting its sale and capacity on value brands “We have been growing steadily and have been increasing our capacities simultaneously looking at the premium and speciality segments which have helped us to sustain,” believes Angelo.
Leaving the unfortunate Rana Plaza accident in the past, the industry is gearing up towards fulfilling the needs of an efficient and safe working environment “More value addition in terms of design and development studios is something relevant that is seen coming up with most of the manufacturers, this shows the commitment for change. Moreover, Bangladesh is not a place that you can just leave. It’s very important to the world in terms of readymade garment manufacturing,” concludes Angelo.
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