The Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) and Textile Innovation Exchange (TIE) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on April 1 at the BKMEA office in Dhaka to promote innovation-led competitiveness across Bangladesh’s knitwear sector.
Under the agreement, BKMEA has been formally onboarded as an “In Association Partner” of TIE’s flagship programs, including the Partnership for Implementation of Innovation Circles (PIIC), Textile Innovation Awards (TIA), Textile Innovation Expo (TIExpo) and the Annual International Research Conference.
Both organisations emphasized the growing urgency of fostering an innovation mindset across the textile and apparel industry, noting that the traditional advantages of cost-effective labour and abundant energy and resource availability are gradually diminishing. In this evolving landscape, they said, innovation must become a core competence for Bangladesh to remain globally competitive.
The MoU signing ceremony was attended by Mohammad Hatem, President of BKMEA, and Fazlee Shamim Ehsan, Executive President of BKMEA. Representing Textile Innovation Exchange were Chairman Engr. Ehsanul Karim Kaiser, Member Secretary Engr. ASM Tareq Amin, Strategic and Reporting Lead Enamul Hafiz Latifee, and Amzad Hossain Monir from the Textile Today Innovation Hub. Officials from the BKMEA secretariat were also present.
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BKMEA, which represents more than 2,500 knitwear member factories, will facilitate outreach among its members, encourage professional participation in TIE’s capacity-building and innovation implementation programs, and provide venue support for jointly organised events under the partnership.
Textile Innovation Exchange will design and deliver factory-relevant training, innovation methodologies and recognition frameworks aimed at helping knitwear manufacturers transition from cost-based competitiveness to innovation-driven and evidence-led performance.
The collaboration envisions preparing between 600 and 800 mid- to top-level professionals annually with disciplined problem-solving and continuous improvement capabilities within the knitwear sector, reinforcing Bangladesh’s global positioning as an innovation-capable textile and apparel manufacturing base.
