Denim Expert Limited

A man with foresight is a rarity, and if you are looking for someone who has a combined sense of social responsibility, it is Mostafiz Uddin, the visionary, who is the Managing Director of Denim Expert Limited, Chittagong. He is not only socially responsible towards his enterprise and his people, but also to the surrounding environment. Apparel Online met Mostafiz to get an insight to this inspirational man and his organization.

Karnaphuli Export Processing Zone (EPZ) is just 10 km from the main business centre of Chittagong, the second largest city of Bangladesh, and situated in this EPZ is Denim Expert Limited, the dream realization of Mostafiz, who set it up on an area of above 10 million sq. ft. with an initial investment of US $ 15 million but the plan is of an investment of around US $ 55 million finally. Like its name, Denim Expert specializes in denim apparel manufacturing and has its in-house state-of-the-art washing unit, an embroidery section and testing laboratory.

Mostafiz has come a long way from his humble settings. “After completing my graduation in India I went on to explore various avenues which even included teaching,” shares Mostafiz. It was in the year 1999 that Mostafiz setup a small buying house in Bangladesh in 1999 and started working with denims, thus gaining experience of the product. In 2006, he formed a joint venture (JV) with a Netherlands company, and was the first European Union JV in Bangladesh, with KSA-Technopak as the consultants; the JV was a pre-requisite to start a factory in Karnaphuli EPZ.

It took them 3 years to setup the complete modern denim apparel manufacturing base with a capacity of 3,00,000 pieces per month. The reason for establishing its factory in EPZ was a very personal choice. “It is my passion that drives me to my job every morning and Denim Expert symbolizes my creation. I want to ensure that this company and its employees are protected even when I no longer exist, and by establishing it in EPZ ensures that my successors cannot sell it as it is prohibited by law,” elaborates Mostafiz. This unusual approach is in contrast to many entrepreneurs who choose EPZ just to receive various Government concessions or incentives.

Mostafiz has taken immense care while laying down the labour policies in the company. He has provided several facilities, more than what is required by law, like offering transport for workers, health care, canteen services, day care centre and leave during festivals, etc. He also follows a strict ‘no child labour’ policy.

Unlike other garment manufacturers, Mostafiz values his workers, and has taken special measures to ensure safety of the workers by installing fire extinguishers in each floor. He even conducts mock fire drills every month and has put ample doors for easy passage in case of emergency. This is again in contrast to all the other units which do not follow the basic fire safety education and training, not to mention installing the fire extinguishers.

Mostafiz, as a policy, believes in paying wages on time. “In this EPZ we have to pay US $ 55 as minimum wage while elsewhere in Bangladesh US $ 40 is paid as minimum wage,” informs Mostafiz proudly. He believes his people are his greatest asset and doesn’t mind paying them more wages and wants them to be happy working for the company. “Equipment, technologies and expertise are just the means to do the work, but a happy and satisfied pair of hands with willingness and focus is a prerequisite to provide the extra care that our product requires,” reasons Mostafiz. He likes to involve workers in the company’s growth; he monitors and documents the progress of every employee regularly, and based on these reports the plans of improving productivity are made.

Not only does Denim Expert have pro-labour policies but they are also an extremely social and ecological responsible company. “If you see plantation in this EPZ, it’s been planted by Denim Expert,” adds Mostafiz. The eco-friendly approach doesn’t only end with plantation, but also extends to their production procedures and waste management system. Every drop of contaminated water that comes out of their washing unit is made eco-friendly by their very modern effluent treatment plant (ETP) which cleans the water and then recycles it to earth.

Mostafiz’s foresight is further depicted in the fact that he constructed the building to withstand major earthquakes measuring up to 7.6 at Richter scale. “Even though buyers are not stressing on earthquake-resistant structures under compliance rules, and being aware that Bangladesh lies in an active seismic zone, especially when Chittagong itself has experienced several earthquakes in the past, I wanted the building to be earthquake-resistant,” says Mostafiz. Even though building the earthquake-resistant structure cost him 6 times more than the normal expense, it did not deter him. The building now stands tall with 7 floors and 4,48,000 sq. ft area. His vision was to create a revolutionary company that will be cited as an example 10 years from now.

[bleft] I value my workers and have taken special care to ensure their safety in tragedies like fire outbreak… We have installed fire extinguishers on all floors and conduct unannounced mock drills not only in the day time but also in the night – teaching them swift evacuation and how to operate fire extinguishers.

Companies manufacture garments unconcerned of their warehouse capacity due to which extra cartons end up in and around the stairs blocking smooth passage…, this can lead to chaos at the time of emergencies. At Denim Expert we highly discourage this practice. [/bleft]

Extending from his normal duties, Mostafiz is now writing a book. “I write articles, and books. I am writing a book which will be like a dictionary for the industry, and plan to bring it out in 5 years. I am doing my research, where the industry will be in the next 10 years, what is the environment effect on the jeans,” he adds.

In just 26 months since Denim Expert started production, the company has established its name in the market and already achieved a turnover of over US $ 30 million. If one judges Denim Expert on the basis of its turnover, it may appear to be just an ordinary company. But the very fact that it is only 26 months old, and has achieved so much in so little time, speaks volumes. Mostafiz exclaims, “I am working with prestigious brands, like Burton, which has never before outsourced from Bangladesh, and also have my own brand BlueXOnly. I would say I am truly successful the day I can manufacture garments that people think are impossible to manufacture here.” Mostafiz is very proud of the fact that his home grown brand BlueXOnly is selling in Europe and feels it is an inspiration for others to follow.

Having started its journey with producing kidswear for brands like Sainsbury, Denim Expert has now evolved to manufacturing for menswear. They also have plans to expand into womenswear, wanting to move from simple products to complicated products with added detailing. “We first try to improve the capability of our workers before we get into a new product category,” says Mostafiz. He also has plans for further expansion, and is setting up another project with the capacity to manufacture 20,000 pieces per day, which is expected to be completed within the next year. He has also set a mission to manufacture 1.5 million pieces/month one day and is working towards his goal.