Paxar Bangladesh, a subsidiary of global company Avery Dennison, has opened an 830-square-metre smart warehouse at Dhaka Export Processing Zone to speed up supplies of labels and other products to the readymade garment and footwear industries.
US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T Christensen inaugurated the technology-driven facility on Monday, 14 September. Integrated with Paxar Bangladesh’s existing operations, the warehouse can hold about 25,000 cartons at a time, with receiving, storage, order picking, packing and dispatch managed through digital and automated technologies, BEPZA said in a press release.
The facility is part of Avery Dennison’s broader Manufacturing 4.0 initiative and is designed to allow the company to supply customers more quickly and accurately.
Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority Executive Chairman Major General Mohammad Moazzem Hossain, ndc, afwc, psc, G, MPhil, Member (Investment Promotion) Md Tanvir Hossain, Dhaka EPZ Executive Director Mohammad Abdul Jabbar, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association President Mahmud Hasan Khan and American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh President Syed Mohammad Kamal attended the inauguration along with senior officials of BEPZA and the organisations concerned.
Before the inauguration, Christensen met the BEPZA executive chairman at the Dhaka EPZ Zone Office.
Moazzem briefed the ambassador on BEPZA’s activities, investment in Dhaka EPZ and other BEPZA-operated EPZs, exports, employment, labour conditions, worker-management relations and the authority’s role in creating an investor-friendly environment.
He also highlighted BEPZA’s contribution to Bangladesh’s economic development and export growth and the potential for technology-driven investment in the EPZs.
The meeting also covered international standards and ways to unlock Bangladesh’s economic potential through mutually beneficial trade with the United States.
Christensen later wrote in the visitors’ book that he expected the two countries to work together through a mutually beneficial trade agenda to unlock Bangladesh’s economic potential. He also planted a sapling on the Zone Office premises.
Speaking at the inauguration, Christensen said technology, productivity and supply-chain efficiency were important for increasing Bangladesh’s competitiveness.
American companies could further strengthen Bangladesh’s industrial capabilities through technology, expertise and investment, he said, adding that such initiatives showed the potential for deeper commercial and economic ties between the two countries.
Moazzem said technology-driven investment was increasing the capacity and productivity of enterprises in the EPZs while making Bangladesh’s export industries more competitive.
He described Avery Dennison’s smart warehouse as an example of Bangladesh’s progress towards smart manufacturing, automation and modern supply-chain management.
Companies such as Avery Dennison were bringing not only investment but also technology, knowledge and modern production practices to Bangladesh, he said.
BEPZA currently operates eight EPZs and two economic zones. The Patuakhali and Jashore EPZs are also expected to begin operations soon, and Moazzem invited prospective investors to explore opportunities in the two upcoming zones.
Paxar Bangladesh has operated at Dhaka EPZ since 2003, manufacturing labels, branding materials and related products for the readymade garment and footwear industries.
The US-owned company has invested about $81 million and currently employs around 1,500 people.
